Looking past the human carnage of today.. surely another evaluation should be made of labour's failure to morph tvnz/rnz into some sort of public broadcasting beast..?
Could the bones of that be re-engineered into what we need..?
That is just about as likely as having Trevor Mallard's dream of reincarnating the Moa in the hills of Wainuiomata coming true. The business model behind the broadcasting businesses is dead and the corpse is being to stink.
Of course the current top-heavy business model is done and dusted..
But much more focused models can't be off the table..
I mean..lean and mean is almost a cliche..but there are places between these behemoths at one end of the scale..and what I did @ whoar..as a one man band .. where I would post about 30 stories a day..
There are sweet spots between those two parameters…
There is an element of truth in what Seymour has said though (and now I am going to have to take a shower and scrub myself clean with a steelo pad).
The traditional media is behaving like its the end of times for news and current affairs, but really it's been obviously game over for traditional broadcast media for a long time now.
The audience has migrated online and they do things differently there. People like Benjamin Rich (the bald and bankrupt vlogger I mentioned the other day) don't make documentaries in the sense TV makes documentaries, they make vlogs. Vlogs, bloggers, forumes etc are mediums for delivery of content that are quite different from TV and radio. Tone, audience, raison d'etre are different. it's communication MSM, but not as you know it. On the whole collapse of traditional media thing, the media class mourning has studiously ignored the link between the MSM and the widespread perception – on both left and right – that it sees it's role primarily as gatekeepers to the establishment narrative as a key reason in their decline.
To often the MSM acts as if it considers itself more legitimate than the public and believes it, and not the voters, makes or breaks governments and ministers. Actual democracy is seen as a side show to it's role in policing legitimate establishment discourse, and when the establishment media doesn't get it's way it'll have a tantrum and label the public stupid or misinformed or dangerous – just look at how it has covered public dissent over Gaza, surely a hammer blow to it's claims of fearless impartiality.
The establishment links of the MSM are far to deep and wide to be easily dismissed as simply conspiracy nonsense. A 2017 photo is circulating online of Fran O'Sullivan hob-nobbing with Luxon and a squadron of rich white businessmen at a soiree in Switzerland sponsored by the NZ Initiative. Jessica Mutch-Mckay headed off to a plum corporate comms role at the John Key chaired ANZ. There is a well travelled path between broadcasting, government, and lobbying firms – Kris Faafoi? Maggie Barry? Katherine Rich? (In reverse!). It all amounts to the MSM facing a major crisis of authenticity. Does anyone really believe an army of boomer/Gen X "celebrity" journalists live in the same world as Joe and Jayne Sixpack? Does anyone believe the well heeled and/or elderly and/or well connected Audrey or Claire or Tova or Jessica or Barry or Mike Hosking or HDPA have the faintest idea or care about life in Flaxmere or Wainui or Otara? Sure there is John Campbell – but he is the exception that proves the rule. By contrast, the likes of Benjamin Rich have no problems with authenticity. He plays bingo and isn't afraid to get drunk with the locals and appears to actually like people. Vloggers like him have none of the connections with power and the establishment that comrpomise (in the eyes of the public) our media "stars".
Times are changing and with it hoiw news is delivered. Novara Media's YouTube channel in the UK pulls a bigger audience than BBC newsnight now. This is slowly being recognised by more and more mainstream organisations – https://www.wired.com/story/biden-white-house-state-of-the-union-address-influencers/
The future for news might not be how it is was 20 years ago, but it doesn't mean it is going away.
That depends on what you mean by 'dependent'. According to this article from 2019 (Full article: Public Service Media in Europe: Exploring the Relationship between Funding and Audience Performance (tandfonline.com)) public broadcasting in Ireland and Austria is 41.8% funded by commercial advertising. In Poland it's 64.2%. The article states "With regard to the sources of funding, many countries in the sample draw from a mix of public and commercial revenues." and "Altogether and on average, these forms of public funding account for 77.7 per cent of the overall revenue. Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of the overall revenue is brought in by commercial sources (advertising, trading of rights), and the proportion of public and commercial revenues differs across countries."
Yes, Labour looked at merging RNZ and TVNZ – when it should have been looking at similar taxpayer funding of a public service channel (broadcast and visual digital/online, with RNZ, broadcast and sound digital/online).
But I think we need to beware. They’ve attacked our eyes and ears. What’s coming? Something they don’t want us to see or hear until TINA is applied. Or perhaps they don’t want us ever to quite see it. The plan is more than tax cuts.
Can you watch this? It maybe even deserves a post. Jon Oliver’s most recent.
It is because he does not support public broadcasting – and in New Zealand, TVNZ is dependent on advertising revenues.
Luxon talks about a new business model for media – ignoring the fact that only in New Zealand is public broadcasting dependent on advertising revenue.
And even the chief executive of TVNZ conflates the revenue problem with transition from (free to air) broadcast to digital.
"We remain committed to delivering the most trusted and watched News and Current Affairs for New Zealand audiences, and what that looks like will change as we shift to a digital-first model.
This is only true if one can charge a subscription for the on-line digital service – but then news and current affairs is limited to the middle class audience.
That comes with an end to the free to air service. Warner-Discovery is ending free to air in 2025 (going digital only). TVNZ was planning this c2028.
At the moment those not online – over age 65* and those without broadband in their area* are dependent on free to air.
The government can make an arrangement with Sky to provide TVNZ/Maori TV via satellite – and install dishes – free basic subscription for * *.
Just like the entire mass media, many governments, even the independent media and critics of the war would have us accept that between 98% and 99% of Gaza’s entire population has survived—albeit the sick, injured, and more Palestinians about to die. This is lethally improbable!
He puts the figure at 200,000
The extreme right-wing Netanyahu regime has enforced its declared siege of, in its genocidal words, “no food, no water, no electricity, no fuel, no medicine.”
and
2.3 million utterly defenseless Palestinians in the tiny crowded Gaza enclave have been on the receiving end of over 65,000 bombs and missiles plus non-stop tank shelling and snipers.
Why does Hamas collude with lowballing casualties?
Hamas keeps the figures low to reduce being accused by its own people of not protecting them, and not building shelters. Hamas grossly underestimated the savage war crimes by the vengeful, occupying Israeli military superpower fully and unconditionally backed by the U.S. military superpower.
the reality is:
Children are starving at the fastest rate the world has ever known. Aid groups have been pointing to Israel restricting the flow of assistance into the territory as a major driver of the crisis
Why is the true number so important?
It matters greatly whether the aggregate toll so far, and counting, is three, four, five, six times more than the Health Ministry’s undercount. It matters for elevating the urgency for a permanent cease-fire, and direct and massive humanitarian aid by the U.S. and other countries, bypassing the sadistic cruelty against innocent families of the Israeli siege…
As a percentage of the total population being killed, Gaza can expose the Israeli ruling racist extremists to a stronger rebuttal for ending U.S. co-belligerent complicity in this never-to-be-forgotten slaughter of mostly children and women. (The terrifying PTSD on civilians, especially children, will continue for years.)
"The Government’s new fast-track planning legislation unveiled yesterday is even more draconian than Sir Robert Muldoon’s 1979 legislation, which attempted to do the same thing."
"Notably, the coalition has eliminated the Minister for the Environment (Penny Simmonds) from the process. The Ministers in charge of the RMA, Transport, Resources, and Regional Development will alone make the final decision on whether a consent should be issued."
This indicates how awful this coalition government is for our reputation for good governance.
When Labour bungled the light rail process major private sector players became very reluctant to spend the huge sums required to make a credible bid for any light rail project, since the whole thing had descended into a farce. In the end, the whole thing got canned, and a fair bit of reputational damage was done for the government. National appears to looked at that and drawn all the wrong conclusions (hardly a surprise with Tories, it has to be observed).
That was small beer though compared to this. Creating an authoritarian, rule by decree system where projects are approved without consensus or proper consultation in a process that is wide open for abuse and corruption is effectively trashing our reputation for good governance. It practically guarantees the projects will either be cancelled by an incoming government, or opposed so viscerally the cost of protests pushes the price through the roof and accelerates corruption as the government engages in draconian attempts to repress dissent funded by dark corporate money. – literally the formula that created the "banana republics."
Well, if business is unwilling or unable to insist on environmentally sustainable construction then the next Green Nz Govt will just have to insist that that capability is built back into a govt department where it can be nurtured and grown into an entity that works for a sustainable future. We have had these entities in the past and there is nothing to prevent there reintroduction. Business needs to wake up to the way of the future or expect to be sidelined.
upon a change of government, environmentally damaging contracts may be cancelled – without compensation!
Excellent – if that's the standard which is going to be applied, then the appointment of expensive CEOs to organizations which were clearly signalled as going to be dis-established – can also be reversed without redundancy compensation.
the proviso in Shaw's statement was around the degree of haste, amount of power being taken by Ministers, and lack of public scrutiny. He's not talking about any old legislation that is rolled back by a new incoming government.
"environmentally damaging" isn't a contestable proviso. The Greens campaign on this stuff using evidence, it's not going to be a surprise or vague.
All very well …. unless those contracts are set up in such a way as to incur ISDS proceedings against NZ should they be terminated. A recent example involving the USA's next door neighbour:
I believe that we still have Treaty exemptions, which Treaty explicitly includes the environment. It is a big reason why we are so lucky to have this Treaty and a big reason why Semour et al are so keen to neuter it.
This is terrible. When you look at the quality of the ministers who will have the most damaging power the heart just sinks. All of them together couldn’t scrape up an IQ of 20. Picked especially for their dimness and eagerness to be a big player and person of prominence they will pass any application for anything that is asked for by the zBig Business fraternity. Nothing but henchmen. Shame on them.Soon we will not have a Government. We will have an authoritarian dictatorship. Can’t we have a vote of No Confidence or something. In essence these people are being paid by us, the taxpayer, to decimate our beautiful country as we know it. God help us.
The cheek to say the coalition is scrapping (the rest of the) successful climate change programs (that we didn’t scrap when I became leader). And a bit with a dog!
Not enough to get my vote back tbh.
But enough to make this a one term government?
Who’s the pitch to? What does a Labour stronghold look like now Auckland is hollowed out?
First and foremost the members. After that anyone prepared to watch and listen. As a member, I had issues with the last government. The main one… they didn't move fast enough in the delivery of some of their promises. But they were held up by 2 to 3 years of Covid which has to be taken into account when judging them.
Time elapsed between Sunday reporting critically on one of the new government's cornerstone policies and the announcement that the show is to be cancelled: 12 days
It took 5 years for Jacinda Ardern to move into negative approval/disapproval. That is a comparison from the same TU/Curia poll.
Luxon rated negative from the start and has only got worse. I remain convinced that he will be replaced by National before the election, not because he's too right-wing but because he's simply hopeless at politics. Their MPs aren't going to go down with him.
Expensive So PM's approval rate is down the gurgler. Well deserved. An expensive Christmas party and housing claim. It showed his sneaky behaviour. imo.
More people disapprove of the Government than approve of it.
And so it begins.
The last National government 2008-2017 was mindful of how unpopular its predecessor in the 1990's was and how its survival in 1993 and 1996 was tenuous.
This lot is displaying the potential to be of the first one term National led government.
No, the poll is reasonably reliable (it's Curia). Not surprising that Seymour gains because he knows his RW audience, and he panders to that minority shamelessly but effectively. Whereas Luxon panders shamelessly and ineffectively.
you are welcome to join in that conversation Robert, but you need to explain your thinking. For instance, what is the great deal of passion, and what are the basic principles being obscured?
I accept you don’t intend it, but your lack of explanation has been causing problems in these threads. Likewise the rhetorical question comments.
Well, weka, it seems to me that I am not welcome to join in that conversation, given that you have shunted me into a different thread despite my having merely expressed support for the views of one of TS long-standing and highly respected authors!
How puzzling is that?
Now, you are asking me to explain what I mean by "a great deal of passion"!
My immediate response to your imperative is, wtf???
Then you direct me to explain what mean by, "basic principles being obscured?"
Have you become hyper-sensitised to simple communications?
I think so.
You are corralling me for saying some very simple, ordinary things. IMO.
Any acknowledge from you Mickey that the violence at Albert Park towards the Let Women Speak crowd who were their to attend a peaceful rally should be utterly condemned?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
It's frankly ridiculous to start asking why people haven't commented on one topic, as opposed to the infinite number of other topics. We might just as well ask why you haven't condemned every bad thing the coalition has done. The one you voted in.
"Because the list is far too long" would be one answer.
Holding neurodivergent people to exactly the same standard as the justified and monied elite of Karori and Remuera does not do neurodivergent people any favours.
Get back to us here in good faith once you have wiped off the RW talking points.
Thanks in advance.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
That RW talking points stuff, I now consider it from you to be flaming. I’ve pointed out the problems with it to you in the past. If I see you doing it again as a slur, I will start banning you. You can instead try and explain (with evidence) why anyone’s argument is akin to right wing arguments, and then they can respond.
There's a certain grinding down of particular comments and commenters here on The Standard. It is relentless. Some of us are hovered over. That's fine because I should and do have better things to do that advocate for the socially responsible left on my own time. My first responsibility should be to my work and family and I let them down badly by wasting time trying to make a difference here.
one of the things that has happened in recent years is what I call the FB-isation of TS. It's the long, slow slide into comments being declarations and reckons rather than political arguments.
You probably have some interesting things to say about neurodivergence in this context. I just wish you would say them rather than treating TS like twitter.
If you really believe someone is running RW talking points, then explain that. But what you did before was just slur posting and it doesn't create good debate atmosphere. Not that everyone has to make every comment a novel of explanation, at all, and a certain amount of rudeness goes with the territory. But there is a pattern here and that's when the mods step in.
I can certainly appreciate your point about time spent. As you can probably tell the mods are fucked off with how much time we spend on moderation. For me it's especially with regulars who should know better and appear to freely ignore moderation. I'm going to be going back to how we moderated in the past. Less explanation, more short then escalating bans. I've got better things to do with my time too.
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Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Seymour gloating over what is happening to so many in the media..
..is more than a little trumpian..
Looking past the human carnage of today.. surely another evaluation should be made of labour's failure to morph tvnz/rnz into some sort of public broadcasting beast..?
Could the bones of that be re-engineered into what we need..?
"Could the bones of that be re-engineered".
That is just about as likely as having Trevor Mallard's dream of reincarnating the Moa in the hills of Wainuiomata coming true. The business model behind the broadcasting businesses is dead and the corpse is being to stink.
It isn't going to happen Phillip.
Of course the current top-heavy business model is done and dusted..
But much more focused models can't be off the table..
I mean..lean and mean is almost a cliche..but there are places between these behemoths at one end of the scale..and what I did @ whoar..as a one man band .. where I would post about 30 stories a day..
There are sweet spots between those two parameters…
There is an element of truth in what Seymour has said though (and now I am going to have to take a shower and scrub myself clean with a steelo pad).
The traditional media is behaving like its the end of times for news and current affairs, but really it's been obviously game over for traditional broadcast media for a long time now.
The audience has migrated online and they do things differently there. People like Benjamin Rich (the bald and bankrupt vlogger I mentioned the other day) don't make documentaries in the sense TV makes documentaries, they make vlogs. Vlogs, bloggers, forumes etc are mediums for delivery of content that are quite different from TV and radio. Tone, audience, raison d'etre are different. it's communication MSM, but not as you know it. On the whole collapse of traditional media thing, the media class mourning has studiously ignored the link between the MSM and the widespread perception – on both left and right – that it sees it's role primarily as gatekeepers to the establishment narrative as a key reason in their decline.
To often the MSM acts as if it considers itself more legitimate than the public and believes it, and not the voters, makes or breaks governments and ministers. Actual democracy is seen as a side show to it's role in policing legitimate establishment discourse, and when the establishment media doesn't get it's way it'll have a tantrum and label the public stupid or misinformed or dangerous – just look at how it has covered public dissent over Gaza, surely a hammer blow to it's claims of fearless impartiality.
The establishment links of the MSM are far to deep and wide to be easily dismissed as simply conspiracy nonsense. A 2017 photo is circulating online of Fran O'Sullivan hob-nobbing with Luxon and a squadron of rich white businessmen at a soiree in Switzerland sponsored by the NZ Initiative. Jessica Mutch-Mckay headed off to a plum corporate comms role at the John Key chaired ANZ. There is a well travelled path between broadcasting, government, and lobbying firms – Kris Faafoi? Maggie Barry? Katherine Rich? (In reverse!). It all amounts to the MSM facing a major crisis of authenticity. Does anyone really believe an army of boomer/Gen X "celebrity" journalists live in the same world as Joe and Jayne Sixpack? Does anyone believe the well heeled and/or elderly and/or well connected Audrey or Claire or Tova or Jessica or Barry or Mike Hosking or HDPA have the faintest idea or care about life in Flaxmere or Wainui or Otara? Sure there is John Campbell – but he is the exception that proves the rule. By contrast, the likes of Benjamin Rich have no problems with authenticity. He plays bingo and isn't afraid to get drunk with the locals and appears to actually like people. Vloggers like him have none of the connections with power and the establishment that comrpomise (in the eyes of the public) our media "stars".
Times are changing and with it hoiw news is delivered. Novara Media's YouTube channel in the UK pulls a bigger audience than BBC newsnight now. This is slowly being recognised by more and more mainstream organisations – https://www.wired.com/story/biden-white-house-state-of-the-union-address-influencers/
The future for news might not be how it is was 20 years ago, but it doesn't mean it is going away.
Only in New Zealand is free to air broadcast dependent on advertising revenue synonymous with public service broadcasting.
The ABC in Oz and BBC and PBS in the USA will continue on just fine.
That depends on what you mean by 'dependent'. According to this article from 2019 (Full article: Public Service Media in Europe: Exploring the Relationship between Funding and Audience Performance (tandfonline.com)) public broadcasting in Ireland and Austria is 41.8% funded by commercial advertising. In Poland it's 64.2%. The article states "With regard to the sources of funding, many countries in the sample draw from a mix of public and commercial revenues." and "Altogether and on average, these forms of public funding account for 77.7 per cent of the overall revenue. Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of the overall revenue is brought in by commercial sources (advertising, trading of rights), and the proportion of public and commercial revenues differs across countries."
Yes, Labour looked at merging RNZ and TVNZ – when it should have been looking at similar taxpayer funding of a public service channel (broadcast and visual digital/online, with RNZ, broadcast and sound digital/online).
Not very human was it?
But I think we need to beware. They’ve attacked our eyes and ears. What’s coming? Something they don’t want us to see or hear until TINA is applied. Or perhaps they don’t want us ever to quite see it. The plan is more than tax cuts.
Can you watch this? It maybe even deserves a post. Jon Oliver’s most recent.
Last Week Tonight as the cost cutters make planes that kill people’.
It is because he does not support public broadcasting – and in New Zealand, TVNZ is dependent on advertising revenues.
Luxon talks about a new business model for media – ignoring the fact that only in New Zealand is public broadcasting dependent on advertising revenue.
And even the chief executive of TVNZ conflates the revenue problem with transition from (free to air) broadcast to digital.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/tvnz-job-cuts-hundreds-of-staff-expect-to-get-certainty-today/LNJP32K2GBGL5IPD53HPDRL4NQ/
This is only true if one can charge a subscription for the on-line digital service – but then news and current affairs is limited to the middle class audience.
That comes with an end to the free to air service. Warner-Discovery is ending free to air in 2025 (going digital only). TVNZ was planning this c2028.
At the moment those not online – over age 65* and those without broadband in their area* are dependent on free to air.
The government can make an arrangement with Sky to provide TVNZ/Maori TV via satellite – and install dishes – free basic subscription for * *.
The change saves TVNZ its payment to Kordia.
Ralph Nader writes:
He puts the figure at 200,000
and
Why does Hamas collude with lowballing casualties?
the reality is:
Why is the true number so important?
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/calculate-real-gaza-death-toll
"The Government’s new fast-track planning legislation unveiled yesterday is even more draconian than Sir Robert Muldoon’s 1979 legislation, which attempted to do the same thing."
"Notably, the coalition has eliminated the Minister for the Environment (Penny Simmonds) from the process. The Ministers in charge of the RMA, Transport, Resources, and Regional Development will alone make the final decision on whether a consent should be issued."
Continue reading at https://www.politik.co.nz/the-big-beehive-power-grab/ | Politik
James Shaw said it for all of us – upon a change of government, environmentally damaging contracts may be cancelled – without compensation!
At about 4.50 mark.
Bishop and Peters did not like the suggestion at all – but I cheered when I heard it!
That should make the exploiters and quick buck merchants pause for a moment!
https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=238915
That is a totally awesome response. The gloves are coming off on the green side too! What a huge relief
100% If the right push the law it will bite them xx
100%
This indicates how awful this coalition government is for our reputation for good governance.
When Labour bungled the light rail process major private sector players became very reluctant to spend the huge sums required to make a credible bid for any light rail project, since the whole thing had descended into a farce. In the end, the whole thing got canned, and a fair bit of reputational damage was done for the government. National appears to looked at that and drawn all the wrong conclusions (hardly a surprise with Tories, it has to be observed).
That was small beer though compared to this. Creating an authoritarian, rule by decree system where projects are approved without consensus or proper consultation in a process that is wide open for abuse and corruption is effectively trashing our reputation for good governance. It practically guarantees the projects will either be cancelled by an incoming government, or opposed so viscerally the cost of protests pushes the price through the roof and accelerates corruption as the government engages in draconian attempts to repress dissent funded by dark corporate money. – literally the formula that created the "banana republics."
Wot sanctuary said..
Well, if business is unwilling or unable to insist on environmentally sustainable construction then the next Green Nz Govt will just have to insist that that capability is built back into a govt department where it can be nurtured and grown into an entity that works for a sustainable future. We have had these entities in the past and there is nothing to prevent there reintroduction. Business needs to wake up to the way of the future or expect to be sidelined.
Excellent – if that's the standard which is going to be applied, then the appointment of expensive CEOs to organizations which were clearly signalled as going to be dis-established – can also be reversed without redundancy compensation.
Belladonna Agreed.
I did not realise Three Waters was environmentally damaging.
That's why any such policy should not include a contestable proviso such as: "environmentally damaging".
As Belladonna points out above, that standard should be consistently applied.
the proviso in Shaw's statement was around the degree of haste, amount of power being taken by Ministers, and lack of public scrutiny. He's not talking about any old legislation that is rolled back by a new incoming government.
"environmentally damaging" isn't a contestable proviso. The Greens campaign on this stuff using evidence, it's not going to be a surprise or vague.
Thanks for that heads-up/link ..
There is humour to be had from it…
Shaw poured a cold bucket of reality over the (until then) smirking tory mps… especially the police minister..
Smirks were wiped from faces…to be replaced by furrowed brows…(a doh!-moment for them..heh..!)
The police minister slumped back into his usual haunted resting face..
Kudos to shaw…his words will resonate…
It would be a very brave venture capitalist who sunk money into projects with potentially such a short shelf-life..
This three-headed hydra gummint seems to have bitten off more than it can chew..
(Reaches for popcorn..)
All very well …. unless those contracts are set up in such a way as to incur ISDS proceedings against NZ should they be terminated. A recent example involving the USA's next door neighbour:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/31/how-a-us-mining-firm-sued-mexico-for-billions-for-trying-to-protect-its-own-seabed
I believe that we still have Treaty exemptions, which Treaty explicitly includes the environment. It is a big reason why we are so lucky to have this Treaty and a big reason why Semour et al are so keen to neuter it.
No Right Turn agrees with Shaw's statement:
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/search/label/Environment
Absolutely to the point. James will be missed when he goes
Every New Zealander should be greatly concerned about the proposed Bill, which leaves enormous power in the hands of ministers to authorise projects.
But will those projects be in the national interest, or merely in the interests of National?
The environment is not something to be mined for short term political and financial gain; it is held in trust for future generations.
This is terrible. When you look at the quality of the ministers who will have the most damaging power the heart just sinks. All of them together couldn’t scrape up an IQ of 20. Picked especially for their dimness and eagerness to be a big player and person of prominence they will pass any application for anything that is asked for by the zBig Business fraternity. Nothing but henchmen. Shame on them.Soon we will not have a Government. We will have an authoritarian dictatorship. Can’t we have a vote of No Confidence or something. In essence these people are being paid by us, the taxpayer, to decimate our beautiful country as we know it. God help us.
100 days 100 days 100 days 100 days before the nationals finish off their prey
Not earth shattering stuff but good for a start:
https://www.labour.org.nz/watch-national-govt-first-100-days?utm_campaign=230308_100dayssuperhot&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nzlabour
The cheek to say the coalition is scrapping (the rest of the) successful climate change programs (that we didn’t scrap when I became leader). And a bit with a dog!
Not enough to get my vote back tbh.
But enough to make this a one term government?
Who’s the pitch to? What does a Labour stronghold look like now Auckland is hollowed out?
Who’s the pitch to?
First and foremost the members. After that anyone prepared to watch and listen. As a member, I had issues with the last government. The main one… they didn't move fast enough in the delivery of some of their promises. But they were held up by 2 to 3 years of Covid which has to be taken into account when judging them.
Nah they failed on WEAG before COVID had even escaped from a lab……
Surprise surprise…
/
@LewSOS
Time elapsed between Sunday reporting critically on one of the new government's cornerstone policies and the announcement that the show is to be cancelled: 12 days
https://twitter.com/LewSOS/status/1765862206179086408
No surprise here:
Latest poll: Christopher Luxon’s popularity crashes after allowance blunder, now trails Chris Hipkins – NZ Herald
It took 5 years for Jacinda Ardern to move into negative approval/disapproval. That is a comparison from the same TU/Curia poll.
Luxon rated negative from the start and has only got worse. I remain convinced that he will be replaced by National before the election, not because he's too right-wing but because he's simply hopeless at politics. Their MPs aren't going to go down with him.
Luxon has said he's done it.
Like an inveterate essay writer, Luxon said he was going to do it, then did it, then today said he had done it.
"Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been dealt a blow as the Government wraps up its 100 day plan, with his favourability crashing 16 points in the latest monthly Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll." cf observer's NZH citation at #8
He certainly has done it……
But he didn't do it. It was his ministers what did it. He just made a lot of noise about doing it. I don’t think he could do it if he tried.
Expensive So PM's approval rate is down the gurgler. Well deserved. An expensive Christmas party and housing claim. It showed his sneaky behaviour. imo.
And so it begins.
The last National government 2008-2017 was mindful of how unpopular its predecessor in the 1990's was and how its survival in 1993 and 1996 was tenuous.
This lot is displaying the potential to be of the first one term National led government.
All day I've been waiting to see what would happen if Country Calendar was headed for the knackers' yard. Now that would have been entertainment.
How come everybody but Seymour took a dive. Seymour up by as much as they could get away with. Good old Taxpayers Union
But ACT has fallen to below Greens in their poll – so that looks more like others.
No, the poll is reasonably reliable (it's Curia). Not surprising that Seymour gains because he knows his RW audience, and he panders to that minority shamelessly but effectively. Whereas Luxon panders shamelessly and ineffectively.
I support what you are saying, mickysavage. There's a great deal of passion obscuring some basic principles here, imo.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
you are welcome to join in that conversation Robert, but you need to explain your thinking. For instance, what is the great deal of passion, and what are the basic principles being obscured?
I accept you don’t intend it, but your lack of explanation has been causing problems in these threads. Likewise the rhetorical question comments.
Well, weka, it seems to me that I am not welcome to join in that conversation, given that you have shunted me into a different thread despite my having merely expressed support for the views of one of TS long-standing and highly respected authors!
How puzzling is that?
Now, you are asking me to explain what I mean by "a great deal of passion"!
My immediate response to your imperative is, wtf???
Then you direct me to explain what mean by, "basic principles being obscured?"
Have you become hyper-sensitised to simple communications?
I think so.
You are corralling me for saying some very simple, ordinary things. IMO.
Any acknowledge from you Mickey that the violence at Albert Park towards the Let Women Speak crowd who were their to attend a peaceful rally should be utterly condemned?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
please don’t start taking pot shots at TS authors.
It's frankly ridiculous to start asking why people haven't commented on one topic, as opposed to the infinite number of other topics. We might just as well ask why you haven't condemned every bad thing the coalition has done. The one you voted in.
"Because the list is far too long" would be one answer.
With you on that, observer!
Holding neurodivergent people to exactly the same standard as the justified and monied elite of Karori and Remuera does not do neurodivergent people any favours.
Get back to us here in good faith once you have wiped off the RW talking points.
Thanks in advance.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
That RW talking points stuff, I now consider it from you to be flaming. I’ve pointed out the problems with it to you in the past. If I see you doing it again as a slur, I will start banning you. You can instead try and explain (with evidence) why anyone’s argument is akin to right wing arguments, and then they can respond.
There's a certain grinding down of particular comments and commenters here on The Standard. It is relentless. Some of us are hovered over. That's fine because I should and do have better things to do that advocate for the socially responsible left on my own time. My first responsibility should be to my work and family and I let them down badly by wasting time trying to make a difference here.
one of the things that has happened in recent years is what I call the FB-isation of TS. It's the long, slow slide into comments being declarations and reckons rather than political arguments.
You probably have some interesting things to say about neurodivergence in this context. I just wish you would say them rather than treating TS like twitter.
If you really believe someone is running RW talking points, then explain that. But what you did before was just slur posting and it doesn't create good debate atmosphere. Not that everyone has to make every comment a novel of explanation, at all, and a certain amount of rudeness goes with the territory. But there is a pattern here and that's when the mods step in.
I can certainly appreciate your point about time spent. As you can probably tell the mods are fucked off with how much time we spend on moderation. For me it's especially with regulars who should know better and appear to freely ignore moderation. I'm going to be going back to how we moderated in the past. Less explanation, more short then escalating bans. I've got better things to do with my time too.
w
Weka – I believe you let some commenters here express some really crazy sh*t, and at the same time "tightly manage" others.
The burn is being felt.
weka – none, not one of my comments posted on the Judge Glubb thread have been allowed through, despite their vanilla quality – wtf?
Am I a dangerous agent?
Please explain.
I don't think you are a dangerous agent Robert.
I gave an explanation here,
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-08-03-2024/#comment-1992243
which you rejected so I'm not sure there is much more to say in terms of explanation.
" Some of us are hovered over."
QFT and well described, Muttonbird.