I’ve just published an El-Quicko post … comparing the latest Colmar Brunton ratings (both Party Support and Preferred PM) with the same measures for previous incoming governments at the same (11 month) stage into their first terms.
Covers all 7 incoming governments since regular polling commenced in 1969.
Well done, a comprehensive analysis of which each part supports what the previous part tells us, confirming my impression that the govt+Greens are ok so far.
Swordfish, you are a genius with poll data. Am sure I’m speaking for many here when I say we really appreciate all the work you put into comparing, organising and analysis of the data.
Nice one Swordfish…it looks like the Key government was a freak and I guess the Nats are still basking in the glow of this (not that I understand it).
As Key memories slide into history people will realise that a government where Bridges refuses to tell Collins to delete a nasty erroneous tweet and Collins defies the leader and says it has not been discussed with Bridges is an unelectable shower.
Thanks swordfish, very interesting, and confirms the “Struggling not coping” meme is just that, a meme put out there to create a sense of failure.
With all the overseas turmoil, issues with Micoplasma bovis, pressures of pay rounds and underfunding being discovered by the current administration, you would think people’s confidence would have flagged more.
But by tackling housing and education and health issues head on, P.M. Ardern and team has shown she grasps the large threats, as do they, and remain undaunted.
There are so many fronts with doughty battles to be fought that some are feeling they are still on the bottom of the pile.
We have to present those issues, as it appears the coalition is listening, within the parameters of their ideologies. We need to present cases for the carers the sickness beneficiaries and the group suffering addictions.
Some of the current methods are clearly not assisting people, and are cash based thinking.
Love your work. A much needed credible voice of sanity in a world of fake news, manufactured outrage and general all round bullshit. So much appreciated.
Agreed Ed…that sly devious guy on Checkpoint last night was PR with knobs on for big Pharma…I missed his intro and waited to the end for it to be confirmed that he was representing Pharma interests.
Long Live Pharmac I say; if only more countries had the balls to set this up like the Clark government did.
It’s a bit rich hearing Seymour, Franks, Brash and all the other ACT far right extremists whinging on about their access to free speech.
The party of the 1% gets much more than 1% of the airwaves on RNZ and the corporate media.
Why our taxpayer money is used to support the party of the global elite is more of a question.
It is not about voter support, it is about the issue itself. All sorts of people get coverage depending on what they do, for instance Russell Norman and his kayak protest.
In any event event Don Brash has not just been the Leader of ACT when it was a 1% party. The reason for his relatively high profile is that he has been Reserve Bank Governor and Leader of the National Party. He was actually asked to speak about his time as Leader of the National Party.
Redline: “The education workers’ union at Auckland University just had the police called to shut down their information stall, because it was rightly critical of the vice chancellor. No fuss made about that from Seymour and his buddies.”
I expect nobody told them? Nobody informed the media – or they did but the media couldn’t see that it’s a freedom of speech issue?
So the union was allowed to operate a stall on campus, provided that they demonstrate subservience to the authorities and refrain from comment on relevant headline news?
The University of Auckland is platforming Don Brash?
if we don’t show any interest in the ‘brash’ among us then all the fest will be amonst the converted already and we dont meed to care abbout the spread of liberal idea being sent abouit how to rort the system and make money which is what Don Brash is advocating.
I’m going to go out on a limb here because a) I can and b) it should generate an animated discussion or two. I expect to be criticised, so feel free!
My reasons for doing so are that we are still living in what someone called ‘the perpetual present,’ as if life, with steady improvements perhaps, will go on forever just like it is now. Instead, we are sleepwalking to our doom. And there are still, by neglect, still climate change deniers: for example Soimon berating the Coalition government in parliament for stopping oil and gas exploration.
The whole, it seems, of the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing a heat wave. Certainly in Europe and Japan, though we don’t hear so much about North America, apart from the fires in California.
• So, expect severely poor harvests in the wheat growing areas, such as the Ukraine, in September.
• Expect the price of food to rise rather rapidly in the months up to Christmas, especially in the UK, which can only produce 60% of its own food.
• Perhaps expect food riots in the major European cities such as London, Paris and Berlin in the new year.
• We could see the imposition of martial law as early a January or February in areas of Europe, as authorities struggle to contain the situation.
• Certainly expect the flow of desperate climate refugees from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe to increase, and to see some rather draconian responses from the southern European countries.
• Expect ‘wet bulb’ conditions to spread through the tropical areas, with resulting poor harvests and increasing mortality rates.
• This will trigger increased migration towards the north – ie the USA, with more trouble on the Mexican border.
• Large areas of the Middle East will become unbearable during the day, and barely liveable at night. This is already the case – one city in the Middle East recorded an average 24 hour temperature of over 42C.
As a direct result of increasing sea levels and increased precipitation in some areas expect floods, and even severe floods with run off in the parched areas, as happened recently in California.
And what about our part of the world in the near future?
• Our winter has been warmer than usual, with less rainfall in the South Island and more in the North.
• Expect to see temperature records broken during the summer months, with a poor harvest generally in the autumn.
• Climate events will increase in frequency and severity and will result in deaths and large scale damage.
• The winter rains in Australia have failed, again, so expect to see large areas of the wheat belt turn into a dust bowl, with farmers being forced off their land, or requiring help from state and federal governments to get through.
• Expect the pressure on the northern areas of Australia from climate refugees to increase, with the predictable hard-line response from the Oz government.
I could go on, but finally, expect the Herald and/or Stuff to devote at least one headline to a kitten stuck up a tree!
Tony Veitch etc My reasons for doing so are that we are still living in what someone called ‘the perpetual present,’ as if life, with steady improvements perhaps, will go on forever just like it is now. Instead, we are sleepwalking to our doom.
I agree. As I have been saying similar for a week. It suddently has dumped on me and I am too anxious to look at all you have listed. But nobody I know is really exercised. They are all fully occupied chasing their own goals. Which may come to nothing or they will be financially ruined and have never learned to tough it out. Or ready to swoop on the old lady next door and take over her house and garden as an unarguable matter.
This is a piece about someone with a dog pointing out the importance of controls for dog owners and respect for each other. How can this modern generation brought up to elbow everyone else and go straight to their own target ever be able to settle into a civil and supportive lifestyle with strength in numbers and everyone doing something to aid the collective, the co-operative?
(https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/106056338/no-actually-your-dog-isnt-friendly-and-should-be-on-a-leash
I think many NZs have been socialised out of civility, which has been replaced with the cult of independence; the hard working achieve and the others have to be carried or dropped. There are a lot like that. Ugly thought. And among the apparently nicer middle-class they are just as determined to rise on everyone’s input and claim it all, only not so brutal in their methods.
Hydroponic warehouses to grow food. Am at a bit of a loss why NZ isn’t doing this already considering the current circumstances.
Farmers could do the same to diversify, no drought worries, no flooding worries (depending on location). It could actually save the country loads of $$$ by not having to pay out so much to farmers during droughts etc etc.
But hey, how’s that kitten doing….and what is Kim Kardashian wearing? Their click bait priorities are more important than the demise of the planet and the human race.
On ‘Gardeners’ World’ I encountered lovable soft comfort sort Monty Don saying amid his golden Labradors , easy as poss, it was the warmest winter since records began. Major prob, that was in the mid 1600s in Britain. Off camera he must be pulling out his curly hobbit hair in morbid despair. Economics demands we, as him, carry on at gay a-pace til the cliff.
Another slightly hopeful piece from one of my favourite US political commentators Heather Digby Parton. This time she’s focussing on the impact of the triple negatives of Russia, immigration, and trade are impacting in Ohio:
The evidence she cites is really pretty weak, barely better than no evidence at all. And in the end, the only evidence that really matters will come on November 6. O’Connor (if we’re lucky) and Jones and Lamb are nice-to-haves, but they don’t make any practical difference yet. It needs a shit-load more of them, and a Dem lead of 7% for the House generic ballot still might not be enough to overcome the gerrymandered advantage the Republicans engineered for themselves from their 2010 success.
Ohio might be too much to ask.
But it’s been a season of boilovers, so I’m happy to await the results today.
I would also agree with your implied point that a Democrat takeover of either Senate or Congress needs more from the Democrats than anti-Trump sentiment.
We may end up with an interesting mini experiment for November in Kansas, testing the idea whether moderates or progressives work better for flipping a red district. That’s if the progressive Welder wins his primary today, the moderate Davis is unopposed for the Dem nomination in the neighbouring district.
” “I’m sure Trump is underwater there; we just don’t have district-level polling,” said Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas. Even so, Miller thinks that the moderate approach of Paul Davis is probably going to win over more voters than the progressivism of Welder. He thinks that, at least in Kansas, Democrats are going to need to appeal to independent voters to win. ”
The best part of the Brash Speech notes: Comments re the present government have yet to be proven and (iii) is highly contentious
On National
A hugely disappointing Government:
I. They pledged to reduce the gap between NZ incomes
and those in Australia, and utterly failed;
II. They pledged to make housing more afordable, and
utterly failed
III. They pledged to nalise Treaty settlements within six years of being elected and to scrap Maori electorates, and failed in both respects
In my own view, the present Government is likely to do a better job in making housing more afordable, but
probably a worse job in closing the income gap with Australia, and an equally poor job in moving New Zealand towards a society where every citizen, irrespective of ethnicity, has equal political rights.
Not too long ago Marcus, Australia changed and LOWERED penal rates.
Many Australians are now contracted workers with lesser conditions.
Many are now under employed. So they are coming down to meet us, $24???
Not sure of your point here Patricia. Are you saying that we should wait until Australia’s rates come “back” to ours without ours moving “up”. Pardon my ignorance but is $24 our aspirational rate or is Australia coming back to that. I presume you mean by “penal” rate that which is paid for over time – do we still have such a thing.
“They’re paying somebody’s mortgage and I see a lot of people who are low socio-economic and their bank statements literally will read, ‘KFC, McDonalds, the dairy, KFC, McDonalds, court fine’, trucks that they buy, goods that they can’t afford.
If the exact same proportion of income was spent on, ‘Uber Eats, Habit gym, Ponsonby restaurant, Uber Eats, Habit gym, craft beer bar’, is that a more reliable money manager?” asked chief executive Sue Chetwin.
Independent Property Managers Association (IPMA) president Karen Withers said it was becoming more prevalent. She said new immigrants often offered bank accounts without prompting, saying it was standard practice in other countries.
I think a lot of migrants offer bank accounts to show proof of funds to pay rent, as they don’t have a job or any references when they arrive but still need accomodation. Never heard of local tenants being asked to provide them, let alone bank statements that have the actual transactions and then be judged on them!
Personally feel that rental agents should have the same regulation as real estate sales agents. What is the difference? They both go into people’s houses, have keys and in position of trust. At present the landlord is liable for the rental agents behaviour and not the actual rental agent in the tenancy tribunal, the whole area needs a clean up with personal liability for behaviour put on the person who holds the keys and makes the day to day decisions.
We discovered that by taking housekeeping as a cash lump and managing on that by using “Real” money, our purchases were more private. Our payments for chemist, wine, golf petrol and food were our business…. just saying.
Does that mean we all get former tory MPs to advocate our point of view a la Katherine Rich of ‘Food and Grocery Council’, or Ken Shirley from the Road Transport Forum?
Chris T as if no one knows what he’s about.
He wasn’t silenced it was a safety issue
Issue.
Don Brash is a deliberately divisive person who attracts far right activists which attracts those who oppose.
He is the last colonist who refuses to accept the truth about the damage it did to Maori.
He is happy to have the support of neo Fascists and support their free speech.
Even though the Fascist goal is to Deny everyone else free speech.
Safety issue my arse!! The woman lied otherwise she would have informed the cops .
Can’t stand brashs politics but it’s a slippery slope banning him from speaking.
Thanks Jenny for that info, don’t think I’ve read/heard about that in the media since they’ve been running the ‘brash ban’ story. They should mention it, it’s relevant, especially in regards to the subject matter brash spins.
I have no love for Jones, but this is a very dangerous moment for us all, effectively now a few of the world biggest and most powerful social media corporations, have the power to censor free speech according to their own world view of what is real news/fake news or conspiracy theory and all that that implies.
So I don’t know about you, but having Zuckerberg monitoring what news feeds most people I meet see, doesn’t sound at all good to me.
Meh. Anyone wanting a good laugh or the kooks and cranks that take him seriously can go direct to his websites or listen to his radio rants. He’s still got more than enough platforms to spew his lawsuit-bait that I don’t see his free-speech rights are significantly infringed.
And if corporations are starting to think they have a responsibility to ensure their platforms are not used to cause harm, then that’s a good thing, even if the way they choose to do that is flawed.
Of course, the better way to ensure these massive monopolies don’t get control over our discourse is to simply not give them that control to begin with. Get your info closer to the source, rather than mediated through the massive intermediaries.
BTW, if anyone’s day isn’t yet sufficiently far down the rabbit-hole and needs 4 minutes of unhinged rant to top up the weird, you’ll find Jones’ response to being de-platformed here:
@Andre Alex Jones said in his divorce case that he is a ‘performance artist playing a character’, which is pretty funny, and is of course the guy is a fucking idiot and from what I have seen oozes all sorts of personal issues, but I if you think that this sort of censorship will stop with him, then I think you are wrong…
They’re getting stuck into this Free Speech crap everywhere aren’t they.
It’s not free speech they’re after:
It’s the freedom to spout crazy conspiracy theories… to spread fake news… to claim the actual news is fake news so that the population loses sight of the difference. It’s the freedom to destroy individuals they decide they don’t like and to create state enemies out of bona fida organisations and institutions set up to service the population. It’s the freedom to destroy international relationships and make enemies out of friends. It’s ultimately the freedom to start catastrophic wars.
It’s the new face of fascism – in the guise of Free Speech.
alex jones was utilising private companies free platforms (youtube, fb etc), in doing so he like anyone else was required to follow their rules/guidelines and he didn’t. As private companies they have every right to ban him and control content on their sites.
He still has his website and he still has his cable channel. If his website was taken down, I’d feel different about the situation.
I see it a little differently. These private companies are so large they control what people see on the net.
For some time now alternative media voices have been demonetized or taken down by these online gatekeepers. Jimmy Dore is one such victim and there are countless others. The aim isn’t to restrict hate speech or fascism, it is to control content.
Let’s say one person owns 99 out of the 100 stores in town, they ban all people they see as linked to hate speech from their stores. The definition of hate is poorly defined and some of the townsfolk feel aggrieved that they are included in that label.
The 1 store that accepts all comers attracts many of the townspeople that disagree with a lot of the views of the owner of the 99 stores. Those people end up maligned by the rest of the community… An interesting yet ghastly scenario…
In that due its size and reach youtube has become almost like a quasi-like government institution and therefore the normal rules of what a commercial business can and can’t do don’t apply
It’s an interesting concept – I’d go more with Google in particular becoming effectively a Standard Oil-style monopoly, which gives it more power than a regular supplier.
But that having been said, I suspect that Standard Oil would have limited what it carried in oil cars to “oil”, and not “shit”. Looks to me like there’s an opening for a 4chan/8chan-style nutbar video echochamber. “Super-8Chan”, maybe?
They had a programme here in Aus, re Facebook on its own internal monitoring, and showed policy parameters they used to decide to take things down or list them as disturbing.
An example item was a video which was still available showing a toddler being hit punched and slapped. He was screaming and sobbing.They listed it as “Disturbing”.
You heard the moderator explaining that this had been viewed a huge number of times but had a small % of complaints. They did take it down, but people had uploaded it and shared it putting it out there forever.
I now do not use Facebook where I can avoid it. For obvious reasons, I want no part of their “Blood money” made from those clicks!!
Adrian Jones is a nasty hate speech purveyor giving him a platform is akin to the resurrection of Hitler.
If he was a Muslim he would be in Guantanamo.
Do you come here to dribble inanities from your keyboard into my conscience?
Comparing anyone who doesn’t proclaim that the eradication of whole races is good of their race to hitler immediately makes anything you say around that comment sound downright retarded. And you, it makes you sound retarded.
If you look a bit closer, it’s not about free speech at all. Jones has crossed a line ever since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. From that point on he started to call for people to harass and attack real people, and it’s slowly been getting worse. He even attacked Joe Rogan who is supposed to be a friend of his and subtly suggested violence would bring Joe back into line. Here is a good piece from TYT that goes through the points.
Hmm. Throw youtube and the rest of them alongside that list of so-called fake news websites drawn up by the anonymous people at Snopes that a fair few people rely on as their radar.
Then there was the BBC having to back down over killing youtube independence channels that drew sweet all comment hereabouts, because…well, was it because too many people were busy elevating and platforming Southern and Molyneux?
Tommy Robinson – elevated and martyred off the back of the nazi pug nonsense (Where was the “left”?)
Folks across the left applauding the idea that fb play the role of censor.
Throw it in alongside the insistence for “correct” political thought/analysis that gets expressed by decrying any skeptical take on “official” news as being the markings of a Kremlin stooge or whatever…
Not sure where the hypocrisy is – just because you didn’t see the left complaining and fighting the things you mentioned doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And I suppose some of the left oppose your views on russia and whatnot so you may not have taken much notice of them. But whatever…
I’ve been saying that the biggest concerns in the world ATM are the corporations and the people who run them as they now have control over us and our governments.
TV3 am show is becoming nastier and nastier as dunnycan garner and merkin richadson drop any pretence of civility and objectivity as they push their right wing agenda to dumb down and infantilise the whole of New Zealand
society.
Does free speech mean someone has the right to be rude, obnoxious, cruel, or twist facts about others who may not be in a position to respond because of their family, their job, or health, or who have no wish to become embroiled in a nasty slanging match?
What are the boundaries and responsibilities, or are there none?
Someone like Don Brash has a nationwide platform and an eager media to spout his views. Many people subjected to his views do not have that platform.
Yep the law written by people like him… and so the merry go round goes round.
There is a special type of bigot who use velvet tones and softened words to hide their malignant content – b.rash is one and there are a few others on this site eh puckwit. But the law is unbreached yay we are safe again!!!
Shut the debate up quick by using misogyny memes – typical of someone who accuses women of mental illness because they raise pedo activity. Why did you do that I continue to wonder.
It could be because you have zero mana just a shadow sock puppet for a real rightie I spose. Funny though your bully tactics and wankfest of Collins is a worry – objectify women seems your go to eh.
If you object to what someone is saying you can make a complaint to the human rights commission. There is also defamation law – so you can sue someone.
If your case is good enough you can generally rally your supporters to help with legal costs.
These legal frameworks are robust enough to deal with any issues of supposed ‘hate speech’.
The legal costs would be enough to put off many people pursuing a case so the “free speech” proponent can carry on with their jaundiced views, untouched.
The case of a young Maori woman working in a Nelson supermarket comes to mind. Out of the blue a customer had a nasty rant about her being Maori so would never get anywhere in life. I was pleased to see the young woman’s supervisor told the customer to leave and not come back.
It is just not on, in the name of free speech, that someone can verbally attack someone they don’t even know. And why should that young woman have to put up with such bile.
I agree with you Reality. Your example clearly crosses the line between free speech and hate speech.
Based on what you have said, the young Maori woman has a case to put in front of the human rights commission. I’d encourage her to do so. (This shouldn’t be costly).
It shouldn’t cost anything – our justice system should ensure that all such cases are heard without the complainant having to front up with the cash for lawyers.
When it doesn’t, as ours doesn’t, then the justice system is only for those who can afford it and justice is denied to those who need it.
“Does free speech mean someone has the right to be rude, obnoxious, cruel, or twist facts about others who may not be in a position to respond because of their family, their job, or health, or who have no wish to become embroiled in a nasty slanging match?”
Yep.
John Key exploited that right throughout his time as National Party leader.
Robert while he allowed Dirty Politics.
He did smack down Don Bash over his antiquated Maori Bashing saying in John Keys words “there is no place in NZ for these outdated antiquated ideas NZ has moved on.”
Evil, like racism, usually lies in the eye of the beholder. Late in 1999 the fourth largest newspaper in the US (NY Post) held a poll to see who their readers thought were the most evil people in history, and 19,184 of them voted. Hitler won.
Second came Bill Clinton. Stalin was third, then Pol Pot.
Fifth was the Nazi who conducted medical experiments on live jews, Dr Josef Mengele. Sixth was Hilary Clinton.
Saddam Hussein, Adolf Eichmann, Charles Manson and Idi Amin completed the top ten. Genghis Khan came in at 11th, then serial killer who ate his victims, Jeffrey Dahmer. Vlad the Impaler made it to #20, Jack the Ripper #25.
Ah, Trev. No, I guess the yanks were too busy getting high back then & didn’t notice. I wondered why he didn’t just tell the media at the time “Hey, our ancestors were convicts so breaking rules is in the genes, right? Get over it. Sportsmanship?? Are you kidding???”
I was intrigued when I read a biography of him to discover that he’d been a supporter of socialism as a young adult. It’s what he had in common with David Lange, plus they both refused knighthoods due to feeling strongly that the dross from empire ought to be discarded.
Same with William Pember Reeves: he was offered one twice, refused twice. He transformed Aotearoa with radical industrial relations policy an entire generation before Labour. Took me most of my life to get around to reading Land of the Long White Cloud but man, what a book!!
“Murdoch studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford in England, where he supported the Labour Party, stood for Secretary of the Labour Club”. [from his wiki]
The MeToo# divas did not even mention the Palestinian Rosa Parks when they strutted at the Academy Awards.
“All Palestinians have courage. It’s different from one person to another. But I grew up in a family where I got used to seeing prisoners, the injured and martyrs.” – Ahed Tamimi
Hey everyone has missed the point I was trying to make. It was his comment re the last government that intrigued me the most. I have no time for Brash, particularly having recently read “The Hollow Men” but thought that his critique of the Key years was most apt. I agree with Jacinda though that banning him from the University was a gross over reaction. Importing “hate preachers” is one thing but Don Brash is a New Zealander and most followers of local politics know exactly where he stands.
Another important piece in today’ s Herald was Professor Peter Davis’ article entitled “Ageing “Ponzi” scheme needs to change fast”. The super situation and the long term effect of Muldoon’s blunder must be kept constantly on the public’s radar. Many of the SSS (Smug Self Satisfied) 45% that is the majority of National’s core support, will not be affected by the issue (they regard the fortnightly payment as pin money) but for the rest of us, especially our children and grandchildren the question is of the utmost importance.
How much of it is due to the increased powers of the unions especially considering the increase in strikes and threats of strikes as is happening right now
How much of it is due to a rollback of some 90 day employment laws and the worry if that will be increased or just dropped completely?
How much of it is due to the lack of warning and consultation over the oil and gas exploration halt?
How much of it is due to employers potentially paying out domestic abuse leave?
Possibly right.
When business leaders/owners lose confidence, democratically elected governments are in peril.
When anybody else (beneficiaries, bus-drivers, one-legged dog-walkers, you name it) loses confidence, governments aren’t in peril.
Strange that – looks like democracies can’t really work well when there is huge inequality of power amongst the population. Maybe time to do something about that then.
Strange that – looks like democracies can’t really work well when there is huge inequality of power amongst the population. Maybe time to do something about that then.
Yep – time to get rid of the capitalists. They’re a clear and present danger to our democracy.
The problem I have is the nats are talking confidence down . As we know it becomes self fulfilling among money once they believe it .
I rekons that the nats would happily see nz fail just to get in power.
Currently, the SJA is working to secure safe refuge for the trapped journalists in the southwest while putting pressure on the international community to secure their evacuation.
Nonetheless, Ibrahim’s fears grow with the passing of time.
“I worry that I could be arrested, that I could be killed or that I could disappear in prison like thousands of other Syrians,” Ibrahim tells Syria Direct. “I fear they could go after my family to pressure them to turn me in.”
“If we don’t get evacuated,” Ibrahim warns, “the ugliest of crimes will be committed against us.”
“Luckily, no-one was hurt this time, but this is a sinister development that indicates the growing confidence of the far right, who feel they can attack a bookshop in central London in broad daylight.
“Attacking a bookshop also exposes their claims to be defenders of free speech as hollow.”
Don’t support fascism. (It really shouldn’t have to be said)
If The Guardian penned the article its a pretty good bet that its just a continuation of the Corbyn bashing campaign thats been happening for some time apparently . Why would it be a surprise that there would be animosity towards jews recently when for no doubt a considerable number of people the sight of unarmed protesters in Gaza being gunned down by heavily armed cowards hiding behind a forty foot wall is probably still fresh in their minds ??
For Wellingtonians:
Apparently there’ll be a review of the bugger’s muddle that is now our public transport ‘network’.
Let’s hope it’s not driven by those that planned the new network and its ‘big bang’ implementation or the outcome will likely be that we’ll be lining up in one queue to get a number from a machine that gives us a place in another queue at the bus stop.
And if they’re really really clever, they’ll divide those queues into the registration number on the bus (for the purposes of efficiency and effectiveness).
Having once worked with Darran Ponter, I’m surprised at how he has so easily become captured by bullshit artists – no doubt fresh back from an overseas fact finding mission.
I was just about to do an update to a group of “concerned citizens” in my area who I am representing re changes etc to our bus services in discussions with Metlink etc, so would like to know more before doing so. Must say that I have had reasonably good productive discourse with Metlink on this but I am taking a facilitator rather than an aggressive approach. Our situation is one that is a little less urgent and requires a lot of diplomacy/nergotiations with other community citizens rather than the bus operators per se compared to some of the more urgent problems being faced by workers, students etc needing to get to work, classes etc. so need to take a cooperative and slower approach to reach a solution that meets most peoples’ needs etc.
Darran Ponter is actually on my list of people outside Metlink to approach so any more info about him etc also welcome.
Only as a former public servant in a government Ministry when he was in charge of a group of policy analysts.
RNZ news has reported that the GWRC has admitted there are problems.
Unfortunately it seems what they’re proposing will just amount to tinkering (changes to route 18 for example).
In some cases, people are having to catch 3 buses where they previously caught 1
If they wanted a quick solution, it’d probably be to simply revert to the old route system, then make gradual improvements – that won’t happen because it’s be an admission of compete failure.
I’m picking that unless something radical is done soon Darran won’t be back after the next election, and he won’t be wanting to put this farce on his CV when he goes job hunting. And in many ways, that’s a bit of a shame
What did that guy Molyneaux say to us about “Welcome to sharia law” or something?
So, Canada’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chrystia Freeland said “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s activists in Saudi Arabia including Samar Badawi.” She urged the Saudi government to “immediately release them.”
Saudi Arabia then denounced the tweets as “blatant interference in the country’s domestic affairs,” as well as a “major, unacceptable affront to the kingdom’s laws and judicial process.” The Saudi government has said that it will cut scholarships for thousands of its students to study in Canada. They have also made the Saudia airline suspend flights to Toronto in five days.
Bahrain. the Arab Emirates, and others back the Saudi government.
Now, I don’t need to cite The Handmaid’s Tale to you all on what actual Sharia Law looks and feels like. If she didn’t have diplomatic immunity she would be in a Saudi prison.
Ambassador Freeland (great name by the way!) simply stands by what she has said. “We will always speak up for human rights and women’s rights.”
We would gain something of our moral centre back as a country if we started tying human rights to trade with a sharia law country like Saudi Arabia.
We don’t have to like the people giving us unpalatable messages, but Canada is pointing the way here. It took courage.
And here you have made a very important moral point. Our standard of living is dependent on trade, which depends on supporting evil behaviour by foreign governments. Is supporting evil behaviour a good idea? No.
By the way has anyone had trouble with pressreader. I went to it and my screen locked up as a message that I had to accept came up. I wanted out but no cross to clear it, and couldn’t close down site or move to another site. Had to turn off computer.l Pathetic program design.
If wanting to email the site what is the address. Nothing I have tried is recognised?
Or don’t you have it now – does it all have to be twitter and facebook ?
Oh dear even Tracey is scathing of crasher Collins.
“Either Collins believed in the vast left wing conspiracy to normalise child rape – which is scary. Or she didn’t believe it but tweeted it anyway because she knew some of the people who read her tweets would have no problem believing it was true.”
Still slipping on, taking up water that will be in short supply and allocated on generous terms over … years encouraging farmers to over-extend themselves and cry poor.l
But Chris Pile, chief executive of the company driving the proposed $200 million scheme is determined it “must and will continue”.
(Unfortunate name. I smell money for a successful CEO.)
Unforeseen consequences? Grenade shaped table lighters, fake guns, just toys nothing to worry about – stop fussing. blah blah. Rubbish unworthy of spending export $ on and now bothersome rubbish that are scaring people and involving police bomb squads with a large increase in callouts.
This guy has been rescued before, and seems to have gone mountain climbing just about every year. So the rescue is just part of the exciting holiday risks ultimately borne by us. Let us have more money spent on our parents and children to help them get a good start in life if we care about people so much. It is a class matter really, the needy families are lower class and enterprising mountain climbers are far up the ladder. Sick.
One thing to do is to bill them for the cost of it all, plus honorarium for the volunteers and arrest and jail them if they come back and the bill is unpaid. her pay up quickly and fully or deport them, with refusal to enter again. Grow a pair government. People with student loans unpaid are treated harshly so why shouldn’t we put a stopper on these drifters who are too spiritual to worry about the trouble and cost their spending time out in nature, communing, puts other people to.
Good morning The Am Show Eco says it’s good that our Kiwi fire fighters can help America and Canada fight those massive fires ka pai people be careful.
Condolences to the people who have lost love ones and property.
Social issues poverty bulling racial issues its not hard to see that’s these issues will affect all Mokopunas mental health this health problem we have will affect wealthy and poor the same as different groups clash its good we are looking at fixing this big problem. Unlike the bench warmers who’s action’s just multiplied this big problem Eco seen this.
Duncan that young Asian boy was intelligent and well spoken on the issues of 16/17 year old forced marriage.
With cat’s they are a gift from Papatuanuku I don’t think they have to be eliminated
just controlled . Cat’s help people who are alone in our society they give there care’s some thing to love and care they give them a reason to get up in the morning pet;s are good for some people’s mental health in this age of individualism this individualism has to change we are all on Papatuanuku together.
Ka kite ano P.S I try to be fair I’m a Gary McCormick fan he come’s from te tai rawhiti so there is a bit of favoritism
Here you go I read body langue well and Eco Maori can see what motivates people actions one thing in this link below is this.
Ka kite ano
Tiaki-Turi joins the interview by phone. She acts as Zhou Black’s spiritual adviser or matakite – someone considered to possess a supernatural ability to see visions of the future.
Zhou Black is asked why an academic appears on her child-sex ring list.
“He’s a very wealthy man … He knew Awa through that time. I don’t know how long,” she says.
No victim had identified the academic.
“Got anything to add, sis?” Zhou Black asks Tiaki-Turi.
“Um, it’s just a connection that he has with a lot of the people associated to Awa,” Tiaki-Turi offers.
“He’s more a person of interest,” Zhou Black adds.
“He was my Facebook friend up until three days ago and then he has blocked me.”
To all you moaning neo liberal capitalist trolls New Zealand has spent more on AID to other country’s than they have spent on treaty claims now Eco knows that the poor tangata around the World need help and I back that AID but stop kicking ——in tangata whenua face please about te mone we got from treaty settlement’s enough said only bad—–will come from the word’s I want to say .
Ka kite ano
You know what the other big picture is New Zealand spent more putting tangata whenua in jail much more than the mone spent on treaty settlement no link but that’s a fact
One can not judge the Opinion of Atoearoa just by a poll that can be targeted by national trolls to minupulate the results it won’t take many people to change the polls results.
Good Kiwi understand that Maori were ripped of their whenua and its 10 x harder for Maori to get a better life than any other culture in Atoearoa the troll.s love those easy to minupulate polls on TV. Look at these bone head sandflys stuffing up my life and my offspring. It they had anything more that contracted lies they would put ECO MAORI in the hinaki. Ka kite ano discrimination at its best
You may be wondering how the phone poll can be hacked it’s easy if you got mone gone managed to raise $90k in 2 days to try and fight in court for his m8 from you no were so for the neo liberal capitalist mone is not a problem .
There is will well the NLcapitalist have no morels so cheating is like changing undies to these people so they have the will to cheat and manipulate the reality of good Kiwi’s using these poll’s .
How well you have 50 people with 10 sims each and there you go 500 votes for the NLcapitalist trolls cost about $600.00 if the poll does not have a limit of 1 call per number that cost will be just $6.00 . Eco Maori knows that any thing can be manipulated its just takes no morels to lie mone and effort . I know look at what the sandflys are doing to Eco Maori Ka kite ano P.S tryed to find out how this poll is conducted nothing on the net so its phone or Tx I can’t be stuffed with some poles because all data can be changed to suit the goals of the person with the most mone
Mana Wahine Ka pai American Wahine Eco Maori tautoko/supports all Ladies who are going to get into roles to lead us to a humane prosperous future .
I know that a lot of ladies are more intelligent than man definitely more humane the Papatuanuku is your Oyster as the old saying goes you need to make sure the mokopunas have a bright prosperous future and men can not be trusted to do this on there own . Ka kite ano P.S I still respect men as I am one but we need te Wahine to guide the men down the correct path link below men will still be part of leadership ladies will gide men to the correct path.
Good evening Newshub Eco Maori was upset today I have been trying to get my wahine mokopuna health issues sorted out for two weeks she spent 2 nites in Rotorua hospital so in all 4 hospital appointments waiting 5 to 6 hours for each visit 3 doctor’s appointments I got someone to take her to Ranolf medical center on Monday get a call today saying she had a urine infection to come and get antibiotics I was happy she has finally be diagnosed I am upset that the sandfly were hiding around the corner at the hosptial telling the doctors lies getting the doctors to ask my moko questions that had nothing to do with her ailment and getting them to pregnecy test my 11 year old mokopuna with out telling us instead of testing her sample for signs of a infection the doctor at lakes care said there were signs of a mild infection and sent us to the hosptial to get her scaned this did not happen. I pointed this out to the doctor at the hospital he just dismissed my inquire I have been nursing my mokopuna for 2 weeks she has been in pain for 3 1/2 weeks I am looking after her because everyone else is working so its understandable that I’m upset . The sandflys have told the doctors you are not liable .They cannot sue because of the New Zealand Laws the down side to Accident Compensation corporation a Kiwi can not sue the health department for miss conduct my moko could have lost a kidney and now I am waiting to get her kidneys scanned I thought Rotorua hosptial would do it today they gave her a weeks wait WTF.
I can not sue the health system but I am gathering everdince to sue others .???????????
Well I got that off my chest those fire tornadoes are mean those have not been seen much at all may be 2 times I have seen documents of this phenomenon That’s Human Caused Global warrming trump.
The bereavement leave for miss carage of a baby is backed by Eco one of my offspring went through that its Quite Papatuanuku shattering it took awhile for them to get over that.
Yes Eco always reads te animals cows are good Guard dogs lol well I read everything quite well just my spelling is bad.
It was a beautiful day to day Ingrid Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub Eco Maori was upset today I have been trying to get my wahine mokopuna health issues sorted out for two weeks she spent 2 nites in Rotorua hospital so in all 4 hospital appointments waiting 5 to 6 hours for each visit 3 doctor’s appointments I got someone to take her to Ranolf medical center on Monday get a call today saying she had a urine infection to come and get antibiotics I was happy she has finally be diagnosed I am upset that the sandfly were hiding around the corner at the hosptial telling the doctors lies getting the doctors to ask my moko questions that had nothing to do with her ailment and getting them to pregnecy test my 11 year old mokopuna with out telling us instead of testing her sample for signs of a infection the doctor at lakes care said there were signs of a mild infection and sent us to the hosptial to get her scaned this did not happen. I pointed this out to the doctor at the hospital he just dismissed my inquire I have been nursing my mokopuna for 2 weeks she has been in pain for 3 1/2 weeks I am looking after her because everyone else is working so its understandable that I’m upset . The sandflys have told the doctors you are not liable .They cannot sue because of the New Zealand Laws the down side to Accident Compensation corporation a Kiwi can not sue the health department for miss conduct my moko could have lost a kidney and now I am waiting to get her kidneys scanned I thought Rotorua hosptial would do it today they gave her a weeks wait WTF.
I can not sue the health system but I am gathering everdince to sue others .???????????
Well I got that off my chest those fire tornadoes are mean those have not been seen much at all may be 2 times I have seen documents of this phenomenon That’s Human Caused Global warrming trump.
The bereavement leave for miss carage of a baby is backed by Eco one of my offspring went through that its Quite Papatuanuku shattering it took awhile for them to get over that.
Yes Eco always reads te animals cows are good Guard dogs lol well I read everything quite well just my spelling is bad.
It was a beautiful day to day Ingrid Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and Makere I like to look after tangata that I connect with.
I had a sore face for half a hour last night . We all think our kids get there best traits from us but what I know the brain’s are genitally linked to Wahine so I tell my offspring that they get there intelligence from there mum I read that in some science mag.
Keep up the good work Mahi Drysdale you will be fine.
I see Posha Woodman got into the Papatuanuku Sports Wahine of the year with the Williams sisters Mana Wahine
All the best to Jacko in his shot put goals he is a good role model for the mokopunas never give up thats the attitude.
Ka kite ano
The sandflys are stuffing with my computa once again
Why didn’t shonky kick the rugby ball through the rugby goal post hitting a golf ball through rugby goal post is easy as cheating once again shonky
Some people don’t know when they other’s are using there emotion’s to play them they don’t expect it and trust others to much .
They don’t beleve Eco maori that being to radical is bad for there cause wake up you are a wahine maori leader Ka kite ano P.S or do you have the same advisor that coned another wahine maori leader to splash mud in her own face Eco thinks the possibility and coincident are quite high
To The Labour Party Do onto those as they do onto YOU there are 2 ways to see this Golden Rule the one Eco is high lighting is national are digging scraping around for any dirt on the ruling Labour Green New Zealand First Government and trowing it in your face so Eco would look for dirt on national and give it back to them this move will even up the score keep them busy fighting the fire it won’t be hard to find mud on them Eco say’s
Ka kite ano
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Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $1.5 million to ensure QE Health in Rotorua can proceed with its world class health service and save 75 existing jobs, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF funding announced today is in addition to the $8 million ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Let’s not allow the focus on big-budget infrastructure projects to detract from the vital role public transport will play in revitalising our cities in a post-Covid world, says Greg Pollock.The recent match between the Blues and the Hurricanes was one of the world’s first major post-lockdown sporting fixtures. It was ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
In the heart of Christchurch is a Designated Character high school. What makes it unique? And should there be more like it? Frank Film visits Hagley College Paddy Grant was a 27-year-old truck driver when he rocked up to Christchurch’s Hagley High School, as it was then known. It was ...
"After he calms down we share the pie and talk about how hard the years since the show have been for him": a short story by Wellington writer Jordan Hamel. Every morning it’s the same. Cling wrap on the toilet seat, a pop up snake in my can of breakfast ...
Childcare centre closures have left families and staff out in the cold. In some cases, they were given just three days’ notice, Laura Walters reports Staff and families of Auckland’s Discoveries Educare branches feel blindsided by the sudden closure of the early childhood education centres. The Ministry of Education has ...
Controversy and the America's Cup go hand-in-hand and the latest edition is no different with Emirates Team New Zealand at the centre of financial mismanagement allegations. Extra Time unpicks the debate and ponders what does the latest Cup drama mean? And should we care? A study has revealed racial bias ...
Over the decades, Mike Fox has witnessed the housing market progressively tilt towards larger, more expensive homes. Without a major overhaul of the current regulatory processes, he says, things will never change.It’s one of the biggest problems our country faces – we cannot produce the affordable housing that’s so desperately ...
So-called dirty deals have been roundly denounced over the years. Hayden Donnell argues that they need to be normalised, and even embraced, in September’s election.Just before the 2011 general election, Patrick Gower was confronted with a political act so stomach-churning, it forced him to abandon his trademark reserve. John Key ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia Victoria has recorded 288 new COVID-19 cases since yesterday, the largest daily increase we’ve seen so far. This big jump must have the Victorian government and health authorities very concerned, especially since nearly ...
The controversial 101 East episode Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown on 3 July 2020. Video: Al JazeeraPacific Media Watch Newsdesk Malaysian police summoned six Al Jazeera media workers today for questioning relating to an investigation for defamation and violation of Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA), reports IFJ Asia-Pacific. ...
Analysis - A National MP destroys his career, the government explains how someone with Covid-19 could walk around a supermarket and the closure of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is announced. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, Epidemiologist, UNSW Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly today recommended people in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire wear masks when leaving the house: […] If people have symptoms and they need to go for a test, for example, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rochelle Wynne, Director, Western Sydney Nursing & Midwifery Research Centre, Western Sydney University Over the past week, we’ve seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 infections among health-care workers in Victoria. This includes a doctor at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the return to lockdown in Victoria, National Cabinet setting to slow the flow of Australian’s ...
We prefer our heroes untarnished. And few match the heroism of Winston Churchill. But a recent report in the Times reminds us of the inevitability of human frailty and the consequences of keeping it under wraps.During the second world war, Britain’s greatest single loss of life at sea was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ou Yang, Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Donald Trump has ordered US federal agencies to bypass environmental protection laws and fast-track pipeline, highway and other infrastructure projects. Signing the executive order last month, the US president declared regulatory delays would hinder “our ...
SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says "The NZDIA has done the right thing, and we’re glad to see Bertram has been held to account over his actions. He should take this as an opportunity to right his wrongs and show that he takes animal welfare seriously." ...
Takuta Ferris, Te Tai Tonga candidate for the Māori Party, is urging government to place whānau first in the wake of announcements around Tiwai Point. “The declaration that one of the region's major employers the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is closing ...
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by The Spinoff’s managing editor, mall rat and self-confessed food philistine Duncan Greive.On this month’s Dietary Requirements, the gang’s back in the studio, and ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart 1: United States and Australia rising. Chart by Keith Rankin. These charts look at Covid19 incidence in China (the most important first-wave country, with a limited second wave), Italy (the lead second-wave country), and USA and Australia (second-wave countries – drawing their caseload from Europe ...
The Government must listen to the Muslim community to rectify its failure to act in the past, says the Human Rights Commission. The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry was released this week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics. Senior Research Fellow, Moral philosophy, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Law Futures Centre., Griffith University Earlier this week, 150 high-profile authors, commentators and scholars signed an open letter in Harper’s magazine ...
You can’t keep a good woman down and Helen Clark is no exception. Her new appointment, as co-chair of a review of how the World Health Organisation handled the coronavirus pandemic, will test her formidable political skills. Sitting with her is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian president, who handled the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Connor, Lecturer, James Cook University While many people may enjoy a game of backyard cricket, only a few go on to become elite professional batsmen in Australia. Cricket batting is example of what human skills can achieve. The fastest bowling delivery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Baumgartner, Professor of Fisheries and River Management, Institute for Land, Water, and Society, Charles Sturt University This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native ...
CEAC review of pre-election National’s “outline plan” just sent to us by Todd Muller 9/7/20 was actually his speech about his plan and was described as ‘an outline’. So in our review of National Party response to A Greener, Smarter Future; climate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Podger, Honorary Professor of Public Policy, Australian National University In Hidden Hand, China scholars Clive Hamilton and Marieke Ohlberg examine the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in Europe and North America in a similar way to how Hamilton dissected the CCP’s influence ...
“I can see why people are fed up, many are wondering how to clothe and feed their kids, or how they are going to pay their rent next week and still others are wondering what has happened to our beautiful Kiwi Way of Life. Well no party in parliament ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Sixty press freedom groups and civil society organisations, journalism institutions, filmmakers, and other supporters have formed a coalition in support of Maria Ressa and independent media in the Philippines, united around the call to #HoldTheLine. Today the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Center for ...
National MP Michael Woodhouse also received Covid-19 patient emails from Michelle Boag, and deleted them when he realised she was implicated in a separate email scandal. National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also ...
The government is extending border exceptions to allow overseas victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks and their support people to attend the shooter's sentencing. ...
Ever wanted to be Iron Man? Sam Brooks prefers Pepper Potts, but he had a great time stepping into the iron suit anyway.The first few moments of Iron Man VR are where it plays its hand, confidently and assuredly. You hold your palms out in front of you, and Iron ...
SAP has released to the public a policy paper, “Helping Kiwis get back to work: How data and technology can drive a bigger, better, faster economic recovery.” ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel.Mermaids When you lose grip and start to drift.The first thing you’re supposed to do issteer into it or steer away? Not all mermaids are royaltysomeone needs to audit the oceanprovide cashflow projectionssome mermaids are actuallymiddle-aged accountants named Stephendreaming of a land-view holiday home. I saw a ...
Want to work for The Spinoff? We’re looking for someone to fill an exciting new role based in our Auckland office. We’re looking for a video and podcast content manager: an experienced writer or sub-editor with a strong understanding of social media to manage our video and podcast content across various channels. ...
National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also received four unsolicited emails. ...
By RNZ News Opposition National list MP Dr Jian Yang has announced his retirement from New Zealand politics and says he will not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. He said politics was “demanding” and he wanted to spend more time with his ...
Bayer-Monsanto's June 24 announcement of a US$10.9 billion pay out (1) to people who have been harmed by Glyphosate, is effectively an admission of guilt. Spokesperson for The People’s Inquiry 2020 Asha Andersen says, “The Ministry of Health, The ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has filed a complaint with the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Speaker’s Office over Lawrence Yule’s new taxpayer funded billboards promoting Mr Yule as the ‘Voice in Tukituki’. Union spokesman, Louis Houlbrooke ...
Ten points, two plans. Which points are whose? With an election within spitting distance, Aotearoa’s two biggest political parties are all about the plans. “You don’t have a plan!” says one party to the other. “Yes we have a plan, or certainly a plan to have a plan, or a plan ...
Four months after he announced his re-selection, a National Party MP whose links to Chinese spy agencies attracted the interest of New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service has announced he will not stand in the next election A three-term National Party MP who studied at an elite Chinese spy school before moving to ...
National list MP Dr Jian Yang announced his retirement from politics and said he would not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. ...
A new political party, the New Zealand TEA Party, with headquarters in Auckland, has been established. The party aims to contest the queen- or kingmaker position to form a coalition with the largest parliamentary party as part of the general elections ...
A review has determined fish oils are non-hazardous and no longer require oversight by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). We regulate pesticides, household chemicals and other dangerous goods and substances under the Hazardous Substances ...
New Conservative calls on the government to join with our Five Eyes allies and add New Zealand's signature to a joint statement condemning the continued removal of freedoms in Hong Kong. New Conservative also calls on the government to give safe-haven ...
Latest from the Beehive – Hard on the heels of the government promising help for the Southland economy in the wake of Rio Tinto’s decision to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, it was announcing the delivery of more money to the North, at the other end of the country. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luciano Beheregaray, Professor in Biodiversity Genomics, Flinders University As the global climate shifts, it’s important to know which species have adaptations to survive. Our research published today in PNAS found it largely depends on where they evolved. We looked at the capacity ...
From eggplant emojis and twerking llamas to sweaty anthropomorphic butts, we present some of the most fascinating, hilarious and outrageous complaints dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) from 2019 to now.Avocadon’t (January 2019)The ad: In this ad from Specsavers, a man gets ready to join a cricket match, but ...
They might sound like the same thing, but light rail is quite different from light metro – the system that transport minister Phil Twyford now favours for Auckland. Katy Wakefield and Jessica Rose of Women in Urbanism explain why the metro option is a poor substitute for LRT. Transport is ...
Why isn't the Government spending $30m to extend Tiwai Point's 2,600 jobs until after the Covid-19 recession, after Manapouri's power can be transmitted elsewhere, and after there's a hydrogen plan for the smelter site, Bernard Hickey asks. The sense of shock and foreboding about the future was clear in Invercargill Mayor ...
An intensive care doctor is outraged health officials are giving helicopter rescue trusts a daily list of Covid-19 patients, saying it's completely unnecessary. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Seth Lazar, Professor, Australian National University In the US, tireless opposition to state use of facial recognition algorithms has recently won some victories. Some progressive cities have banned some uses of the technology. Threetechcompanies have pulled facial recognition products from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Facial recognition technology is increasingly being trialled and deployed around Australia. Queensland and Western Australia are reportedly already using real-time facial recognition through CCTV cameras. 7-Eleven Australia is also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor of Human Resource Management, University of South Australia The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to work from home, often in less than ideal circumstances. Many employees had little choice in the decision, limited time to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katja Hogendoorn, University of Adelaide This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s bushfire tragedy. Sign up to The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By SriPallavi Nadimpalli, PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne Women manage many overlapping responsibilities in both public and private spheres. Their busy routines leave them with just a little time to take a break or a pause in their activity. These pauses are a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naoise McDonagh, Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Adelaide The pandemic has changed the way we think about supply chains, in particular the chains that feed our need for food, medical supplies, and defence equipment. It has led Prime Minister Scott Morrison ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW As Victoria grapples with a second-wave outbreak of COVID-19, the importance of large-scale testing has again been highlighted. Without its “testing blitz” aiming at 10,000 tests a day, the extent of the outbreak would have been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jean Burgess, Professor and Director, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Perhaps no single character has been as iconic a symbol of Twitter as the now-ubiquitous hashtag. The syntax of the hashtag has a few simple rules: it consists of ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major implications from Tiwai Pt closure, diplomatic rift over Hong Kong deepens, and grim new approach to managed isolation.The story of Rio Tinto pulling out of the Tiwai Point smelter is one that shows the deep connections between regional stories ...
How can Southland cope without its engine and biggest employer, the Tiwai Point smelter? Invercargill's deputy mayor Toni Biddle and Dee St businesswoman Anne Marie Thomas on what happens nowToni Biddle: "We've always known this could potentially happen. So, therefore, there has been a huge amount of work done in the background ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias.NON-FICTION 1 Pull No Punches by Judith Collins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) Junk. 2 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55) 3 The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline ...
Most Kiwis aren't aware that the end of life choice act is not a concept they'll be voting for, but specific, unmovable legislation. And if we make a mistake, death is a heavy penalty, writes Caralise Trayes. A new Colmar Brunton poll revealed last weekend doesn’t do any favours in helping people ...
Talented teenage shooter Khiarna Williams is committed to travelling 18 hours a week - after school - to realise her netball dreams. Three times a week, 17-year-old Khiarna Williams gets picked up from school to make a six-hour round trip, from Whakatāne to Hamilton, to train with the Magic. Her designated driver ...
Open Mike 08/08/2018 
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I’ve just published an El-Quicko post … comparing the latest Colmar Brunton ratings (both Party Support and Preferred PM) with the same measures for previous incoming governments at the same (11 month) stage into their first terms.
Covers all 7 incoming governments since regular polling commenced in 1969.
https://sub-zero-politics.blogspot.com/2018/08/winter-of-discontent_61.html
Well done, a comprehensive analysis of which each part supports what the previous part tells us, confirming my impression that the govt+Greens are ok so far.
Very interesting Swordfish. So the Bridges ranting is meaningless?
Swordfish, you are a genius with poll data. Am sure I’m speaking for many here when I say we really appreciate all the work you put into comparing, organising and analysis of the data.
Love your work, thanks again.
Add us into this; – Swordfish great work you do.10000%
Nice one Swordfish…it looks like the Key government was a freak and I guess the Nats are still basking in the glow of this (not that I understand it).
As Key memories slide into history people will realise that a government where Bridges refuses to tell Collins to delete a nasty erroneous tweet and Collins defies the leader and says it has not been discussed with Bridges is an unelectable shower.
Looking forward to the next election.
Thanks swordfish, very interesting, and confirms the “Struggling not coping” meme is just that, a meme put out there to create a sense of failure.
With all the overseas turmoil, issues with Micoplasma bovis, pressures of pay rounds and underfunding being discovered by the current administration, you would think people’s confidence would have flagged more.
But by tackling housing and education and health issues head on, P.M. Ardern and team has shown she grasps the large threats, as do they, and remain undaunted.
There are so many fronts with doughty battles to be fought that some are feeling they are still on the bottom of the pile.
We have to present those issues, as it appears the coalition is listening, within the parameters of their ideologies. We need to present cases for the carers the sickness beneficiaries and the group suffering addictions.
Some of the current methods are clearly not assisting people, and are cash based thinking.
Love your work. A much needed credible voice of sanity in a world of fake news, manufactured outrage and general all round bullshit. So much appreciated.
Big pharmacist being given a huge platform on the corporate media .
Agreed Ed…that sly devious guy on Checkpoint last night was PR with knobs on for big Pharma…I missed his intro and waited to the end for it to be confirmed that he was representing Pharma interests.
Long Live Pharmac I say; if only more countries had the balls to set this up like the Clark government did.
It’s a bit rich hearing Seymour, Franks, Brash and all the other ACT far right extremists whinging on about their access to free speech.
The party of the 1% gets much more than 1% of the airwaves on RNZ and the corporate media.
Why our taxpayer money is used to support the party of the global elite is more of a question.
Yes that’s right, politicians from right wing parties should not be paid for their work – ridiculous!
It is not about voter support, it is about the issue itself. All sorts of people get coverage depending on what they do, for instance Russell Norman and his kayak protest.
In any event event Don Brash has not just been the Leader of ACT when it was a 1% party. The reason for his relatively high profile is that he has been Reserve Bank Governor and Leader of the National Party. He was actually asked to speak about his time as Leader of the National Party.
And fucked up both pretty badly because of his failed ideology.
Redline: “The education workers’ union at Auckland University just had the police called to shut down their information stall, because it was rightly critical of the vice chancellor. No fuss made about that from Seymour and his buddies.”
I expect nobody told them? Nobody informed the media – or they did but the media couldn’t see that it’s a freedom of speech issue?
So the union was allowed to operate a stall on campus, provided that they demonstrate subservience to the authorities and refrain from comment on relevant headline news?
Didn’t brash, trotter et al TELL everyone this would be the outcome of banning S&M talking?
Sheesh, the criticism was loudest from those on here who support unions.
Let the unions recruit on campus. at least they’re modernising their approach for new members and should be free to pursue there strategy.
Last time I looked they weren’t banned from talking.
Don’t splutter on your Shrewsbury biscuit – it makes them soggy.
The University of Auckland is platforming Don Brash?
if we don’t show any interest in the ‘brash’ among us then all the fest will be amonst the converted already and we dont meed to care abbout the spread of liberal idea being sent abouit how to rort the system and make money which is what Don Brash is advocating.
Climate change in the near future:
I’m going to go out on a limb here because a) I can and b) it should generate an animated discussion or two. I expect to be criticised, so feel free!
My reasons for doing so are that we are still living in what someone called ‘the perpetual present,’ as if life, with steady improvements perhaps, will go on forever just like it is now. Instead, we are sleepwalking to our doom. And there are still, by neglect, still climate change deniers: for example Soimon berating the Coalition government in parliament for stopping oil and gas exploration.
The whole, it seems, of the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing a heat wave. Certainly in Europe and Japan, though we don’t hear so much about North America, apart from the fires in California.
• So, expect severely poor harvests in the wheat growing areas, such as the Ukraine, in September.
• Expect the price of food to rise rather rapidly in the months up to Christmas, especially in the UK, which can only produce 60% of its own food.
• Perhaps expect food riots in the major European cities such as London, Paris and Berlin in the new year.
• We could see the imposition of martial law as early a January or February in areas of Europe, as authorities struggle to contain the situation.
• Certainly expect the flow of desperate climate refugees from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe to increase, and to see some rather draconian responses from the southern European countries.
• Expect ‘wet bulb’ conditions to spread through the tropical areas, with resulting poor harvests and increasing mortality rates.
• This will trigger increased migration towards the north – ie the USA, with more trouble on the Mexican border.
• Large areas of the Middle East will become unbearable during the day, and barely liveable at night. This is already the case – one city in the Middle East recorded an average 24 hour temperature of over 42C.
As a direct result of increasing sea levels and increased precipitation in some areas expect floods, and even severe floods with run off in the parched areas, as happened recently in California.
And what about our part of the world in the near future?
• Our winter has been warmer than usual, with less rainfall in the South Island and more in the North.
• Expect to see temperature records broken during the summer months, with a poor harvest generally in the autumn.
• Climate events will increase in frequency and severity and will result in deaths and large scale damage.
• The winter rains in Australia have failed, again, so expect to see large areas of the wheat belt turn into a dust bowl, with farmers being forced off their land, or requiring help from state and federal governments to get through.
• Expect the pressure on the northern areas of Australia from climate refugees to increase, with the predictable hard-line response from the Oz government.
I could go on, but finally, expect the Herald and/or Stuff to devote at least one headline to a kitten stuck up a tree!
+100
What ever will it take for our cloth headed politicians get their head around the issue legislate to take the urgent action required?
The new normal
“Mendocino Complex fire now largest in California history, capping destructive year”
Joseph Serna, James Queally, Alene Tchekmedyian – Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2018
Tony Veitch etc
My reasons for doing so are that we are still living in what someone called ‘the perpetual present,’ as if life, with steady improvements perhaps, will go on forever just like it is now. Instead, we are sleepwalking to our doom.
I agree. As I have been saying similar for a week. It suddently has dumped on me and I am too anxious to look at all you have listed. But nobody I know is really exercised. They are all fully occupied chasing their own goals. Which may come to nothing or they will be financially ruined and have never learned to tough it out. Or ready to swoop on the old lady next door and take over her house and garden as an unarguable matter.
This is a piece about someone with a dog pointing out the importance of controls for dog owners and respect for each other. How can this modern generation brought up to elbow everyone else and go straight to their own target ever be able to settle into a civil and supportive lifestyle with strength in numbers and everyone doing something to aid the collective, the co-operative?
(https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/106056338/no-actually-your-dog-isnt-friendly-and-should-be-on-a-leash
I think many NZs have been socialised out of civility, which has been replaced with the cult of independence; the hard working achieve and the others have to be carried or dropped. There are a lot like that. Ugly thought. And among the apparently nicer middle-class they are just as determined to rise on everyone’s input and claim it all, only not so brutal in their methods.
Hydroponic warehouses to grow food. Am at a bit of a loss why NZ isn’t doing this already considering the current circumstances.
Farmers could do the same to diversify, no drought worries, no flooding worries (depending on location). It could actually save the country loads of $$$ by not having to pay out so much to farmers during droughts etc etc.
But hey, how’s that kitten doing….and what is Kim Kardashian wearing? Their click bait priorities are more important than the demise of the planet and the human race.
Does my head in too Tony.
I totally agree – with your last sentence. 😈
Well Tony it’s just got a lot worst for the State of NSW with the State Premier declaring the state is 100% in drought from today.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/state-government-confirms-nsw-is-now-100-per-cent-in-drought/news-story/5c00dbdf8941dcf9c46dda6ebad68eaa
On ‘Gardeners’ World’ I encountered lovable soft comfort sort Monty Don saying amid his golden Labradors , easy as poss, it was the warmest winter since records began. Major prob, that was in the mid 1600s in Britain. Off camera he must be pulling out his curly hobbit hair in morbid despair. Economics demands we, as him, carry on at gay a-pace til the cliff.
Another slightly hopeful piece from one of my favourite US political commentators Heather Digby Parton. This time she’s focussing on the impact of the triple negatives of Russia, immigration, and trade are impacting in Ohio:
https://www.salon.com/2018/08/07/donald-trump-digs-himself-into-deeper-trouble-and-his-voters-are-finally-noticing/
The evidence she cites is really pretty weak, barely better than no evidence at all. And in the end, the only evidence that really matters will come on November 6. O’Connor (if we’re lucky) and Jones and Lamb are nice-to-haves, but they don’t make any practical difference yet. It needs a shit-load more of them, and a Dem lead of 7% for the House generic ballot still might not be enough to overcome the gerrymandered advantage the Republicans engineered for themselves from their 2010 success.
Ohio might be too much to ask.
But it’s been a season of boilovers, so I’m happy to await the results today.
I would also agree with your implied point that a Democrat takeover of either Senate or Congress needs more from the Democrats than anti-Trump sentiment.
We may end up with an interesting mini experiment for November in Kansas, testing the idea whether moderates or progressives work better for flipping a red district. That’s if the progressive Welder wins his primary today, the moderate Davis is unopposed for the Dem nomination in the neighbouring district.
” “I’m sure Trump is underwater there; we just don’t have district-level polling,” said Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas. Even so, Miller thinks that the moderate approach of Paul Davis is probably going to win over more voters than the progressivism of Welder. He thinks that, at least in Kansas, Democrats are going to need to appeal to independent voters to win. ”
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/7/17616612/kansas-republicans-democrats-primary-2018-midterms-brent-welder
52% to Democrat, 47.3% to Republican, with 50% counted.
Tighter than a very tight thing.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/07/us/elections/results-ohio-special-house-election-district-12.html
And now with 66% counted it’s just on the Republican side of the ledger.
155 votes in it now.
Ah well, another go at it in three months.
Worth a crack.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/OH12?src=hash
The best part of the Brash Speech notes: Comments re the present government have yet to be proven and (iii) is highly contentious
On National
A hugely disappointing Government:
I. They pledged to reduce the gap between NZ incomes
and those in Australia, and utterly failed;
II. They pledged to make housing more afordable, and
utterly failed
III. They pledged to nalise Treaty settlements within six years of being elected and to scrap Maori electorates, and failed in both respects
In my own view, the present Government is likely to do a better job in making housing more afordable, but
probably a worse job in closing the income gap with Australia, and an equally poor job in moving New Zealand towards a society where every citizen, irrespective of ethnicity, has equal political rights.
Not too long ago Marcus, Australia changed and LOWERED penal rates.
Many Australians are now contracted workers with lesser conditions.
Many are now under employed. So they are coming down to meet us, $24???
Not sure of your point here Patricia. Are you saying that we should wait until Australia’s rates come “back” to ours without ours moving “up”. Pardon my ignorance but is $24 our aspirational rate or is Australia coming back to that. I presume you mean by “penal” rate that which is paid for over time – do we still have such a thing.
In this mornings WTF? read landlords demand to see bank statements in KFC test.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12102786
“They’re paying somebody’s mortgage and I see a lot of people who are low socio-economic and their bank statements literally will read, ‘KFC, McDonalds, the dairy, KFC, McDonalds, court fine’, trucks that they buy, goods that they can’t afford.
If the exact same proportion of income was spent on, ‘Uber Eats, Habit gym, Ponsonby restaurant, Uber Eats, Habit gym, craft beer bar’, is that a more reliable money manager?” asked chief executive Sue Chetwin.
Independent Property Managers Association (IPMA) president Karen Withers said it was becoming more prevalent. She said new immigrants often offered bank accounts without prompting, saying it was standard practice in other countries.
Oh, well hey….if they do it in Asia…
Hey….., if they do it in North Korea….
I think a lot of migrants offer bank accounts to show proof of funds to pay rent, as they don’t have a job or any references when they arrive but still need accomodation. Never heard of local tenants being asked to provide them, let alone bank statements that have the actual transactions and then be judged on them!
Personally feel that rental agents should have the same regulation as real estate sales agents. What is the difference? They both go into people’s houses, have keys and in position of trust. At present the landlord is liable for the rental agents behaviour and not the actual rental agent in the tenancy tribunal, the whole area needs a clean up with personal liability for behaviour put on the person who holds the keys and makes the day to day decisions.
We discovered that by taking housekeeping as a cash lump and managing on that by using “Real” money, our purchases were more private. Our payments for chemist, wine, golf petrol and food were our business…. just saying.
It should be private anyway with no one having access to it without evidence of a crime being committed.
And she doesn’t see the problem of poor people being forced to pay somebody else’s mortgage.
@ Marcus above.
Heh… “…equal political rights…”
Does that mean we all get former tory MPs to advocate our point of view a la Katherine Rich of ‘Food and Grocery Council’, or Ken Shirley from the Road Transport Forum?
Awesome, I vote for that.
There is no way that vile racist, Don Brash, should have an unchallenged platform anywhere.
He wasn’t challenged
He was silenced
We keep hearing a lot of talking from this supposedly silenced person
Yes
It must annoy the shit out of you
Backfired a bit, didn’t it?
You assume.
You don’t understand concepts such as silence, but feel free to continue to feel victimised.
I don’t feel victimised
I have no time for Brash’s politics
So he’s not silenced after all lol
Yet brash has been all over the airways and will be speaking at Akld Uni.
I’d hardly call that silenced.
Chris T as if no one knows what he’s about.
He wasn’t silenced it was a safety issue
Issue.
Don Brash is a deliberately divisive person who attracts far right activists which attracts those who oppose.
He is the last colonist who refuses to accept the truth about the damage it did to Maori.
He is happy to have the support of neo Fascists and support their free speech.
Even though the Fascist goal is to Deny everyone else free speech.
Safety issue my arse!! The woman lied otherwise she would have informed the cops .
Can’t stand brashs politics but it’s a slippery slope banning him from speaking.
What was the safety issue exactly?
So all you have to do now to silence someone is threaten violence?
Or rather to not do anything about said threat.
Or not change ones mind once said threat is exposed and personally acknowledged that it wasn’t a personal threat of violence.
Brash is talking at Auckland University. But Auckland University banned Hone Harawira from speaking there, “because of threatened protests”.
(And no angry white crowd raised $50 thousand to take the University to court for banning Harawira).
Brash should not be allowed a sole platform to spout his racist lies unchallenged.
Let Hone Harawira speak on the same platform.
If the University don’t allow Harawira to speak, I for one will be protesting. Will they shut down Don Brash because of protesters?
Probably not.
But it will again prove Te Reo Putake correct, “There is no such thing as free speech”
https://thestandard.org.nz/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-speech/
Thanks Jenny for that info, don’t think I’ve read/heard about that in the media since they’ve been running the ‘brash ban’ story. They should mention it, it’s relevant, especially in regards to the subject matter brash spins.
More free speech news….
Alex Jones Banned or Censored By Facebook/Apple/Youtube/Spotify
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/alex-jones-purge-facebook-spineless-corporation-no-moral-leadership-2018-8?r=US&IR=T
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/apple-removes-most-of-us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-podcasts-from-itunes-1.3587718
I have no love for Jones, but this is a very dangerous moment for us all, effectively now a few of the world biggest and most powerful social media corporations, have the power to censor free speech according to their own world view of what is real news/fake news or conspiracy theory and all that that implies.
So I don’t know about you, but having Zuckerberg monitoring what news feeds most people I meet see, doesn’t sound at all good to me.
Meh. Anyone wanting a good laugh or the kooks and cranks that take him seriously can go direct to his websites or listen to his radio rants. He’s still got more than enough platforms to spew his lawsuit-bait that I don’t see his free-speech rights are significantly infringed.
And if corporations are starting to think they have a responsibility to ensure their platforms are not used to cause harm, then that’s a good thing, even if the way they choose to do that is flawed.
Of course, the better way to ensure these massive monopolies don’t get control over our discourse is to simply not give them that control to begin with. Get your info closer to the source, rather than mediated through the massive intermediaries.
BTW, if anyone’s day isn’t yet sufficiently far down the rabbit-hole and needs 4 minutes of unhinged rant to top up the weird, you’ll find Jones’ response to being de-platformed here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alex-jones-donald-trump-media-matters_us_5b68bd4de4b0de86f4a43fd5
Classic and this one us good for an overview of this village idiot. I mean wtf how any person with a brain can rate him – he’s a pet rock.
@Andre Alex Jones said in his divorce case that he is a ‘performance artist playing a character’, which is pretty funny, and is of course the guy is a fucking idiot and from what I have seen oozes all sorts of personal issues, but I if you think that this sort of censorship will stop with him, then I think you are wrong…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/infowars-alex-jones-performance-artist-playing-character-lawyer-conspiracy-theory-donald-trump-a7687571.html
btw if you want to see a pretty funny Alex Jones clip check out this one…
Andre @11.1.1
They’re getting stuck into this Free Speech crap everywhere aren’t they.
It’s not free speech they’re after:
It’s the freedom to spout crazy conspiracy theories… to spread fake news… to claim the actual news is fake news so that the population loses sight of the difference. It’s the freedom to destroy individuals they decide they don’t like and to create state enemies out of bona fida organisations and institutions set up to service the population. It’s the freedom to destroy international relationships and make enemies out of friends. It’s ultimately the freedom to start catastrophic wars.
It’s the new face of fascism – in the guise of Free Speech.
+ 1
Yep a trojan horse.
Anne @11.1.1.2
+1,000
I disagree Adrian
alex jones was utilising private companies free platforms (youtube, fb etc), in doing so he like anyone else was required to follow their rules/guidelines and he didn’t. As private companies they have every right to ban him and control content on their sites.
He still has his website and he still has his cable channel. If his website was taken down, I’d feel different about the situation.
I see it a little differently. These private companies are so large they control what people see on the net.
For some time now alternative media voices have been demonetized or taken down by these online gatekeepers. Jimmy Dore is one such victim and there are countless others. The aim isn’t to restrict hate speech or fascism, it is to control content.
But if one owns a site, would they not have the right to control the content that appears on their platform?
Let’s say one person owns 99 out of the 100 stores in town, they ban all people they see as linked to hate speech from their stores. The definition of hate is poorly defined and some of the townsfolk feel aggrieved that they are included in that label.
The 1 store that accepts all comers attracts many of the townspeople that disagree with a lot of the views of the owner of the 99 stores. Those people end up maligned by the rest of the community… An interesting yet ghastly scenario…
Interesting point, does something as ubiquitous as youtube suddenly have a greater responsibility for what it posts or allows to post
Greater than what?
In that due its size and reach youtube has become almost like a quasi-like government institution and therefore the normal rules of what a commercial business can and can’t do don’t apply
It’s an interesting concept – I’d go more with Google in particular becoming effectively a Standard Oil-style monopoly, which gives it more power than a regular supplier.
But that having been said, I suspect that Standard Oil would have limited what it carried in oil cars to “oil”, and not “shit”. Looks to me like there’s an opening for a 4chan/8chan-style nutbar video echochamber. “Super-8Chan”, maybe?
‘I’d go more with Google in particular becoming effectively a Standard Oil-style monopoly, which gives it more power than a regular supplier.’
Yeah thats probably a better analogy
Maybe not “shit” but plenty of lead.
You been following the Archdruid on that chan stuff? Not my scene but fascinating in-depth account of how folks are using magic to influence the political process (some top Nazis did that too).
https://www.ecosophia.net/the-kek-wars-part-three-triumph-of-the-frog-god/
not familiar with Archdruid.
Maui, thanks for explaining, much appreciated. Can see where you are coming from.
They had a programme here in Aus, re Facebook on its own internal monitoring, and showed policy parameters they used to decide to take things down or list them as disturbing.
An example item was a video which was still available showing a toddler being hit punched and slapped. He was screaming and sobbing.They listed it as “Disturbing”.
You heard the moderator explaining that this had been viewed a huge number of times but had a small % of complaints. They did take it down, but people had uploaded it and shared it putting it out there forever.
I now do not use Facebook where I can avoid it. For obvious reasons, I want no part of their “Blood money” made from those clicks!!
@mauī +1Exactly right,
Which they’re entitled to do, on their own platform.
But no one’s stopping you getting you daily fill of AJ’s, or Dore’s fuckwittery.
See, easy.
/
https://www.jimmydorecomedy.com/
https://www.infowars.com/
Adrian Jones is a nasty hate speech purveyor giving him a platform is akin to the resurrection of Hitler.
If he was a Muslim he would be in Guantanamo.
Do you come here to dribble inanities from your keyboard into my conscience?
Comparing anyone who doesn’t proclaim that the eradication of whole races is good of their race to hitler immediately makes anything you say around that comment sound downright retarded. And you, it makes you sound retarded.
If you look a bit closer, it’s not about free speech at all. Jones has crossed a line ever since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. From that point on he started to call for people to harass and attack real people, and it’s slowly been getting worse. He even attacked Joe Rogan who is supposed to be a friend of his and subtly suggested violence would bring Joe back into line. Here is a good piece from TYT that goes through the points.
Hmm. Throw youtube and the rest of them alongside that list of so-called fake news websites drawn up by the anonymous people at Snopes that a fair few people rely on as their radar.
Then there was the BBC having to back down over killing youtube independence channels that drew sweet all comment hereabouts, because…well, was it because too many people were busy elevating and platforming Southern and Molyneux?
Tommy Robinson – elevated and martyred off the back of the nazi pug nonsense (Where was the “left”?)
Folks across the left applauding the idea that fb play the role of censor.
Throw it in alongside the insistence for “correct” political thought/analysis that gets expressed by decrying any skeptical take on “official” news as being the markings of a Kremlin stooge or whatever…
And the rallying cry is about opposing fascism?!
Some of the conundrums seem to be doing your head in there bill.
No conundrums.
What I see is continuity and similarity in the basic stuff mentioned, but it being approached with oodles of hypocrisy by some.
Not sure where the hypocrisy is – just because you didn’t see the left complaining and fighting the things you mentioned doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And I suppose some of the left oppose your views on russia and whatnot so you may not have taken much notice of them. But whatever…
I’ve been saying that the biggest concerns in the world ATM are the corporations and the people who run them as they now have control over us and our governments.
We cannot afford the rich.
TV3 am show is becoming nastier and nastier as dunnycan garner and merkin richadson drop any pretence of civility and objectivity as they push their right wing agenda to dumb down and infantilise the whole of New Zealand
society.
Which bit?
Does free speech mean someone has the right to be rude, obnoxious, cruel, or twist facts about others who may not be in a position to respond because of their family, their job, or health, or who have no wish to become embroiled in a nasty slanging match?
What are the boundaries and responsibilities, or are there none?
Someone like Don Brash has a nationwide platform and an eager media to spout his views. Many people subjected to his views do not have that platform.
Yes, as long as what he’s saying doesn’t break any of NZs laws.
Yep the law written by people like him… and so the merry go round goes round.
There is a special type of bigot who use velvet tones and softened words to hide their malignant content – b.rash is one and there are a few others on this site eh puckwit. But the law is unbreached yay we are safe again!!!
Yes dear
Shut the debate up quick by using misogyny memes – typical of someone who accuses women of mental illness because they raise pedo activity. Why did you do that I continue to wonder.
Thats nice dear
It could be because you have zero mana just a shadow sock puppet for a real rightie I spose. Funny though your bully tactics and wankfest of Collins is a worry – objectify women seems your go to eh.
Yes dear
Lol thanks for the conceded point – scuttle off and pretend to work again Nigel.
Thats nice dear
“Nice’ means something good to eat. Get it right PR.
You don’t have a right not to be offended or your feelings hurt
If you object to what someone is saying you can make a complaint to the human rights commission. There is also defamation law – so you can sue someone.
If your case is good enough you can generally rally your supporters to help with legal costs.
These legal frameworks are robust enough to deal with any issues of supposed ‘hate speech’.
The legal costs would be enough to put off many people pursuing a case so the “free speech” proponent can carry on with their jaundiced views, untouched.
The case of a young Maori woman working in a Nelson supermarket comes to mind. Out of the blue a customer had a nasty rant about her being Maori so would never get anywhere in life. I was pleased to see the young woman’s supervisor told the customer to leave and not come back.
It is just not on, in the name of free speech, that someone can verbally attack someone they don’t even know. And why should that young woman have to put up with such bile.
I agree with you Reality. Your example clearly crosses the line between free speech and hate speech.
Based on what you have said, the young Maori woman has a case to put in front of the human rights commission. I’d encourage her to do so. (This shouldn’t be costly).
It shouldn’t cost anything – our justice system should ensure that all such cases are heard without the complainant having to front up with the cash for lawyers.
When it doesn’t, as ours doesn’t, then the justice system is only for those who can afford it and justice is denied to those who need it.
“Does free speech mean someone has the right to be rude, obnoxious, cruel, or twist facts about others who may not be in a position to respond because of their family, their job, or health, or who have no wish to become embroiled in a nasty slanging match?”
Yep.
John Key exploited that right throughout his time as National Party leader.
Robert while he allowed Dirty Politics.
He did smack down Don Bash over his antiquated Maori Bashing saying in John Keys words “there is no place in NZ for these outdated antiquated ideas NZ has moved on.”
Evil, like racism, usually lies in the eye of the beholder. Late in 1999 the fourth largest newspaper in the US (NY Post) held a poll to see who their readers thought were the most evil people in history, and 19,184 of them voted. Hitler won.
Second came Bill Clinton. Stalin was third, then Pol Pot.
Fifth was the Nazi who conducted medical experiments on live jews, Dr Josef Mengele. Sixth was Hilary Clinton.
Saddam Hussein, Adolf Eichmann, Charles Manson and Idi Amin completed the top ten. Genghis Khan came in at 11th, then serial killer who ate his victims, Jeffrey Dahmer. Vlad the Impaler made it to #20, Jack the Ripper #25.
Trevor Chappell was nowhere in this list?
Ah, Trev. No, I guess the yanks were too busy getting high back then & didn’t notice. I wondered why he didn’t just tell the media at the time “Hey, our ancestors were convicts so breaking rules is in the genes, right? Get over it. Sportsmanship?? Are you kidding???”
😀😀😀
Dennis Frank no doubt its a Murdoch publication so Goebels would have attained sainthood.
I was intrigued when I read a biography of him to discover that he’d been a supporter of socialism as a young adult. It’s what he had in common with David Lange, plus they both refused knighthoods due to feeling strongly that the dross from empire ought to be discarded.
Same with William Pember Reeves: he was offered one twice, refused twice. He transformed Aotearoa with radical industrial relations policy an entire generation before Labour. Took me most of my life to get around to reading Land of the Long White Cloud but man, what a book!!
“Murdoch studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford in England, where he supported the Labour Party, stood for Secretary of the Labour Club”. [from his wiki]
The MeToo# divas did not even mention the Palestinian Rosa Parks when they strutted at the Academy Awards.
“All Palestinians have courage. It’s different from one person to another. But I grew up in a family where I got used to seeing prisoners, the injured and martyrs.” – Ahed Tamimi
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/6/meet_ahed_tamimi_17_year_old
Hey everyone has missed the point I was trying to make. It was his comment re the last government that intrigued me the most. I have no time for Brash, particularly having recently read “The Hollow Men” but thought that his critique of the Key years was most apt. I agree with Jacinda though that banning him from the University was a gross over reaction. Importing “hate preachers” is one thing but Don Brash is a New Zealander and most followers of local politics know exactly where he stands.
Another important piece in today’ s Herald was Professor Peter Davis’ article entitled “Ageing “Ponzi” scheme needs to change fast”. The super situation and the long term effect of Muldoon’s blunder must be kept constantly on the public’s radar. Many of the SSS (Smug Self Satisfied) 45% that is the majority of National’s core support, will not be affected by the issue (they regard the fortnightly payment as pin money) but for the rest of us, especially our children and grandchildren the question is of the utmost importance.
Chris Bishop sends a letter to the VC
He’s pretty good
Yes Bishop is pretty good – at being tedious.
Maybe he should have sent a letter when Hone Harawira was banned for similar reasons
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12103182
How much of nz businesses lack of confidence is just petulance at not having their lapdog nats in government?
How much of it is due to the increased powers of the unions especially considering the increase in strikes and threats of strikes as is happening right now
How much of it is due to a rollback of some 90 day employment laws and the worry if that will be increased or just dropped completely?
How much of it is due to the lack of warning and consultation over the oil and gas exploration halt?
How much of it is due to employers potentially paying out domestic abuse leave?
Petulance: Delicate petals which get easily bruised by strong winds,
“How much of nz businesses lack of confidence is just petulance at not having their lapdog nats in government?”
I see the looney Greens are focused on the important issues.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/green-co-leader-marama-davidson-says-new-zealand-must-reclaim-the-c-word.html
Regardless of what caused it you ignore it at your peril.
Possibly right.
When business leaders/owners lose confidence, democratically elected governments are in peril.
When anybody else (beneficiaries, bus-drivers, one-legged dog-walkers, you name it) loses confidence, governments aren’t in peril.
Strange that – looks like democracies can’t really work well when there is huge inequality of power amongst the population. Maybe time to do something about that then.
Yep – time to get rid of the capitalists. They’re a clear and present danger to our democracy.
The problem I have is the nats are talking confidence down . As we know it becomes self fulfilling among money once they believe it .
I rekons that the nats would happily see nz fail just to get in power.
All the talk of allowing free speech for fascists…..
When one of the primary aims of fascists is suppression of free speech. (For everyone, but themselves.)
dozens of stranded journalists fear for their fates
Ammar Homou – Syria Direct, August 7, 2018
Neonazis attack London left-wing bookshop
Peter Lazenby – Dear Kitty, August 5, 2018
Don’t support fascism. (It really shouldn’t have to be said)
Sounds pre- Kristallnacht 9-10 November 1938. A year before WW2 broke out – 1 September 1939. (WH Auden)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht
And FO any Godwins law yappers. The thing is to remember history, see the patterns, not repeat it.
There certainly are some issues in London
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/01/antisemitic-incidents-in-uk-at-all-time-high
If The Guardian penned the article its a pretty good bet that its just a continuation of the Corbyn bashing campaign thats been happening for some time apparently . Why would it be a surprise that there would be animosity towards jews recently when for no doubt a considerable number of people the sight of unarmed protesters in Gaza being gunned down by heavily armed cowards hiding behind a forty foot wall is probably still fresh in their minds ??
For Wellingtonians:
Apparently there’ll be a review of the bugger’s muddle that is now our public transport ‘network’.
Let’s hope it’s not driven by those that planned the new network and its ‘big bang’ implementation or the outcome will likely be that we’ll be lining up in one queue to get a number from a machine that gives us a place in another queue at the bus stop.
And if they’re really really clever, they’ll divide those queues into the registration number on the bus (for the purposes of efficiency and effectiveness).
Having once worked with Darran Ponter, I’m surprised at how he has so easily become captured by bullshit artists – no doubt fresh back from an overseas fact finding mission.
Still, the higher you rise, the harder you fall
I’m a little fire engine, Flick is my name
They won’t let me put out fires
But I do it just the same…..
Ooooh ahhhh oooooh aaaaaaah
there’s a fire in the stationhouse! etc. etc. (Another fine mess you’ve gotten me into Ollie!)
(/Surprise surprise)
/fuckwittery at its most grand
Any links etc for this info OWT?
I was just about to do an update to a group of “concerned citizens” in my area who I am representing re changes etc to our bus services in discussions with Metlink etc, so would like to know more before doing so. Must say that I have had reasonably good productive discourse with Metlink on this but I am taking a facilitator rather than an aggressive approach. Our situation is one that is a little less urgent and requires a lot of diplomacy/nergotiations with other community citizens rather than the bus operators per se compared to some of the more urgent problems being faced by workers, students etc needing to get to work, classes etc. so need to take a cooperative and slower approach to reach a solution that meets most peoples’ needs etc.
Darran Ponter is actually on my list of people outside Metlink to approach so any more info about him etc also welcome.
Only as a former public servant in a government Ministry when he was in charge of a group of policy analysts.
RNZ news has reported that the GWRC has admitted there are problems.
Unfortunately it seems what they’re proposing will just amount to tinkering (changes to route 18 for example).
In some cases, people are having to catch 3 buses where they previously caught 1
If they wanted a quick solution, it’d probably be to simply revert to the old route system, then make gradual improvements – that won’t happen because it’s be an admission of compete failure.
I’m picking that unless something radical is done soon Darran won’t be back after the next election, and he won’t be wanting to put this farce on his CV when he goes job hunting. And in many ways, that’s a bit of a shame
What did that guy Molyneaux say to us about “Welcome to sharia law” or something?
So, Canada’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chrystia Freeland said “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s activists in Saudi Arabia including Samar Badawi.” She urged the Saudi government to “immediately release them.”
Saudi Arabia then denounced the tweets as “blatant interference in the country’s domestic affairs,” as well as a “major, unacceptable affront to the kingdom’s laws and judicial process.” The Saudi government has said that it will cut scholarships for thousands of its students to study in Canada. They have also made the Saudia airline suspend flights to Toronto in five days.
Bahrain. the Arab Emirates, and others back the Saudi government.
Now, I don’t need to cite The Handmaid’s Tale to you all on what actual Sharia Law looks and feels like. If she didn’t have diplomatic immunity she would be in a Saudi prison.
Ambassador Freeland (great name by the way!) simply stands by what she has said. “We will always speak up for human rights and women’s rights.”
We would gain something of our moral centre back as a country if we started tying human rights to trade with a sharia law country like Saudi Arabia.
We don’t have to like the people giving us unpalatable messages, but Canada is pointing the way here. It took courage.
Why focus only ob Sharia Law?
Oh, wait…
If we actually focussed on human rights we’d soon stop trading with our top export nations.
We’d certainly have fewer of them.
And there you have the reason why we don’t restrict trade to nations that only fully support human rights.
Profit is more important to government.
And here you have made a very important moral point. Our standard of living is dependent on trade, which depends on supporting evil behaviour by foreign governments. Is supporting evil behaviour a good idea? No.
Qanon is beyond very strange. Money mabey?
Here’s a primer….
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywex8v/what-is-qanon-conspiracy-theory
…but it could well be a pisstake…
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/its-looking-extremely-likely-that-qanon-is-probably-a
…but whatever TF it is, the true believers are barking.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/watch-qanon-followers-try-to-explain-their-absolutely-bonkers-pro-trump-conspiracy-theory?source=twitter&via=desktop
I ran across one when commenting on youtube – your right they are completely barking.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018657123/new-disability-support-rules-baffle-lawyer
New Zealand health
42 minutes ago 8 Aug 2018
Ministry’s new disability guidelines baffle family lawyer
A lawyer fighting on behalf of families over the disabled support services says the Ministry of Health policy in the area borders on cruel.
(Rosemary has been saying this for a while)
By the way has anyone had trouble with pressreader. I went to it and my screen locked up as a message that I had to accept came up. I wanted out but no cross to clear it, and couldn’t close down site or move to another site. Had to turn off computer.l Pathetic program design.
If wanting to email the site what is the address. Nothing I have tried is recognised?
Or don’t you have it now – does it all have to be twitter and facebook ?
Chris T
Thanks for that.
Oh dear even Tracey is scathing of crasher Collins.
“Either Collins believed in the vast left wing conspiracy to normalise child rape – which is scary. Or she didn’t believe it but tweeted it anyway because she knew some of the people who read her tweets would have no problem believing it was true.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106100009/how-far-down-this-slippery-slope-will-judith-collins-lead-national
Greasy irrigation!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/106098339/hurunui-irrigation-company-bullish-but-farmers-fall-short-on-the-money
Still slipping on, taking up water that will be in short supply and allocated on generous terms over … years encouraging farmers to over-extend themselves and cry poor.l
But Chris Pile, chief executive of the company driving the proposed $200 million scheme is determined it “must and will continue”.
(Unfortunate name. I smell money for a successful CEO.)
Unforeseen consequences? Grenade shaped table lighters, fake guns, just toys nothing to worry about – stop fussing. blah blah. Rubbish unworthy of spending export $ on and now bothersome rubbish that are scaring people and involving police bomb squads with a large increase in callouts.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106078499/inactive-grenades-used-as-paperweights-contribute-to-nzdf-bomb-squad-callouts-jump
Mountain rescue cost six figures and hundreds of volunteer hours
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106050614/mountain-rescue-cost-six-figures-and-hundreds-of-volunteer-hours
This guy has been rescued before, and seems to have gone mountain climbing just about every year. So the rescue is just part of the exciting holiday risks ultimately borne by us. Let us have more money spent on our parents and children to help them get a good start in life if we care about people so much. It is a class matter really, the needy families are lower class and enterprising mountain climbers are far up the ladder. Sick.
One thing to do is to bill them for the cost of it all, plus honorarium for the volunteers and arrest and jail them if they come back and the bill is unpaid. her pay up quickly and fully or deport them, with refusal to enter again. Grow a pair government. People with student loans unpaid are treated harshly so why shouldn’t we put a stopper on these drifters who are too spiritual to worry about the trouble and cost their spending time out in nature, communing, puts other people to.
+111
This is a rather informative, but short, video on why we can’t make old stuff from the original designs:
Daily review isn’t loading for.me
Working now
If this was a scene in the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ it would have ended up on the cutting room floor for being to far fetched.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hail-zoo-colorado_us_5b69a10ae4b0de86f4a552d3
Good morning The Am Show Eco says it’s good that our Kiwi fire fighters can help America and Canada fight those massive fires ka pai people be careful.
Condolences to the people who have lost love ones and property.
Social issues poverty bulling racial issues its not hard to see that’s these issues will affect all Mokopunas mental health this health problem we have will affect wealthy and poor the same as different groups clash its good we are looking at fixing this big problem. Unlike the bench warmers who’s action’s just multiplied this big problem Eco seen this.
Duncan that young Asian boy was intelligent and well spoken on the issues of 16/17 year old forced marriage.
With cat’s they are a gift from Papatuanuku I don’t think they have to be eliminated
just controlled . Cat’s help people who are alone in our society they give there care’s some thing to love and care they give them a reason to get up in the morning pet;s are good for some people’s mental health in this age of individualism this individualism has to change we are all on Papatuanuku together.
Ka kite ano P.S I try to be fair I’m a Gary McCormick fan he come’s from te tai rawhiti so there is a bit of favoritism
Here you go I read body langue well and Eco Maori can see what motivates people actions one thing in this link below is this.
Ka kite ano
Tiaki-Turi joins the interview by phone. She acts as Zhou Black’s spiritual adviser or matakite – someone considered to possess a supernatural ability to see visions of the future.
Zhou Black is asked why an academic appears on her child-sex ring list.
“He’s a very wealthy man … He knew Awa through that time. I don’t know how long,” she says.
No victim had identified the academic.
“Got anything to add, sis?” Zhou Black asks Tiaki-Turi.
“Um, it’s just a connection that he has with a lot of the people associated to Awa,” Tiaki-Turi offers.
“He’s more a person of interest,” Zhou Black adds.
“He was my Facebook friend up until three days ago and then he has blocked me.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106039693/estranged-wifes-explosive-childsex-claims-against-awanui-black-and-friends-questioned P.S I stand by my word’s these women are being played I don’t know enough about the treaty claims of Tauranga to make comment on that issue . But I do know that people are trying to undo my Mahi.
The Cafe the Roy Orbison look alike is a awesome singer Eco enjoys Roy’s music
Ka kite ano
To all you moaning neo liberal capitalist trolls New Zealand has spent more on AID to other country’s than they have spent on treaty claims now Eco knows that the poor tangata around the World need help and I back that AID but stop kicking ——in tangata whenua face please about te mone we got from treaty settlement’s enough said only bad—–will come from the word’s I want to say .
Ka kite ano
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/aid-and-development/our-approach-to-aid/where-our-funding-goes/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106097912/chinas-pacific-aid-dominance-is-overstated–but-winston-peters-disagrees P.S Stop kicking —– in China face to
You know what the other big picture is New Zealand spent more putting tangata whenua in jail much more than the mone spent on treaty settlement no link but that’s a fact
One can not judge the Opinion of Atoearoa just by a poll that can be targeted by national trolls to minupulate the results it won’t take many people to change the polls results.
Good Kiwi understand that Maori were ripped of their whenua and its 10 x harder for Maori to get a better life than any other culture in Atoearoa the troll.s love those easy to minupulate polls on TV. Look at these bone head sandflys stuffing up my life and my offspring. It they had anything more that contracted lies they would put ECO MAORI in the hinaki. Ka kite ano discrimination at its best
You may be wondering how the phone poll can be hacked it’s easy if you got mone gone managed to raise $90k in 2 days to try and fight in court for his m8 from you no were so for the neo liberal capitalist mone is not a problem .
There is will well the NLcapitalist have no morels so cheating is like changing undies to these people so they have the will to cheat and manipulate the reality of good Kiwi’s using these poll’s .
How well you have 50 people with 10 sims each and there you go 500 votes for the NLcapitalist trolls cost about $600.00 if the poll does not have a limit of 1 call per number that cost will be just $6.00 . Eco Maori knows that any thing can be manipulated its just takes no morels to lie mone and effort . I know look at what the sandflys are doing to Eco Maori Ka kite ano P.S tryed to find out how this poll is conducted nothing on the net so its phone or Tx I can’t be stuffed with some poles because all data can be changed to suit the goals of the person with the most mone
gone=don brash
Mana Wahine Ka pai American Wahine Eco Maori tautoko/supports all Ladies who are going to get into roles to lead us to a humane prosperous future .
I know that a lot of ladies are more intelligent than man definitely more humane the Papatuanuku is your Oyster as the old saying goes you need to make sure the mokopunas have a bright prosperous future and men can not be trusted to do this on there own . Ka kite ano P.S I still respect men as I am one but we need te Wahine to guide the men down the correct path link below men will still be part of leadership ladies will gide men to the correct path.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45109836
Good evening Newshub Eco Maori was upset today I have been trying to get my wahine mokopuna health issues sorted out for two weeks she spent 2 nites in Rotorua hospital so in all 4 hospital appointments waiting 5 to 6 hours for each visit 3 doctor’s appointments I got someone to take her to Ranolf medical center on Monday get a call today saying she had a urine infection to come and get antibiotics I was happy she has finally be diagnosed I am upset that the sandfly were hiding around the corner at the hosptial telling the doctors lies getting the doctors to ask my moko questions that had nothing to do with her ailment and getting them to pregnecy test my 11 year old mokopuna with out telling us instead of testing her sample for signs of a infection the doctor at lakes care said there were signs of a mild infection and sent us to the hosptial to get her scaned this did not happen. I pointed this out to the doctor at the hospital he just dismissed my inquire I have been nursing my mokopuna for 2 weeks she has been in pain for 3 1/2 weeks I am looking after her because everyone else is working so its understandable that I’m upset . The sandflys have told the doctors you are not liable .They cannot sue because of the New Zealand Laws the down side to Accident Compensation corporation a Kiwi can not sue the health department for miss conduct my moko could have lost a kidney and now I am waiting to get her kidneys scanned I thought Rotorua hosptial would do it today they gave her a weeks wait WTF.
I can not sue the health system but I am gathering everdince to sue others .???????????
Well I got that off my chest those fire tornadoes are mean those have not been seen much at all may be 2 times I have seen documents of this phenomenon That’s Human Caused Global warrming trump.
The bereavement leave for miss carage of a baby is backed by Eco one of my offspring went through that its Quite Papatuanuku shattering it took awhile for them to get over that.
Yes Eco always reads te animals cows are good Guard dogs lol well I read everything quite well just my spelling is bad.
It was a beautiful day to day Ingrid Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub Eco Maori was upset today I have been trying to get my wahine mokopuna health issues sorted out for two weeks she spent 2 nites in Rotorua hospital so in all 4 hospital appointments waiting 5 to 6 hours for each visit 3 doctor’s appointments I got someone to take her to Ranolf medical center on Monday get a call today saying she had a urine infection to come and get antibiotics I was happy she has finally be diagnosed I am upset that the sandfly were hiding around the corner at the hosptial telling the doctors lies getting the doctors to ask my moko questions that had nothing to do with her ailment and getting them to pregnecy test my 11 year old mokopuna with out telling us instead of testing her sample for signs of a infection the doctor at lakes care said there were signs of a mild infection and sent us to the hosptial to get her scaned this did not happen. I pointed this out to the doctor at the hospital he just dismissed my inquire I have been nursing my mokopuna for 2 weeks she has been in pain for 3 1/2 weeks I am looking after her because everyone else is working so its understandable that I’m upset . The sandflys have told the doctors you are not liable .They cannot sue because of the New Zealand Laws the down side to Accident Compensation corporation a Kiwi can not sue the health department for miss conduct my moko could have lost a kidney and now I am waiting to get her kidneys scanned I thought Rotorua hosptial would do it today they gave her a weeks wait WTF.
I can not sue the health system but I am gathering everdince to sue others .???????????
Well I got that off my chest those fire tornadoes are mean those have not been seen much at all may be 2 times I have seen documents of this phenomenon That’s Human Caused Global warrming trump.
The bereavement leave for miss carage of a baby is backed by Eco one of my offspring went through that its Quite Papatuanuku shattering it took awhile for them to get over that.
Yes Eco always reads te animals cows are good Guard dogs lol well I read everything quite well just my spelling is bad.
It was a beautiful day to day Ingrid Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and Makere I like to look after tangata that I connect with.
I had a sore face for half a hour last night . We all think our kids get there best traits from us but what I know the brain’s are genitally linked to Wahine so I tell my offspring that they get there intelligence from there mum I read that in some science mag.
Keep up the good work Mahi Drysdale you will be fine.
I see Posha Woodman got into the Papatuanuku Sports Wahine of the year with the Williams sisters Mana Wahine
All the best to Jacko in his shot put goals he is a good role model for the mokopunas never give up thats the attitude.
Ka kite ano
The sandflys are stuffing with my computa once again
Why didn’t shonky kick the rugby ball through the rugby goal post hitting a golf ball through rugby goal post is easy as cheating once again shonky
Some people don’t know when they other’s are using there emotion’s to play them they don’t expect it and trust others to much .
They don’t beleve Eco maori that being to radical is bad for there cause wake up you are a wahine maori leader Ka kite ano P.S or do you have the same advisor that coned another wahine maori leader to splash mud in her own face Eco thinks the possibility and coincident are quite high
To The Labour Party Do onto those as they do onto YOU there are 2 ways to see this Golden Rule the one Eco is high lighting is national are digging scraping around for any dirt on the ruling Labour Green New Zealand First Government and trowing it in your face so Eco would look for dirt on national and give it back to them this move will even up the score keep them busy fighting the fire it won’t be hard to find mud on them Eco say’s
Ka kite ano
He used his free speech to try to obliterate Māori out of New Zealand society. If you don’t believe me, read the speech for yourself. ka kite ano
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106108505/when-a-person-with-extreme-views-defends-free-speech-someone-gets-hurt