Open Mike 08/12/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 8th, 2018 - 268 comments
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268 comments on “Open Mike 08/12/2018 ”

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    • freethinker 1.1
      8 December 2018 at 6:46 am

      No, you’re wrong James. He should pay more tax, Govt should then set up an advisory committee staffed by Labour faithful who get their cut, then the diversity advisors can filter a bit more out, then Iwi, with the resulting much-dimished sum forming an election bribe to gullible students. Get with the new picture. 😐

    • Red Blooded One 1.2
      8 December 2018 at 7:53 am

      As you say, Good on him. Why are YOU hating on him. It neither makes him a good or a bad person but someone who has made a good gesture. Try and cheer up and see the good James.

      • veutoviper 1.2.1
        8 December 2018 at 8:05 am

        Huh? Where in his comment does James suggest that he is “hating on him”? Or are you just showing your own prejudices towards James because he is not a leftie?

        • Red Blooded One 1.2.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 8:10 am

          Bloody rich people huh? He’s the one making that statement, no one else here did today, he sure is trying to hate on someone, but yes he did prove my prejudice is justified.

          • veutoviper 1.2.1.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 8:29 am

            You have my sympathy if you cannot consider that, rather than “hating on someone”, what James might be suggesting is that not all “bloody rich people” are selfish arseholes and some are prepared to share their wealth in philanthropic ways such as donations to universities.

            • Red Blooded One 1.2.1.1.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 9:04 am

              And you have my sympathy if you think celebrating a good deed is a good excuse to start a flame war at 06:33 am. Good deeds are done by all segments of society, Left/Right, Rich/Poor all based on what they can do or how much wealth they have and they should be all acknowledged accordingly. Congratulations to Graeme Hart for a great donation that should help many people.

              • veutoviper …
                8 December 2018 at 9:13 am

                If you think James started a ‘flame war’ with his remarks, why did you fuel it with your remarks about James “hating on him”?

            • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1.1.1.2
              8 December 2018 at 10:08 am

              share their wealth in philanthropic ways such as donations to universities.

              Meanwhile they’re cheating on their taxes to a far greater extent and the only reason why they got rich in the first place was because they were stealing from the workers.

              • JohnSelway …
                8 December 2018 at 11:00 am

                Do you have evidence he is cheating on his taxes? And not all rich people get that way by stealing from others. You realise that right?
                You know it’s possible to be rich and moral/socially conscious right?

          • ianmac 1.2.1.1.2
            8 December 2018 at 8:52 am

            “Bloody Rich People” is James being smart and he thinks it is mocking all those Lefties who all despise Rich Pricks.

            • Red Blooded One 1.2.1.1.2.1
              8 December 2018 at 9:07 am

              Yes, I should have known better than to bite. What is the saying re Sarcasm being the lowest form of Wit. I suspect he is half there. Have a lovely day.

          • Ankerrawshark 1.2.1.1.3
            8 December 2018 at 9:34 am

            Hart does done a good thing with some amount of his money. I am pleased he has. It is likely he will get good feelings from it too cause we know this is what happens when we give. It’s a win win all round”………

            But let’s use it as a call to action for our govt to fund essential health services………..

            By the way I think the truly great people are the dentists, dr nurses, health auxiliary who train for many years and work day in and day out………dentistry is a particularly thankless job and is associated with high suicide rate

            • Enough 1.2.1.1.3.1
              8 December 2018 at 9:55 am

              A call to action that should start with saving the country’s AYA cancer support service. Next week will see the axing of all CanTeen’s regional youth workers and closure of Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Dunedin and Taranaki centres. Don’t develop cancers if you’re 14 to 25 years old and live there.

    • Ad 1.3
      8 December 2018 at 8:08 am

      It’s a really good signal from one of our key citizens to all other of our 1% to donate more towards education.

      It’s also particularly good that it is going towards dentistry for people who can’t afford it in South Auckland.

      • veutoviper 1.3.1
        8 December 2018 at 8:29 am

        Well said.

      • mauī 1.3.2
        8 December 2018 at 9:01 am

        How does he get the status of “key citizen”? Has he done anything particularly special for the countryz? I bet most kiwis would have no idea who he is.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.3.2.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:11 am

          Has he done anything particularly special for the countryz?

          Apparently stealing from lots of people and causing poverty is how to become a ‘key citizen’.

          • JohnSelway 1.3.2.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 11:02 am

            Do you have evidence he stole from people? It’s a bold claim which you should back up

            • Draco T Bastard 1.3.2.1.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 12:47 pm

              Being rich is evidence enough.

              Just because our laws support that theft doesn’t change it from being theft.

          • Tuppence Shrewsbury 1.3.2.1.2
            8 December 2018 at 12:17 pm

            Go back to your Mum’s basement with your goth metal idealising dolled up females Draco

      • One Two 1.3.3
        8 December 2018 at 10:29 am

        Actually it’s a signal that the balance is so lopsided, the people who get seen as philanthropists are those who gained in the back of other peoples sweat and blood…

        It is also a cover which allows the govt to hide behind explaining why education, health and other essential social services can’t be fully funded all the time…which of course they can be…

        Donations such as this are only necessary in the mirage that is being protected at cost to all else…

        Key citizens…Ad …awful!

      • Tuppence Shrewsbury 1.3.4
        8 December 2018 at 12:16 pm

        Hear hear

    • AB 1.4
      8 December 2018 at 8:27 am

      It’s nothing to do with whether he is a good or bad person. But the donation raises a question. If the money he has appropriated for himself was actually better distributed across the community in the first place, would the donation even be necessary?
      A society that relies on charity is like one that relies on the proceeds of gambling. It’s a society that’s not working properly.

      • Ad 1.4.1
        8 December 2018 at 8:31 am

        We should all demonstrate that we are good citizens who do more to support society than simply relying on the state to do it all. Charity is one of those things that demonstrate that, and it’s a stronger moral duty on the 1% than anyone else.

        • AB 1.4.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:03 am

          I agree with the sentiment, but at no point did I say or mean anything about relying on the state to do it all. I was pointing out the internal contradictions of charity as a means of social organisation, especially where it focuses and fawns on the munificence of the wealthy.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.4.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 10:15 am

          Charity being necessary is proof that we’re not paying enough tax – especially the rich.

          In fact, the rich shouldn’t exist as they’re the problem and not the solution.

          • Stunned Mullet 1.4.1.2.1
            8 December 2018 at 11:57 am

            🙄

          • Chris T 1.4.1.2.2
            8 December 2018 at 1:55 pm

            WTF?

            • Draco T Bastard 1.4.1.2.2.1
              8 December 2018 at 2:33 pm

              https://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists

              Modelling a range of different scenarios, Motesharrei and his colleagues conclude that under conditions “closely reflecting the reality of the world today… we find that collapse is difficult to avoid.” In the first of these scenarios, civilisation:

              “…. appears to be on a sustainable path for quite a long time, but even using an optimal depletion rate and starting with a very small number of Elites, the Elites eventually consume too much, resulting in a famine among Commoners that eventually causes the collapse of society. It is important to note that this Type-L collapse is due to an inequality-induced famine that causes a loss of workers, rather than a collapse of Nature.”

              What’s that favourite of the RWNJs? That people shouldn’t have children if they can’t afford them?

              Yeah, the rich are the problem.

      • Antoine 1.4.2
        8 December 2018 at 8:53 am

        > It’s nothing to do with whether he is a good or bad person.

        That seems false. It shows that he is a good person, at least in this act. People should be grateful.

        A.

        • Blazer 1.4.2.1
          8 December 2018 at 9:58 am

          Hart should be grateful.
          Good to see him give something back ,seeing as he purchased the Govt Printing Office for around 1/5th of its real market value.

          Lange opposed the deal,so Prebble/Douglas went behind his back.
          Hart has parlayed that windfall into a billion dollar empire using the time honoured tradition of redundancies,consolidation and asset stripping.

          • AB 1.4.2.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 10:14 am

            Yes – accumulation by dispossession is not forgiveable simply because some of the accumulated wealth trickles back to the dispossessed via charity.

        • AB 1.4.2.2
          8 December 2018 at 10:07 am

          Let me rephrase it then to avoid your misrepresentation.
          “If I greet Mr Hart’s donation with anything less than fawning adulation, it has nothing to do with whether he is a good or bad person”

        • Draco T Bastard 1.4.2.3
          8 December 2018 at 10:16 am

          Why should we be grateful about his theft from so many?

      • Draco T Bastard 1.4.3
        8 December 2018 at 10:13 am

        If the money he has appropriated for himself was actually better distributed across the community in the first place, would the donation even be necessary?

        If the money was better distributed across society we’d probably eliminate poverty in this country.

        A society that relies on charity is like one that relies on the proceeds of gambling. It’s a society that’s not working properly.

        QFT

    • Sanctuary 1.5
      8 December 2018 at 8:38 am

      Personally, I resent the state having to rely on the charity of the rich to function. If he happily pays his full share of taxes, then the university won’t need whatever wealth he decides is surplus to his needs. That is what socialism is – no longer being grateful for whatever crumbs the rich decide to give you.

      • Antoine 1.5.1
        8 December 2018 at 8:55 am

        What makes you think he doesn’t pay his fair share of tax?

        What do you know about his tax affairs.

        A.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.5.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:18 am

          What makes you think he doesn’t pay his fair share of tax?

          He’s rich so we can assume that he’s a) dodging all sorts of taxes that most other people pay and b) that he bludged all the money he has causing massive poverty.

          • JohnSelway 1.5.1.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 11:04 am

            Evidence he’s a tax dodger please

            • Muttonbird 1.5.1.1.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 11:16 am

              Graeme Hart’s Mum has joined the board.

            • Draco T Bastard 1.5.1.1.1.2
              8 December 2018 at 12:50 pm

              He’s rich. Evidence enough.

              • JohnSelway …
                8 December 2018 at 12:52 pm

                No it isn’t evidence

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  8 December 2018 at 1:20 pm

                  As the only way to get rich is through theft then, yes, it is.

                  • JohnSelway …
                    8 December 2018 at 1:34 pm

                    No it isn’t. Is the famous author or musician or artist a thief?

                    • greywarshark …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:06 pm

                      What’s with you John S. Do you think you are in a court of law? Just say that DTB is making unfounded assumptions and stop filling up the thread with your demands.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:07 pm

                      This is open mike is it not?

                  • JohnSelway …
                    8 December 2018 at 1:56 pm

                    Or the brain surgeon?

                    • greywarshark …
                      8 December 2018 at 4:10 pm

                      It’s Open mike, but participants are expected to bring something worthwhile to the feast; writers a plate please! Otherwise you are more like a nongate-crasher.

                  • Chris T …
                    8 December 2018 at 1:57 pm

                    Do you go on holiday?

                    If you do you are richer than someone who can’t

                    You have the internet. Other people can’t afford it

                    Why are you not paying enough tax?

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:29 pm

                      Having those things is not the same as being rich.

                      Rich = living upon other people’s work without providing value equivalent to the value received

                      In other words being rich = being a thief.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:39 pm

                      No Draco you are wrong. Stephen King has sold in excess of 350 million copies of his work which would make him very rich indeed.

                      That’s his own efforts. Not a thief and rich

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      8 December 2018 at 4:04 pm

                      No Draco you are wrong.

                      No, I’m right.

                      Stephen King has sold in excess of 350 million copies of his work which would make him very rich indeed.

                      What if we all got together and decided that Stephen King wrote really good fiction and that we should support him in this with his work then being freely available to anyone who wants to read it.

                      How much do you think we’d decide to pay him? More or less than he got from selling his books?

                      And I’d say that Stephen King has put a hell of a lot of that income he got from his books into gathering unearned income.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 4:41 pm

                      That’s just an assumption you’re making. Evidence or GTFO. Fact is King got rich from selling his books, his own work. Which is why you are wrong and just making assumptions

                  • Chris T …
                    8 December 2018 at 2:32 pm

                    There is no reply button for your other post

                    So Ardern, who is one of the highest paid people in the country and is paid by workers tax, is a thief?

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:37 pm

                      She may be paid excessively but she does actually work.

                      The rich tend to have passive income on top of any wages/salary. It’s the passive income that is the theft. The passive income is unearned.

                      Ardern probably does have some passive income which would make her a thief.

                  • Naki man …
                    8 December 2018 at 6:56 pm

                    What Draco means is that he doesnt know how to become rich.
                    It sounds like he has failed and is on the bones of his arse and are very bitter.

          • Stunned Mullet 1.5.1.1.2
            8 December 2018 at 11:58 am

            🙄 just like we can assume those who are struggling are drug addicts and bludgers 🙄

        • Morrissey 1.5.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 10:22 am

          What makes you think he doesn’t pay his fair share of tax?

          How do you know he DOES pay his fair share of tax?

          • Chris T 1.5.1.2.1
            8 December 2018 at 2:09 pm

            You are the one making the claim that he doesn’t

            • Ed 1.5.1.2.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 2:18 pm

              Do you think the megarich pay their fair share of tax?

              • Chris T …
                8 December 2018 at 2:23 pm

                I’d want proof particular ones don’t before tarring every single one with the same brush.

                It is a bit like saying all National voters are greedy and don’t care about the environment, or all Labour voters are tree hugging SJWs

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  8 December 2018 at 2:42 pm

                  Considering the estimated fraud I actually want proof that a rich person isn’t rorting the system.

                  Of course, the system is designed to help a few people steal from everyone else so even if they’re not rorting the system they’re still acting immorally.

                  • Ankerrawshark …
                    8 December 2018 at 3:36 pm

                    Aside from anything else I just don’t think it’s healthy to have accumulated such wealth. Just my opinion. I can never fathom why people would want that much money. Given that radical economic transformation isn’t about to happen anytime soon, I prefer mr hart has given some money to this dental school. It a very worthy endeavor…..

                    Btw jacinda arderns only asset is her house, which she has a mortgage on…..

                • Rapunzel …
                  8 December 2018 at 4:18 pm

                  That’s quite funny as on lots of sites I see “lefties” “tarred” with the same brush all the time and there is no “proof” or truth in what is said when they are all labelled, lazy, shiftless, useless, unemployed, inemployable, dumb, that they have lots of “kids”, etc and that they deserve everything they “get” for being all of the aforementioned things.
                  If what you are saying is don’t generalise that is very good advice.

                • Morrissey …
                  8 December 2018 at 5:24 pm

                  …all National voters are greedy and don’t care about the environment, or all Labour voters are tree hugging SJWs

                  That’s actually quite a fair summation of both parties.

              • James …
                8 December 2018 at 6:59 pm

                Fair share is a subjective measure.

                A thief on the other hand is someone who has stolen from others.

                A claim Draco throws around without evidence and shows him to be delusion and envious.

        • reason 1.5.1.3
          8 December 2018 at 11:15 pm

          Your wrong Antoine

          Although Hart is no where as bad as that wanker Eric watson …. he’s no saint either

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12020225

          ” the core of the dispute was a $48m loan by the Chilean subsidiary to its British Virgin Islands parent.”

          HHHmmm

          https://www.michaelwest.com.au/top40-tax-dodgers-countdown-critics-and-trends/

          Variously, costs are bulked up, every possible tax deduction is deployed, interest is raked out to foreign associates via loan payments, other income is funnelled offshore via “service fees”, intellectual property payments, and swaps and other derivatives. ”

          ” The majority of the tax avoidance is accomplished by wiping out taxable income, not by paying a low tax rate on taxable income.”

          ” interest payments are made to offshore associates, and so on.”

          Heres some other billionaires who give to charity

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGITecuBEHQ … how good are they ?

      • Ad 1.5.2
        8 December 2018 at 9:01 am

        Yeah that’s fair.

        Since 1985, the distribution of earnings in NZ widened by 22%, compared to an average rise in the OECD of 15%. Capital income has become more unequally distributed, at a faster rate than in most OECD countries.

        There should not be billionaires in this world.

        • Antoine 1.5.2.1
          8 December 2018 at 9:20 am

          The inequality isnt his fault!

          A.

          • Ad 1.5.2.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 10:36 am

            It really is.

            You know how many people own as much wealth as 3.7 billion people?

            42

            It’s worse than mere fault: it is an evil.

            • Antoine 1.5.2.1.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 10:47 am

              Blame the system, not the individual rich person.

              A.

            • JohnSelway 1.5.2.1.1.2
              8 December 2018 at 11:06 am

              It’s horrifying that so few have so much. I don’t care if you’re rich but I do care when you hoard

              • Draco T Bastard …
                8 December 2018 at 12:51 pm

                Being rich is a state of hoarding.

                • JohnSelway …
                  8 December 2018 at 12:52 pm

                  No it isn’t

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    8 December 2018 at 1:11 pm

                    I suggest you read Piketty because his research shows that it really is. It’s how rich people always destroy a society.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 1:18 pm

                      I’ve read piketty. There are rich and well off people in our society who pay all their taxes and aren’t the super rich hoarders you are claiming them to be

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:30 pm

                      You obviously need to read him again. He specifically states that having wealth results in the accumulation of more wealth.

                      Hoarding.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:37 pm

                      Just because he said it doesn’t mean he is right. I’ve known plenty of modest and honest rich people

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      8 December 2018 at 2:44 pm

                      Just because he said it doesn’t mean he is right.

                      He not only said it but has the research to back it up.

                      Rich people are hoarders. In most cases they’re rich because they’re hoarders.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      8 December 2018 at 4:45 pm

                      All you have is evidence free assertions.

                      Before my father died he was very wealthy. He only had one home. A couple of vehicles and made his living as a fairly well known and respected doctor. That’s it. You are talking shit

    • SaveNZ 1.6
      8 December 2018 at 9:01 am

      Good on him, but what about the rest of the country? Time they worked out why everyones teeth as so bad. Too much sugar and acid and processed food is a big factor. Time poor food and harmful drinks have safety labelling on them like cigarettes. Would also help if people had the ability to cook again rather than working 2 jobs or having so little money or skills or being on drugs (that apparently we feel the need to encourage drug smugglers to settle in NZ to help make drugs more freely available).

      I’m not sure this evolution for 2 parents working has been the best for society – no time for cooking and kids being raised by minimum wages child care workers, is that really creating healthy happy communities and society. It has gone from a women’s right to choose to work, to begin forced to work for financial reasons as you need two incomes to survive in many cases these days.

      P>S> I think I read that Sroubek’s business was importing in fruit juice (plus drugs) so another reason to deport him as most fruit juice is worse than coke for your teeth due to acidity and sugar levels.

    • Gabby 1.7
      8 December 2018 at 9:19 am

      What’s the catch? Is it for a Chair in Barbecuology?

    • Morrissey 1.8
      8 December 2018 at 10:01 am

      “Good on him”??!!?? Why isn’t he paying his fair share of tax?

      Our universities and schools do not depend on the whims of the likes of this rich fool.

      • greywarshark 1.8.1
        8 December 2018 at 12:42 pm

        I notice that James’ comment at 1 has resulted in about 55 replies. It is good to be getting that level of critique on the important issues of our time, and the methods we can use to meet our problems.

        It is enthusiasm for discussing the important matters by so many here that gives The Standard prominence for intelligent, incisive citizen involvement in preparing for the future, among the numbers of blogs discussing NZs direction and approach

    • Draco T Bastard 1.9
      8 December 2018 at 10:02 am

      Nope. The university shouldn’t need donations and only bludgers are that rich.

    • Incognito 1.10
      8 December 2018 at 1:15 pm

      Arise, Sir Graeme!

  2. A 2
    8 December 2018 at 6:50 am

    Mesh victims denied the right to sue Johnson & Johnson because US judge decides ACC can pay. 22% of mesh claims denied by ACC.

    Why is NZ paying for J&J negligence?

    And why do we insist on dragging the pain out? Just help them ffs.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/109061370/mesh-destroys-intimacy-in-marriage-but-kiwi-victim-cannot-sue

    • A 2.1
      8 December 2018 at 7:03 am

      Quote from link above:

      US court evidence showing that medical device manufacturers knew surgical mesh could cause catastrophic injuries including “a permanently destroyed vagina” was provided to New Zealand politicians on a health select committee in 2014.

      In other words the ACC scheme has made us a dumping ground for dodgy products. Negligent US companies don’t care because unlike NZ companies they don’t pay into the scheme, but they are benefiting.

      • Gabby 2.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 9:20 am

        Was Baarp Baaarp Coleman minister at the time?

      • Molly 2.1.2
        8 December 2018 at 10:43 am

        Even worse, those injured are finding themselves in court against ACC because ACC refuses to accept their claims of injury.

        I have a friend who went through this traumatic experience that lasted well over ten years. The NZ surgeons both refused to accept the mesh products were causing harm, and also lied when they assured that all the mesh had been removed after more surgeries.

        Alongside this, ACC has refused to acknowledge injury saying it was impossible to determine that the ill health and pain was caused by the mesh. ACC presented doctors opinions in court from doctors that had not examined my friend, but had reviewed the other doctors records. That case is ongoing.

        The only relief was from the loan of money from family that allowed her to go – along with other NZ and Australian women – to Dr Veronica in the US, who is surgically removing all traces of mesh product the most successfully. Apparently, his surgery schedule is filled with these cases and he is now very experienced and very likely to have a good outcome. After a typical surgery recovery – never experienced prior – as the pain and infections were always ongoing – her health and wellbeing improved immensely.

        ACC still is fighting her case, and this injury and ACC denial experience will be shared by many women in NZ.

        • greywarshark 2.1.3.1
          8 December 2018 at 1:11 pm

          Thanks joe90
          I had heard in the past that USA continues selling overseas things that have been banned in the USA. This item is an indictment on them and that practice.

    • SaveNZ 2.2
      8 December 2018 at 8:59 am

      Good points A.

  3. gsays 3
    8 December 2018 at 7:02 am

    A piece of good news, our cricket team have won a series overseas.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/109176715/black-caps-set-pakistan-280-to-win-in-79-overs-on-final-day-of-deciding-test

    A captain’s knock, another debutant spinner having a blinder (a bit Australian….), a target set for the opposition and a great two sessions of cricket.
    Congratulations to the captain, coach and team.

    • gsays 3.1
      8 December 2018 at 7:10 am

      A cruel situation.
      It seems these women were no more than guinea pigs, unaware participants in a trial.

      Perhaps ACC can cover all victims, then ACC can sue Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson to recover costs.
      After all, isn’t that what the resolution part of the TPPA is for?

      • gsays 3.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 11:51 am

        Oops.
        Replied to my self rather than A’s comment.
        Either the height of arrogance or the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.

    • mauī 3.2
      8 December 2018 at 8:10 am

      I’m not sure it’s a totally legit result. Pakistan’s run chase in the 1st test looks real dodgy in my opinion.

    • Gabby 3.3
      8 December 2018 at 9:21 am

      What were the odds eh g? And who took those odds?

    • Ankerrawshark 3.4
      8 December 2018 at 9:37 am

      Says yeah wow go the black caps….great game to watch

  4. Ad 4
    8 December 2018 at 7:58 am

    If dating were like a job interview.
    Thank God for Findsomeone.

  5. lenore 5
    8 December 2018 at 8:11 am

    A few of us were discussing how people rise up in the ranks but are bullies. Some are pretty obvious but then you get the smiling assassins. Like Diane Maxwell. I can picture her being the girl who excluded others in those awful triads that girls get sucked into. Socialised to be extremely articulate from a young age as many girls are, this type of bully often becomes the ‘teacher’s pet’, head girl and is very successful. Their bullying is insidious and I believe the bullys have no idea now that they have been outed. Complete lack of awareness because their type of bullying has been ok most of their lives. Anyway just a theory – and observations from my own experiences and that of my three daughters.

    • Sacha 5.1
      8 December 2018 at 8:36 am

      Maggie Barry has form, say previous staffers and public servants who worked closely with her as Minister: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12173091

      “I’ve seen people saying since this came out that the staff are being precious,” she said. But that is untrue, claimed the official, who believes “the difference is that her behaviour with people she doesn’t like is so vitriolic and so consistent over time that it becomes traumatic.”

      • Anne 5.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 9:24 am

        And this bit:

        Parliamentary Service, which employs MPs’ support staff, contacted the whistleblower on Wednesday night to ask him to stop sharing private and confidential information, or it would be “forced” to act.

        It said the decision “was not made lightly” but it was concerned that other staff’s personal information was being made public, causing distress.

        The staffer said the fact he was the one in legal jeopardy when he had come forward to Parliamentary Service with evidence of alleged unlawful and bullying behaviour was ironic.

        “It reinforces the issue that I have with powerful people getting protected and promoted. I’ve lost my job and she still has her job – that’s typical,” he claimed.

        Having been down this particular road more than once in the past I’m livid with rage that it is still going on.

        Who the hell do Parliamentary Services think they are? They are supposed to support staff and take appropriate action on their behalf against violent bullies. And believe me Maggie B is a ‘violent bully’. No, she doesn’t go around bashing people with pieces of wood, Her method of destruction is psychological. She hounds and harasses with verbal violence to the point her targets lose all their confidence and self esteem and can no longer operate. Then, when they finally manage to muster up the strength to report the behaviour, they lie through their teeth and lay the blame at their targets’ feet.

        Bullies of this calibre have no empathy for their victims and happily destroy lives everywhere they go without a hint of a conscience. They demean and denigrate them in front of people. They spread garbage about them behind their backs and call them ‘nutters’ when in fact… they are the nutters.

        This young man who is putting it out there is exceedingly brave and I applaud him for doing so. My only hope is he is getting plenty of support because he will need it. I also know from experience his former superiors directly in the firing line will stop at virtually nothing to silence him.

        • Anne 5.1.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 9:52 am

          Oops: third to last paragraph should read … she lies through her teeth etc. It is the hall mark of any big time bully girl or boy.

          • OnceWasTim 5.1.1.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 12:20 pm

            Unfortunately @ Anne, someone needs to come up with an updated Peter Principle.
            Although I’m not suggesting our public service was perfect before the 80s reforms, sure as shit a new phenomenon has emerged.

            It goes along the lines of the Edmonds Baking Powder slogan “sure to rise”.
            The higher they rise however, the more versed in spin, lying and bullshit, self-preservation, politicisation, leaking, etc. they become.
            When you look at the record – especially over the past decade, it’s becoming harder to know which little dysfunctional feifdom is worst.
            Is it MPI? or NZTA/MOT?, or MBIE and all its chattels? or maybe Krekshuns? or DSW/WINZ? or Health? or even Edgeikayshun, HCNZ even.

            You’d have to admit it’s a bloody sorry record, but what’s worse is that the coalition don’t seem to realise that a good many of their ‘officials’ are more than likely their worst enemas – even if they’re nice blokes and blokesses.

            I keep saying – “roll on Chippie’s reforms”, though I’m not that hopeful.
            Some of us did (for example) try to warn I L-G he was going to be set up – although that little episode might yet backfire.

            Cudda Shudda Wudda eh?

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 10:28 am

          Having been down this particular road more than once in the past I’m livid with rage that it is still going on.

          Can’t say that I’m surprised. IMO, powerful people have become even more protected over the last couple of decades.

          Who the hell do Parliamentary Services think they are?

          They seem to think that they’re the protectors of the powerful.

          And believe me Maggie B is a ‘violent bully’. No, she doesn’t go around bashing people with pieces of wood, Her method of destruction is psychological.

          Yep. We need to accept that psychological bullying is still violence.

          Then, when they finally manage to muster up the strength to report the behaviour, they lie through their teeth and lay the blame at their targets’ feet.

          Bullies always blame their victims and there’s so many around to help them do so.

  6. Sacha 6
    8 December 2018 at 8:32 am

    Pushback against education system proposal throws up some interesting language: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12173227

    Schools might become less diverse, further reducing students’ choices

    • ianmac 6.1
      8 December 2018 at 9:12 am

      A not very helpful analysis there Sacha?

    • Gabby 6.2
      8 December 2018 at 9:23 am

      Auckland Grammar aren’t going to give up the purse strings without a hell of a fight.

      • Pete 6.2.1
        8 December 2018 at 10:23 am

        In one fell swoop some ex-pupil white knight a la the one at the top of the thread, Hart not James, will come in with a donation which would cover the $1250 per pupil they ask for.

        • Sacha 6.2.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:36 am

          Or they could wean themselves from subsidies and become the fully private school they want to be.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.3
      8 December 2018 at 10:51 am

      The hubs would manage the size of all their schools, putting limits on the numbers of out-of-zone students.

      The funding system would be changed to double the extra funds for more disadvantaged students from 3 per cent of total funding now to 6 per cent, and schools in richer areas would not be allowed to make up for this by asking parents for big “donations”.

      Ah, I see the whingers problem – they won’t be able to attract students from out of zone, charge high fees and thus restrict access to state schools to rich people only.

      Ironically the changes were welcomed by school trustees, whose powers would be emasculated. School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said boards would be glad to hand over “compliance” tasks such as health and safety, employment and property maintenance.

      That’s probably a good idea. Most people who get elected to school boards probably don’t have a clue as to how to do those.

      The taskforce also proposes abolishing intermediate schools and encouraging either junior colleges (Years 7-10) and senior colleges (Years 11-13), or full primary schools (Years 1-8) and full secondaries above them.

      As I said the other day the amount that our young need to learn before they leave school has increased and we should be looking at extending school out to 20/21. Split into three: years 1 to 7, 8 to 13 and then the final two or three years. Can’t leave school until finishing junior college.

      • JohnSelway 6.3.1
        8 December 2018 at 11:11 am

        And teach civics as a compulsory subject and also life skills like how to budget, how taxes work, interest rates etc.

        Help people to understand their place and power in society and how to avoid falling into financial traps

        • Draco T Bastard 6.3.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 1:10 pm

          And teach civics as a compulsory subject…

          I believe that civics is already a compulsory subject. The question is how much time is spent on it and if the subjects covered are the same across the country and if enough is actually covered.

          …how taxes work, interest rates etc.

          Now that’d be interesting especially if they combined it with how money is created by the private banks.

          As Ford says:

          It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.4

          People recognise immoral behaviour when they see it and our monetary system is immoral. It is designed to steal from the majority of people. In fact, the entire capitalist system is.

  7. SaveNZ 7
    8 December 2018 at 8:34 am

    Another bad sign of globalism when people seem to being arrested around the world based on political reasons.

    Pretty sure China is not a signatory to the sanctions ban on Iran (and not sure that that Iran should have a sanctions ban in the first place especially when Saudi does not have one!)

    Weird, Saudi goes around murdering people and that is ok. Most of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi’s and that was ok. And Saudi are murdering people in Yemen and that is ok too by the US and the world.

    Time, NZ got out of this idea that trade and globalism is a winner for NZ, because it’s more a shit fight for power and control. Fairness and transparency are out of the window. NZ is much better to pursue an independent foreign policy from both US and China and develop our economy not solely based on trade agreements that actually make NZ worse off in terms of domestic problems and inability to trade freely (aka the opposite of free trade) by too much regulation in the agreements. For example being able to trade with Russia but for ‘soft power’ reasons do not do so.

    Also absolute joke that BT are removing Huawei tech for UK security reasons, the UK government signed to get China to build a nuclear power station for them! What could be more dangerous, someone in control of nuclear power in your country or someone who might be able to snoop on a few conversations?

    China demands release of Huawei executive arrested in Canada
    Meng Wanzhou, who faces extradition to US, said to have been investigated over alleged sanctions breaches

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/05/meng-wanzhou-huawei-cfo-arrested-vancouver

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1
      8 December 2018 at 10:55 am

      What could be more dangerous, someone in control of nuclear power in your country or someone who might be able to snoop on a few conversations?

      The person who can snoop on all your conversations. Doing so gives knowledge and knowledge is power.

      • SaveNZ 7.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 5:28 pm

        Well NZ is part of dangerous spying with 5 eyes. We already have mass surveillance here and not much said from our government… everyone is spying on everyone else… The spies don’t want other spies spying on them it seems to boil down to.

        We have a Natz MP who is probably a spy and China own vast amount of people and assets here in NZ, but not a care from our government, they just take the money (or give it away like water rights) but all of a sudden worried about Huawai? Its just doing the US bidding. NZ government would be happy to give up all sovereignty if they got a short term boast out of it and they keep the donations and Ponzi rolling in.

  8. reason 8
    8 December 2018 at 8:42 am

    Robert Fisk has spoken and written of the evil farce … where head chopping and sex slave taking terrorists in places like Mosul …. become sanitized as ‘rebels ‘… when they ply their blood letting and throat cutting in Syria.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-sex-slaves-lamiya-aji-bashar-nadia-murad-sinjar-yazidi-genocide-sexual-violence-rape-sakharov-a7445151.html

    Continuing the long trend of Britain / Usa involving themselves with populations suffering a poor deal …. and giving them something much much worse.

    His latest writing on the hypocrisy of western values / morals,…. speaks the truth to our diet of bullshit and murderous delusions … The sick sort Wayne Mapp endorses

    https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/robert-fisk-jamal-khashoggi-trump-gina-haspel-cia-recordings-muslims-torture-yemen-a8670246.html

    “A generation ago, the CIA’s “Operation Phoenix” torture and assassination programme in Vietnam went way beyond the imaginations of the Saudi intelligence service. In spook language, Khashoggi was merely “terminated with maximum prejudice”. If the CIA could sign off on mass murder in Vietnam, why shouldn’t an Arab dictator do the same on a far smaller scale? True, I can’t imagine the Americans went in for bone saws. Testimony suggests that mass rape followed by mass torture did for their enemies in Vietnam.”

    “But still it goes on. Here’s Democrat senator Bob Menendez this week. The US, he told us, must “send a clear and unequivocal message that such actions are not acceptable on the world’s stage”. The “action”, of course, is the murder of Khashoggi. And this from a man who constantly defended Israel after its slaughter of the innocents in Gaza.”

    “Yet when at least one recent US presidential incumbent of that high office can be considered guilty of war crimes – in Iraq – and the deaths of tens of thousands of Arabs, how come American senators are huffing and puffing about just one man, Mohammed bin Salman, who (for a moment, let us set aside the Yemen war) is only being accused of ordering the murder and dismemberment of one single Arab?

    After all, world leaders – and US presidents themselves – have always had rather a soft spot for mass murderers and those who should face war crimes indictments. ” ………………

    ” The message has been clear and unequivocal for decades. The US “national interest” always trumps (in both senses) morality or international crime. ” ….

    “By the time Rumsfeld arrived for his meeting, more than 3,000 victims had fallen amid Iraqi gas clouds. The figure would reach at least 50,000 dead. Which is, in mathematical terms, Jamal Khashoggi times 50,000.”

    Its our ugly truth …. and Fisk is far from alone in telling it

    https://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-wives-jealous-of-sex-slaves-husbands-buy-virgins-for-10k-on-apps-rape-9-y-o-girls.html

  9. Marcus Morris 9
    8 December 2018 at 8:46 am

    The best news on the Education Front since the introduction of “Tomorrow’s Schools” has been the publication of Bali Haque’s review.

    Much as I admired David Lange he did nothing for students or teachers when he introduced the so called market model into education. At that time we had an education system that was admired throughout the world and certainly did not need changing. The advent of “TS” brought huge stress to many communities with little or no benefit. There is no doubt though that some principals, particularly in the primary sector, relished their new found power.

    Intermediate schools have always been of doubtful value, apart from providing promotional opportunities for Primary Principals. The notion of Form 1 – 4 or middle schools has been around for a long time, as have senior schools. They are to be encouraged.

    The immediate reaction from the Trustees association and the Principals Association has been very positive. The Nay Sayers are coming from the quarters to be expected and they are already indulging in extreme forms of derogatory terms e.g, “Stalinism”.

    Here is an opportunity to really put our education system “back on the rails” so let’s have a healthy and robust debate on the issue. As a now retired senior teacher who went through the “ordeal” of adjusting to “TS” I have plenty more I could say.

    • SaveNZ 9.1
      8 December 2018 at 8:57 am

      +1
      “Much as I admired David Lange he did nothing for students or teachers when he introduced the so called market model into education. At that time we had an education system that was admired throughout the world and certainly did not need changing.”

    • ianmac 9.2
      8 December 2018 at 9:14 am

      Hear Hear Marcus!

    • Morrissey 9.3
      8 December 2018 at 9:41 am

      Much as I admired David Lange…

      After that ritual statement, you then proceed, rightly, to remind us how destructive Lange was.

      What did you “admire” about him?

      • Marcus Morris 9.3.1
        8 December 2018 at 3:06 pm

        David Lange was the much needed antidote to R.D.Muldoon. I think that there was a collective sigh of relief when, mainly thanks to David Lange’s wit and debating skills (plus a revulsion to Muldoon’s overbearing style) Labour won the 1984 election in a land slide (and repeated the effort in 1987). The country stood largely united (and still does) on NZ being declared a nuclear free zone (the sky didn’t fall in as so many of the of the devotees of US foreign policy predicted it would) and who could forget Lange’s performance at the Oxford debate. David Lange gave us “voice of our own” when it came to dealing with foreign powers and we appreciated it. Sadly for David, and the country as a whole, he became entrapped with the policies of Douglas, Prebble, Bassett and co who brought in Neoliberal economics under a socialist banner (treachery I call it) and David and Geoffrey Palmer (a great statesman in my humble opinion) woke up to too late. The rest is history.

        • Morrissey 9.3.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 5:30 pm

          Geoffrey Palmer (a great statesman in my humble opinion)

          That opinion is more than “humble”, it’s FITH.

          Geoffrey Palmer is an international disgrace. His manipulation by the loathsome ex-president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, was perhaps the lowpoint of his career….

          https://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/2/as_turkey_freezes_israel_ties_critics

          • Marcus Morris 9.3.1.1.1
            9 December 2018 at 10:57 am

            Not sure what FITH means but I am sure it is not complimentary. You are entitled to your opinion of course, I will certainly stick with mine.

            • Morrissey 9.3.1.1.1.1
              9 December 2018 at 11:02 am

              As you clearly know nothing about Geoffrey Palmer’s disgrace, your opinion is worthless.

              • Marcus Morris …
                9 December 2018 at 11:26 am

                That of course is also a matter of opinion Morrisey. I am well aware of the incident that you refer to and I was deeply disappointed and angry at the outcome of the commission. While we can agree on the result of that particular inquiry (and we may claim it as an error of judgement on Geoffrey Palmer’s part because, of course, we are are privy to all the information he had) it does not detract from all the work that Palmer did in his time as a leading Labour member of parliament and, most importantly, his championing of MMP. Cheers.

                • Morrissey …
                  9 December 2018 at 3:01 pm

                  Palmer ceded all authority on that farcical “commission” to Alvaro Uribe, the brutally repressive, bloodstained “strong man” of Colombia and an avowed supporter of Israel’s crimes. Next to that cowardly behaviour, his championing of MMP is hollow.

    • Adrian 9.4
      8 December 2018 at 10:03 am

      Remember Tomorrows Schools came out of demands by many, most of whom never put themselves forward for board roles, for more parental control of scholl direction.
      Short bloody memories, the blight of the whingers.

      • Morrissey 9.4.1
        8 December 2018 at 10:15 am

        It came out of demands by a small group of fanatical right wingers who controlled the Labour Party. Far from consulting anyone with any expertise, Lange—or more accurately, Douglas, Moore and Bassett—installed a supermarket operator, one Brian Picot, to chair the farcical commission whose mission it was to dismantle our education system.

        We’re still suffering the consequences thirty years later.

      • millsy 9.4.2
        8 December 2018 at 10:37 am

        I’m pretty sure that parents had input into the running of schools before 1989. Education boards were democratically elected, and schools were run by school comittees and PTA’s. Schools simply had more central support and expertise to draw on.

        If anything TS lessened parental involvement. If you are having issues with your local school, there is no place to really turn to for help, and the school closures over the past 2 decades would not have happened if the education boards were still in charge.

        • Marcus Morris 9.4.2.1
          8 December 2018 at 3:18 pm

          Tomorrows Schools had little impact on Secondary school governance. It was in the Primary area that the impact was greatest with respect to school management. But that was just one part of it. The effect on the secondary sector was immense with schools paying ridiculous amounts of money in promotional material for self promotion. This was felt particularly in the medium sized rural towns (Masterton, Levin for example) where two school competed for clientele from a fixed market. But it was also the loss of free and readily attainable professional advice that was to prove costly. Fair do’s: entrepreneurial professionals set themselves up as advisors and ” did very nicely thank you” dragging out money from operational grants that could have been better spent on other educational aids, books and computers to name just two.

    • greywarshark 9.5
      8 December 2018 at 12:08 pm

      This from Marcus Morris should be noted – worth repeating.

      Much as I admired David Lange he did nothing for students or teachers when he introduced the so called market model into education. At that time we had an education system that was admired throughout the world and certainly did not need changing. The advent of “TS” brought huge stress to many communities with little or no benefit. There is no doubt though that some principals, particularly in the primary sector, relished their new found power.

      Another supposedly progressive Labour change of the 1980’s – done as a result of ideology, sales promotion and and addled opinion.

    • mary_a 9.6
      8 December 2018 at 1:08 pm

      100% concur with your sentiments Marcus Morris (9) … well said.

    • Pete 9.7
      8 December 2018 at 3:33 pm

      As an retired senior teacher how many parents did you speak to over the years whose children grew well through intermediate school who said “Intermediate schools have always been of doubtful value”?

      • Marcus Morris 9.7.1
        8 December 2018 at 9:29 pm

        The answer is obvious – there was no alternative so they had no other point of reference. Middle schools have always made much more sense. As far as I am aware there has been little research to prove the efficacy of Intermediate schools – again, what was there to compare them with but you might be able to correct me on that point. As a student I attended both an Intermediate School and full primary school. I don’t think I lost anything in attending the latter for the last eighteen months of my primary education. We used to be bussed to “manual” and enjoyed the afternoon out. My first year teaching was in an Intermediate School before I moved into the secondary sector. For much of my career I worked in a Form One to Seven structure which worked well in rural areas. However, I feel that a three tiered system with years seven to ten being taught as a separate entity, would have huge advantages.

        • Pete 9.7.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:52 pm

          I’m in a district where there are just about all the options. (No middle school) I’m sure most of the parents in the years our kids were at the intermediate they went to wouldn’t say/have said that intermediates were of doubtful value. I think many of them would be absolute advocates for that system.

          I was at some talk somewhere about the time where advantages/disadvantages between the systems were talked about. We have a very highly regarded high decile Yr1-8 school pretty close to us and had to make a decision. Whoever it was had some research about types of schooling. I think it was Ministry of Education stuff. I do remember a term being used – ‘slippage’ – to do with kids ‘going backwards’ with moving between schools and the affect of doing it twice in a short time for two intermediate years. I also remember the findings by and large being they were six of one, half a dozen of the other and other factors and possibilities came into it determining the good for kids.

          • Marcus Morris 9.7.1.1.1
            9 December 2018 at 11:14 am

            Pete, I am in no way denigrating the quality of the teaching that has taken place in Intermediate schools over many decades. Teachers in those schools are unquestionably as dedicated and committed as they are in any other sector. In its inception back in the thirties (the brainchild of Dr Beeby I think) it was designed to bridge the gap between primary and secondary styles of learning (I assume). In other words to help children to adjust from a single teacher classroom to a situation where they would face multiple teaching styles (was there another reason). It is pertinent to remember that in those far off days the vast majority of students left school at fifteen and went into apprenticeships. This was still the case in the time of my own school days in the fifties when two years secondary education was all that was needed to get into most types of tertiary training. My point is that the division has always seemed contrived. Puberty doesn’t begin at age eleven and end two years later. And I have never understood the social advantages. Children leave primary school as “seniors” at the end of year six, have two years to adjust and gain seniority at intermediate and then go through the trauma of readjustment again in year nine.

            Finally, if intermediate schools were deemed such a good idea (and they have been around for eighty plus years) why have they not been more widely introduced overseas.

            PS I have a suspicion that your children were educated in the same suburb as my grandchildren. Their parents opted for the “full” primary school and have never regretted it.

    • DJ Ward 9.8
      9 December 2018 at 12:01 pm

      The worst thing they did was fiddle with our style of assessment. Or should I say experimented with. I was part of the group given grades from 1 to 9. I was in a top school and each school was allocated grades. I came 3rd in the school in computer studies and got a grade 4. Nobody could get a 1.

      The year before we did School Certificate under the old system. At least that system was fair, and encouraged students to try. I do feel fiddling with structures of schools will do little to address the real issues. In particular the present system is working well for girls but it’s failing to engage boys in the same way. Having 2 females vs 1 male in tertiary education will have long term social consequences.

      The primary and secondary system is responsible for the resultant.

      The education gap.

      • Molly 9.8.1
        9 December 2018 at 12:06 pm

        ” In particular the present system is working well for girls but it’s failing to engage boys in the same way. Having 2 females vs 1 male in tertiary education will have long term social consequences.”
        Link to studies about this aspect.

        The education system has not been delivering for all students – whether male or female in terms of preparing them for full engagement with work or community.

        Achievement levels in a flawed system aren’t the indicators we should focus on. Our education system should deliver New Zealanders that are able to engage, work and play in a meaningful manner.

        IIRC, The old School Cert system automatically scaled to fail half the students despite achievement. That is also less than ideal, and not a system we should return to.

        • DJ Ward 9.8.1.1
          9 December 2018 at 12:22 pm

          https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/174162/2016-rounded-maori-summary.xlsx

          So it was 2:1 in this group but has improved to 3 1/3:2

          It’s an issue needing to be addressed. I know some people are trying but it’s still a big gap.

          Sorry Molly can’t do more, taking kids swimming.

          • Molly 9.8.1.1.1
            9 December 2018 at 1:53 pm

            You don’t link to stats that match your comments, so work on that. Someone I know has been involved in work with the MoE and NZQA to raise Māori achievement levels – which is an entirely different topic to the one you introduced, so I’m expecting a bit more than rushed stats leading to inaccurate conclusions.

            Enjoy the day with your kids, it’s nice to have swimming weather on the weekend.

            • DJ Ward 9.8.1.1.1.1
              9 December 2018 at 4:09 pm

              https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/182296/2016-pt-provider-based-enrolments-part1b.pdf

              Summary. Males:females
              Lvl 1&2. 1:1.27
              Lvl 3. 1:1.56
              Lvl 4 to 7 1:1.15
              Bachelor & higher. 1:1.45
              Ace. 1:2.53

              Lvl 4 is lower due to aprenterships.

              So I’m wrong in saying 1:2. Sorry Molly.

              1:2 exists for Graduate diplomas.
              1:2.67 for adult honours.

              I am correct in saying we have an education gap.

              That’s larger than the claimed pay gap, that we endlessly hear about from the Ministry for women.

              One of the “best interests of the child things” but on the doesn’t count list because it’s males.

              The Minister for Men remains silent.

              • Molly …
                9 December 2018 at 9:20 pm

                The report you linked to – different from the first – does show a higher percentage of female enrolments, which apparently has been the case since 2006. The report says that the average percentage of females enrolled is 59%.

                There are no conclusions in this report, as the data they have collated for gender has not been matched with other criteria to indicate why this is the case.

                As you mentioned the male percentage in apprenticeships is likely to be higher.
                In typical female occupations such as carer, ECE, and nursing a qualification is often gained – and sometimes legally required.

                Further on in the report it says there has been an increase in NZQF enrolments which are industry and trade based qualifications, while the university enrolments have stayed quite static.

                Looking at the statistics only, you have no context or valuable data that gives insight into why enrolments or attendance is the way it is.

                “I am correct in saying we have an education gap.

                That’s larger than the claimed pay gap, that we endlessly hear about from the Ministry for women.”

                Your focus on ‘male’ achievement is a very narrow one.

                We already know there are greater gaps for Māori and Pasifika students

                There will be substantial gaps for:
                – Students from low-socio economic groups
                – Students from families with low disposable income not entitled to support,

                All of these groups need specific targeting and assistance in improve education outcomes, as long as the education provided is of high quality and suitable for purpose.

                “One of the “best interests of the child things” but on the doesn’t count list because it’s males.

                The Minister for Men remains silent.”

                You seem capable of reasoned discussion, so I don’t know why you are taking a single data point and quite willfully reading malice into it. There is not enough data there to give a reason why the ratio is skewed.

                eg. There seemed to be considerably more females in the age 24-60 yr group, but that might be reflective of the population as a whole as females outnumber males in the population after the age of 30 IIRC.
                But as I said, you would need better data before drawing that conclusion.

                You are also conflating issues here.

                We are speaking about education, ‘the best interests of the child’ – which I agree with – relates to the custody conversation we had.

                • Molly …
                  9 December 2018 at 9:40 pm

                  Just thinking the change from male majority to female majority might in part be due to the requirement for Early Childhood Centres to have qualified staff that happened in the early 2000’s. Add to that the fact that only 2.6% of ECE staff are male and you have a large female contingent in a growing industry that require qualifications to remain working.

                  But as I mentioned, there is not enough data in the linked report to give the information needed to make judgements, only loosely based theories that need further research.

      • Marcus Morris 9.8.2
        9 December 2018 at 2:54 pm

        I don’t think that TS had anything to do with the changing of assessment procedure. That was just coincidental. The old School Certificate was not good. It was designed to fail 50% of the population with the result that many people were, literally, scarred for life with a sense of failure at school. It was an indictment on the system. SFC was also a flawed scheme where schools were locked into an award process which was tied intrinsically with grades gained by a particular cohort of students at SC level in their previous years study.

        The final five years of my teaching service saw the introduction of NCEA and, in its initial form, I saw great merit. However as more an and more assessment is being placed back on the schools and their teachers (as was the case with SFC) my enthusiasm has wained more then somewhat.

        • DJ Ward 9.8.2.1
          9 December 2018 at 4:44 pm

          We live in a world were you pass or fail.
          If you don’t pass your drivers test, you don’t get it.
          If you don’t pass your firearms test, you don’t get it.
          If you don’t pass your university test, you don’t get it.

          I don’t have a problem with competency testing.
          I don’t have a problem with completed the task, award.

          I do have a problem with teachers time inside school and out of school, waisting time with endless assessing with the present system.

          I want teachers teaching as near to 100% of the time when they are with the kids. I want teachers to live happy lives, not burdened with what at the end of the day is pointless assessing.

          I would rather we went back to tests without reporting % but just giving A, B, C, D with a much smaller project contribution for some subjects like Art.

          D resulting in do it again.

          • solkta 9.8.2.1.1
            9 December 2018 at 4:57 pm

            School C, as Marcus mentions, was scaled to a normal distribution curve to ensure that 50% of people failed. That is not a pass and you don’t get it but rather a pass and we will fail you anyway.

            • DJ Ward 9.8.2.1.1.1
              9 December 2018 at 5:31 pm

              We can learn from our mistakes and create a better way of doing it.

              As we introduced NCEA we began dropping in international standing. I believe this is due to the burden on teachers. A happy teacher is a good teacher. A overworked and stressed teacher is not a happy teacher.

          • Marcus Morris 9.8.2.1.2
            9 December 2018 at 5:06 pm

            I largely concur with what you say however the point about SC under the old system was that it was norm referenced and lead to very artificial and grossly unfair results. NCEA is, or was, standards based – just like the drivers licence. You reached the standard – you passed and if you passed well you this was acknowledged with a Merit or Excellence award.

  10. SaveNZ 10
    8 December 2018 at 8:54 am

    Is this the only intelligent thing Nash has ever said?

    “We gave you a chance … My view on this has always been the same. Let him go home. Let him go to some other country. I don’t want these sorts of people in New Zealand … Good riddance, never come back.”

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12171765

    While they are about it, time that the whole marriage situation with immigration was tightened up. If should take 20 years to get full citizenship and welfare in NZ to stop people purchasing it for the wrong reasons, (or that reason gone by lunch time aka like many people’s relationships and marriages) and if you go to jail and get a conviction you are automatically deported.

    Look at Sroubek’s case, his wife supported him, now shortly later seems to be in hiding in a police safe house because she is afraid of him??? My how the situation seems changed in a short period of time. You can’t change people’s emotions, but our immigration policy should not be at the mercy of people’s short term relationships or fake labour and fake businesses and all these new import businesses that are caught importing in drugs, should be instant deportation.

    Having a much longer time frame for citizenship would do a lot of clean up NZ, where 1 in 4 people are now living here from overseas and the news head lines seem full of them operating outside NZ laws, thus changing our country into some drugs fuelled, illegal working hell hole where scams are everywhere, which is out of kilter with our safe, clean, green image with high educational and moral standards and low corruption levels from 30 years ago. Stupidity and short term greed is making NZ a much worse place for more people.

    • Psych nurse 10.1
      8 December 2018 at 10:13 am

      Some questions about Mrs Sroubek come to mind. Was her immigration status reliant on her husbands flawed residency and if he was a criminal, was she living on the proceeds of crime and should also be deported.

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      8 December 2018 at 11:04 am

      Having a much longer time frame for citizenship would do a lot of clean up NZ

      I think getting rid of Permanent Residence would do more while ensuring control of NZ by NZers by allowing only citizens to vote.

      • JohnSelway 10.2.1
        8 December 2018 at 11:17 am

        Well, I want to agree that only citizens should vote but I still feel if you are living and working in a country and paying tax you should have a say how those tax dollars are spent

        • James Thrace 10.2.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 12:20 pm

          Citizens only should vote in central government elections.

          Residents can vote in local body elections.

        • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 1:18 pm

          If a person is living and working in a country then they should be a citizen.
          If they’re not a citizen then they shouldn’t be living and working in that country.

          • JohnSelway 10.2.1.2.1
            8 December 2018 at 1:31 pm

            So you’re pretty much cancelling everyone’s OE then. Oh and everyone is Australia will have to come home

            • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.2.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 2:49 pm

              So you’re pretty much cancelling everyone’s OE then.

              Short term work visas. They’re visiting rather than living.

              Oh and everyone is Australia will have to come home

              Or they could, you know, get citizenship.

              I actually get pissed off with people going on about NZers living in Oz being treated as 2nd class citizens. They’re not citizens.

        • Molly 10.2.1.3
          8 December 2018 at 3:21 pm

          Not necessarily. You may be working in a country just for your personal benefit, and contribute nothing to that society other than your consumption and tax.

          Societies and countries remain healthier when they are valued. If someone decides that New Zealand is the country where they want to contribute more than the bare minimum, and make a commitment to that decision by becoming a citizen – only then should they have the right to vote.

        • SaveNZ 10.2.1.4
          8 December 2018 at 5:19 pm

          Not 100% sure but I think NZ citizens can work in OZ, but get little welfare there these days. Although I think part of that is how NZ is the world’s third largest immigration by capita group, and the new citizens are using the NZ passport to enter other counties thus making other countries tighten up against NZ citizens which again is making things worse for NZ citizens born here or long term migrants who came here before the Ponzi.

          Voting should be a privilege and a right for the people born in that country. If you are not born and living in NZ, then it should take 20 years to vote and be a NZ citizen. Now we have people who come here, fake job or just here for 11 days and can vote and change our government. It is not acceptable or fair to long term citizens to be able to buy your way into NZ and getting very fast voting rights.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1
      8 December 2018 at 11:07 am

      A person like that should not be allowed to even be in an administrative position. We don’t let people with convictions that could result in two years of jail into parliament.

    • greywarshark 12.2
      8 December 2018 at 12:10 pm

      It would seem he is very suitable from a NZ Immigration perspective.

  13. Morrissey 13
    8 December 2018 at 9:46 am

    An “expert” who calls the 19th century “the eighteen hundreds.”
    Jim Mora’s inane chat show just gets worse every episode.
    The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 7 December 2018
    Jim Mora, Alan McIlroy, Tim Watkin, Caitlin Cherry

    Announcing the menu for today’s learned discussions, the determinedly chirpy Caitlin Cherry makes out as if she is something other than an inane and frivolous commentator:

    JIM MORA: Caitlin Cherry, good afternoooon.

    CAITLIN CHERRY: Good afternoon. Speaking of extremely lucrative, um, things to dooooo, uh, I’m going to talk about YouTube stars. And, to be honest, I feel like just packing it all IN, and doing some INANE thing and commenting on it, and becoming a YouTube star and making MILLIONS.

    MORA: And you COULD, Caitlin!

    CAITLIN CHERRY: Yeeeees, I’m sort of not QUITE in the right age bracket….

    A minute later, we are treated to a typically high-flown piece of rhetoric from the show that Caitlin Cherry, that enemy of inanity, produces:

    JIM MORA: Someone was complaining about the way we say “entrepreneur”, rhymes with manure, rather than entrepreneur, rhymes with fleur….

    A little later, the first query in the (almost always) twee and insubstantial One Quick Question segment was: “What is the meaning of watershed?” It was answered by something called “Ken Grace from the Department of Writing”. I tuned him out as soon as he used the phrase “the eighteen hundreds.” He meant, of course, the nineteenth century, but he was either dumbing it down for the RNZ audience, or was too dumb to understand it himself. Either way, it’s unacceptable.

    BTW: where the hell is the Department of Writing? Is it in the infamous John Davies’ non-existent Denver State University, perhaps?

    • te reo putake 13.1
      8 December 2018 at 10:01 am

      When did the 19th century start, Moz?

      • Morrissey 13.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 10:07 am

        The 19th century started on Wednesday, January 1, 1800. The eighteen hundreds finished on Sunday, December 31, 1809. Of course you know that, my good friend, and so does anyone with a measurable I.Q.

        But not, apparently, the “expert” consulted by that ridiculous chat show.

        • Antoine 13.1.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 10:11 am

          > Of course you know that, my good friend, and so does anyone with a measurable I.Q.

          I pity anyone who has to put up with you offline

          A.

          • Morrissey 13.1.1.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 10:16 am

            Your facility with the one-liner really has to be admired.

            Your compassion for my friends and family has been noted.

        • te reo putake 13.1.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 10:16 am

          Er, shome mishtake, shurely?

          The 19th Century actually started on January 1st, 1801. The eighteen hundreds began a year earlier. This confusion, which you are party to, is why we celebrated the recent millennium a year early. And also because Prince realised that ‘party like it’s two thousand’ doesn’t scan as well.

          PS, did you really mean to say the 1800’s finished in 1809? I think we should be told!

        • Gabby 13.1.1.3
          8 December 2018 at 12:59 pm

          No, it started on 1 January 1801, as eny fule kno morrie.

          • Morrissey 13.1.1.3.1
            8 December 2018 at 5:26 pm

            Correct, Gabby. I’m a fool, and a damned fool at that. And don’t you forget it!

  14. Ed 14
    8 December 2018 at 10:31 am

    Interesting article in the Herald today on how Uber Eats is damaging small food outlets.
    Think before you use the Uber model.
    It is destroying small businesses, by the sound of it.
    The money you spend goes to billionaires in California, as opposed to workers in New Zealand.
    And Uber doesn’t pay its share of tax.
    If use catch an Uber taxi or order Uber Eats, never grumble about an underresourced health system.
    Your consumer choice contributed to that happening.
    Be a citizen- not a consumer.

    Here is an excerpt from the article.

    “One Auckland business owner who runs an Indian takeaway says Uber Eats’ commission fees are too high – particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.
    “If a business is selling $100 worth of food, about $41 [after GST] is going to go to Uber Eats,” says the business owner, who wants to remain anonymous.
    He says it would work out cheaper to hire a person to deliver the food itself, but the popularity of Uber Eats means that being on the platform is essentially a way of marketing the business, and “that’s where the customers are”.
    Uber Eats policy says businesses must not increase their prices on the platform and they should be the same as those offered in-store. However, the takeaway owner says that is not feasible and many users do increase their prices on the app to accommodate the high commission fees.”

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12146643

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1
      8 December 2018 at 11:13 am

      The Uber model of exploitation needs to be banned.

      • Ed 14.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 11:19 am

        Totally agree Draco.
        If a corporation won’t make its fair contribution to society, it should be boycotted and banned.
        The secondary rugby schools of Auckland, the Extinction rebellion activists and the yellow vest demonstrators show us the way.

        • greywarshark 14.1.1.1
          8 December 2018 at 12:32 pm

          The Uber model insinuates itself through the needs of people to earn who have become unemployed through the machinations of the free market under-cutting businesses, jobs, wages and the local market in which they operated.

          So first the free market destabilises a relatively stable market, causing collapse of small business, jobs and income, then the people affected have to find a way to earn an insecure incoe., Then theyhave that destabilised by the free market operators finding ways to exploit other insecure people to compete and undercut their jobs and income. So insecure people eternally fight for reducing earnings while uber, go their unscrupulous way taking a management cut – the ultimate fight for life.

          • Draco T Bastard 14.1.1.1.1
            8 December 2018 at 12:54 pm

            Bingo!

            The entire system is designed to ensure that wealth flows up to the already rich.

            • Ankerrawshark 14.1.1.1.1.1
              8 December 2018 at 5:58 pm

              But, but maybe Draco they will donate money to our universities or health care

        • solkta 14.1.1.2
          8 December 2018 at 12:46 pm

          Aren’t the yellow vest protestors protesting about a carbon tax on petrol?

          • Sabine 14.1.1.2.1
            8 December 2018 at 7:42 pm

            No, they are protesting about a tax on petrol. I think they call it the Macron is a wanker tax.

      • Alan 14.1.2
        8 December 2018 at 2:42 pm

        Uber is awesome, very efficient use of resources by willing participants, but you draco of course cannot see that

        • Molly 14.1.2.1
          8 December 2018 at 2:46 pm

          Uber is also exploitative of human resources, requiring drivers to compensate for the failings of their business model to consider the well-being of the main resource that they benefit from.

        • te reo putake 14.1.2.2
          8 December 2018 at 2:47 pm

          Yeah, the poor sod that turned up at my place last night was a very willing participant. Ragged clothes, soul flapping off his shoes, broken English and nearly in tears because he’d been given the wrong address.

        • Draco T Bastard 14.1.2.3
          8 December 2018 at 2:52 pm

          The people driving are being exploited through their need to work to live. The people who own Uber are getting income from the work of others while doing little to nothing themselves.

          That is exploitation.

          • Alan 14.1.2.3.1
            8 December 2018 at 5:35 pm

            um, envisaging and setting up a business model which is willingly utilised by millions of people every day is working draco.

          • Graeme 14.1.2.3.2
            8 December 2018 at 6:05 pm

            The bit I don’t get with the Uber model is why the taxi co-ops haven’t come up with a similar app based system, or a developer seen the opportunity to create one.

            We had savy down here as a trial but it didn’t work out. https://www.savy.co.nz

            • Muttonbird 14.1.2.3.2.1
              8 December 2018 at 6:13 pm

              This. Pretty easy to kill off Uber I would have thought.

              • James …
                8 December 2018 at 8:35 pm

                Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

                Sometimes you are really funny.

                Muttonbird the genius thinks it’s pretty easy to kill off Uber.

              • JohnSelway …
                8 December 2018 at 8:43 pm

                As long as there is demand it’ll stay.

                Every Uber driver I’ve spoken to has enjoyed working for uber

                • James …
                  8 December 2018 at 8:55 pm

                  No John – that can’t be right. People here know better. They are all miserable.

                  I love Uber. Use it exclusively when travelling and often use Uber eats in different cities when away for work.

                  Excellent service – but I’m sure muttonbird will hav the, out of business in a week. Coz they all smart like.

                • joe90 …
                  8 December 2018 at 9:02 pm

                  As long as their investors can weather the losses.

                  To date, close to $12 Billion and counting.

            • Sacha 14.1.2.3.2.2
              8 December 2018 at 8:47 pm

              Zoomy is an NZ-developed alternative, but I do not know how their uptake is going.

              • Molly …
                8 December 2018 at 9:11 pm

                Zoomy offers better overall rates and conditions for drivers, but drivers will often not pick up fares during peak times because Uber then offers a premium. So customers have to pay more, and don’t get to choose between services.

                The short-term chase for higher individual earnings means that the better terms and conditions offered by Zoomy are not prioritised by drivers.

                They also offer a better service for customers, no peak rates, and a training system for all drivers:

                You must be at least 18 years of age, and hold a P endorsement on your drivers license. You’ll also need to own an iPhone or Android phone.

                All Zoomy drivers are required to go through our approval process, which includes an NZTA Driver Check, having a CoF on your vehicle and hold a Passenger Licence.

                Along with being in good condition, your car needs to be a 2008 model or younger, have four external door handles and at least five seatbelts.

                Finally, you’ll need to complete a driver training course with our driver team.

  15. Ed 15
    8 December 2018 at 10:34 am

    Thought my ban had ended.
    Posted something about Uber Eats and it didn’t appear?

  16. Ed 16
    8 December 2018 at 12:28 pm

    This article on the Stuff website poses a good question.
    The French are protesting will we?
    It seeks the opinions of Max Rashbrooke and John Minto.

    Excerpts from the article.

    “An estimated 100,000 people have taken to the streets in France over the last month to protest the rising price of fuel and the cost of living in general.
    However, according to statistics collected by the OECD in 2017 the French have it a lot better than New Zealanders, with a greater disposable income and lower levels of inequality.
    So where are the New Zealand protests?
    Inequality researcher Max Rashbrooke said at the heart of New Zealander’s inaction was a general complacency from those who are doing OK.”

    My take.

    Of course we did have protests back in the 1980s as workers around the country saw their rights and work conditions removed. Then draconian laws in the early 90s removed that right.

    France never adopted the neoliberal poison to the same degree and no politician ( until Macron) has dared to apply the economic shock doctrine New Zealand politicians applied from 1984 to 1993.

    And why did the protests not succeed in the 1980s? Well, it was theoretically a ‘Labour’ government that forced through the radical anti-worker laws. The Labour movement was stunned, shocked and fractured. It failed to resist as a united front.

    In 2018 there are laws that make such united action very hard.

    Nevertheless if the midwives, the teachers, the engineers, the junior doctors, the firefighters, the nurses, the bus drivers, the train drivers , the supermarket workers, the fast food workers all stopped work on the same day.
    And repeated that action every week – united- indefinitely until neoliberal capitalism was abandoned,.. then we’d see a change.

    Sadly many New Zealanders have been propagandised into being obedient consumers. A cheap UBER taxi, a cheap UBER eat, a cheap Macdonalds, a cheap piece of plastic from the Warehouse or another big box consumer hellhole trumps workers’ rights and conditions.

    New Zealanders have been atomised. Their sense of community has been undermined and many no longer see society as any bigger than the nuclear family. Digital devices have taken this to another level as the atomisation now reduces us to the individual level.

    And few notice and few care. The dumbing down of the population means there’s more uproar over Coca Cola’s Santa than our burning planet and unequal country.

    Approximately 30% of the population vote for the National Party. They are the complacent sector who have forgotten empathy. Their attitudes will only change when the crisis hits them personally.

    They should remember John Donne’s famous quote.

    “No man is an island entire of itself; every man
    is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
    if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
    is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
    well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
    own were; any man’s death diminishes me,
    because I am involved in mankind.
    And therefore never send to know for whom
    the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ”

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/108851984/the-french-are-rioting-but-they-have-it-better-than-kiwis

    • Poission 16.1
      8 December 2018 at 12:45 pm

      When the bell tolls it tolls for three.

      The french do have more passion.

      https://youtu.be/rVuKLxx-ETY?list=RDrVuKLxx-ETY

      • greywarshark 16.1.1
        8 December 2018 at 1:00 pm

        Everything is wanted cheaper in NZ, because that shows more efficiency. That is the mantra from the well-off to the not, who have been propagandised with that message.

        And the further message is that all the people having well-being is not something that NZ can afford. Prices of labour have to fall to the lowest base line for instance, so that others can take advantage of the ones at the bottom to keep costs of needed services low, and then profitable business can be built on that advantage.

        Change that mindset to care about each other again, to want others to have a good basic life style and opportunities to better it! But that is so old-fashioned.
        Apparently Maggie Barry uses having a trace of 1970’s thinking as a reason for disdain. People who do not remember or understand the past, which was of an attempted moral society, can’t change. NZs learned to go for cheap, and they got nasty.

        NZ is not an admirable society now; anything good about it is either glossy on the surface stuff, or shows up only in spots, or thinly stretched and stressed.

  17. mary_a 17
    8 December 2018 at 1:09 pm

    100% concur with your sentiments Marcus Morris (9) … well said.

  18. greywarshark 18
    8 December 2018 at 1:36 pm

    News from Wellington – they are going to build a new concert hall. I wondered where it would be sited. Then I thought of all the expenditure on the site for the memorial of WW1. That has been marked. Perhaps they can move on now, and turn that memorial into a living one housing the creative doings of those who have lived on. The concert hall would be named the Memorial Hall for WW1 and WW2, both having been important sacrifices by NZs. Do something both thoughtful and practical please you big-noting politicians.

    http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=114526
    And the comments are interesting and informed.
    One refers to to pointyheads being stuck on large buildings on the shore line masking the view. Perhaps it is shades of The Opera House in Sydney which was a giant step up for them, (they are now monetising this by shining advertisements onto it).

  19. joe90 19
    8 December 2018 at 3:46 pm

    Oh well, back to the drawing board….

    I think we can forget about the Norway Option: Lunde compares Britain to an abusive partner who spikes your drinks. https://t.co/vrqtcMoJmZ— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) December 8, 2018

    "I think you would mess it all up for us, the way you have messed it all up for yourselves."Heidi Nordby Lunde, president of Norway's European Movement, is sceptical about calls for the UK to strike a Norway-style deal with the EU. pic.twitter.com/uEpiO3yXPp— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) December 7, 2018

    https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1071078003780870146

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/04/norway-option-is-worst-of-all-brexit-outcomes-for-uk-say-eu-sources-rules

  20. joe90 20
    8 December 2018 at 8:14 pm

    Congratulations to Abbey Ercerg, the world’s 60th ranked women’s footballer.

    https://offsiderulepodcast.com/60-abby-erceg/

  21. joe90 21
    8 December 2018 at 8:44 pm

    garden variety consent dyslexics

  23. hoom 23
    8 December 2018 at 9:47 pm

    Surprised this hasn’t been mentioned: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12173192
    Nats planning policy to ACC-ise the rest of the Social Welfare system.

    …given they twice attempted to privatise ACC they would presumably be also planning to privatise the whole thing in 2nd term.

    • greywarshark 23.1
      8 December 2018 at 10:27 pm

      Photo Mark Mitchell? The members are looking disgruntled.

    • Ed 23.2
      8 December 2018 at 10:43 pm

      More leaks, I see.
      And it’s not JLR….

    • joe90 23.3
      8 December 2018 at 10:45 pm

      I have a post traumatic health issue, the result of an injury suffered decades ago, which has resulted in a serious disability requiring a surgical fix. I’m able to oblige myself of the treatment and support offered by ACC, timely consultations and private hospital surgery, post-surgery appliances, home help and income support.

      For no known reason, the same issue spontaneously afflicts post-menopausal women, seriously disabling them, and requires the same surgical fix. But unless they have health insurance, they’re treated by the public system. Long waits for surgical consultations, long surgery waiting lists, bureaucratic difficulties in obtaining post-surgery home help and appliances, and a pittance in income support.

      If National’s plan to extend ACC to victims of illness as well as accidents put an end to the two tier health system these women are forced to endure, then all power to them.

      • hoom 23.3.1
        8 December 2018 at 11:30 pm

        Yes it sounds kinda good on the surface.

        But this is the Nats you’re talking about, they think the US Health Market is the ideal model to follow & they have a history of trying to Privatise ACC.

        So you have to understand that what at first sounds good is likely to be actually intended to destroy &/or Privatise the last vestiges of Social Welfare in the longer term.

  24. Cinny 24
    8 December 2018 at 10:05 pm

    Agent Orange has nominated a Fox newsreader to represent USA at the UN.

    It’s so perfectly bizarre.

    Bibi will be beyond thrilled.

  25. eco maori 25
    9 December 2018 at 9:18 am

    Kia ora R & R the problems with our housing is some people turned it into WEALTH making enterprises banks pollie realestate ect.
    Communal living is good the old look after the mokopunas and the younger work that model worked for thousands of years the capitalist don’t like this model because it is to hard to sell there snake oil /lies to us when you have communal living the old wise give good advice to the youth .
    I liked Nania’s idea of sweat equity the buyers work in building the house and are given equity in the house for there labour Ka kite ano. rents are sky rocketing at the minute and the banks love safe as houses hence big profts

  26. eco maori 26
    9 December 2018 at 9:57 am

    We can not keep burning our environment and our grandchildren’s future for greedy oil barons
    Adani: thousands protest across Australia against Carmichael mine
    Thousands of protestors campaigning against Indian mining giant Adani’s controversial Queensland coalmine have taken to the streets in major cities across Australia to call on the government to stop it going ahead.

    Protesters marched in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns on Saturday, just a week after 15,000 school students demonstrated against government inaction on climate change.

    It follows the announcement last month by Adani it would self-finance the controversial project after scaling back its size and scope.
    Climate change strike: thousands of school students protest across Australia
    Read more

    The coal project is being downsized from a 60-million-tonnes a year, $16.5 billion mega-mine to a more manageable 10-to-15 million tonnes a year costing around $2 billion.

    In Brisbane, hundreds of protestors gathered outside Adani’s headquarters to voice their opposition to the project.

    “No longer will we sit back and be lectured to by people who are outdated and out of touch,” Thomas Cullen told the crowd.

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/08/adani-thousands-protest-across-australia-against-carmichael-mine

  27. eco maori 27
    9 December 2018 at 9:59 am

    Eco Maori Music for the minute.

  28. eco maori 28
    9 December 2018 at 10:32 am

    Kai ora Marae yes the justices system has served up us maori a big heap of ————–.
    Pakeha means bad breath when the Europeens arrived here the had scurby hence pakeha.
    The neo liberals who have big boxes of tissues like to use tack tics to stir up people emotions and try and drag the great tau toko and mana that is being given to te tangata whenua culture at the minute they are scared fool’s black faces and Maori santa I stayed away from the black faces debate so as not to given any publicity no publicity it fades away into our past.
    PEE is a very bad drug and must be stamped out in Aotearoa its has infected all our maori community’s being pushed by———— I have already put out there who is pushing this ——— Miriama.
    I see crime is falling and the prison population has fallen by 800 / 8 % ka pai ka kite ano.
    P.S do you see all the efford the sandflys are putting into suppressing Eco Maori’s influence I know some do know about this

  29. eco maori 29
    9 December 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Kia ora Newshub Condolences to Grace Millane family .
    Lloyd there you go someone will use anything to float there toilet even a sad tragic thing that is happening in Paris the alt right are to extreme.
    I thought of a way to get people to have pride in there neighborhood have the best garden competitions with good prizes was one Idea for housing corp houses .
    That’s a good thing putting cash on vehicles and other places for people to find at that camping grounds this close to Chrismas ka pai
    The 7s Rugby looked exciting Niki & Andrew
    Ka kite ano P.S some people still think they can see me through the camera lens

  30. eco maori 30
    9 December 2018 at 8:00 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.

  31. eco maori 31
    9 December 2018 at 8:02 pm

    Some Eco Maori music for the minute.

  32. eco maori 32
    9 December 2018 at 8:04 pm

    Some Eco Maori music for the minute.

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  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

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  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

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  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

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  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

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  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

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  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

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  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

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  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

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  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

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  • Update on global IT outage

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  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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