In any decent political climate, this should mean the end of the Natz party.
‘Dirty politics’ was always a rather nebulous term which never really resonated with the public because there seemed a paucity of evidence – ‘just those bloody politicians playing their games, don’t you know.’
Now the Natz have been exposed in a finite and very identifiable way at a time of national crisis. ‘Ordinary’ kiwis will feel the depravity of this.
Any half-way decent Natz voter (and there must be a few of them, surely) will be disgusted with the Natz under Muller’s leadership. They should (not wanting to give a vote to the left – heaven forbid) flock now to NZ First, with the more unbalanced going to Act. Sure, Seymour is a fuckwit, but he’s a relatively clean right-wing fuckwit.
In any self-respecting party there should be three resignations on the leader’s table by now – Woodlouse’s (for being party to the on-going MoH leaks etc.) Walker’s for his ‘error of judgement’) and Muller’s (for his lack of leadership.)
"In any decent political climate, this should mean the end of the Natz party"
unfortunately it is just not in a gNat's DNA, whether its the older gNat, such as the dripping Ms Shipley or the dripping Ms Boag who regard themselves as royalty – even though they talk of 'ordinary New Zealanders', or the newer :just "win at all cost, the trinkets will flow along the way" breed.
Probably time for the likes of a spud Bolger or a McKinnon to say something if they want their precious party to return to something verging on decent (not that I've ever voted for them)
Totally Dirty Politics, Boag supplies, Walker releases, Muller acts outraged. RNZ highlights Walkers different statements as to why he released the private information. Dodgy shit.
And yep, if Muller had integrity he would go, he’s the leader of this.
Yes, I agree with grey. You do come up with good points gsays – simple and easy to understand too.
But to be fair to Muller and co. its human nature when confronted with a major problem to spend time looking for a way to stem the flow of blood before it gets out of hand. I think that was what they were doing. In the end, they had to confront it head on.
Mullers job is to lead this party in all it's DP glory. He knew nothing as Matty n Michelle are not stupid, plausible deniability works best that way.
Medias already taken his 'bad judgement' line it seems rather than call it for what is actually is, no surprises there.
National party court date Friday over donations and now this saga. Hipkins will hopefully through the proverbial book at it….. they deserve no less as it was a calculated political action. What lovely humans the national party contain.
Does Hipkins have a proverbial book to look through? I wonder which one he would choose? I like the historic King James Version of the Bible. It's got some really good stuff in it! https://dailyverses.net/honesty/kjv
A froward man soweth strife:
and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Proverbs 16:28
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment,
and equity; yea, every good path. Proverbs 2:9
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
.
If it was stolen to order then shouldnt it have included information about the patients' country of origin – you know, the thing Walker was apparently trying to prove?
No that was taken out during the Helen Clark years, so from my understanding no crime now has the potential of being a capital offences Orr you I think it was sedition
The best argument for sustaining rural communities and towns is to enable more productive use of these massed and bulky commodities. Protect our sawmills, protect our furniture makers, protect our packaging processors, protect our carvers.
The same goes for our wools. Our coarse wools are now so cheap and unwanted that the entire wool processing industry for coarse wools is dead. Only Merino has a hope.
Covid19 + the commodities retreat will be a major outgoing tide for many small towns. Gisborne is in for a really tough time.
It's a shame about wool . Its biodegradable, renewable, fire proof . But yip it's dying ,I would go for a non shearing breed if it was my decision to make . Many are already .
How do you protect you local industries without wreaking free trade agreements?
How do you protect you local industries without wreaking free trade agreements?
And thus proving that FTAs are not about free-trade as protecting an industry is part of the under-lying philosophy of willing buyer – willing seller that is free-trade.
Why does anyone believe that crude and indirect financial instruments like the ETS will achieve what we want in any specific sense? It must be some lingering vestige of 1980's thinking, where the role of government was just to create the appropriate operating frameworks, and then the private sector deploys its god-like efficiency to deliver the results – which will always be optimal for everyone. Delusional.
bwaghorn noted this which seems to be an important fact.
On the East Coast, for instance, a landowner will be paid 10 times more [when under ETS, Emissions Trading Scheme] by year 5 for planting pine trees instead of native forest, and farmland is going under pine trees in many places. With wool prices at historic lows, and rising carbon prices, this trend will only accelerate.
The thing is that wool must go up eventually, it is such a valuable fibre, and the sheep is such a good, useful animal, we must not have our knowledgable sheep farmers pushed out by short-term climate advantage from small-minded pollies, tendentious reasoning and thoughtless pandering to the Mr Creosotes of this world.Note: The low wool price will I hope be temporary. It is largely because of the tensions between US-China and the trade war.
Especially when NZ had purchased millions of dollars worth fake Carbon Credits, NZ was 3rd down on the list of purchases in terms of the amount of money spent.
How serious this will be for the Nats hinges on whether the privacy breach is criminal. I hope Andrew Geddes issues his opinion on that. Meanwhile:
National MP Hamish Walker and former party president Michelle Boag are unlikely to face criminal charges for their roles in the leaking of Covid-19 patient data to the media, a privacy lawyer says.
Barrister Kathryn Dalziel, an expert in privacy law, said the pair appeared to have interfered in the privacy of patients, but it was unlikely to be a criminal offence.
MPs working in their official capacity were exempt from this aspect of privacy law – “[Walker’s] probably safe there,” Dalziel said.
There is a pressure point from which more information can come…
From that link: "But the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust could be liable for damages after Boag, the acting chief executive of the trust, admitted to breaching the privacy of patients."
I am curious as to how many other boards Boag troughs from? Whether they are reassessing her suitability.
Muller told Corin Dann that it will be up to the National Party board to decide whether to cut all ties with Boag or not. They have a meeting today. Can't recall exactly how he framed his personal response but did seem as though he prefers they do that.
Naughty boy again, got told off again. Muller was forthright in his responses to John Campbell on TVNZ just before 7am. And Ben Thomas (from the right wing) is also:
Instead, it is more likely the garrulous and popular Walker, an assiduous networker around parliament’s press gallery and other media, saw an opportunity to improve his relationships with journalists and with a senior figure from the party (Boag). Like a school child trusted with a secret, his first instinct was to tell people he knew it.
The privacy breach is appalling. There is absolutely no public interest in knowing the names and details of people with Covid-19 who are taking all the correct steps in quarantine.
Walker claimed in his apology that he had intended to “to expose the government’s shortcomings so they would be rectified”, apparently referring to the lack of password protection on the data. But the privacy breach was not caused by the government, it was caused by Boag.
Forthright? He had to be pressed by Campbell if he thought Walker should be sacked or not. Then couldn't make a call, so went with "lost confidence" in him.
Well he has demoted him to the lowest position in the Nat caucus and stripped him of his roles as spokesperson. I doubt Nat rules allow Muller to "sack" Walker. I think the closest to that would be the Nat hierarchy securing his deselection as candidate.
'There is absolutely no public interest in knowing the names…'
Acshually there is no right for anyone in the public to know the names…. because we have laws that prevent this. Or so I understand, I may of course be wrong, or it may be open to interpretation. But although sometimes the law is a bit odd, (as in withholding the name of Grace Mullane's killer – Prince A.drew?) I think there is an intention for privacy in the law and it should be upheld and exercised if breached.
So the initial line is not even a moot point, and shows a distressing lack of probity.
But then I lament the state of our public service (the middle/senior ranks at least, although in some cases – such as WINZ, the culture certainly trickles down).
There's just been another bloody good example of how its all hanging together on Morning Report and reform is long overdue
You can see it clearly with the disdain the public service has for the OIA; or the amount of spin and spin doctors they seem to think are necessary; or the reluctance of the SSC to do anything until things become really serious; or its sluggishness in an era when the world has become more dynamic; or among some public servants themselves who couldn't even tell you what a Code of Conduct was; or the excessive use of contractors and consultants. It does not serve us well
Yes OwT – very distressing for the Muslim women, and even more so for we in the public to hear who believed we still had some quality of protection for people under threat. And it underlines the sad reaction from Muslims to the ignorant cry from a NZer 'This is not us. We're not like that' or similar words. Get real ducky.
Sometimes I think we might either need a more activist judiciary, or at least an SSC experienced in judicial matters (like the current Ombudsman or Children's Commissioner) rather than the crop of former ps CEO/business oriented do nothing dipshits we seem to have been getting lately. A supposedly impressive CV does not necessarily make for a good SSC. Something's got to give or we'll be seeing more of the same.
And we are back to house price inflation despite having so many not able to afford a roof over their head. The Real Estate fraternity is already rubbing their hands to make money out of the returning Kiwis and putting affordability ever more out of reach. We will have to see whether world events will not set us further into a recession and more jobs are lost once the wage subsidy ends. Talk about irresponsibility.
Kim Hill interviewing the Privacy Commissioner on RNZ just now, it is becoming clear that Boag is extremely vulnerable to the prospect of prosecution. Edwards said he will be talking to Heron QC, but usually acts on the basis of a complaint from victims of privacy breaches.
Muller has done well so far. He is pointing to a values-based division between his vision of the Nats and the behaviour of the two "rogues".
Oh for God's sake DF, this whole stinking pile of effluent is just the next dump on top of Muller's successive encouragements of such unethical behaviour.
But we now know Muller wasn't briefed by the young dude. Got blindsided. So Muller's doing damage control. No evidence he encouraged "unethical behaviour". Muller is trying to tread a fine line, and I'm watching to see if he's authentic about being a better leader for the Nats. Intentions aren't enough.
His silence around Woodhouse's antics : Covid cuddle couple, homeless man in isolation and latterly the toilet seat bullying, is closer to condoning than criticising.
Yes, all good points. But he does have to read his room, eh? To survive as leader. So there's a kind of shepherding involved. A moral compass is often deflected by practical politics – we see enough of that in the Labour, Greens & other politicians to know that the system makes it happen.
Come come Dennis, methinks you're being disingenuous. If, in your opinion, "the system" is the "makes it happen" problem, then how to explain the absence of "The Hollow Men" and "Dirty Politics" style books that might hold up a mirror to the left's equivalent misdeeds?
This latest 'misdemenor' re-exposes an inconvenient truth about how the NZ National party does its 'business' – they are dirty to their DNA, and much more so than most. Dirty in power, and out of it.
I agree – the right have always been more inclined to misbehaviour. I emerged into adulthood as a staunch anti-fascist. I'm just trying to encourage a more balanced view of the National Party. If their more human faction consolidates, the more rabid faction will wither. To me it's important to be fair to political opponents since human nature is the common ground. 😇
think you are being fooled by the "big tent" tag, that conservative parties try to sell. your hope sounds like the hope that millions of repub voters have expressed, while holding their noses, and staying in the tent(yuk!)
Kim Hill (God Bless Her), interviewing Shane Jones on, initially, the new port report, moved to links NZ 1st has with UK spin doctors.
Jones on his high horse had already trotted out a couple of choice quotes when he essentially called his interviewer a "feral animal". For a fleeting moment I felt sympathy for the man as he quickly graunched his gearbox getting into reverse.
Sorry, can't find link yet. I am sure it will be up on RNZ site soon.
Heard that gsays …it was hilarious…..Hill retorted immediately…"who are you calling feral" (or something similar) ….after this Jones' famous eloquence turned to gobbledegook
Splitting the vote will see National struggle in the election
NZF are on a very low polling in the Colmar Brunton Poll, a few more votes for them from Nats is probably a good thing.
I don't like to predict the outcome of the upcoming election, but there is every possibility that Labour could possibly win outright and not require any partners.
I'm not sure they would go that way, I think they would still bring the Greens in to include a broader range of policies for a broader range of interests
If Labour were to win outright, it would be the first time any political party had won outright with a majority since before Muldoon.
Muldoon and National over the yrs have goverened with a minority on multiple occasions, the worst was Muldoon on 42.5% of the total vote count, but won on seats won, Gerry Mandering much.
That was the turning point where another fairer voting system considered, MMP was determined by referendum
I think we need five or more parties in parliament for our population to be represented properly. dont agree with most of act's or nationals philosphies, but they have a place in parliament.
I agree, democracy is about Representation, which is why I don't complain about the current situation with NZF and the Greens, more view points are being recognized in this Coalition than any other time in our history, compromise is the important feature, accepting we need to respect others needs and wants.
I also favour more parties in parliament and government. The problem with NZF is that they actively work against parties whose policies they don't support and they do this in ways that undermine MMP and representation. They're not good at sharing power. I put most of that on Peters, although I would expect similar from Jones. Martin is good value.
The ability of centrist parties to wield far more power than their vote should give them is a failing of MMP. I hope NZF are out of parliament the next term, or at least out of government, so that we can have a break from that dynamic.
Agreed, And, I'd like to see a Labour Green Coalition, even if Labour could Govern alone, the increase in representation would be very good for Democracy.
We will wait and see what voters decide, but I'm optimistic.
Somebody at the Herald has gone rogue. The headline reads “Hamish Walker reveals Covid patients detail to prove he isn’t racist “. This could be straight out of the Civilian or the Betoota Advocate, I couldn’t find anywhere in the story where this quote could have come from.
You couldn’t make this shit up, now please pass the popcorn, this is going to get ugly.
The problem for walker is that according to interviews on Morning Report it proved nothing of the sorry i.e. the names are not Indian Pakistani or Korean
According to the Department of Internal Affairs, the most common surname for babies born in New Zealand last year was Singh. Smith comes in a close second, while another Indian name Kaur is the third most common, ahead of Wilson, Williams and Brown.
(Stats Labour was attempting to mine to get some evidence of National's invasion of the asians into housing in Auckland. Leaving many houses not lived in much. Remember that and the hoo hah.)
Surely RNZ and other media will not have Michelle Boag on any more political panels. What an odious human being she is. She's been skulking round for years and it is surely time she was removed from any boards and organisations. She's untrustworthy.
I guess if Nikki Kay keeps Boag on her re-election team, we will learn just how upset the NP is with her. Just the fact that Nikki employed her in the first place shows how entrenched Boag and her dirty politics is with the party.
Even when she's uncritically retailing officially sanctioned state propaganda and giving soft-soap, fawning interviews to the likes of Luke Harding and Jonathan Freedland?
Maybe not “a hundred of you” (shudder ), but at least one. Like you, I don't agree with everything Kim Hill says/does on RNZ, but "A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good." Look for 'the good' Morrissey, it's easier to discern in Hill's ability and deeds than it is in some of your other targets, IMHO.
I agree with you, and I have indeed heaped praise on Ms Hill for the many fine things she has achieved in broadcasting—including her reading out my occasional emails live on air.
Her propensity to recycle the most absurd propaganda is a concern, however. I expect better of her.
I wouldn't mind hearing you as a guest on RNZ "Saturday" with Kim Hill. Perhaps discussing the meaning of life and the Universe, or the male ego. All txt feedback to be read out in full. That'd be worth a listen
HEEEEELP! Mozza. I take it all back! Did/Are you listening to today's Walruss' "The Panel".
It's fucking excruciating darling – but I'll persevere . Put a drizzle of Olive Oil and a bit of Sour Cream on it, shove it in the fridge till Sunday and call it a National Party Brunch
I heard it, Tim. Most of it was pretty good, I thought, with the only bum note coming from the mouth of ex-Hong Kong resident Jack Yang toward the end of the program. He rightly made a negative assessment of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam—but then he said this: "She makes Trump look like Obama!" That comment would suggest that he is ignorant of, or has chosen to ignore, the fact that President Obama presided over an empire of oppression, illegal surveillance and state suppression—including assassination—of dissenters.
Yang showed the same crass mis-judgment as those pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong who are so foolish and ignorant as to wave the Union Jack as if it is anything other than a symbol of imperialism—especially in China.
Perhaps the worst aspect of it, though, was that none of the Panelists—neither Wallace Chapman, nor Phil O’Reilly, nor Catherine Robertson—saw fit to comment on, let alone challenge, Yang’s spectacularly foolish comment.
I think I probably meant that "'prePanel" where someone was discussing their cooking prowess. It wasn't Wallace Chapman, Phil O’Reilly, or Catherine Robertson. I had to turn it off after that.
That was Robert Kelly. He's a pretty bright fellow, I think. I agree with you about that cooking drivel, though—it was nothing more than riffing on some airheaded article from the Grauniad.
Still, we should be glad that at least they weren't using the pre-Panel show to sneer at the suffering of political prisoners. Not today anyway.
Some years ago the polluters sacked Sir Kerry Burke from the Canterbury Regional Council and succeeded in abolishing all democratic input into water regulation. They're at it again. No surprise to see one Michael Laws wielding the axe for them.
How long Noone lasts will be seen, this isn't making the problem go away. Being anointed ORC chieftain / chieftainess is the ultimate hospital pass in New Zealand local government at present. You are highly unlikely to be able to please anyone, let alone get consensus or even a majority. The problems the council has around the old water permits from the mining era are close to insurmountable.
edit
She stood bravely against the attack of the bovines, don't know if she had a cape or not, but it sounded a classy show. About Marion Hobbs on Radionz earlier. Was having Michael Laws behind her a good move or not?
I wouldn’t go that far at all, the water permit issue is going to break ORC, and it’s chair, no matter who is in charge.
This was an intractable issue 30 years ago which is why the deemed permits were extinguished by the RMA in 1991, to expire this year. The council and permit holders have had 30 years (in reality more like 50 or 60) to work out a solution and really aren’t even started. All the ‘solutions’ have fallen to bits pretty quickly and council has ended up in positions that were always going to end up being vigorously challenged.
Expect the big stick, either commissioners or a legislated solution, to come out early next year.
[FFS! Do you realise how unbelievably insensitive this comment is? What’s worse is that you have form making comments that are way off the mark and/or insulting. You have been warned before. Take the rest of the week off – Incognito]
I agree with Incog and lfd here. Even if there is less than zero compassion for GM, there are other suicidal people to think about or the families of suicidal people or those who have killed themselves. People reading on TS.
Also the chair of Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust, Simon Tompkins, had this to say:
As an administrative resource, Ms Boag has never had access to any clinical or patient data held by ARHT. ARHT is an integral part of the health system and we are entrusted with information about our patients which is properly protected by protocols which only enable access to those who need this data to care for the patient. We have reviewed these protocols and are confident that none of this patient information has been subject to any privacy breach
Walker admitted to Muller on Monday midday he was behind the private details of active Covid-19 cases being leaked to media, sparking a Government inquiry.
Muller told the Clutha-Southland MP he needed to own up publicly.
It's understood later that afternoon – after the Government announced the inquiry – Muller received a legal letter on Walker's behalf.
It asked the National Party leadership not to out Walker citing concerns about his privacy.
“Rachel Bird, the National Party’s Southern Regional Chair, has received a letter from Hamish confirming he will withdraw as the National Party candidate for Southland,” Muller said. “There was a clear breach of trust, which goes against the values National holds as a party.”
“The National Party Board will still meet today to discuss the selection of a new candidate. Walker’s seat, soon to be named “Southland”, is an extremely safe seat for the National Party, meaning whoever wins the nomination is likely to win the seat.
A 32-year-old man will be charged after briefly absconding from a managed isolation facility in Auckland yesterday evening.
The man has this morning tested positive for Covid-19 and has been moved to the Jet Park quarantine facility.
Around 6.50pm the man escaped through a fenced area at the Stamford Plaza when he was out smoking, as a section of external fencing was being replaced. Security attempted to follow the man but were unsuccessful in locating him.
Police were called immediately, and enquiries were underway to locate the man including reviewing CCTV footage and undertaking substantial area searches, before he returned to the facility where he was then interviewed by Police.
Enquiries have established the man went to Countdown on Victoria Street West on foot and purchased items at a self-service checkout, before returning to the hotel around 8pm.
Unbelievable. Throw everything at him including a criminal conviction and loss of residency status if applicable? No wonder towns don't want them. But more seriously is it time to put quarantine into prefabs/camper vans at large green field sites at where the local population is low? . Uncomfortable yes – but lacking any exterior attractions and people to infect.
Our largest cities can't keep going through this roller coaster of potential exposure
Yep was just about to come on and say the same thing re: residency status. If you are not willing to follow the rules when coming back to NZ then you deserve the kitchen sink thrown at you.
Campervans in Waiouru or Ohakea. Don’t like it? Don’t come.
Ohakea might work – it's got a decent runway and a fair walk to the sin city of Palmy.
But seriously the actual cost and chilling effect of these breaches on major population centers (without the disease even getting out) plus the stress and personal costs on anyone this brushed past is pretty high.
The risk of it of a huge out break must be exponentially higher if the breach takes place in a city. Must say Melbourne must be tempted to look at putting it's returnees somewhere out of town.
“There was a clear breach of trust, which goes against the values National holds as a party.”
Snort. As in, he broke the trust between himself as an MP and the leadership (and probably the DP maestros). National don't hold values around breaching the public's trust. Shall we make a list?
It would be helpful if Wayne could elucidate the trust issue. Precisely how is it defined? Is there a relevant clause in whatever a candidate signs up to? Or is there one in the code of conduct?
Rhetorical questions, perhaps. Someone may point out that MPs are not constrained by any such code of ethics.
The report said there were a small number of MPs widely known to be serial offenders, but who are protected by the system.
If Labour wanted to reform the system, they would have adopted the report, I presume. And then announced pending legislation. And then put that to parliament. Unless someone can produce evidence that any of this happened, then it is simply more evidence of the Labour `pretend to be progressive' sham.
The Public: "Michelle, you have some questions to answer."
Michelle: “I've already refused to speak to your reporters and it's no good trying to hang outside waiting for me, because I'm staying here and I'm not going out, so don't bother wasting your time.”
Every person who has come into work today has mentioned how disgusted they are with the nat party dirty politics. Some have also mentioned the lack of leadership from muller concerning his loose and leaking party.
Dennis, I don't know if polls on this Topic are really indicative of the public mood, given the nature of the referendum and the fact that it's use is prohibited
There is 9% undecided, could just easily be those who don't wish to disclose their position.
Read through this article in the NZHerald on the latest escapee from managed isolation. I think the reporter copy and pasted all his notes without proofreading anything. Double-ups and random topic changes mid-page. It's a bit disorientating, to say the least.
Shoppers turned away
Hungry Aucklanders are being turned away from Countdown Victoria St West in the CBD today.
The store is closed for cleaning after the country's latest case of Covid-19 visited the store yesterday, with a security guard standing in the doorway turning people away.
The security guard said he had been told it will be closed for "at least a couple of hours" but wasn't sure when it would reopen.
Dozens of people have been turned away from the supermarket, which's lights are on but it's roller doors are down, and told to visit other grocery stores nearby. Most people seem unaware of the recent news the latest Covid-19 case visited the story yesterday.
Hipkins wouldn't be drawn on details of the leaked privacy details of Covid-19 patients, saying that he awaited the outcome of the Heron inquiry, which would also look at who had the information and why they had that information.
There is no community transmission. It has been 68 days since the last case of community transmission.
Asked if Hamish Walker and Michelle Boag should foot the bill for the Heron investigation, Hipkins wouldn't say, adding only that he thought their behaviour was "unethical and unacceptable".
"We do want to lift our game," he said when asked about the low use of the NZ Covid Tracker app scanning QR codes.
"We want everybody to play their part, download the app and scan the codes."
Good to see the government support for our pacific neighbours – poor sods have to go through our winter after all. And I do hope we continue to facilitate returning those who want to go home. Same as we did for Vanuatu. And they had better be paid decent wages.
I also wonder if we should be doing a bit more direct aid. Tonga passed a budget with it’s largest deficit ever at around $23m less than that dreadful flag referendum
Jul.3/20 The elections revealed surging support for the Green party and underlined Macron's troubles with left-leaning voters. The only bright spot for Macron was Philippe's own victory in the northern port city of Le Havre. (Philippe Prime Minister [former investment banker] who has stood down at present.)
Updated: There are a couple of changes to the comment editor today. You can find out what they are by hovering your mouse over them.
Don't abuse them. Especially the images one. I will land hard on perps if I find large images anywhere. And then I'll write the code to prevent a future size issues.
Spelling: It turns out that there is a way to correct comment spelling within the comment editor. If you see a spelling error highlighted by your browser, then hold down the Ctrl and right click on the word. You will get your browsers normal context menu.
This probably doesn't help the person who brought the issue up as they specified that they're disabled. But it does provide me a string to find out how to make this the normal behaviour on a right click.
The comment area is hardwired at 600px wide, and effectively diminishes to around 500px after indenting down 10 levels. It won't go past the 600px horizontally. But will go to infinite height – which is what I will be looking for.
I don't. eg how to download an image off a google search so that it is within certain limits. Get caught on this with posts every so often, and it's a pain with the square ones for the FP.
lol yeah I'm guilty of that on the trailing end of some comments – if I edit and rephrase a lot, sometimes there are lots of spaces at the end that aren't obvious when submitting with the wysiwyg, and sometimes I don't spot them if the comment was near the bottom of the scroll. Result: big empty space.
I know you've had to trim some of mine, I seem to recall – soz
That is pretty elegant because it will fix all existing comments. It effectively makes all comments trailing lines empty whitespace. Even it it has paragraphs because HTML treats empty or whitespace only paragraphs as being nondisplayable..
The latest person jumping the fence in an isolation facility was in the dedicated smoking area. This person may not be a smoker but why can't they issue smokers who come into the hotels with a standard package of Quitline patches for the duration of their stay. I believe the prisons did this to ease inmates off the nicotine when they stopped smoking in the prisons. They are only staying there for 14 days for goodness sake and I know from a family member that these patches work. There are also lozenges that can be used while using the patches as an additional relief.
To me it seems such a simple solution to an ongoing serious problem. This latest escapee may have been able to infect a lot of people in the 70 mins they were awol. We will have another Melbourne at this rate and what a terrible thing to happen just over an ungrateful person who felt entitled to get out of Dodge just because he/she felt like it.
I think I will email Chris Hipkins himself. Apparently he is a very capable Cabinet Minister and has the Health Portfolio and gets things done. I just wondered if the Humans Rights Commission would say its a no no and abuse of their rights. Prisoners don't seem to have many rights so its okay for them (sarc).
Will get onto it. I did email Jacinda Adern once to her personal Parliamentary email and she never acknowledged it. I was a bit upset by it put it down to her being very busy etc etc. I still think she's the best we have right now though.
I got an automatic reply and later a thank you from the office. But that was early on. I think she looks thinner round the face now, sort of lean like a hard-running marathon runner, and probably hasn't even got time to do up her shoe laces. Nobody does it better I think.
Well Grey I have mailed the Hon.Chris Hipkins at the Cabinet Office and put forward this suggestion. I have explained about prisoners having the patches issued etc and that the five million would appreciate it if he would seriously consider this. I explained that this escapee who was asymptomatic but positive could set of a community transmission and we could end up like Melbourne and in lockdown again.
We shall see. If patches start to be issued well that will be really great. I am not holding my breath. Chris Hipkins apparently does get things done and is highly capable so fingers crossed.
That could do a lot of good. They are getting worried. I heard Megan Woods talking about bracelets and apps and so on so might reduce that need with a patch!
But I was just listening to The Detail on Radionz and it was about P and meth, and don't know much about them though I have heard that they are just a phone call away in China and it's all laid on like ordering groceries from the supermarket. But the journalist and treatment helpers say the country is riddled with it. People like that apparently lose all their reasoning control and ability to delay action and thinking of outcomes. So we haven't faced up to the problem here and it's got bad. Apparently terribly addictive. The right wing don't care of course, being so fucking superior they immediately label anyone who has fallen on the way as useless losers, lesser people and not worth helping, so tend to treat too little and too late. Of course it is a bit different if it is one of their own, but never mind.
So the Covid-19 need to have something sorted for when one of them comes along.
People in quarantine are not prisoners and there should be no state capacity to compel them to give up smoking or force them to use nicotine patches. This is most definitely a human rights issue.
By all means offer people in Q nicotine patches and support for giving up smoking, for those that want it.
But smoking isn't solely a nicotine addiction, it's also habituated stress and mood management from the physical act. We want people in Q to feel safe, secure and as stress-free as possible, not push them into a mental health crisis.
I know everyone is hating on the walkabout dude, but has anyone asked him why he did that? Was he hungry? Bored? Stressed? Confused?
Maybe putting in more supports rather than pillorying people would be a better approach. I still think he should be charged but I think the sentence should be proportionate to what he did. eg putting him in prison for 6 months would be excessive and set a really bad precedent.
Really interesting to see all the inner authoritarians come out over this.
Whispering Kate I heard talk about Nicotine patches this morning. So your email may have either prompted that or reinforced a thought to do this.
weka I think you are taking an impractical line. People in quarantine are virtual prisoners, they have to be for their own safety and that of others. And if they won’t comply then the virtual situation will become a real imprisonment.
But I agree talking about six months jail is just the same stupid knee-jerk response that ineffective boobs default to. We are second to the USA for the quick way we throw people into prison and thinkers have been calling for different methods for decades. I think the reaction from Gnats I think it was Judith Collins, or was it Anne Tolley, was to put two to a cell, leading to sexual and violent crime so being complicit in creating a continuing vicious climate for prisoners.
Jun.29/20 Patients who were in the intensive care unit or on a ventilator for weeks will need to spend extensive time in rehab to regain mobility and strength. "It can take up to seven days for every one day that you're hospitalized to recover that type of strength," Khan said. "It's harder the older you are, and you may never get back to the same level of function."…
While much of the focus has been on the minority of patients who experience severe disease, doctors increasingly are looking to the needs of patients who were not sick enough to require hospitalization, but are still suffering months after first becoming infected…
Dr Igor Koralnik, chief of neuro-infectious diseases at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, reviewed current scientific literature and found about half of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 had neurological complications, such as dizziness, decreased alertness, difficulty concentrating, disorders of smell and taste, seizures, strokes, weakness and muscle pain.
Who is the guy with a huge black beard? It doesn't look right in a political sphere, looks like a bandit with this face half covered. Not the open honest look we hope for from pollies which will be followed by the same style in action! And if it is a minder, he's an in-your-face one.
The beard's so big that the item could be headed bodyguard-is-fantail-base – bird has hatched two eggs in cunningly built nest woven with Parliamentary document shreddings.
I'll just make a warning here. There are peculiar ways our minds work and we will have often noticed that but will forget and go on and normalise stuff and not really learn.
If we were too triumphant and talked in too demoralising a way against Muller, various right wingers wavering on National, who have no interest in how the country or the poor or the young or anyone but themselves, is getting on – they might feel sorry for the poor guy and vote for him. You are being so nasty to him blah blah.
There is still time for flip flops. Some might remember Citizens for Rowling, an attempt to get people to think rationally for the Labour Party but the voters did not go the path that was expected. Think about the irrational in us all. People who have squashed ordinary citizens like ants, will get very hurt at being called useless or served cold tea, or their dedicated supporters will.
Quarantine and managed isolation are in hotels, not prisons – putting secure 6 foot fences around them all is a huge expense which should have not been necessary. The idiot that got out will be charged, and the episode will be reviewed, but it was the sort of risk that the government has been warning us about from the start. It is sad that this one incident will probably cost a huge amount of money to ensure it never happens again; but that is less important than the hope that nobody else gets infected.
Suppose one answer is to lock everyone in rooms with no out of room experiences at all. Guard each floor with guards armed with tasers. The hotels are not prisons but depend on a measure of trust, unless you are one hoping to support the Opposition plan to undermine Government.
I listened to someone under that regime ianmac. There was a guard on each floor. They were well provided for.
In The Melbourne housing towers they were suddenly locked down and were not allowed to go down for food deliveries which had to stay outside a circle. Drones good for this use I think. And the lifts often break down. Dreadful conditions. Vertical virtual prisons.
"Chippy and Megan had better get their shit together, they need to make an example of this bastard."
Fortunately they won't, and can't. His fate will be decided by an independent court.
I imagine if he gets fined but not jailed the opposition will be calling our justice system "shambolic" and demanding the government take charge of sentencing.
I don't follow surface politics, I follow the ocean currents. I'm thankful for a National leader who was schooled with majority Maori. Thankful for our Right, who aren't crazy, for the rich's rule.
You're all surface details people above.
The task we face now is more or less impossible but we must face it full on. Climate change extinguishment of all of us.
The Left are the thoroughly rational side of politics. This decade is the 1939 of our time. Why are we concentrating on surface pond weed?!
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
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This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
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Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
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Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
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In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
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Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
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A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
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In any decent political climate, this should mean the end of the Natz party.
‘Dirty politics’ was always a rather nebulous term which never really resonated with the public because there seemed a paucity of evidence – ‘just those bloody politicians playing their games, don’t you know.’
Now the Natz have been exposed in a finite and very identifiable way at a time of national crisis. ‘Ordinary’ kiwis will feel the depravity of this.
Any half-way decent Natz voter (and there must be a few of them, surely) will be disgusted with the Natz under Muller’s leadership. They should (not wanting to give a vote to the left – heaven forbid) flock now to NZ First, with the more unbalanced going to Act. Sure, Seymour is a fuckwit, but he’s a relatively clean right-wing fuckwit.
In any self-respecting party there should be three resignations on the leader’s table by now – Woodlouse’s (for being party to the on-going MoH leaks etc.) Walker’s for his ‘error of judgement’) and Muller’s (for his lack of leadership.)
As for Covid 1-18 Boag, don’t get me started!
/agreed
"In any decent political climate, this should mean the end of the Natz party"
unfortunately it is just not in a gNat's DNA, whether its the older gNat, such as the dripping Ms Shipley or the dripping Ms Boag who regard themselves as royalty – even though they talk of 'ordinary New Zealanders', or the newer :just "win at all cost, the trinkets will flow along the way" breed.
Probably time for the likes of a spud Bolger or a McKinnon to say something if they want their precious party to return to something verging on decent (not that I've ever voted for them)
https://amp.rnz.co.nz/article/aeaf5a3f-0d52-47b6-8909-2ca39987b953?__twitter_impression=true
Totally Dirty Politics, Boag supplies, Walker releases, Muller acts outraged. RNZ highlights Walkers different statements as to why he released the private information. Dodgy shit.
And yep, if Muller had integrity he would go, he’s the leader of this.
So Muller knew on Monday lunch-time.
Muller says he had to check if his lawyer was better than Walker's lawyer, before forming an opinion or to act.
The cynic in me wonders if it was polling that was the hold up rather than awaiting another legal opinion.
gsays great analysis. You come up with good points which I enjoy reading.
Chur.
Yes, I agree with grey. You do come up with good points gsays – simple and easy to understand too.
But to be fair to Muller and co. its human nature when confronted with a major problem to spend time looking for a way to stem the flow of blood before it gets out of hand. I think that was what they were doing. In the end, they had to confront it head on.
🙂
They are going to need to widen the doors here if I am to get this swollen head outside.
Mullers job is to lead this party in all it's DP glory. He knew nothing as Matty n Michelle are not stupid, plausible deniability works best that way.
Medias already taken his 'bad judgement' line it seems rather than call it for what is actually is, no surprises there.
National party court date Friday over donations and now this saga. Hipkins will hopefully through the proverbial book at it….. they deserve no less as it was a calculated political action. What lovely humans the national party contain.
Does Hipkins have a proverbial book to look through? I wonder which one he would choose? I like the historic King James Version of the Bible. It's got some really good stuff in it! https://dailyverses.net/honesty/kjv
A froward man soweth strife:
and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Proverbs 16:28
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment,
and equity; yea, every good path. Proverbs 2:9
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
.
Yeah, Walker is shifting his story under direction from the National Party because they are terrified of losing their source within the MoH.
He initially said he used the info to back up his claim Indians, Pakistanis and Koreans were coming to Queenstown. Dark people!
This then means the info was stolen to order by Boag using the National Party plant in the Ministry. The Nats are terrified of losing that source.
forensic traceback off boags email should be interesting.even burner phones leave a footprint.
If it was stolen to order then shouldnt it have included information about the patients' country of origin – you know, the thing Walker was apparently trying to prove?
Perhaps the leaker didn't have time to complete the work, or it was too dangerous to try.
Is treason still a capital offence in this country?
No that was taken out during the Helen Clark years, so from my understanding no crime now has the potential of being a capital offences Orr you I think it was sedition
I think it was sedition not treason that was removed from being a capital offence. 🤭
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/122046242/let-them-eat-wood
Turns out pines are shit .
I recall posting on this in May last year.
The best argument for sustaining rural communities and towns is to enable more productive use of these massed and bulky commodities. Protect our sawmills, protect our furniture makers, protect our packaging processors, protect our carvers.
The same goes for our wools. Our coarse wools are now so cheap and unwanted that the entire wool processing industry for coarse wools is dead. Only Merino has a hope.
Covid19 + the commodities retreat will be a major outgoing tide for many small towns. Gisborne is in for a really tough time.
[Fixed error in user name]
It's a shame about wool . Its biodegradable, renewable, fire proof . But yip it's dying ,I would go for a non shearing breed if it was my decision to make . Many are already .
How do you protect you local industries without wreaking free trade agreements?
I agree with you about wool and the shamefully low price it commands.
We need to invest in wool, technology and research because it's fossil fuel replacement has got to go out of fashion.
No, really, its not.
Wool is one of the more fire-resistant of the natural fibres but it will still burn.
And thus proving that FTAs are not about free-trade as protecting an industry is part of the under-lying philosophy of willing buyer – willing seller that is free-trade.
Why does anyone believe that crude and indirect financial instruments like the ETS will achieve what we want in any specific sense? It must be some lingering vestige of 1980's thinking, where the role of government was just to create the appropriate operating frameworks, and then the private sector deploys its god-like efficiency to deliver the results – which will always be optimal for everyone. Delusional.
bwaghorn noted this which seems to be an important fact.
On the East Coast, for instance, a landowner will be paid 10 times more [when under ETS, Emissions Trading Scheme] by year 5 for planting pine trees instead of native forest, and farmland is going under pine trees in many places. With wool prices at historic lows, and rising carbon prices, this trend will only accelerate.
The thing is that wool must go up eventually, it is such a valuable fibre, and the sheep is such a good, useful animal, we must not have our knowledgable sheep farmers pushed out by short-term climate advantage from small-minded pollies, tendentious reasoning and thoughtless pandering to the Mr Creosotes of this world.Note: The low wool price will I hope be temporary. It is largely because of the tensions between US-China and the trade war.
In a previous time when there was a war we made lots from selling our wool.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-15/wool-growers-suffer-as-crashing-prices-drought-bite/11416230
With oil so cheap wool doesn't stand a chance imho. It's only hope is as a insulation product but even farm buy the cheaper glass insulation.
Trading carbon will not reduce carbon emmisions on a global scale, all it does is allow the guilt to be shifted to pooer countries and people.
Especially when NZ had purchased millions of dollars worth fake Carbon Credits, NZ was 3rd down on the list of purchases in terms of the amount of money spent.
No prizes for guessing who the culprit was
How serious this will be for the Nats hinges on whether the privacy breach is criminal. I hope Andrew Geddes issues his opinion on that. Meanwhile:
There is a pressure point from which more information can come…
From that link: "But the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust could be liable for damages after Boag, the acting chief executive of the trust, admitted to breaching the privacy of patients."
I am curious as to how many other boards Boag troughs from? Whether they are reassessing her suitability.
Muller told Corin Dann that it will be up to the National Party board to decide whether to cut all ties with Boag or not. They have a meeting today. Can't recall exactly how he framed his personal response but did seem as though he prefers they do that.
Hamish Walker has decided not to stand in his electorate this year . . .
Todd Muller has accepted Walkers decision – interesting since that is before the National Party Board have made any decisions.
Letting Walker down easily?
Naughty boy again, got told off again. Muller was forthright in his responses to John Campbell on TVNZ just before 7am. And Ben Thomas (from the right wing) is also:
Forthright? He had to be pressed by Campbell if he thought Walker should be sacked or not. Then couldn't make a call, so went with "lost confidence" in him.
Well he has demoted him to the lowest position in the Nat caucus and stripped him of his roles as spokesperson. I doubt Nat rules allow Muller to "sack" Walker. I think the closest to that would be the Nat hierarchy securing his deselection as candidate.
Has been argued that Boag was specifically assigned by Senior Nats to act as his mentor … Walker simply doing her bidding.
And Boag, in turn, doing … whose ? … bidding.
'There is absolutely no public interest in knowing the names…'
Acshually there is no right for anyone in the public to know the names…. because we have laws that prevent this. Or so I understand, I may of course be wrong, or it may be open to interpretation. But although sometimes the law is a bit odd, (as in withholding the name of Grace Mullane's killer – Prince A.drew?) I think there is an intention for privacy in the law and it should be upheld and exercised if breached.
So the initial line is not even a moot point, and shows a distressing lack of probity.
Here's my take on the privacy breach:
There's a Natz mole deep in the MoH who has been, for some time, leaking details to the Natz.
How did Bishop get information about the 2 women driving to Wellington?
How did Woodlouse get the info on the 'homeless' man?
To my way of thinking, the conduit is Covid-1-18 Boag, who passed the information on to where she thought it would do the most damage.
This enquiry still has some way to go, and more revelations to surface.
Popcorn anyone?
A double serving the SFO donation case kicks off Friday – you would assume that pleading not guilty will result in some issues raised as a defence
/agreed once again.
But then I lament the state of our public service (the middle/senior ranks at least, although in some cases – such as WINZ, the culture certainly trickles down).
There's just been another bloody good example of how its all hanging together on Morning Report and reform is long overdue
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018753980/islamic-women-s-council-releases-submission-on-mosque-attacks
You can see it clearly with the disdain the public service has for the OIA; or the amount of spin and spin doctors they seem to think are necessary; or the reluctance of the SSC to do anything until things become really serious; or its sluggishness in an era when the world has become more dynamic; or among some public servants themselves who couldn't even tell you what a Code of Conduct was; or the excessive use of contractors and consultants. It does not serve us well
Yes OwT – very distressing for the Muslim women, and even more so for we in the public to hear who believed we still had some quality of protection for people under threat. And it underlines the sad reaction from Muslims to the ignorant cry from a NZer 'This is not us. We're not like that' or similar words. Get real ducky.
Sometimes I think we might either need a more activist judiciary, or at least an SSC experienced in judicial matters (like the current Ombudsman or Children's Commissioner) rather than the crop of former ps CEO/business oriented do nothing dipshits we seem to have been getting lately. A supposedly impressive CV does not necessarily make for a good SSC. Something's got to give or we'll be seeing more of the same.
And that means madness! Or have we already stepped over that line in the sand?
And we are back to house price inflation despite having so many not able to afford a roof over their head. The Real Estate fraternity is already rubbing their hands to make money out of the returning Kiwis and putting affordability ever more out of reach. We will have to see whether world events will not set us further into a recession and more jobs are lost once the wage subsidy ends. Talk about irresponsibility.
Kim Hill interviewing the Privacy Commissioner on RNZ just now, it is becoming clear that Boag is extremely vulnerable to the prospect of prosecution. Edwards said he will be talking to Heron QC, but usually acts on the basis of a complaint from victims of privacy breaches.
Muller has done well so far. He is pointing to a values-based division between his vision of the Nats and the behaviour of the two "rogues".
likely doing what Matty tells him to. A solid strategy as nat voters have shown no real concern over these tactics in the past so it’s not going away
Oh for God's sake DF, this whole stinking pile of effluent is just the next dump on top of Muller's successive encouragements of such unethical behaviour.
But we now know Muller wasn't briefed by the young dude. Got blindsided. So Muller's doing damage control. No evidence he encouraged "unethical behaviour". Muller is trying to tread a fine line, and I'm watching to see if he's authentic about being a better leader for the Nats. Intentions aren't enough.
His silence around Woodhouse's antics : Covid cuddle couple, homeless man in isolation and latterly the toilet seat bullying, is closer to condoning than criticising.
None of those three episodes blindsided him…
Yes, all good points. But he does have to read his room, eh? To survive as leader. So there's a kind of shepherding involved. A moral compass is often deflected by practical politics – we see enough of that in the Labour, Greens & other politicians to know that the system makes it happen.
I think you are describing a manager, not a leader.
What we need is a manger, and then we might get a leader!
Or has the door been opened, and the one stepped through? Are we as humanly close as we can get to what we need? I'm Gollum looking for my precious.
Come come Dennis, methinks you're being disingenuous. If, in your opinion, "the system" is the "makes it happen" problem, then how to explain the absence of "The Hollow Men" and "Dirty Politics" style books that might hold up a mirror to the left's equivalent misdeeds?
This latest 'misdemenor' re-exposes an inconvenient truth about how the NZ National party does its 'business' – they are dirty to their DNA, and much more so than most. Dirty in power, and out of it.
I agree – the right have always been more inclined to misbehaviour. I emerged into adulthood as a staunch anti-fascist. I'm just trying to encourage a more balanced view of the National Party. If their more human faction consolidates, the more rabid faction will wither. To me it's important to be fair to political opponents since human nature is the common ground. 😇
think you are being fooled by the "big tent" tag, that conservative parties try to sell. your hope sounds like the hope that millions of repub voters have expressed, while holding their noses, and staying in the tent(yuk!)
"I'm just trying to encourage a more balanced view of the National Party."
IMHO the solution lies in the hands of National party politicians, but I'm sure they will welcome any and all assistance.
What a time for political junkies.
Kim Hill (God Bless Her), interviewing Shane Jones on, initially, the new port report, moved to links NZ 1st has with UK spin doctors.
Jones on his high horse had already trotted out a couple of choice quotes when he essentially called his interviewer a "feral animal". For a fleeting moment I felt sympathy for the man as he quickly graunched his gearbox getting into reverse.
Sorry, can't find link yet. I am sure it will be up on RNZ site soon.
Heard that gsays …it was hilarious…..Hill retorted immediately…"who are you calling feral" (or something similar) ….after this Jones' famous eloquence turned to gobbledegook
Unfortunately NZF are likely to be benefactors from this latest round of National Party subterfuge.
Why do think that's a bad thing?
Splitting the vote will see National struggle in the election
NZF are on a very low polling in the Colmar Brunton Poll, a few more votes for them from Nats is probably a good thing.
I don't like to predict the outcome of the upcoming election, but there is every possibility that Labour could possibly win outright and not require any partners.
I'm not sure they would go that way, I think they would still bring the Greens in to include a broader range of policies for a broader range of interests
If Labour were to win outright, it would be the first time any political party had won outright with a majority since before Muldoon.
Maybe "The Times they are a Changing"
A Bob Dylan classic
Do what ?
The last time a single Party won a majority of seats was at the 1993 Election (many years after Muldoon).
The last time a single Party won more than 50% of the vote, on the other hand, was at the1951 Snap Election.
Muldoon and National over the yrs have goverened with a minority on multiple occasions, the worst was Muldoon on 42.5% of the total vote count, but won on seats won, Gerry Mandering much.
That was the turning point where another fairer voting system considered, MMP was determined by referendum
I think we need five or more parties in parliament for our population to be represented properly. dont agree with most of act's or nationals philosphies, but they have a place in parliament.
I agree, democracy is about Representation, which is why I don't complain about the current situation with NZF and the Greens, more view points are being recognized in this Coalition than any other time in our history, compromise is the important feature, accepting we need to respect others needs and wants.
I also favour more parties in parliament and government. The problem with NZF is that they actively work against parties whose policies they don't support and they do this in ways that undermine MMP and representation. They're not good at sharing power. I put most of that on Peters, although I would expect similar from Jones. Martin is good value.
The ability of centrist parties to wield far more power than their vote should give them is a failing of MMP. I hope NZF are out of parliament the next term, or at least out of government, so that we can have a break from that dynamic.
Agreed, And, I'd like to see a Labour Green Coalition, even if Labour could Govern alone, the increase in representation would be very good for Democracy.
We will wait and see what voters decide, but I'm optimistic.
Somebody at the Herald has gone rogue. The headline reads “Hamish Walker reveals Covid patients detail to prove he isn’t racist “. This could be straight out of the Civilian or the Betoota Advocate, I couldn’t find anywhere in the story where this quote could have come from.
You couldn’t make this shit up, now please pass the popcorn, this is going to get ugly.
Maybe the media are sick of being used, they all seem to be distancing themselves from National at the moment. RNZ were quick to.
The problem for walker is that according to interviews on Morning Report it proved nothing of the sorry i.e. the names are not Indian Pakistani or Korean
He could claim that everyone's looking at names – it isn't racist it's just simply research about ethnicity. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/406281/top-baby-surname-reflects-new-zealand-s-changing-demographics
According to the Department of Internal Affairs, the most common surname for babies born in New Zealand last year was Singh. Smith comes in a close second, while another Indian name Kaur is the third most common, ahead of Wilson, Williams and Brown.
(Stats Labour was attempting to mine to get some evidence of National's invasion of the asians into housing in Auckland. Leaving many houses not lived in much. Remember that and the hoo hah.)
It's in micky's post. Young reports that her journo colleague was given the list, and the colleague understood the rationale was the racism defence.
NZH also just stuck the knife into Boag.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12346383
Keisha Lance Bottoms tests positive for Coronavirus.
That would mean she is unable to get within a football field of Biden.
I'm presuming this hands the VP slot to Kamala Harris (Duckworth is a bit late).
Surely RNZ and other media will not have Michelle Boag on any more political panels. What an odious human being she is. She's been skulking round for years and it is surely time she was removed from any boards and organisations. She's untrustworthy.
Reality, are there any members in the National Party that are Trustworthy?
I'm unable to name anyone.
I guess if Nikki Kay keeps Boag on her re-election team, we will learn just how upset the NP is with her. Just the fact that Nikki employed her in the first place shows how entrenched Boag and her dirty politics is with the party.
Wow that was quick. Her resignation just announced.
Kay has resigned? At least someone in the National Party front bench has a sense of honour.
Yes, and indicative just how corrupt the whole party is.
Rotten to the Core
There has been an Elworthy in the Gnats for a long time. Perhaps that was as close to to T for trustworthy as they could get.
Farrar watch:
‘Muller strong, blah, blah, Walker lone agent, blah, blah, National innocent, blah, blah.’
Muller Strong.
NZs still waiting to see him exibit that characteristic.
Keep up the good work Muttonbird. I've been locked out from that sewer since last year.
This might be a better point of DPF's had the campaign chair for the deputy lead and ex-PRESIDENT OF THE PARTY not directly aided and abetted Hamish.
Uh-oh. "MediaWorks boss Michael Anderson resigns."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12346381
Mediaworks lurching from crisis to crisis. Whatever next?
Other than the death of the world's worst sports station, Radio Sport, this is the best news to come out about New Zealand media for a long time.
Next up: Richard Harman chokes to death on scampi at a dinner hosted by Luke Harding for him and Tova O'Brien and Dame Kim Hill.
Morrissey hold back your evil eye from Dame Kim Hill – she is worth a hundred of you.
Even when she's uncritically retailing officially sanctioned state propaganda and giving soft-soap, fawning interviews to the likes of Luke Harding and Jonathan Freedland?
Maybe not “a hundred of you” (shudder
), but at least one. Like you, I don't agree with everything Kim Hill says/does on RNZ, but "A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good." Look for 'the good' Morrissey, it's easier to discern in Hill's ability and deeds than it is in some of your other targets, IMHO.
I agree with you, and I have indeed heaped praise on Ms Hill for the many fine things she has achieved in broadcasting—including her reading out my occasional emails live on air.
Her propensity to recycle the most absurd propaganda is a concern, however. I expect better of her.
I wouldn't mind hearing you as a guest on RNZ "Saturday" with Kim Hill. Perhaps discussing the meaning of life and the Universe, or the male ego. All txt feedback to be read out in full. That'd be worth a listen
That's not fair!
What has Kim Hill done to deserve that ordeal?
Sorry Mozza, I couldn't resist.
Sorry Mozza, I couldn't resist.
Ouch! Ya got me, and ya got me good.![crying crying](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/cry_smile.png)
HEEEEELP! Mozza. I take it all back! Did/Are you listening to today's Walruss' "The Panel".
It's fucking excruciating darling – but I'll persevere . Put a drizzle of Olive Oil and a bit of Sour Cream on it, shove it in the fridge till Sunday and call it a National Party Brunch
I heard it, Tim. Most of it was pretty good, I thought, with the only bum note coming from the mouth of ex-Hong Kong resident Jack Yang toward the end of the program. He rightly made a negative assessment of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam—but then he said this: "She makes Trump look like Obama!" That comment would suggest that he is ignorant of, or has chosen to ignore, the fact that President Obama presided over an empire of oppression, illegal surveillance and state suppression—including assassination—of dissenters.
Yang showed the same crass mis-judgment as those pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong who are so foolish and ignorant as to wave the Union Jack as if it is anything other than a symbol of imperialism—especially in China.
Perhaps the worst aspect of it, though, was that none of the Panelists—neither Wallace Chapman, nor Phil O’Reilly, nor Catherine Robertson—saw fit to comment on, let alone challenge, Yang’s spectacularly foolish comment.
I think I probably meant that "'prePanel" where someone was discussing their cooking prowess. It wasn't Wallace Chapman, Phil O’Reilly, or Catherine Robertson. I had to turn it off after that.
That was Robert Kelly. He's a pretty bright fellow, I think. I agree with you about that cooking drivel, though—it was nothing more than riffing on some airheaded article from the Grauniad.
Still, we should be glad that at least they weren't using the pre-Panel show to sneer at the suffering of political prisoners. Not today anyway.
Lets hope Insolvency
Boag-gone.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12346418
What about Kaye resigning? Does she have a sense of honour or not?
Was that a typo? Did you mean to put a 'sense of humour'?
https://twitter.com/jo_moir/status/1280630326276927488
Why is Kaye still there?
Federated Filthy Farmers strikes again
Some years ago the polluters sacked Sir Kerry Burke from the Canterbury Regional Council and succeeded in abolishing all democratic input into water regulation. They're at it again. No surprise to see one Michael Laws wielding the axe for them.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/121838296/selfish-otago-regional-council-chair-slammed-for-forcing-threeweek-stasis
Well she's gone and a farmer is back in charge
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/hobbs-ousted-noone-takes-over-orc
How long Noone lasts will be seen, this isn't making the problem go away. Being anointed ORC chieftain / chieftainess is the ultimate hospital pass in New Zealand local government at present. You are highly unlikely to be able to please anyone, let alone get consensus or even a majority. The problems the council has around the old water permits from the mining era are close to insurmountable.
edit
She stood bravely against the attack of the bovines, don't know if she had a cape or not, but it sounded a classy show. About Marion Hobbs on Radionz earlier. Was having Michael Laws behind her a good move or not?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018753992/otago-regional-council-to-vote-on-chair-s-fate
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-07-2020/clare-curran-interview-donna-chisholm/
Dunedin and blue toilet seats? They are at 'it' again with Labour and women, down there in Conservative and Mean Dunedin!
They weren’t provide hospital birthing facilities in the south earlier on. I hope that this anti-woman thing is more apparent than real.
I wouldn’t go that far at all, the water permit issue is going to break ORC, and it’s chair, no matter who is in charge.
This was an intractable issue 30 years ago which is why the deemed permits were extinguished by the RMA in 1991, to expire this year. The council and permit holders have had 30 years (in reality more like 50 or 60) to work out a solution and really aren’t even started. All the ‘solutions’ have fallen to bits pretty quickly and council has ended up in positions that were always going to end up being vigorously challenged.
Expect the big stick, either commissioners or a legislated solution, to come out early next year.
Ghislaine Maxwell suicide bets are now open.
I'm calling 2 weeks.
Good luck.
[FFS! Do you realise how unbelievably insensitive this comment is? What’s worse is that you have form making comments that are way off the mark and/or insulting. You have been warned before. Take the rest of the week off – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 12:19 PM.
You disapoint me again Adam,call yourself a christian,so-called I'd say. She may well be the worst person about but take stock man.Alex
I agree with Incog and lfd here. Even if there is less than zero compassion for GM, there are other suicidal people to think about or the families of suicidal people or those who have killed themselves. People reading on TS.
Walker off to London. Oops, can't do that anymore!
Walker also tried to gag Muller on Monday!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12346451
Also the chair of Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust, Simon Tompkins, had this to say:
Interestinger and interestinger.
WTF (my bold)
Youngster must've got the inside word from the hierarchy: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300052102/covid19-leak-national-mp-hamish-walker-to-step-down-at-election-over-leak-saga
Nikki Kaye might need an “extremely safe seat”.
Auckland central not being a safe place.
A 32-year-old man will be charged after briefly absconding from a managed isolation facility in Auckland yesterday evening.
The man has this morning tested positive for Covid-19 and has been moved to the Jet Park quarantine facility.
Around 6.50pm the man escaped through a fenced area at the Stamford Plaza when he was out smoking, as a section of external fencing was being replaced. Security attempted to follow the man but were unsuccessful in locating him.
Police were called immediately, and enquiries were underway to locate the man including reviewing CCTV footage and undertaking substantial area searches, before he returned to the facility where he was then interviewed by Police.
Enquiries have established the man went to Countdown on Victoria Street West on foot and purchased items at a self-service checkout, before returning to the hotel around 8pm.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300052160/coronavirus-health-minister-chris-hipkins-covid19-update
Unbelievable. Throw everything at him including a criminal conviction and loss of residency status if applicable? No wonder towns don't want them. But more seriously is it time to put quarantine into prefabs/camper vans at large green field sites at where the local population is low? . Uncomfortable yes – but lacking any exterior attractions and people to infect.
Our largest cities can't keep going through this roller coaster of potential exposure
Yep was just about to come on and say the same thing re: residency status. If you are not willing to follow the rules when coming back to NZ then you deserve the kitchen sink thrown at you.
Campervans in Waiouru or Ohakea. Don’t like it? Don’t come.
Ohakea might work – it's got a decent runway and a fair walk to the sin city of Palmy.
But seriously the actual cost and chilling effect of these breaches on major population centers (without the disease even getting out) plus the stress and personal costs on anyone this brushed past is pretty high.
The risk of it of a huge out break must be exponentially higher if the breach takes place in a city. Must say Melbourne must be tempted to look at putting it's returnees somewhere out of town.
Think it’ll be a good scrap, they’ll all be after it, tooth and claw with vigorous hissing.
How ‘safe’ the seat is now, anyone’s guess. Some pretty pissed off people around, and that’s just the National members I’ve run into today.
Have no illusions, it's in the bank. Plenty of Hamie's voters won't even think it's a big deal. Break out another blue turnip.
“There was a clear breach of trust, which goes against the values National holds as a party.”
Snort. As in, he broke the trust between himself as an MP and the leadership (and probably the DP maestros). National don't hold values around breaching the public's trust. Shall we make a list?
It would be helpful if Wayne could elucidate the trust issue. Precisely how is it defined? Is there a relevant clause in whatever a candidate signs up to? Or is there one in the code of conduct?
Rhetorical questions, perhaps. Someone may point out that MPs are not constrained by any such code of ethics.
Won't that be in an online document?
Well, seems to me left/right collusion to defend the privilege system is still unchallenged, since my google look merely found this:
If Labour wanted to reform the system, they would have adopted the report, I presume. And then announced pending legislation. And then put that to parliament. Unless someone can produce evidence that any of this happened, then it is simply more evidence of the Labour `pretend to be progressive' sham.
The Public: "Michelle, you have some questions to answer."
Michelle: “I've already refused to speak to your reporters and it's no good trying to hang outside waiting for me, because I'm staying here and I'm not going out, so don't bother wasting your time.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300052035/michelle-boag-resigns-from-roles-with-nikki-kaye-refuses-to-comment-on-leak
By going at the election I assume Walker gets the three month payout for those who don't return.
So us poor bloody taxpayers are gong to be fronting his "redundancy"?
I imagine by resigning he is in a very tricky way trying to do one final rip off of the system for his own benefit supported by the Nat party.
They just can't help themselves can they.
Neither ethical or moral.
I would imagine we paid for both Walker and Muller's advice. Unless you can get a QC through legal aid…
Well party funds should have done that- but as you say quite possibly not. Perhaps our media should tote up the taxpayer subsidy for this stuff.
Every person who has come into work today has mentioned how disgusted they are with the nat party dirty politics. Some have also mentioned the lack of leadership from muller concerning his loose and leaking party.
"Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says cannabis won't make your teeth fall out or turn your hair green". Lotsa folk will be so relieved by that.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Dennis, I don't know if polls on this Topic are really indicative of the public mood, given the nature of the referendum and the fact that it's use is prohibited
There is 9% undecided, could just easily be those who don't wish to disclose their position.
To the moderator: Please shift this to OM where I thought I was putting it! Sorry 😢
Read through this article in the NZHerald on the latest escapee from managed isolation. I think the reporter copy and pasted all his notes without proofreading anything. Double-ups and random topic changes mid-page. It's a bit disorientating, to say the least.
Shambolic I call it.
Good to see the government support for our pacific neighbours – poor sods have to go through our winter after all. And I do hope we continue to facilitate returning those who want to go home. Same as we did for Vanuatu. And they had better be paid decent wages.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122071281/government-visa-changes-for-thousands-of-stranded-seasonal-workers
I also wonder if we should be doing a bit more direct aid. Tonga passed a budget with it’s largest deficit ever at around $23m less than that dreadful flag referendum
Trending good in France. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/420473/french-pm-edouard-philippe-resigns
Jul.3/20 The elections revealed surging support for the Green party and underlined Macron's troubles with left-leaning voters. The only bright spot for Macron was Philippe's own victory in the northern port city of Le Havre. (Philippe Prime Minister [former investment banker] who has stood down at present.)
New flu found in China.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/420174/new-flu-virus-with-pandemic-potential-found-in-china
It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say.
The researchers are concerned the virus could mutate further to spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak…
The new virus strain, which the researchers call G4 EA H1N1, can grow and multiply in the cells that line the human airways.
They found evidence of recent infection starting in people who worked in abattoirs and the swine industry in China.
Updated: There are a couple of changes to the comment editor today. You can find out what they are by hovering your mouse over them.
Don't abuse them. Especially the images one. I will land hard on perps if I find large images anywhere. And then I'll write the code to prevent a future size issues.
Spelling: It turns out that there is a way to correct comment spelling within the comment editor. If you see a spelling error highlighted by your browser, then hold down the Ctrl and right click on the word. You will get your browsers normal context menu.
This probably doesn't help the person who brought the issue up as they specified that they're disabled. But it does provide me a string to find out how to make this the normal behaviour on a right click.
Marvellous!
Do you have a rough guide for size limit of images?
550px wide is a good bet. 600px is the max – but that will only work on level 1 indented comments.
Leave the sizes alone and the aspect ratio won't be disturbed..
Background colours and colours for text – what could go wrong?
Heaps. But generally I find most commenters just use things in limited emphasis.
And it does allow me to identify idiots when given a idiot detection tool.
Nice!
The above image is 500x333px so I'm picking the desktop format allows for about 550px wide max otherwise it is clipped and you can’t see half of it.
Happy to provide notes on how to resize and post if anyone is interested.
The comment area is hardwired at 600px wide, and effectively diminishes to around 500px after indenting down 10 levels. It won't go past the 600px horizontally. But will go to infinite height – which is what I will be looking for.
Please tell me gifs aren't enabled.
Lots of people don't understand image size (I've removed quite a few in recent months and replaced them with the URLs). Just saying.
So true!
I don't. eg how to download an image off a google search so that it is within certain limits. Get caught on this with posts every so often, and it's a pain with the square ones for the FP.
I don’t either, it is beyond mere mortals with only rudimentary computer skills.
But I do like the idea of having an excuse for banning people 😉
I propose we include the indiscriminate use of non-breaking space too; it should become policy 😀
haha, right there with you on all that matey.
Some potential for moderator crayons too 😈
(we're only joking folks).
That one is more a filter problem. It is an artifact of the editor.
Same with trailing paragraphs as well.
lol yeah I'm guilty of that on the trailing end of some comments – if I edit and rephrase a lot, sometimes there are lots of spaces at the end that aren't obvious when submitting with the wysiwyg, and sometimes I don't spot them if the comment was near the bottom of the scroll. Result: big empty space.
I know you've had to trim some of mine, I seem to recall – soz
Solution 1: display level
function substitute_nbsp($content)
{
return str_replace( ' ', ' ', $content );
}
add_filter( 'get_comment_text', 'substitute_nbsp', 98 );
That is pretty elegant because it will fix all existing comments. It effectively makes all comments trailing lines empty whitespace. Even it it has paragraphs because HTML treats empty or whitespace only paragraphs as being nondisplayable..
And solution 2 just stops the saving of junk lines in comments for the most comment variants.
I'll have a think about forcing max dimensions.
testing the spell chck, still doesn't work on Firefox mac.
But it does work in the Edit Comment box (had to use the contextual menu to turn spell check off and then back on).
Try command right / two finger click, that brought it up on Chrome mac for me
Choice having a spell checker again, but probably there all the time
perfect, thank-you! I don't use the multiple fingers thing so didn't even think of that.
Yep. Pays to raise issues because I usually don't see them myself.
While I can't deal with them in a timely fashion. You often find that others can.
weka and others will post them into the backend system in case I don't see them myslef.
The latest person jumping the fence in an isolation facility was in the dedicated smoking area. This person may not be a smoker but why can't they issue smokers who come into the hotels with a standard package of Quitline patches for the duration of their stay. I believe the prisons did this to ease inmates off the nicotine when they stopped smoking in the prisons. They are only staying there for 14 days for goodness sake and I know from a family member that these patches work. There are also lozenges that can be used while using the patches as an additional relief.
To me it seems such a simple solution to an ongoing serious problem. This latest escapee may have been able to infect a lot of people in the 70 mins they were awol. We will have another Melbourne at this rate and what a terrible thing to happen just over an ungrateful person who felt entitled to get out of Dodge just because he/she felt like it.
Good one – send an email? – something in print with your idea to some body doing covid watch. Practical and good.
I think I will email Chris Hipkins himself. Apparently he is a very capable Cabinet Minister and has the Health Portfolio and gets things done. I just wondered if the Humans Rights Commission would say its a no no and abuse of their rights. Prisoners don't seem to have many rights so its okay for them (sarc).
Will get onto it. I did email Jacinda Adern once to her personal Parliamentary email and she never acknowledged it. I was a bit upset by it put it down to her being very busy etc etc. I still think she's the best we have right now though.
I got an automatic reply and later a thank you from the office. But that was early on. I think she looks thinner round the face now, sort of lean like a hard-running marathon runner, and probably hasn't even got time to do up her shoe laces. Nobody does it better I think.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaV-6qerkqI
She probably sings too!
Well Grey I have mailed the Hon.Chris Hipkins at the Cabinet Office and put forward this suggestion. I have explained about prisoners having the patches issued etc and that the five million would appreciate it if he would seriously consider this. I explained that this escapee who was asymptomatic but positive could set of a community transmission and we could end up like Melbourne and in lockdown again.
We shall see. If patches start to be issued well that will be really great. I am not holding my breath. Chris Hipkins apparently does get things done and is highly capable so fingers crossed.
That could do a lot of good. They are getting worried. I heard Megan Woods talking about bracelets and apps and so on so might reduce that need with a patch!
But I was just listening to The Detail on Radionz and it was about P and meth, and don't know much about them though I have heard that they are just a phone call away in China and it's all laid on like ordering groceries from the supermarket. But the journalist and treatment helpers say the country is riddled with it. People like that apparently lose all their reasoning control and ability to delay action and thinking of outcomes. So we haven't faced up to the problem here and it's got bad. Apparently terribly addictive. The right wing don't care of course, being so fucking superior they immediately label anyone who has fallen on the way as useless losers, lesser people and not worth helping, so tend to treat too little and too late. Of course it is a bit different if it is one of their own, but never mind.
So the Covid-19 need to have something sorted for when one of them comes along.
People in quarantine are not prisoners and there should be no state capacity to compel them to give up smoking or force them to use nicotine patches. This is most definitely a human rights issue.
By all means offer people in Q nicotine patches and support for giving up smoking, for those that want it.
But smoking isn't solely a nicotine addiction, it's also habituated stress and mood management from the physical act. We want people in Q to feel safe, secure and as stress-free as possible, not push them into a mental health crisis.
I know everyone is hating on the walkabout dude, but has anyone asked him why he did that? Was he hungry? Bored? Stressed? Confused?
Maybe putting in more supports rather than pillorying people would be a better approach. I still think he should be charged but I think the sentence should be proportionate to what he did. eg putting him in prison for 6 months would be excessive and set a really bad precedent.
Really interesting to see all the inner authoritarians come out over this.
Time to enforce a much stricter regime for the quarantine process.
Whispering Kate I heard talk about Nicotine patches this morning. So your email may have either prompted that or reinforced a thought to do this.
weka I think you are taking an impractical line. People in quarantine are virtual prisoners, they have to be for their own safety and that of others. And if they won’t comply then the virtual situation will become a real imprisonment.
But I agree talking about six months jail is just the same stupid knee-jerk response that ineffective boobs default to. We are second to the USA for the quick way we throw people into prison and thinkers have been calling for different methods for decades. I think the reaction from Gnats I think it was Judith Collins, or was it Anne Tolley, was to put two to a cell, leading to sexual and violent crime so being complicit in creating a continuing vicious climate for prisoners.
Just reading about ongoing from covid.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/420116/covid-19-evidence-of-effects-on-many-organ-systems-long-term-damage
Jun.29/20 Patients who were in the intensive care unit or on a ventilator for weeks will need to spend extensive time in rehab to regain mobility and strength. "It can take up to seven days for every one day that you're hospitalized to recover that type of strength," Khan said. "It's harder the older you are, and you may never get back to the same level of function."…
While much of the focus has been on the minority of patients who experience severe disease, doctors increasingly are looking to the needs of patients who were not sick enough to require hospitalization, but are still suffering months after first becoming infected…
Dr Igor Koralnik, chief of neuro-infectious diseases at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, reviewed current scientific literature and found about half of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 had neurological complications, such as dizziness, decreased alertness, difficulty concentrating, disorders of smell and taste, seizures, strokes, weakness and muscle pain.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420769/government-announces-32m-in-funding-for-drug-and-alcohol-addiction-services
Who is the guy with a huge black beard? It doesn't look right in a political sphere, looks like a bandit with this face half covered. Not the open honest look we hope for from pollies which will be followed by the same style in action! And if it is a minder, he's an in-your-face one.
Probably one of her security people.
This guy is quite famous.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/08/jacinda-ardern-s-bodyguard-s-beard-amasses-fan-base.html
The beard's so big that the item could be headed bodyguard-is-fantail-base – bird has hatched two eggs in cunningly built nest woven with Parliamentary document shreddings.
I'll just make a warning here. There are peculiar ways our minds work and we will have often noticed that but will forget and go on and normalise stuff and not really learn.
If we were too triumphant and talked in too demoralising a way against Muller, various right wingers wavering on National, who have no interest in how the country or the poor or the young or anyone but themselves, is getting on – they might feel sorry for the poor guy and vote for him. You are being so nasty to him blah blah.
There is still time for flip flops. Some might remember Citizens for Rowling, an attempt to get people to think rationally for the Labour Party but the voters did not go the path that was expected. Think about the irrational in us all. People who have squashed ordinary citizens like ants, will get very hurt at being called useless or served cold tea, or their dedicated supporters will.
I see we have another scumbag wandering off from quarantine, the second in a week,
this time he had covid 19. Bad luck in you we downtown Auckland.
Chippy and Megan had better get their shit together, they need to make an example of this bastard.
Bring back the pillory, I say.
That would certainly be effective to stop them wandering.
That is a good idea, but only for the escapee.
Quarantine and managed isolation are in hotels, not prisons – putting secure 6 foot fences around them all is a huge expense which should have not been necessary. The idiot that got out will be charged, and the episode will be reviewed, but it was the sort of risk that the government has been warning us about from the start. It is sad that this one incident will probably cost a huge amount of money to ensure it never happens again; but that is less important than the hope that nobody else gets infected.
Suppose one answer is to lock everyone in rooms with no out of room experiences at all. Guard each floor with guards armed with tasers. The hotels are not prisons but depend on a measure of trust, unless you are one hoping to support the Opposition plan to undermine Government.
I listened to someone under that regime ianmac. There was a guard on each floor. They were well provided for.
In The Melbourne housing towers they were suddenly locked down and were not allowed to go down for food deliveries which had to stay outside a circle. Drones good for this use I think. And the lifts often break down. Dreadful conditions. Vertical virtual prisons.
"It is sad that this one incident " It's not one incident it's the second time in a week.
He should be paying a $10,000 fine minimum,
"Chippy and Megan had better get their shit together, they need to make an example of this bastard."
Fortunately they won't, and can't. His fate will be decided by an independent court.
I imagine if he gets fined but not jailed the opposition will be calling our justice system "shambolic" and demanding the government take charge of sentencing.
No – this 'scumbag' 'bastard' is risking all our lives!
Bring back throwing from the Tarpeian Rocks! Effective and economical, and never shambolic! Less trouble than hanging or guillotining…
What about the low-life who cynically publish private stuff, Naki-man?
But Odd Mullet is so good at this, where is he when you need him! 😆
I don't follow surface politics, I follow the ocean currents. I'm thankful for a National leader who was schooled with majority Maori. Thankful for our Right, who aren't crazy, for the rich's rule.
You're all surface details people above.
The task we face now is more or less impossible but we must face it full on. Climate change extinguishment of all of us.
The Left are the thoroughly rational side of politics. This decade is the 1939 of our time. Why are we concentrating on surface pond weed?!