So 20% (at least) of all Auckland houses were sold to foreigners.
Not a problem, says that moron Judith “Oravida” Collins, because nationally the rate is just 3%.
what an idiot. The constant denial of reality by National – both in government and now in opposition – shows how much the left underestimates the influence of the mad and bad American right on the NZ right, and how the dangerous fantasy land of Judith Collins should warn us how close National is to going into a full Trump rogue mode, like the US Republicans have.
What she’s really worried about is that here idol’s vanity project MoBIE will be picked apart from the outside inwards. Housing & Urban Dev a good start.
I think that the 20% figure applies only to Auckland Central and perhaps the North Shore and that other property hotspot Queenstown? Auckland wide the figure was nearer 10% and nationwide it’s 3%.
“However the actual number of overseas buyers may be significantly higher because the figures do not capture sales made to corporate entities such as companies, which accounted for around 10% of sales in the March quarter.”
Just another layer of baffling opaqueness Pat which seems to make it impossible to get a fix on how foreign buyers are affecting the market. Which, of course, suits those who want free rein.
Why they dont (or are unable to) include companies/corporates in their data capture is odd….but as you note there are those who would be happier all round if none of it was measured
And having lived in Queenstown for nearly nine years it’s worth pointing out that there at least, the largest foreign buyer group is most likely Australians and they aren’t going to be impacted by any moves the government makes to curtail foreign buyers. They’re attracted by the advantages of exchange rate differentials and not having to pay Stamp Duty and Capital Gains Tax.
It’s not just the foreign buyers, it is also the amount of new residents who were bought into NZ under the Key government. NZ was one of the highest per capita in the world – the other countries doing the same thing, are countries like Israel who have a political agenda about their immigration policy and it could be considered a replacement one at the very least displacement.
Whether intentional or not, and you can’t blame the migrants but our government adopted this policy of displacement. For what ever reason they have replaced poor Maori/Pacific/Pakeha with mostly low waged Indians and the Pakeha middle class with Chinese/Koreans and also got a few rich migrants from any country they could manage. If the government bothered to get any real statistics about ethnicity as well as new residents/citizens then it would clearly show this at ground zero, Auckland.
Whether that is a good or bad thing is up for debate, but increasingly, like Meth, climate change, smoking, there is no debate because lobbyists just keep the debate on the surface arguing about statistics and what they say is true on their flawed models, rather than what can be seen before people’s eyes from any who visits Auckland.
That is before we get onto why you would do that to the infrastructure and purposely overload hospitals, schools… etc
It’s the government’s fault and they have abused the system just like the Meth Con scandal for their own ends.
But what to do from now, continue to displace people – 90,000 came in last year and how to integrate completely different cultures into something socially cohesive and who should pay for it, when there seems to be a new class of people who are new to the country, have a rich lifestyle, but qualify for welfare somehow?
I agree @ Draco. Amid a housing ‘crisis’ – an admission that had to be prised out of them with a crowbar – even 3% is fucking high. You’ll note that all they have to ride on at the moment is that claims of figures over and above (say 30%) was outrageous, alongside all that ‘Chinese sounding names’ fiasco.
They rely on the lack of statistics – which, of course, was by design (by them).
And at Jude’s straw-clutching best, she comes out with claims such as parents buying housing for their international student sons and daughters in support of billions of dollars of an export industry. I luv her! She’s ekshully the gift that keeps on giving, and if she relocated to the mainland at co-ordinates between 39 and 49 North, I’d be the first to wish her any sort of life longevity. I ‘spose she could always hide behind a Kauri tabletop though.
(Btw, one day some ‘entrepreneurial’ journalist – Hark! – I mean member of the 4th Estate, might go into a cost benefit analysis of all of that which would include the decline in tertiary rankings).
There goes a Jude, perfectly happy for parents of international students enrolled in shitty PTE courses to trump people sleeping in doorways and cars, and whose children struggle to even get a decent primary and secondary edjikayshun (going forward).
Sincerely! I hope she keeps it up. If I were her, I’d seriously be considering keeping my head down but then I guess she’s so fucking clever, she’s relying on the inadequacies and under-resourcing of a public service media, just as under-resourcing a civil service was all by ideological design.
And then of course, “Dunks and Richo” and the token talked-down bimbo in the third chair who probably still has a reasobaly large mortgage to pay, will be there to prop Jude’s saggy arse up amid Dunk and Rich thickery.
But then, as we’ve discussed before – the mathematics of it all don’t really stack up and I suspect much of their current outbursts are driven by fear (or maybe just born-to-rule, once was blue-rinse and Tim-nice-but dim Tory arrogance, )
And if she gets desperate, there’ll always be (what the gay community refer to as) a BoQ from the Eastern Wellington suburbs – the ultimate wannabe snob trying to deflect everyone else’s attitude as snobbery.
The gNatz and their propper-uppers really are becoming something worthy of a reality TV show.
The “National” Party ffs.
Christ! even the likes of Jim Bolger, McKinnon and others know what a completely fucked up gathering of self-indulgent, self-promoting, unimaginative organisms slithering around trying to make connections it’s become.
But …. she’s not the worst of them Draco. The best thing about Jude is that we can be pretty sure of her agenda, based on her record. Others are far more slippery – often as thick as pigshit but who’ve managed to slip their way into positions of what they think is power by way of ‘elite connections’.
No doubt there’ll be a ScottGN, or a James, or even a Mullet along shortly.
With housing constantly in the news, I suppose we have to get used to Judith Collins’ trivial sneering. I do wonder however, whether trivial sneering is going to find favour with the electorate.
Sounds like you have a warm feeling in your nethers for Judith Collins — always leaping to her defence whenever the nasty Lefties start disparaging her. Keep it up, Lancelot. I’m sure she’ll acknowledge your existence one day.
more likely James is paid to be a pom pom bearing cheer girl for Judith, no one of sane mind would willingly do that for free, PR is the lowest of the low jobs one can succumb to, the lack of ethics and morality, the cheerleading for idiots and big upping complete stupidity not to mention the lying, deceiving and trolling the public for a living = Scum of the earth propagandists.
Lolz James, if anything I probably gave my mummy and daddy issues.
My folks are the bee’s knee’s, am very lucky, they taught me to look after people, no matter who they are, as everyone is important and we have no idea of others struggles.
“… I do wonder however, whether trivial sneering is going to find favour with the electorate…”
In our deeply polarised and uneven society Collins has set herself to be the voice of the solid 33% of us who no longer care about the poor, or care about the housing crisis, or care about our massive incarceration rate, or care about massive underfunding of health and education, since they don’t know anyone poor and benefit from housing speculation and they can afford good security, Southern Cross and to live in a good school zone.
Collins is the spokesperson for this new neoliberal grasping class, the mid-range Audi drivers in ready to wear Barkers clothing and branded leisure wear who aspire to three rental homes, a fibreglass speedboat and a place place at Omaha.
What people with empathy see as trivial sneering is the red meat that feeds the psychopathology of her base.
That is why I hope she becomes leader of National. She will keep the base solid and fanatically loyal, and about 6% short of government forever.
Amazing how we can not get accurate data, I worked in the Real Estate Industry in Auckland 6-7 years ago and looked up the owners on every property over 2 x suburbs through the Property Guru Program/Website. It was very difficult to get any correlation with property owners names to telephone numbers in the phone book, also many properties are held in trusts and lawyers names. Also a very high % of Asian names on the property ownership details. Likewise attending Auctions in Auckland Central on a weekly basis up to 80-90% of the attendees were of Asian ethnicity.
When you have successive Governments saying they can not get accurate data, that indicates to me we have a problem with regards to who is buying up our housing stocks, especially when we have witnessed rabid house price inflation over the past 20 years and we can not provide affordable housing for our own people ?
Of course they can get accurate data Tamati, you’ve hit the nail on the head. They’ve been snowballing us and IMO Labour are either now complicit or too poor with numbers to see what’s been going on.
Jesus Christ when did title transfers become property sales?
Stats report this for the March quarter;
“There were 40,740 property transfers, including 32,880 home transfers, in the March 2018 quarter.”
REINZ report the following residential property sales for the March quarter;
December 5903
January 4366
February 6373
March 7768
Total 24,410
Now REINZ don’t say whether their data includes private sales but it’s likely since they have access to QV data and other sources. There could also be a time lag between sales and title transfers but it still indicates a possible 25% margin of error in the stats which is unacceptable. At the very least it needs an explanation.
You can tell that Stats don’t like what’s going on by the amount of times they use the word ‘transfer’ in their press release;
I just hope that statistics NZ lift the lid on non residents purchasing homes. To an extent residents here under 5 years as well. Some regions are telling.
Stats NZ can only do what they’re instructed, what’s needed there is for someone to wise up and give them the right instructions. They’re professional statisticians with no biases, if they’re given the mandate they will produce the true statistics on overseas buyers.
Just because you don’t own the house you’re in, it doesn’t mean the owner is an overseas landlord.
Just because someone was born overseas, it doesn’t mean they’re not a NZer.
You’d have to look at the LINZ data, and flip that through to the directors/majority shareholdings of landowning firms from the companies register. So your big data system, write it up in a locked room and hope your code compiles when they run it to see if they can tell you the answer…
“here under 5 years as well”.
Why stop there?
Why not forbid anyone who cannot trace their ancestry back to someone living here in the nineteenth century from buying a home?
That would certainly catch a few of those nasty people who buy houses wouldn’t it?
I don’t think the non residents are the biggest problem. The real problem is the new residents who are buying up, putting their assets into Tom/Dick/Harry/Trust/company x names as it suits them and then claiming they have no income or assets and expecting the Kiwis to support their Accomodation supplement, WFF, retirement care, health, education, social welfare…
The biggest expense of a person’s life is the first 3 years and the last 3 years… so with our baby boom, and stories of people flying into NZ, 7 months pregnant, shopping at Gucci and then spending time in NZ to give birth here, or getting on Tinder and starting a relationship and family to gain residency as we can’t leave the child ‘fatherless’ blah, blah, one recent migrant having multiple children at the same time to different migrant women but not a problem says immigration, the stories keep popping up…
In a few years (and judging by the retirement villages popping up everywhere in a construction boom of them), which charge $1000 p/w+ plus if you are ‘poor’ as your assets are in trusts etc the taxpayer pay all your care, and of course you get free health care with residency…
Voting rights of course come with residency so that is wonderful for the Natz if corruption and nepotism is what you are used to in your home country …
We ain’t seem nothing yet. Time to stop the loopholes of these routs once and for all so we don’t end up like Greece or Fiji!
Sadly the biggest fixation for many in Auckland poltics is how to get a quicker railway line from the airport, (which of course the local Aucklander’s are paying for) so that we can make the journey and wealth transfer smoother from airport to residency lawyer to real estate agency to trust lawyer to WINZ…
Then they wonder why we have more lawyers per capita than the UK which is known as a financial hub!
The real problem is the new residents who are buying up, putting their assets into Tom/Dick/Harry/Trust/company x names as it suits them and then claiming they have no income or assets and expecting the Kiwis to support their Accomodation supplement, WFF, retirement care, health, education, social welfare…
Yes that’s right, because it is only immigrants who do this sort of thing. What’s more, they’re all doing, them imgrints .
Remember this ? https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/twyford-s-racist-cynical-chinese-property-buyer-statistics-de-bunked-q00964
Barfoot & Thompson boss Peter Thompson agreed the data was unreliable.
“We know there’s been a large portion of Asians buying property but there’s no way to tell if they’re one of three categories: NZ born, foreign-born NZ citizens or foreign-born foreign citizens. If you asked me about Asian non-residents, I’d probably say between 5 and 8 per cent.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11519706
Peter Thompson, of Barfoot & Thompson, blames financial instability in China for the dip in those bidding – partly fuelling the market slowdown. “There are a lot less Chinese in the auction room at the moment and at the open homes,” he said.
So they don’t have information as to their client base but then a few months later can point that the slow down is caused by the same clients that they have no info. on. Funny that…. Keep high sales volumes and the realestate coys just keep on clipping the ticket
At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist I think that that beat up of an article on Kelvin Davis speaks more to the attitudes of some in the media to the current government than it does to Davis’ abilities as a minister.
In the 9 years National was in government you would have lost count of the number of times National ministers treated select committee with disdain or disrespect and yet how often did that ever really make it onto the news cycle?
Its was just a stuff story generated by the nats who lined up the quotes and the sub leads.
of course its unlikely Davis could match the detail and enlightenment of Dear leader when he was Minister of Tourism and appearing before select committee ( where
his Mps would have the majority and be there to fluff his pillows)
Silly people! They complain because Kelvin says they will have to wait for detail as it has yet to be decided. So what is wrong with that?
Silly buggers. Facile and transparent are Nat MPs!.
Its almost like Labour MPs are trying to have a race to see who can be the most embarrassing, first it Hipkins and his “math”, then Twyford, then Curran, then Twyford again and now Davis
Curran most be happy though as she now doesn’t look that bad, mind you this probably give Jacinda some good experience at raising kids 🙂
Advance voting daily numbers dropped back a bit this week, likely the rainy weather. But totals are still ahead of general election numbers for the same period.
Could be 10,000 advance votes. Hoping it shows a strong turnout on Sat. Big turnouts always help labour as their supporters may be working weekends or have transport difficulties
The Labour canvassers I have spoken to seem quite jaunty. But plenty of approving toots from late model cars to the Nat placard wavers at major intersections.
Early voting has been going on steadily with more booths for early voting than the General. The booth near the Warehouse in Birkenhead Mall has had somebody voting most times I have been past. Unlike most of the North Shore, Northcote has some pockets of hardship and you see some sign of it at the Warehouse. I have had 2 Labour door knockers but no Nats (though I’m probably on their blacklist so they avoid me). Transport congestion is the thing that most people talk about, though I suspect that there are deeper concerns they won’t talk about. Onewa Rd is a worsening mess.
So really hard to tell. My pick is Nats by 1200 to 1500.
You two-timer.
A couple of days ago you were proclaiming you undying devotion to Judith.
Now you are trying to move in on my turf and are professing devotion for Sophia.
You will break Judith’s heart.
With the Canadian Senate about to hand back the amended marijuana legalization bill back to the Lower House, this opinion on the inevitable corporate beneficiaries of legalization was worth checking, in preparation for our own referendum:
A very good article thanks Ad. It does raise some interesting questions and high light some area’s for concern that would need to be considered should NZ decide to go down the legalisation route.
As an ex smoker (haven’t had weed since before I joined the NZDF 20 years ago) I don’t have a huge issue with normalisation. The people I knew and know who enjoy a smoke came from all walks of life. Weed is already normalised just not legal.
There should be no anxiety over the chubby little Windbag Judith Collins.
The same girl that did all sorts of favours for a chinese chap (on tax payers) that turned out to be her bread and butter. All very very naughty and unsavoury stuff. Even the twisted Key had to find a big shelf to put her on. For some years.
But the Collins Windbag, along with some silly Simon, is carrying on the cultivated Genocide of the Poor, the Middle Class, the Homeless and the Illiterate as they have done now for over ten years .
Action will be taken against The Herald which is supporting this Genocide. As will action against RNZ and TV3 and Heads of all National appointed Departments.
The Corporates will also have action taken against them. The Banks too.
Watch our little chubby Windbag Collins squirm . Watch Key and English too.
I’d imagine the women on here are more forgiving of the rage and desperation of the disadvantaged bubbling out in an OTT fashion and including unacceptable insults like ‘chubby’, than they are of the cynical and selective adoption of feminist rhetoric by people like you.
“I’d imagine the women on here are more forgiving of the rage and desperation of the disadvantaged bubbling out in an OTT fashion and including unacceptable insults like ‘chubby’, than they are of the cynical and selective adoption of feminist rhetoric by people like you.”
You’ve missed the point entirely (I suspect deliberately) that David Morrison was making, by not saying anything to Observer Tokoroa you’ve condoned his comments
Nope – I think “unacceptable insult” is a well-balanced comment showing that I thought OT was being a bit of a dick.
And on top of that, the other thing I won’t ‘walk past’, is 3rd-rate Tory boys smirking behind their hands while pretending to be feminists.
Shes a beautiful women and an example of a pre-raphalite stunner. However her attractiveness does not and should not detract from her considerable intelligence, her calmness and poise under pressure and obvious leadership credentials.
So please stop trying to discredit her simply because shes attractive
‘Shes (sic) a beautiful women’… Why the plural?
Are you implying bi-polarity? Schizophrenia? The Jeckyll – Hyde thing? Or just recognising that she is two-faced, as her lies about the Oravida thing made clear?
” happy calling women chubby or a trout etc ”
But James every post you’ve made today has been an a intended insult to someone.
You really are having a bad day.
Should we offer you sympathy?
Because none of us know what bad times you’re going through right now.
Questions arise after Housing NZ boss Andrew McKenzie flurry of interviews with the press
If tenants safety concerns are first and foremost, why, from the end of last year, did the agency stop evicting tenants from supposedly meth contaminated homes?
In December 2017, the minister said if methamphetamine traces were found, support, not eviction, would be the first approach.
Furthermore, he didn’t explain how the standard used was misused. Instead of its intended use as a target to clean a lab to, it was used as a trigger to start clean ups, even if meth had only been used and not manufactured at a property.
You would think that Judith Collins would have had more more than enough guts (to put it politely ) to get the Chinese Military Spy out of our Parliament. She knows what a mandarin looks like for god’s sake.
But no. She did not have the guts or the spine. So National will go down in History as the Government who breached Security. And How. They are all Tarred with same Black Chow Brush – National is. The Stinkpot Nationals.
How high China Collins – is their mascot. phew !
Also, You would think she could write (can she write? ) a little letter in Mandarin to her beloved Maoists saying Fuck you Mr Pigtail, for putting dangerous low standard steal in our most important overhead Bridges. Where it still remains.
I mean where does this little woman stand ! She is a creep. A hapless, woeful waste of time. Even Bill English is a bit better than her.
“Finnish children start school when they are seven, only spend four hours a day in class and don’t get homework until they are teenagers, yet outstrip New Zealand in international test results.
What’s more, these high results don’t come from just a handful of elite schools, they come from all schools regardless of socioeconomic factors…..
..University of New South Wales professor of education policy, and Finnish education expert, Pasi Sahlberg, is a worldwide authority on education reform currently visiting New Zealand as a guest of the University of Auckland….
..”I think lack of equity or inequity is one of the biggest issues in your school system.”
Rather than focusing on achievement he thinks wellbeing should be the first focus. It’s a concept gaining traction in New Zealand…”
Excellent analysis – cut straight through all the National Party’s lies about education and focus on the real issue: children bring their circumstances to school.
Hekia Parata reckoned that the circumstances children brought to school could be mitigated by having excellent teachers. Excellent teachers who would do what she and her Ministry told them to do, and would do what parents told them to do.
Seven hours with an excellent teacher to undo all the undesirable stuff which happened in the other 17 hours in the day for a child? How did he magic plan go? Did it include majicking up masses of magic teachers to do her special trick?
Here is a interesting article from the Australian ABC about Climate Change related HADR missions on the rise for the ADF and no doubt it is very similar to what is happening with the NZDF.
There is a graph within the article showing an upward trend for HADR and for Warlike operations which is little bit disturbing, but in saying that I have 3-4 books in my library along with some Staff College papers that I have found online that have predicted the rise in HADR and Warlike operations associated with Climate Change.
Very much EKF. Canterbury is now considered one of the most vital operational assets the NZDF have. Not just because of her listed capabilities but because she has already proven a number of times that she can deploy and provide HADR relief in real circumstances. Most exercises and training these days in some way references disaster relief.
Yes the Canterbury is good ship with all it’s limitations due to the bloody insane budget that the Navy was given and the political ideology of certain members of that government that nobble Project Protector in-particular to the Canterbury ie the lack of a docking well. Just imagine the Canterbury having a docking well and to do ship to shore transfers up to sea state 6, then I would’ve been a bloody great ship just need a few more NH-90’s as well.
Defence said climate change could magnify regional instabilities, causing security problems for Australia.
“Climate change can act as a ‘threat multiplier’.”
“Climate change may also eventually contribute to greater irregular migration pressure in vulnerable countries to Australia’s north, potentially becoming a substantial security threat for Australia.”
The Senate report concluded that “the consensus from the evidence (is) that climate change is exacerbating threats and risks to Australia’s national security”.
That’s not a ‘could’ but a will. When people can no longer stand the heat, when the local area doesn’t produce enough food and there isn’t enough water due to that heat then people will act. Some will emigrate while other will attack neighbours to decrease demand upon local resources. This latter will, inevitably, force yet more to try and emigrate.
And it won’t be just Australia that will have concerns because of them.
Yes DTB I fully agree with your comments and when you throw in some of the possible side effects of Globalisation it could get really untidy. The Katapo Ex’s on the West Coast is good foundation for the NZDF and again to due people’s political ideology they missing the point to those Ex’s because the next skill set above HADR missions is Peace Support/ Peacekeeping and Peace Stabilisation Missions. Those two Mission skill sets are going to be to quite more common in the future and only needs to look at some of the case studies involving the West Coast after Alpine Fault ruptures.
Couple of other books in my library and papers I’ve seen have mentioned/ talked about the possibility of Civil War or total collapse of Law and Order during/ after Natural Disaster or during HARD Mission in other words a Low Level Warlike Operation then it will get real messy for everyone concerned and may take years for a full recovery.
She rejects his claim that it has announced 122 reviews and says the number is 38 reviews or working groups that involve external agencies and work beyond the normal business of Government.
To paraphrase Rick the bar owner, “I don’t have much against a trougher, but I despise a cut-rate one”…
It’s a thinner part of the wedge from near-private meetings for $5k, but it’s still the same wedge.
But then, fundraising is an essential part of political action, unless we remove that part of the equation from politics. So this is one reason I’m not completely dismissive of things like publicly financed election campaigns – it would largely eliminate the temptation to blur the lines between party and public office.
I think/hope its a salutary lesson to politicians, from both sides, that you don’t have to comment on every little thing that happens or what goes around comes around
I don’t want publicly funded campaigns because, apart from the potential for shenanigans, paying for a political party to get into power just doesn’t sit right with me but I see your point
Thing is, if someone’s paying $5k for a near-private meeting with the cabinet member in their field and it’s advertised as an opportunity for facetime with a minister, that’s not a little thing. It’s a pretty fucking corrupt thing.
A dinner is less private, but it’s still basically buying access that all relevant stakeholders should get free of charge. Is the text of the speech he gave even available?
There is nothing wrong with either. If people want to part with their hard earned cash to listen to politicians, that’s their business. The hypocrisy is the howls of condemnation when the nats did it.
You’re advocating open slather on using money in politics in a democratic society and you want to talk about hypocrisy!
Consistent I suppose with your essentially corrupt and regressive values. Your leaders have to be able to use money because their policies are manifestly contrary to the public interest.
You see her as skinny. Other see hear as chubby. Still others see her as a politician who ripped Kiwis off. For which she got shelved.
As for you Gosman, you should have complained about the Spy in Parliament.
But then why should you ever do anything ? You are National . Helpless and Hopeless.
You are involved in the destruction of the people who do the work – you hopeless Man.
You don’t like her or her policies or past behaviour or whatever thats fine, talk about that but please stop with the commenting on her body or otherwise as it has nothing to do with what you dislike about her you’re merely diminishing her (and all other women) to the sum of her body parts
Were you angry at me because i said your close friends were cheating us over steel specifications. The Steel we in good faith put into our overhead Bridges.
It’s one thing not being able to trust your nonsense Gosman. But our chinese trading partners should not falsify their specifications.
Even if they have thousands of houses here.
Please do not lose you rag again Gosman. You waste my time.
Gossie chows is slang for Chinese, just like horis are maoris, pinkies or pakehas (white fleas) are europeans, coconuts are islanders and ragheads are indians, you need to get out and socialise a bit more and get up with the play.
Puckish Rogue says; ” please stop with the commenting on her body” while earlier saying; “Shes a beautiful women and an example of a pre-raphalite stunner”
Confused, much? Blinded by love and a burning desire?
Poor Puck!
In all seriousness body shaming needs to be frowned on. I don’t think banning people for it is the answer but if everyone on here (left and right) let people know its unacceptable maybe those continuing it will learn why its wrong
I’ve noticed some female contributors haven’t posted for awhile (Weka especially) and i don’t know if its anything to do with body shaming but if it is thats not good as the more posters the merrier
Yes (before anyone points it out) it was especially prevalent during the last Labour government and it was wrong then as its wrong now
And now back to the irreverent Puck..
Judes an angel blessed with the patience of a saint and I now she will forgive my transgressions as I’m only human and, even worse, merely a man
“merely a man” – we accept your apology, Pucky.
Obersver Tokora (Observer Tokoroa)? makes the observation that there’s a Spy in the House; surely “Pre-Raphaelite” Judy has had harsh words to share on that matter? Pucky?
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis has apologised to an MP for calling her “hysterical” after she asked him a question about his portfolio at a parliamentary committee.
“I apologise for making that remark and for any offence caused,” Davis said in a statement today.
As the estimable paragon of greatness put it:
“That sort of patronising, sexist comment is something we National women get a lot from, particularly, the Labour party,” Collins said.
“This is the deputy leader of the Labour Party speaking to a senior MP who has been around for quite some time and a former minister as though she was a naughty little girl who should sit back in her little box and take her turn.”
I think Kelvin forgot he was at a Parliamentary Select Committee and not on a marae.
In Parliament he can’t just tell an uppity woman to sit at the back and keep quiet with impunity.
Bloody disgrace that anyone should be allowed to question him about his portfolio of course. Who do those people think they are?
The spectacle of a lying cow trying to make out she’s a caring lamb is quite funny.
She’s on about Kelvin Davis being patronising to Jacqui Dean as if she was ‘a naughty little girl who should sit back in her little box and take her turn.’
To make her point Judith treats Davis like he was a naughty little boy who should sit back in his little box and take her turn.
If disingenuity was money Collins would be a zillionaire a million times over and if pandering to moronic National followers was an art the Louvre and La Scala would be dedicated solely to her work.
For the record, Pucky, I don’t believe you admire Collins anywhere near as much as you profess. I’m certain you’re primarily taunting, or believe you are taunting readers here.
Have you ever had a scenario when you go to buy something from a shop a car parts shop and you know the attending is lying to you we it happen today.
You see I had already rang the call centre and they told me that the product was at this shop I went to the shop and he lied and said that the good product was sold out and the whole franchise had none left only the smaller product was available. I new he was lieing so I rang the call center again found another shop that said they had the product I booked it and got his name and told him I would make a complaint if the product was sold.
And this is why I say the sandflys are all the same as the Rotorua sandflys do this to ECO MAORI all the time they have nothing better to do than to harass me. Here some music to the sandflys
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Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Prisons are places of unceasing emotional and physical violence, unrelieved despair and unforgivable human waste.IT WAS NATIONAL’S Bill English who accurately described New Zealand’s prisons as “fiscal and moral failures”. On the same subject, Labour’s Dr Martyn Findlay memorably suggested that no prison ...
This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
. . American Burlesque As I write this (Wednesday evening, 6 January), the US Presidential election is all but resolved, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the (Dis-)United State of America. Trump’s turbulent political career has lasted just four years – one of the few single-term US presidents ...
The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
In a recent column I wrote for local newspapers, I ventured to suggest that Donald Trump – in addition to being a liar and a cheat, and sexist and racist – was a fascist in the making and would probably try, if he were to lose the election, to defy ...
When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
When I went to bed last night, I was expecting today to be eventful. A lot of pouting in Congress as last-ditch Trumpers staged bad-faith "objections" to a democratic election, maybe some rioting on the streets of Washington DC from angry Trump supporters. But I wasn't expecting anything like an ...
Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President respectively for the US 2020 Election, may have dispensed with the erstwhile nemesis, Trump the candidate – but there are numerous critical openings through which much, much worse many out there may yet see fit to ...
I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the ...
Frances Williams, King’s College LondonFor most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”. Scientists are ...
Last night, a British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. Unfortunately, its not because all he is "guilty" of is journalism, or because the offence the US wants to charge him with - espionage - is of an inherently political nature; instead the judge accepted ...
Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
So, Boris Johnson has been footering about in hospitals again. We should be grateful, perhaps, that on this occasion the Clown-in-Chief is only (probably) getting in the way and causing distractions, rather than taking up a bed, vital equipment and resources and adding more strain and danger to exhausted staff.Look at ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to ZeroThat’s one of several recent ...
The situation in the UK is looking catastrophic.Cases: over *70,000* people who were tested in England on 29th December tested positive. This is *not* because there were more tests on that day. It *is* 4 days after Christmas though, around when people who caught Covid on Christmas Day might start ...
by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
Lost Opportunity: The powerful political metaphor of the Maori Party leading the despised and marginalised from danger to safety, is one Labour could have pre-empted by taking the uprising at Waikeria Prison much more seriously. AS WORD OF Rawiri Waititi’s successful intervention in the Waikeria Prison stand-off spreads, the Maori ...
Dear friends, it’s been a covidious year,A testing time for all of us here—Citizens of an island nationIn a state of managed isolation,A team (someone said) five million strong,Making it up as we went along:Somehow in typical Kiwi fashion,Without any wild excess ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Dec 27, 2020 through Sat, Jan 2, 2021Editor's Choice7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble Arctic Sea Ice: NSIDC It’s no secret that the Arctic is ...
One of the books I read in 2020 was She, by H. Rider Haggard (1887). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as being an exemplar of a good old-fashioned adventure story. I also noted with amusement ...
Scottish doctor Malcolm Kendrick looks at the pandemic and the responses to it 30th December 2020 I have not written much about COVID19 recently. What can be said? In my opinion the world has simply gone bonkers. The best description can be found in Dante’s Inferno, written many hundreds of ...
I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. After correcting send me the URL for your ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
A nationwide poll has found majority support for the government to continue to closely monitor abortions in New Zealand and the reasons for it, despite the Ministry of Health recently suggesting that there is not a use for collecting much of this information. ...
The out-of-control growth in gangs, gun crime, and violent gang activity is exposing our communities to dangerous levels of violence that will inevitably end in tragedy, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The recent incidents of people being shot and ...
Successive governments have paid lip service to our productivity challenge but have failed to deliver. It's time to establish a Productivity Council charged with prioritising efforts. ...
Understanding the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long Covid’ might be helpful in treating symptoms that doctors will find all too easy to dismiss.When people began to report signs of “long Covid”, characterised by a lack of full recovery from the virus and debilitating fatigue, I recognised their stories. ...
Nadine Anne Hura, who never considered herself an artist, reflects on what art and making has taught her.I couldn’t clean or cook or wash the clothes, but I could sew. That’s a lie, I’m a terrible sewer, but I left work early to fossick around in the $1 bin of ...
Summer reissue: In the final episode of this season of Bad News, Alice is joined by Billy T award winner Kura Forrester to look at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2020.First published September 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The ...
Lucy Revill’s The Residents is a blog about daily life in Wellington that has morphed into a stylish, low-key coffee-table book featuring interviews and photographic portraits of 38 Wellingtonians. In this extract, Revill profiles Eboni Waitere, owner and executive director of Huia Publishers. The Residents features names like Monique Fiso ...
Pacific Media Watch correspondent The pro-independence conflict in West Papua with a missionary plane reportedly being shot down at Intan Jaya has stirred contrasting responses from the TNI/POLRI state sources, church leaders and an independence leader. A shooting caused a plane to catch fire on 6 January 2021 in the ...
“Last year ACT warned that rewarding protestors at Ihumātao with taxpayer money would promote further squatting. We just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it is in Shelly Bay” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The prosperity of all ...
Our kindly PM registered her return to work as leader of the nation with yet another statement on the Beehive website, the second in two days (following her appointment of Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council on Wednesday). It’s great to know we don’t have to check with ...
A Pūhoi pub is refusing to remove a piece of memorabilia bearing the n-word from its walls. Dr Lachy Paterson looks at the history of the word here, and New Zealand’s complicity in Britain’s shameful slave trading past.Content warning: This article contains racist language and images.On a pub wall in ...
Supermarket shoppers looking for citrus are seeing a sour trend at the moment – some stores are entirely tapped out of lemons. But why? Batches of homemade lemonade will be taking a hit this summer, with life not giving New Zealand shoppers lemons. Prices are high at supermarkets and grocers that ...
You’re born either a cheery soul or a gloomy one, reckons Linda Burgess – but what happens when gene pools from opposite ends of the spectrum collide?In our shoeboxes of photos that we have to sort out before we die or get demented – because who IS that kid on ...
Summer reissue: Prisoner voting rights are something that few in government seem particularly motivated to do anything about. Could a catchy charity single help draw attention to the issue?First published September 1, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Hundreds more Cook Islanders are expected to begin criss-crossing the Pacific, Air NZ will triple the number of flights to Rarotonga next week, and about 300 managed isolation places will be freed up for Kiwis returning from other parts of the world. When Thomas Tarurongo Wynne took a job in Wellington at ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Ena Manuireva in Auckland It seems a long time ago – some 124 days – since Mā’ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80. The local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral research associate, UNSW A global coalition of more than 50 countries have this week pledged to protect over 30% of the planet’s lands and seas by the end of this decade. Their reasoning is clear: we need greater protection ...
The Reserve Bank Governor’s apology and claim he will ‘own the issue’ is laughable given the lack of answers and timing of its release. Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union said: “It’s been five days since they came clean, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Kokshagina, Researcher – Innovation & Entrepreneurship, RMIT University Are too many online meetings and notifications getting you down? Online communication tools – from email to virtual chat and video-conferencing – have transformed the way we work. In many respects they’ve made ...
The Reserve Bank acknowledges information about some of its stakeholders may have been breached in a malicious data hack. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has commissioned an independent inquiry into how stakeholders' information was compromised when hackers breached a file sharing service used by the bank. “We ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland This story contains spoilers for Ammonite Palaeontologist Mary Anning is known for discovering a multitude of Jurassic fossils from Lyme Regis on England’s Dorset Coast from the age of ten in 1809. ...
A tribute to the sitcoms of old? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yup. Sam Brooks reviews the audacious WandaVision.Nothing sends a chill up my spine like the phrase “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Since launching in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has become a shambling behemoth, with over 23 films (not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University The alt-right, QAnon, paramilitary and Donald Trump-supporting mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 claimed they were only doing what the so-called “founding fathers” of the US had done in ...
The Point of Order Ministerial Workload Watchdog and our ever-vigilant Trough Monitor were both triggered yesterday by an item of news from the office of Conservation Minister Kititapu Allan. The minister was drawing attention to new opportunities to dip into the Jobs for Nature programme (and her statement was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Kupz, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University In July 1921, a French infant became the first person to receive an experimental vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), after the mother had died from the disease. The vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is ...
The first Friday Poem for 2021 is by Wellington poet Rebecca Hawkes.While you were partying I studied the bladeI your ever-loving edgelord God-emperorof the bot army & bitcoin mine subsistingon an IV drip of gamer girl bathwaterfinally my lonelinessis your responsibility………. you seeI need a girlfriend assigned to me by the ...
The arming of police officers in Canterbury was inevitable with the growing numbers and brazenness of the gangs across the country – this should be a permanent step, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is unfortunate that we have come to the point ...
Celebrations in Aotearoa New Zealand to mark the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin on Thursday 21 January with ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand’s Wellington and online event, and continue on Friday ...
Hardly anyone is using their Covid Tracer app. Something needs to change.As the mercury approaches 30°C in Aotearoa, there is a good deal of slipping and slopping, but, let’s face it, piss-all scanning. As few as around 500,000 QR codes are being scanned by users of the NZ Covid Tracer ...
On the East Coast, a group of Māori-owned enterprises is innovating to create new revenue streams while doing what they love.New Zealand’s remote and sparsely populated regions are typically not the best places to create thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. In small communities miles away from any major centres, there are so ...
As we reach the height of summer, it’s not too late to do a safety check on your gas bottle. The Environmental Protection Authority’s Safer Homes programme has some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you fire up the grill. "If you’ve ...
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.AUCKLAND1Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold by Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph, $37)If you’re in any way unsure about ...
“We may as well knock on the gang headquarters around this country and tell them we all give up," says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is simply outrageous that violent offender, James Tuwhangai, has been released from ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Ireland, Israel, and Lebanon. Chart by Keith Rankin. The countries with the most recent large outbreaks of Covid19 are those with large numbers of recent recorded cases, but yet to record the deaths that most likely will result. In this camp, this time, are Ireland, Israel ...
RuPaul is in Aotearoa, kicking back in managed isolation to await the filming of an Australasian version of her hugely popular reality show Drag Race. But not everyone is happy about, explains Eli Matthewson. The world’s most famous drag queen, RuPaul, is in New Zealand, the government confirmed earlier this week ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Melleuish, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong What can we make of Clive Palmer? This week, he announced his United Australia Party (UAP) would not contest the upcoming West Australian state election on March 13. After a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gisela Kaplan, Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England Have you ever seenmagpies play-fighting with one another, or rolling around in high spirits? Or an apostlebird running at full speed with a stick in its beak, chased by a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Program Director, Centre for Policy Development, and Associate Professor of Education, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Childcare centres across Australia are suffering staff shortages, which have been exacerbated by the COVID crisis. Many childcare workers across Australia left when parents started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Rhetoric plays an important role in tax debate and therefore tax policy. If your side manages to gain traction in the public imagination with labels such as “death ...
*This article was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission* Whoever leads the Republican Party post-Trump will need to consider how they will maintain the rabid support of his “base”, while working to regain more moderate voters who defected from the party in the 2020 election. In a historic ...
Covid-19 fears accelerated banks’ moves towards cashless transactions. But the Reserve Bank is fighting to protect cash, and those who still use it. ...
Good morning and welcome to this one-off edition of The Bulletin, covering major stories from the last few weeks.A quick preamble to this: Today’s special edition of The Bulletin is all about filling you in on some of the stories you might have missed over the summer period. Perhaps you had ...
Summer reissue: In this episode of Bad News, Alice Snedden is forced to confront her own mortality before hosting a very special dinner party to get to grips with the euthanasia debate.First published August 27, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
The contrast between the words of John F Kennedy and today’s anti-democratic demagogue is inescapable, writes Dolores Janiewski I still remember three eloquent speeches by an American president. One happened in January 1961 and spoke about a “torch being passed to a new generation”. Two years later and one day apart, ...
The debate over cutting down a large macrocarpa to make way for a new residential development has highlighted a wider agreement between developers and protesters: that we also need to be planting far more trees. At the corner of Great North Road and Ash Street in Avondale, a 150-year-old macrocarpa stands its ground ...
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So 20% (at least) of all Auckland houses were sold to foreigners.
Not a problem, says that moron Judith “Oravida” Collins, because nationally the rate is just 3%.
what an idiot. The constant denial of reality by National – both in government and now in opposition – shows how much the left underestimates the influence of the mad and bad American right on the NZ right, and how the dangerous fantasy land of Judith Collins should warn us how close National is to going into a full Trump rogue mode, like the US Republicans have.
In an amazing coincidence, 3% is also her preferred PM score.
I find her repellent, which I guess she would regard as a victory.
What she’s really worried about is that here idol’s vanity project MoBIE will be picked apart from the outside inwards. Housing & Urban Dev a good start.
I Doubt she would give you even a thought.
You’re right about that. But then when things all go tits up she’ll be bleating and screaming and crying how unfair everything is.
I think that the 20% figure applies only to Auckland Central and perhaps the North Shore and that other property hotspot Queenstown? Auckland wide the figure was nearer 10% and nationwide it’s 3%.
“However the actual number of overseas buyers may be significantly higher because the figures do not capture sales made to corporate entities such as companies, which accounted for around 10% of sales in the March quarter.”
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/94168/overseas-house-buyer-activity-concentrated-places-auckland-and-queenstown
Just another layer of baffling opaqueness Pat which seems to make it impossible to get a fix on how foreign buyers are affecting the market. Which, of course, suits those who want free rein.
Why they dont (or are unable to) include companies/corporates in their data capture is odd….but as you note there are those who would be happier all round if none of it was measured
What happens if you are posted to Auckland for 3 years and if you do not go your job could be terminated?
There is a high price to pay. And you were paying a mortgage in an affordable area. And you sell your home.
What is the position you are now in?
You have been put back 5 years.
It is not easy being a long distance landlord and raising children is expensive.
And having lived in Queenstown for nearly nine years it’s worth pointing out that there at least, the largest foreign buyer group is most likely Australians and they aren’t going to be impacted by any moves the government makes to curtail foreign buyers. They’re attracted by the advantages of exchange rate differentials and not having to pay Stamp Duty and Capital Gains Tax.
It’s not just the foreign buyers, it is also the amount of new residents who were bought into NZ under the Key government. NZ was one of the highest per capita in the world – the other countries doing the same thing, are countries like Israel who have a political agenda about their immigration policy and it could be considered a replacement one at the very least displacement.
Whether intentional or not, and you can’t blame the migrants but our government adopted this policy of displacement. For what ever reason they have replaced poor Maori/Pacific/Pakeha with mostly low waged Indians and the Pakeha middle class with Chinese/Koreans and also got a few rich migrants from any country they could manage. If the government bothered to get any real statistics about ethnicity as well as new residents/citizens then it would clearly show this at ground zero, Auckland.
Whether that is a good or bad thing is up for debate, but increasingly, like Meth, climate change, smoking, there is no debate because lobbyists just keep the debate on the surface arguing about statistics and what they say is true on their flawed models, rather than what can be seen before people’s eyes from any who visits Auckland.
That is before we get onto why you would do that to the infrastructure and purposely overload hospitals, schools… etc
It’s the government’s fault and they have abused the system just like the Meth Con scandal for their own ends.
But what to do from now, continue to displace people – 90,000 came in last year and how to integrate completely different cultures into something socially cohesive and who should pay for it, when there seems to be a new class of people who are new to the country, have a rich lifestyle, but qualify for welfare somehow?
The brighter future was for the new residents.
And 3% is 100% too much.
The only reason why foreigners are buying NZ houses is so that they can bludge off of NZers.
National is all about increasing that bludging of course.
I agree @ Draco. Amid a housing ‘crisis’ – an admission that had to be prised out of them with a crowbar – even 3% is fucking high. You’ll note that all they have to ride on at the moment is that claims of figures over and above (say 30%) was outrageous, alongside all that ‘Chinese sounding names’ fiasco.
They rely on the lack of statistics – which, of course, was by design (by them).
And at Jude’s straw-clutching best, she comes out with claims such as parents buying housing for their international student sons and daughters in support of billions of dollars of an export industry. I luv her! She’s ekshully the gift that keeps on giving, and if she relocated to the mainland at co-ordinates between 39 and 49 North, I’d be the first to wish her any sort of life longevity. I ‘spose she could always hide behind a Kauri tabletop though.
(Btw, one day some ‘entrepreneurial’ journalist – Hark! – I mean member of the 4th Estate, might go into a cost benefit analysis of all of that which would include the decline in tertiary rankings).
There goes a Jude, perfectly happy for parents of international students enrolled in shitty PTE courses to trump people sleeping in doorways and cars, and whose children struggle to even get a decent primary and secondary edjikayshun (going forward).
Sincerely! I hope she keeps it up. If I were her, I’d seriously be considering keeping my head down but then I guess she’s so fucking clever, she’s relying on the inadequacies and under-resourcing of a public service media, just as under-resourcing a civil service was all by ideological design.
And then of course, “Dunks and Richo” and the token talked-down bimbo in the third chair who probably still has a reasobaly large mortgage to pay, will be there to prop Jude’s saggy arse up amid Dunk and Rich thickery.
But then, as we’ve discussed before – the mathematics of it all don’t really stack up and I suspect much of their current outbursts are driven by fear (or maybe just born-to-rule, once was blue-rinse and Tim-nice-but dim Tory arrogance, )
And if she gets desperate, there’ll always be (what the gay community refer to as) a BoQ from the Eastern Wellington suburbs – the ultimate wannabe snob trying to deflect everyone else’s attitude as snobbery.
The gNatz and their propper-uppers really are becoming something worthy of a reality TV show.
The “National” Party ffs.
Christ! even the likes of Jim Bolger, McKinnon and others know what a completely fucked up gathering of self-indulgent, self-promoting, unimaginative organisms slithering around trying to make connections it’s become.
But …. she’s not the worst of them Draco. The best thing about Jude is that we can be pretty sure of her agenda, based on her record. Others are far more slippery – often as thick as pigshit but who’ve managed to slip their way into positions of what they think is power by way of ‘elite connections’.
No doubt there’ll be a ScottGN, or a James, or even a Mullet along shortly.
Any hidden costs were not factored in.
Hidden costs
Housing.
Education.
Health care.
Unemployment.
Immigration.
Traffic congestion.
Jail muster.
Sniff.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/govts-foreign-buyer-ban-will-destroy-the-housing-market-collins/ar-AAymaWw?ocid=spartanntp
Twyford lost again.
With housing constantly in the news, I suppose we have to get used to Judith Collins’ trivial sneering. I do wonder however, whether trivial sneering is going to find favour with the electorate.
The only reason she angled for the Housing portfolio was because it would put her in the middle of a near constant news stream.
And the faction backing Bridges must have been too weak to deny her.
The constant news stream is how bad National managed housing.
Collins can try and defend the indefensible. Still out of touch and will remain so.
Judith is speaking to her constituents and they applaud her. She means to taunt people like us.
Left in opposition taunting and does not have mature boundaries. Her constituents can have her.
She will never be PM, way too polarising and most women can’t stand her.
A PM should be akin to a mum or a dad, a person that genuinely cares about all the people whom they govern.
Not judith, that woman doesn’t appear to have a maternal bone in her body.
It sounds like you have mummy or daddy issues.
Sounds like you have a warm feeling in your nethers for Judith Collins — always leaping to her defence whenever the nasty Lefties start disparaging her. Keep it up, Lancelot. I’m sure she’ll acknowledge your existence one day.
more likely James is paid to be a pom pom bearing cheer girl for Judith, no one of sane mind would willingly do that for free, PR is the lowest of the low jobs one can succumb to, the lack of ethics and morality, the cheerleading for idiots and big upping complete stupidity not to mention the lying, deceiving and trolling the public for a living = Scum of the earth propagandists.
Lolz James, if anything I probably gave my mummy and daddy issues.
My folks are the bee’s knee’s, am very lucky, they taught me to look after people, no matter who they are, as everyone is important and we have no idea of others struggles.
Mums and dads are there to look around the corners. Collins has not looked around corners unless they were her own example Orivida and kauri.
“… I do wonder however, whether trivial sneering is going to find favour with the electorate…”
In our deeply polarised and uneven society Collins has set herself to be the voice of the solid 33% of us who no longer care about the poor, or care about the housing crisis, or care about our massive incarceration rate, or care about massive underfunding of health and education, since they don’t know anyone poor and benefit from housing speculation and they can afford good security, Southern Cross and to live in a good school zone.
Collins is the spokesperson for this new neoliberal grasping class, the mid-range Audi drivers in ready to wear Barkers clothing and branded leisure wear who aspire to three rental homes, a fibreglass speedboat and a place place at Omaha.
What people with empathy see as trivial sneering is the red meat that feeds the psychopathology of her base.
That is why I hope she becomes leader of National. She will keep the base solid and fanatically loyal, and about 6% short of government forever.
35 years of neoliberalism turns 1/3 of the population into selfish wannabes.
Neoliberalism turns people onto The spice Girls, thats probably the most compelling argument you’ve made
Amazing how we can not get accurate data, I worked in the Real Estate Industry in Auckland 6-7 years ago and looked up the owners on every property over 2 x suburbs through the Property Guru Program/Website. It was very difficult to get any correlation with property owners names to telephone numbers in the phone book, also many properties are held in trusts and lawyers names. Also a very high % of Asian names on the property ownership details. Likewise attending Auctions in Auckland Central on a weekly basis up to 80-90% of the attendees were of Asian ethnicity.
When you have successive Governments saying they can not get accurate data, that indicates to me we have a problem with regards to who is buying up our housing stocks, especially when we have witnessed rabid house price inflation over the past 20 years and we can not provide affordable housing for our own people ?
Of course they can get accurate data Tamati, you’ve hit the nail on the head. They’ve been snowballing us and IMO Labour are either now complicit or too poor with numbers to see what’s been going on.
Jesus Christ when did title transfers become property sales?
Stats report this for the March quarter;
“There were 40,740 property transfers, including 32,880 home transfers, in the March 2018 quarter.”
REINZ report the following residential property sales for the March quarter;
December 5903
January 4366
February 6373
March 7768
Total 24,410
Now REINZ don’t say whether their data includes private sales but it’s likely since they have access to QV data and other sources. There could also be a time lag between sales and title transfers but it still indicates a possible 25% margin of error in the stats which is unacceptable. At the very least it needs an explanation.
You can tell that Stats don’t like what’s going on by the amount of times they use the word ‘transfer’ in their press release;
https://stats.govt.nz/information-releases/property-transfer-statistics-march-2018-quarter
Their language is quite different to that which LINZ used in their (earlier) reports. (LINZ blithely referred to every transfer as a sale.)
I just hope that statistics NZ lift the lid on non residents purchasing homes. To an extent residents here under 5 years as well. Some regions are telling.
Stats NZ can only do what they’re instructed, what’s needed there is for someone to wise up and give them the right instructions. They’re professional statisticians with no biases, if they’re given the mandate they will produce the true statistics on overseas buyers.
Are you saying that info on the recent census can be with held?
Would an official information request reveal the size of the problem of non residents purchasing homes.
I don’t think so.
Just because you don’t own the house you’re in, it doesn’t mean the owner is an overseas landlord.
Just because someone was born overseas, it doesn’t mean they’re not a NZer.
You’d have to look at the LINZ data, and flip that through to the directors/majority shareholdings of landowning firms from the companies register. So your big data system, write it up in a locked room and hope your code compiles when they run it to see if they can tell you the answer…
“here under 5 years as well”.
Why stop there?
Why not forbid anyone who cannot trace their ancestry back to someone living here in the nineteenth century from buying a home?
That would certainly catch a few of those nasty people who buy houses wouldn’t it?
I did not call anyone nasty. Housing in NZ needs to be obtainable, affordable and not profit driven by people who have not contributed.
A line has to be drawn somewhere, just like with NZ Super Annuation.
I don’t think the non residents are the biggest problem. The real problem is the new residents who are buying up, putting their assets into Tom/Dick/Harry/Trust/company x names as it suits them and then claiming they have no income or assets and expecting the Kiwis to support their Accomodation supplement, WFF, retirement care, health, education, social welfare…
The biggest expense of a person’s life is the first 3 years and the last 3 years… so with our baby boom, and stories of people flying into NZ, 7 months pregnant, shopping at Gucci and then spending time in NZ to give birth here, or getting on Tinder and starting a relationship and family to gain residency as we can’t leave the child ‘fatherless’ blah, blah, one recent migrant having multiple children at the same time to different migrant women but not a problem says immigration, the stories keep popping up…
In a few years (and judging by the retirement villages popping up everywhere in a construction boom of them), which charge $1000 p/w+ plus if you are ‘poor’ as your assets are in trusts etc the taxpayer pay all your care, and of course you get free health care with residency…
Voting rights of course come with residency so that is wonderful for the Natz if corruption and nepotism is what you are used to in your home country …
We ain’t seem nothing yet. Time to stop the loopholes of these routs once and for all so we don’t end up like Greece or Fiji!
Sadly the biggest fixation for many in Auckland poltics is how to get a quicker railway line from the airport, (which of course the local Aucklander’s are paying for) so that we can make the journey and wealth transfer smoother from airport to residency lawyer to real estate agency to trust lawyer to WINZ…
Then they wonder why we have more lawyers per capita than the UK which is known as a financial hub!
The real problem is the new residents who are buying up, putting their assets into Tom/Dick/Harry/Trust/company x names as it suits them and then claiming they have no income or assets and expecting the Kiwis to support their Accomodation supplement, WFF, retirement care, health, education, social welfare…
Yes that’s right, because it is only immigrants who do this sort of thing. What’s more, they’re all doing, them imgrints .
Remember this ?
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/twyford-s-racist-cynical-chinese-property-buyer-statistics-de-bunked-q00964
Barfoot & Thompson boss Peter Thompson agreed the data was unreliable.
“We know there’s been a large portion of Asians buying property but there’s no way to tell if they’re one of three categories: NZ born, foreign-born NZ citizens or foreign-born foreign citizens. If you asked me about Asian non-residents, I’d probably say between 5 and 8 per cent.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11519706
Peter Thompson, of Barfoot & Thompson, blames financial instability in China for the dip in those bidding – partly fuelling the market slowdown. “There are a lot less Chinese in the auction room at the moment and at the open homes,” he said.
So they don’t have information as to their client base but then a few months later can point that the slow down is caused by the same clients that they have no info. on. Funny that…. Keep high sales volumes and the realestate coys just keep on clipping the ticket
Bit of a mystery aye.!
Kelvin Davis being very quiet over the problems in Auckland prison so I guess he must have been busy elsewhere
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104542844/mps-consider-recalling-kelvin-davis-to-select-committee-over-vacant-answers
Yup there he is 🙂
More trivial sneering……
At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist I think that that beat up of an article on Kelvin Davis speaks more to the attitudes of some in the media to the current government than it does to Davis’ abilities as a minister.
In the 9 years National was in government you would have lost count of the number of times National ministers treated select committee with disdain or disrespect and yet how often did that ever really make it onto the news cycle?
Its was just a stuff story generated by the nats who lined up the quotes and the sub leads.
of course its unlikely Davis could match the detail and enlightenment of Dear leader when he was Minister of Tourism and appearing before select committee ( where
his Mps would have the majority and be there to fluff his pillows)
Silly people! They complain because Kelvin says they will have to wait for detail as it has yet to be decided. So what is wrong with that?
Silly buggers. Facile and transparent are Nat MPs!.
Ah, right – the MSM distributing National’s propaganda yet again.
Obviously been busy doing more important stuff.
Its almost like Labour MPs are trying to have a race to see who can be the most embarrassing, first it Hipkins and his “math”, then Twyford, then Curran, then Twyford again and now Davis
Curran most be happy though as she now doesn’t look that bad, mind you this probably give Jacinda some good experience at raising kids 🙂
Baby time! 🙂
You are a wretched miserable troll
All you are capable of is ‘trivial sneering.’
Is trivial sneering your meme for the day Ed – you have used it a couple of times today and it’s just 9:30.
How about going outside – getting some sun and coming back when you are less rude to people.
Or at least try to comment on the comment.
Or perhaps a Galloway YouTube clip ?
James @ 2.2.1 you replied to Cinny
“It sounds like you have mummy or daddy issues.”
Your reply to Ed was equally childish.
Please stop wasting The Standard’s data download allocation.
Hi Chris
How is that most creeps are called Chris? Are You Christine, Christopher, Christ, ? or what?
I mean you are rubbishing some top guys and girls but you don’t seem to know your own name.
Typical little national brat – i guess.
You could book into a kindergarten – and get a bit of tuition.
How are things feeling on the ground in Northcote?
Re Northcote I am betting Red by a nose.
Advance voting daily numbers dropped back a bit this week, likely the rainy weather. But totals are still ahead of general election numbers for the same period.
Could be 10,000 advance votes. Hoping it shows a strong turnout on Sat. Big turnouts always help labour as their supporters may be working weekends or have transport difficulties
I wish I could share your optimism. National will hold the seat. I just hope people don’t prattle about “moral victories”. No such thing.
How much are you betting?
If the Green voters realise that voting for the Green candidate is particularly stupid.
The Labour canvassers I have spoken to seem quite jaunty. But plenty of approving toots from late model cars to the Nat placard wavers at major intersections.
Early voting has been going on steadily with more booths for early voting than the General. The booth near the Warehouse in Birkenhead Mall has had somebody voting most times I have been past. Unlike most of the North Shore, Northcote has some pockets of hardship and you see some sign of it at the Warehouse. I have had 2 Labour door knockers but no Nats (though I’m probably on their blacklist so they avoid me). Transport congestion is the thing that most people talk about, though I suspect that there are deeper concerns they won’t talk about. Onewa Rd is a worsening mess.
So really hard to tell. My pick is Nats by 1200 to 1500.
Anyone know when the results will come in for Northcote please?
Cinny
Preliminary Results progressively available from 7pm on http://www.electionresults.govt.nz.
Targets for release are:
By 7.30pm, all advance vote results. By 9.00pm, results from 50% of voting places. By 10.00pm, Results from 100% of voting places.
Hey Ad have you had any word on the baby yet, boy or girl ?
Also have you got any names in mind ?
“We’ll name him Nate … if it’s a boy”
Sophia if it’s a girl since it means wisdom.
Sophia is a lovely name
You two-timer.
A couple of days ago you were proclaiming you undying devotion to Judith.
Now you are trying to move in on my turf and are professing devotion for Sophia.
You will break Judith’s heart.
If its a boy, the name is Winston. It was in the coalition agreement.
With the Canadian Senate about to hand back the amended marijuana legalization bill back to the Lower House, this opinion on the inevitable corporate beneficiaries of legalization was worth checking, in preparation for our own referendum:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/06/canada-cannabis-legalization-corporate-influence-music
A very good article thanks Ad. It does raise some interesting questions and high light some area’s for concern that would need to be considered should NZ decide to go down the legalisation route.
As an ex smoker (haven’t had weed since before I joined the NZDF 20 years ago) I don’t have a huge issue with normalisation. The people I knew and know who enjoy a smoke came from all walks of life. Weed is already normalised just not legal.
A Windfall from a Windbag
There should be no anxiety over the chubby little Windbag Judith Collins.
The same girl that did all sorts of favours for a chinese chap (on tax payers) that turned out to be her bread and butter. All very very naughty and unsavoury stuff. Even the twisted Key had to find a big shelf to put her on. For some years.
But the Collins Windbag, along with some silly Simon, is carrying on the cultivated Genocide of the Poor, the Middle Class, the Homeless and the Illiterate as they have done now for over ten years .
Action will be taken against The Herald which is supporting this Genocide. As will action against RNZ and TV3 and Heads of all National appointed Departments.
The Corporates will also have action taken against them. The Banks too.
Watch our little chubby Windbag Collins squirm . Watch Key and English too.
Wow – how to the women on here feel knowing people like observer tokoroa feel that’s it’s ok to insult them regarding their weight to others ?
So you thinks it’s all ok to attach “chubby” to their name ?
Or do you find this insulting ?
There are several on here of late I have noted (since weka disappeared) who are happy calling women chubby or a trout etc and it’s disgusting.
I hope you are all ok with others doing that to your wives and daughters.
I’d imagine the women on here are more forgiving of the rage and desperation of the disadvantaged bubbling out in an OTT fashion and including unacceptable insults like ‘chubby’, than they are of the cynical and selective adoption of feminist rhetoric by people like you.
Enablers like you who are willing to overlook it simply because it suits your own prejudices are just as bad.
No wonder so many women have commented that The Standard becomes a place they are not comfortable.
Pointing out your rather obvious and self-serving cynicism is not ‘overlooking’ anything.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Morrison
This is an address by the Australian Chief of Army at the International Women’s Day Conference (2013) its long but this sentence sums it all up
“The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept.”
Quite – that’s why I didn’t walk past James showing faux outrage and pretending to believe in feminist principles.
“I’d imagine the women on here are more forgiving of the rage and desperation of the disadvantaged bubbling out in an OTT fashion and including unacceptable insults like ‘chubby’, than they are of the cynical and selective adoption of feminist rhetoric by people like you.”
You’ve missed the point entirely (I suspect deliberately) that David Morrison was making, by not saying anything to Observer Tokoroa you’ve condoned his comments
Nope – I think “unacceptable insult” is a well-balanced comment showing that I thought OT was being a bit of a dick.
And on top of that, the other thing I won’t ‘walk past’, is 3rd-rate Tory boys smirking behind their hands while pretending to be feminists.
“Nope – I think “unacceptable insult” is a well-balanced comment showing that I thought OT was being a bit of a dick.”
It wasn’t to Observer Tokoroa though was it, it was part of a comment to james so Observer Tokoroa might not even read it
“And on top of that, the other thing I won’t ‘walk past’, is 3rd-rate Tory boys smirking behind their hands while pretending to be feminists.”
But you will walk past lefties body shaming
That’s why most women are more comfortable with Cameron Slater at Whale Oil and David Farrar at Kiwiblog.
Shes a beautiful women and an example of a pre-raphalite stunner. However her attractiveness does not and should not detract from her considerable intelligence, her calmness and poise under pressure and obvious leadership credentials.
So please stop trying to discredit her simply because shes attractive
#allwomenarebeautiful
‘Shes (sic) a beautiful women’… Why the plural?
Are you implying bi-polarity? Schizophrenia? The Jeckyll – Hyde thing? Or just recognising that she is two-faced, as her lies about the Oravida thing made clear?
Heckle and Chide
” happy calling women chubby or a trout etc ”
But James every post you’ve made today has been an a intended insult to someone.
You really are having a bad day.
Should we offer you sympathy?
Because none of us know what bad times you’re going through right now.
Are you happy with racist and body shaming names ?
Just curious as you seem to be happy to ignore them.
I note that you didn’t address any of his other points. That Collins is fronting for the oppression of the poor.
Why engage in bodyshaming Observer Tokoroa?
Do you think people should be harassed for the way they look?
Should have guessed you’d hitch your troll wagon to James’ horse. Ever the opportunist eh, Gossie?
Cut back on the body shaming will you.
Questions arise after Housing NZ boss Andrew McKenzie flurry of interviews with the press
If tenants safety concerns are first and foremost, why, from the end of last year, did the agency stop evicting tenants from supposedly meth contaminated homes?
In December 2017, the minister said if methamphetamine traces were found, support, not eviction, would be the first approach.
Furthermore, he didn’t explain how the standard used was misused. Instead of its intended use as a target to clean a lab to, it was used as a trigger to start clean ups, even if meth had only been used and not manufactured at a property.
The Face Of Collins
You would think that Judith Collins would have had more more than enough guts (to put it politely ) to get the Chinese Military Spy out of our Parliament. She knows what a mandarin looks like for god’s sake.
But no. She did not have the guts or the spine. So National will go down in History as the Government who breached Security. And How. They are all Tarred with same Black Chow Brush – National is. The Stinkpot Nationals.
How high China Collins – is their mascot. phew !
Also, You would think she could write (can she write? ) a little letter in Mandarin to her beloved Maoists saying Fuck you Mr Pigtail, for putting dangerous low standard steal in our most important overhead Bridges. Where it still remains.
I mean where does this little woman stand ! She is a creep. A hapless, woeful waste of time. Even Bill English is a bit better than her.
She knows what a mandarin looks like ?
Oh please do inform us – what does one look like ?
As for your other comments (and your prev post) you seem very aggressive towards women.
You should seek help.
What is a “Black Chow Brush”?
Are you using “Chow” in the derogatory anti-Chinese sense of the word or in another way?
If you are using the racist meaning of the word, why are you doing so?
OT you are getting a bit OTT on our beloved China Doll.
Keep up the momentum Chris Hipkins.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/06/07/114822/four-hours-a-day-in-class-and-success?preview=1
Excellent analysis – cut straight through all the National Party’s lies about education and focus on the real issue: children bring their circumstances to school.
Hekia Parata reckoned that the circumstances children brought to school could be mitigated by having excellent teachers. Excellent teachers who would do what she and her Ministry told them to do, and would do what parents told them to do.
Seven hours with an excellent teacher to undo all the undesirable stuff which happened in the other 17 hours in the day for a child? How did he magic plan go? Did it include majicking up masses of magic teachers to do her special trick?
…until they start attending partnership schools.
Oh wait…
Here is a interesting article from the Australian ABC about Climate Change related HADR missions on the rise for the ADF and no doubt it is very similar to what is happening with the NZDF.
There is a graph within the article showing an upward trend for HADR and for Warlike operations which is little bit disturbing, but in saying that I have 3-4 books in my library along with some Staff College papers that I have found online that have predicted the rise in HADR and Warlike operations associated with Climate Change.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-08/adf-sees-climate-change-related-disaster-relief-demands-rise/9842458
Very much EKF. Canterbury is now considered one of the most vital operational assets the NZDF have. Not just because of her listed capabilities but because she has already proven a number of times that she can deploy and provide HADR relief in real circumstances. Most exercises and training these days in some way references disaster relief.
Yes the Canterbury is good ship with all it’s limitations due to the bloody insane budget that the Navy was given and the political ideology of certain members of that government that nobble Project Protector in-particular to the Canterbury ie the lack of a docking well. Just imagine the Canterbury having a docking well and to do ship to shore transfers up to sea state 6, then I would’ve been a bloody great ship just need a few more NH-90’s as well.
That’s not a ‘could’ but a will. When people can no longer stand the heat, when the local area doesn’t produce enough food and there isn’t enough water due to that heat then people will act. Some will emigrate while other will attack neighbours to decrease demand upon local resources. This latter will, inevitably, force yet more to try and emigrate.
And it won’t be just Australia that will have concerns because of them.
Yes DTB I fully agree with your comments and when you throw in some of the possible side effects of Globalisation it could get really untidy. The Katapo Ex’s on the West Coast is good foundation for the NZDF and again to due people’s political ideology they missing the point to those Ex’s because the next skill set above HADR missions is Peace Support/ Peacekeeping and Peace Stabilisation Missions. Those two Mission skill sets are going to be to quite more common in the future and only needs to look at some of the case studies involving the West Coast after Alpine Fault ruptures.
Couple of other books in my library and papers I’ve seen have mentioned/ talked about the possibility of Civil War or total collapse of Law and Order during/ after Natural Disaster or during HARD Mission in other words a Low Level Warlike Operation then it will get real messy for everyone concerned and may take years for a full recovery.
Any one here upset about this?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/104524940/labour-hosts-business-and-lobbyists-at-600ahead-dinners-in-exclusive-private-clubs
Why not ask the people who commented about it yesterday on Daily Review?
Because I am asking here.
It’s a bad thing – the infection begun by Key is spreading – time for a penicillin injection.
I’m quite enjoying the lefts self-inflicted wounds 🙂
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12066247
She rejects his claim that it has announced 122 reviews and says the number is 38 reviews or working groups that involve external agencies and work beyond the normal business of Government.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018636926
Govt announces 39 reviews, groups, investigations in 5 months
That was 20 March
Babies.
Answer for the next 3 months to every single question.
I’d love to say you’re wrong but…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104484898/pm-jacinda-ardern-has-false-alarm-as-babys-due-date-approaches
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/06/newshub-investigates-what-will-jacinda-ardern-s-baby-look-like.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/104552656/jacinda-ardern-reveals-best-and-worst-motherhood-advice-shes-received
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104533715/pm-says-she-is-chugging-along-one-week-before-her-baby-is-due
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/jacinda-ardern-releases-additional-details-surrounding-upcoming-birth-child
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/destination-jacinda-arderns-babys-first-outing-world-stage-revealed
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/06/revealed-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-s-big-plans-after-giving-birth.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/baby/104422486/jacinda-this-is-what-a-typical-hospital-birth-is-like
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/most-read-jacinda-ardern-travel-hospital-birth-any-other-new-zealander-would-arrive-clarke-gayford-likely-drive
Might just be right on that
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/most-read-jacinda-ardern-travel-hospital-birth-any-other-new-zealander-would-arrive-clarke-gayford-likely-drive
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/06/revealed-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-s-big-plans-after-giving-birth.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104467973/jacinda-ardern-to-remain-in-charge-of-nz-until-she-gets-to-hospital
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/baby/104422486/jacinda-this-is-what-a-typical-hospital-birth-is-like
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/104486487/am-show-im-not-the-first-woman-to-give-birth–prime-minister-jacinda-ardern
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/details-of-jacinda-arderns-birth-plans-revealed/
To be fair I almost forgot she was having a baby
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104484898/pm-jacinda-ardern-has-false-alarm-as-babys-due-date-approaches
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/06/newshub-investigates-what-will-jacinda-ardern-s-baby-look-like.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/104552656/jacinda-ardern-reveals-best-and-worst-motherhood-advice-shes-received
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104533715/pm-says-she-is-chugging-along-one-week-before-her-baby-is-due
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/jacinda-ardern-releases-additional-details-surrounding-upcoming-birth-child
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/destination-jacinda-arderns-babys-first-outing-world-stage-revealed
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/home/video/2017/08/ardern–it-is–totally-unacceptable–to-ask-women-about-baby-pla.html
Media going to media 🙂
still 4400$ less then you would have to fork out to get your hair pulled by Key.
so, nah.
your concern is noted and considered invalid.
So $5000 is “bad” but $600 is ok?
To paraphrase Rick the bar owner, “I don’t have much against a trougher, but I despise a cut-rate one”…
It’s a thinner part of the wedge from near-private meetings for $5k, but it’s still the same wedge.
But then, fundraising is an essential part of political action, unless we remove that part of the equation from politics. So this is one reason I’m not completely dismissive of things like publicly financed election campaigns – it would largely eliminate the temptation to blur the lines between party and public office.
I think/hope its a salutary lesson to politicians, from both sides, that you don’t have to comment on every little thing that happens or what goes around comes around
I don’t want publicly funded campaigns because, apart from the potential for shenanigans, paying for a political party to get into power just doesn’t sit right with me but I see your point
Thing is, if someone’s paying $5k for a near-private meeting with the cabinet member in their field and it’s advertised as an opportunity for facetime with a minister, that’s not a little thing. It’s a pretty fucking corrupt thing.
A dinner is less private, but it’s still basically buying access that all relevant stakeholders should get free of charge. Is the text of the speech he gave even available?
“Is the text of the speech he gave even available?”
Is something like that covered by the OIA?
Should be covered by a press release.
Either way, not too many fans of clubs or dinners hereabouts. But some tory will try to keep it going in OM tomorrow, too.
Whereas the nats will probably have done something else bloody stupid or despicable…
Oh the hypocrisy is delicious.
No it is unacceptable. See you can think both were wrong. Strange concept for you I know Bubba Gump.
There is nothing wrong with either. If people want to part with their hard earned cash to listen to politicians, that’s their business. The hypocrisy is the howls of condemnation when the nats did it.
The righties need the freedom to use money corruptly – they cannot make a rational public interest argument for anything they want.
Your comment is hilariously hypocritical given the discussion is about a LABOUR politician’s actions.
Gosh – take a look in the mirror, sleazeball.
You’re advocating open slather on using money in politics in a democratic society and you want to talk about hypocrisy!
Consistent I suppose with your essentially corrupt and regressive values. Your leaders have to be able to use money because their policies are manifestly contrary to the public interest.
Crooks can’t win a straight game.
You see her as skinny. Other see hear as chubby. Still others see her as a politician who ripped Kiwis off. For which she got shelved.
As for you Gosman, you should have complained about the Spy in Parliament.
But then why should you ever do anything ? You are National . Helpless and Hopeless.
You are involved in the destruction of the people who do the work – you hopeless Man.
You don’t like her or her policies or past behaviour or whatever thats fine, talk about that but please stop with the commenting on her body or otherwise as it has nothing to do with what you dislike about her you’re merely diminishing her (and all other women) to the sum of her body parts
These things are always relative to the observer – no doubt compared to Pucky’s generous otaku endomorphism she’s practically anorexic.
Now Gosman !
Were you angry at me because i said your close friends were cheating us over steel specifications. The Steel we in good faith put into our overhead Bridges.
It’s one thing not being able to trust your nonsense Gosman. But our chinese trading partners should not falsify their specifications.
Even if they have thousands of houses here.
Please do not lose you rag again Gosman. You waste my time.
I merely asked you in what way were you using the word “Chow”. Do you have an answer?
Gossie chows is slang for Chinese, just like horis are maoris, pinkies or pakehas (white fleas) are europeans, coconuts are islanders and ragheads are indians, you need to get out and socialise a bit more and get up with the play.
Chow, Hori, coconut, pinkies and ragheads – I guess that makes you a equally opportunity racist.
Tamati Tautuhi gets called “racist” because he used slang.
James also used that slang, therefore…
long bow there robert even for you.
Hopefully we will be suing the suppliers and getting them to rectify the problem ?
Puckish Rogue says; ” please stop with the commenting on her body” while earlier saying; “Shes a beautiful women and an example of a pre-raphalite stunner”
Confused, much? Blinded by love and a burning desire?
Poor Puck!
In all seriousness body shaming needs to be frowned on. I don’t think banning people for it is the answer but if everyone on here (left and right) let people know its unacceptable maybe those continuing it will learn why its wrong
I’ve noticed some female contributors haven’t posted for awhile (Weka especially) and i don’t know if its anything to do with body shaming but if it is thats not good as the more posters the merrier
Yes (before anyone points it out) it was especially prevalent during the last Labour government and it was wrong then as its wrong now
And now back to the irreverent Puck..
Judes an angel blessed with the patience of a saint and I now she will forgive my transgressions as I’m only human and, even worse, merely a man
“merely a man” – we accept your apology, Pucky.
Obersver Tokora (Observer Tokoroa)? makes the observation that there’s a Spy in the House; surely “Pre-Raphaelite” Judy has had harsh words to share on that matter? Pucky?
Observer Tokora appears to have worked himself into such a state thats hes saying whatever pops into his head
There’s a Chinese spy in his head?
Well maybe theres another reason…
https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bugbitten/2016/04/15/toxoplasma-common-parasite-makes-angry/
Maybe he has read the book “In the Jaws of the Dragon” ?
In all seriousness, you do have a rather disturbing obsession with Judith Collins and Jacinda Adern’s baby.
If Pucky was Pussy, Jude would be catnip.
https://giphy.com/gifs/cat-amazing-catnip-paMVbhw7bnZLi
Selfie, Pucky?
Just a typical Saturday night for me
Thank Bastet you don’t comment on TS while in that state!
Hang on! Some of your “Judith” comments indicate that you do!
I stand by each and every single one of my Jude comments
“stand”?
On your furry hind legs?
Jealous?
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-james-157135614.html
Hoof’n’hair’s not paw’n’fur.
Hugs not drugs
We’re back to discussing catnip, I see.
Gosh, getting a bit ahead of yourselves arent you?
“The National Party is warning it might disestablish the Government’s new housing ministry if it doesn’t perform.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/104550866/housing-minister-sets-up-ministry-to-advise-on-house-prices-and-homelessness
Just because it was not their idea ?
I give kelvin a little bit of a serve on here because lets face it hes a bit useless however good on him for this
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12066932
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis has apologised to an MP for calling her “hysterical” after she asked him a question about his portfolio at a parliamentary committee.
“I apologise for making that remark and for any offence caused,” Davis said in a statement today.
As the estimable paragon of greatness put it:
“That sort of patronising, sexist comment is something we National women get a lot from, particularly, the Labour party,” Collins said.
“This is the deputy leader of the Labour Party speaking to a senior MP who has been around for quite some time and a former minister as though she was a naughty little girl who should sit back in her little box and take her turn.”
I think Kelvin forgot he was at a Parliamentary Select Committee and not on a marae.
In Parliament he can’t just tell an uppity woman to sit at the back and keep quiet with impunity.
Bloody disgrace that anyone should be allowed to question him about his portfolio of course. Who do those people think they are?
Good thing big Trev wasn’t around to hear it
The spectacle of a lying cow trying to make out she’s a caring lamb is quite funny.
She’s on about Kelvin Davis being patronising to Jacqui Dean as if she was ‘a naughty little girl who should sit back in her little box and take her turn.’
To make her point Judith treats Davis like he was a naughty little boy who should sit back in his little box and take her turn.
If disingenuity was money Collins would be a zillionaire a million times over and if pandering to moronic National followers was an art the Louvre and La Scala would be dedicated solely to her work.
For the record, Pucky, I don’t believe you admire Collins anywhere near as much as you profess. I’m certain you’re primarily taunting, or believe you are taunting readers here.
Carrie Fisher spins your buns as well , Pucky?
She’d have been a helluva hoot to sit next to at a dinner party, I bet she’d have some stories to tell
There were those long nights on Alpha Centauri A with Chewbacca…
She certainly has ample … buns!
and a sense of humour 🙂
http://gawker.com/the-guy-who-played-chewbacca-really-wanted-to-bang-carr-1500029662
Have you ever had a scenario when you go to buy something from a shop a car parts shop and you know the attending is lying to you we it happen today.
You see I had already rang the call centre and they told me that the product was at this shop I went to the shop and he lied and said that the good product was sold out and the whole franchise had none left only the smaller product was available. I new he was lieing so I rang the call center again found another shop that said they had the product I booked it and got his name and told him I would make a complaint if the product was sold.
And this is why I say the sandflys are all the same as the Rotorua sandflys do this to ECO MAORI all the time they have nothing better to do than to harass me. Here some music to the sandflys
Ka kite ano
The sandflys tried to throw me a curve ball while I was going through Huntly but I foiled it Ka kite ano
Who are the sandflies, bro? Is it the police you are talking about?