Open mike 08/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 8th, 2012 - 95 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

95 comments on “Open mike 08/03/2012 ”

  1. http://whoar.co.nz/2012/the-marijuana-diet-how-pot-enhances-my-life/

    “…Marijuana is a lovely addition to a life filled with sensual pleasures like good wine, chocolate and espresso.

    Cannabis has been a part of my life since 1968, when I turned 20.

    Although we have had long periods of not seeing one another, Ms. Mary Jane Cannabis Pot has been a good friend in my social and cultural scene for more than 40 years.

    MJ and I grew up in a generation that deemed this herb a vital staple of our daily diet – and a means of enlivening connections with our fellow man or woman.

    Despite warnings that marijuana is a gateway drug, I never found cannabis to be a gateway to anything other than enhancing social situations such as concerts or parties, or increasing pleasure in sexuality.

    And giving you a major case of the munchies…”

    phil-at-whoar.

    • Uturn 1.1

      All’s well that ends well. At least they didn’t get arrested. A good outcome. You have to consider though, that unless they were purposely making a political statement, they were pretty silly crossing the border with their stash on board. Maybe they had short term memory loss and “forgot”.

    • vto 1.2

      I had it described thus … General thought processes follow a continuous line where one thought leads to another and a train of thought develops. You can understand how you got to a particular thought and also where that thought might generally go by looking at the train.

      When stoned though, the thought process is broken at a thousand places along that train – picture if you will a train consisting of a thousand decoupled wagons sitting individually on the rails.

      The brain then randomly finds itself stuck on a particular thought wagon but because the link forwards and backwards is broken it has no idea how it got there or where it will lead, and it is this which results in paranoia as the person cannot work out how that thought came about or where it will lead. Oh noes! Although, similarly, that particular thought wagon gets analysed in considerable detail (and in isolation).

      So the stoners end up randomly thinking on individual thought wagons but cannot link anything together, which can make it impossible for others to understand them.

      The train of a thousand indivudal de-coupled thought wagons. Bit like your writing Phil. But each to their own, good on ya. What do you think of the above?

      • “..What do you think of the above?..”

        it reads like a stoned/er rant…

        ..the brain as a de-coupled train..eh..?

        ..shine on you crazy diamond.!..eh..?

        ..and..btw…what’s yr poison..?..hic..!

        ..eh..?

        phil-at-whoar.

        • phillip ure.. 1.2.1.1

          i mean..seriously..!..

          a teetotaller could maybe criticise pot-users on ‘nothing-is-best’-grounds…

          ..(and be told to pipe down on grounds of individual-choice/freedoms..)

          ..but for any alcohol user…to criticise pot-users..on any grounds..

          ..is just benchmark-setting/eye-watering hypocrisy…

          ..how can it not be..?

          ..how many people did pot kill last year..?…(i forget..must be the pot..eh..?..)

          ..what’s that you say..?..none..?

          ..and how many again did alcohol kill/disable..?

          ..you must be kidding me..!..that many..?

          ..(eh..?..hic..!..)

          phil-at-whoar.

          • vto 1.2.1.1.1

            I don’t believe there was any criticism of pot or alcohol users in my post above, merely a description of what happens to the brain processes when in use. Alcohol effects are probably more like… jump on the train, load up the firebox, get the steam to maximum, let loose the brakes and full steam ahead no matter the obstacles ahead or wagons in tow. Bloody dangerous if you ask me. Better a whole heap of stationary decoupled wagons.

            • phillip ure.. 1.2.1.1.1.1

              “..Better a whole heap of stationary decoupled wagons…”

              aah..!..now you are talking zen…eh..?

              ..striving to be both ‘stationary’..and ‘de-coupled’…

              ..would that we all could..eh..?

              phil-at-whoar.

              • Mark

                In saying that, you obviously smoked more/younger than me, because I can write proper like.
                (-: 

          • Mark 1.2.1.1.2

            I don’t disagree totally with this Phil.. it’s not just pot, but a whole lot of mind altering/expanding substances can be used and enjoyed peacefully at the right time, in the right place..
            Personal experience has shown me however that anything with a potential for brain function alteration needs to be tightly controlled/banned for those brains that haven’t developed yet.. unfortunately it is not an arbitrary age or easily measurable.
            I love a drink, a cigarette, a good coffee or tea, and much more, and I agree that our punitive and failed “war on drugs” is a total cockup .
            I lean towards a solution involving the supply of any “drug” (based on a harm quotient) to anyone either too young to safely assimilate (or make that decision) very harshly punishable. Ditto for anyone using/affected by in a situation where judgement/co-ordination/reaction deficiencies have harmful consequences to others (work, family, driving etc)
            Tax the product, remove the gangs, educate potential users, leave happy stoners to enjoy.

  2. Bored 2

    Who watched Len Brown on Campbell last night?

    How many of you were left in any doubt as to where Len sat vis a vis the POA dispute?

    How many of you voted for Len?

    How many will vote for Len again?

    • Tiger Mountain 2.1

      As I said on FB this morning Len Brown is now officially toast. Non engagement usually benefits the boss, in this case the POA union busters. Len’s appalling lack of class understanding and backbone is well and truly on public display.

    • AAMC 2.2

      It just further confirmed my declining interest and total lack of faith in our political system, as Obama has also so brilliantly brutally illustrated. They can proclaim their progressive credentials as much as they like, but once inside this dysfunctional system, they all become cogs.

      It leaves me with little hope to be honest, and increasingly depressive…

      • Morrissey 2.2.1

        Len Brown is the latest in a long line of people invested with considerable responsibility who just refuse to do their jobs: Barack Obama, Ban Ki Moon, “Sir” Geoffrey Palmer, Craig Joubert, Bryce Johns…

      • Uturn 2.2.2

        Shoot down to Pete’s post a few below, and listen. It examines the binary small governmnet/big government options; trusting others to spend/act on people’s behalf; and highights the truth that as you say, it is indeed our systems that need to change. More or less of a broken system is not the solution. Changing the person who represents a broken system is not the solution. No need to be depressed about it at all. It opens the way for real people to start making decisions based on basic values that are good them and everyone, not just a few, excluding no one, impacting their lives immediately and constructively.

      • s y d 2.2.3

        AAMC get on the train!!! choo choo, vto or phil is selling tickets, then you need not worry anymore

    • Fortran 2.3

      Brown came over as a right “dick’.
      Hope he retires at next election and lets Mike Lee stand.
      Then we will see some real backbone, not like the spineless Brown.
      Don’t know why I voted for him.

    • Not only Len Brown out of whack but also Vicky Buck .What the hell is going on?

  3. Bored 3

    On another note an example of how politicians might be captured by interest groups in contradicition of their own constituencies best interests…..in this case listening to “expert” advice from their own employees.

    Hawkes Bay council officials were taken by Apache (an appropriately named fracking enterprise) to Canada to prove that all we have heard about the contamination of ground water etc by fracking is “misinformation”. I am assuming that 5 Star hotels and meals were inclusive, plus the usual sanitised tours (propaganda as pioneered byCommunist states)….how could I be so cynical?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/6532286/Fracking-information-not-always-accurate

    • Hilary 3.1

      Poor journalism – that article doesn’t actually note that their trip was paid by Apache, so is little more than PR spin.

    • thatguynz 3.2

      Sigh…  Have our local and central government officials learnt nothing from the Timberlands debacle??…
       
      Lobbying/PR is a scourge.

  4. Pete 4

    This American Life: What Kind of Country?

    All across the country right now, local and state governments are finding they can’t pay their bills. Schools are losing teachers, street lights are going dark, garbage is piling up in public parks, and cops are suddenly an optional expense. This week we travel to Colorado Springs, to Trenton and to the office of Grover Norquist to ask: Is the kind of country we want? One where government gets smaller? Or should we all pay higher taxes, and keep government bigger?

    • Uturn 4.1

      Definitely worth a listen. If others don’t have the time, jump to Act Three, which sums the story up nicely and promotes further thought on small government/privatisation/government spending.

      • AAMC 4.1.1

        Listened, it proved that ideology gets on the way of common sense…

        can’t wait for the dystopia of darken streets, potholes and barren parks so we can all save a few bucks trying to eliminate Govt, while we wait for some benevolent overlord to throw a few crumbs to keep things in his neighborhood going.

  5. Hilary 5

    Happy International Women’s Day. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
    Still a long way to go in NZ and further in many other countries before any sort of equality is reached.
    However, I suspect the Standard readership is overwhelmingly male, and don’t see IWD as relevant to them.

    [lprent: Nope.

    From the little data that we do have from the advertising side, it appears that the readership is lower for females than males (in the order of ~40% to ~60%) but not massively out of whack. There could be some bias in those numbers because of the way that they collect the data.

    However if you’d said that the commentators were still largely male then you’d have been correct from my observation (no easy way to be certain). But it is a much smaller population that the readers. It was less than a tenth of the humans that read the site when I last dug through the IP numbers for the readers and commentators.

    The number of identifiable female commentators seem to fluctuate considerably and they do seem to leave fewer comments. But I think that both are slowly climbing. ]

    • Zorr 5.1

      uhuh… and this kind of comment is meant to endear me to the idea of supporting it?

      I love my wife, I respect her and I support her. However I have no great love for the outspoken extremes of the continuing feminist movement because of comments such as yours that denigrate me as a male. What did I ever do to you other than being born with the wrong genitalia? (and yes, the irony is intended)

      • just saying 5.1.1

        …comments such as yours that denigrate me as a male…

        Whoa. Did I miss something? Has a comment been removed?

        Please explain.

        • Zorr 5.1.1.1

          “However, I suspect the Standard readership is overwhelmingly male, and don’t see IWD as relevant to them.”

          This implies that in a predominantly male community this Hilary person automatically presumes there is no empathy for female issues.

          • McFlock 5.1.1.1.1

            Depends on the reliability of a random comma as used on the interwebz 🙂
                  
            In general, I’d probably agree with the suspicion that even in these enlightened days an overwhelmingly male group would not prioritise IWD highly, if at all. The major difference these days is that said groups might say or do the appropriate things when reminded of e.g. who always ends up cleaning the cups after the meetings. “Empathy” is thin on the ground.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 5.2

      The NZ events look interesting, but I don’t think much of your promotional strategy, it reminds me too much of Paul Henry.

      • Zorr 5.2.1

        I think George Orwell said it best when he said…

        “2 legs are better than 4”

      • Hilary 5.2.2

        Let me rephrase that. There are of course a lot of very good men out there (probably a majority on the left). They would have been doing the childcare while their wives were out gathering signatures for the women’s suffrage petition in the 1890s etc.

        However, while there remains significant structural and actual discrimination by society based on some ‘average white male norm’, against groups on the basis of gender,ethnicity, sexuality or disability, there is work to do. The gender battle has been going on for many millennia and in many countries doesn’t seem to be making any progress. Addressing this is a responsibility for all of us.

        International Womens Day hasn’t been mentioned in the mainstream media or the blogs that I have seen today. I suspect that this is because women are too busy doing the 24/7 grind keeping the world going, rather than having spare time or resources to contribute.

        So I am not promoting IWD or wanting your support if you are wavering. Just commenting on an observation.

        • Zorr 5.2.2.1

          And the observation is an incredibly sexist one…

          If you are looking to replace an inequal society/system with an equal one you can’t afford to be so discriminatory…

        • Vicky32 5.2.2.2

          International Womens Day hasn’t been mentioned in the mainstream media or the blogs that I have seen today

          It has on BBC Radio! (Also amongst my friends in Italy, it’s a really big thing there.. and so the World Service concentrated on Italy in its items..)

          • rosy 5.2.2.2.1

            Also amongst my friends in Italy, it’s a really big thing there
            It’s huge in Eastern Europe too. Seems to be something that has come out of the communist era and has been merged with the later IWD. Apparently it’s more of an appreciation day rather than a political event – official or non-official public holidays, little presents etc.

    • Te Reo Putake 5.3

      Annie Lennox has done some excellent promotional work for International Women’s Day here.

       
      She makes this pertinent comment:
       
      “I don’t think feminism is about the exclusion of men but their inclusion … we must face and address those issues, especially to include younger men and boys”

      • vto 5.3.1

        Yes.

        One must always bring other stakeholders on board to be successful. The alternative, their exclusion, if successful, will never last. This applies to anything.

      • js 5.3.2

        Yes inclusion – an inclusive society would be nice. Also safe and secure for everyone. Up to everyone to work on this together, not leave it as a problem for the excluded.

    • Te Reo Putake 5.4

      LP: Thanks for the info. From my perspective, the Standard is often a total sausage fest, whith a strongly macho element to the debates. This isn’t unusual on blogs; the loudest voices eventually stifle the quieter contributions in a way that echoes the dominance of men in wider society.
       
      I’m not excusing myself, either. I had to have a good think about how I behave here myself when I was accused of misogyny by a woman poster a year or so ago. I don’t believe it to be true, but it did give me the opportunity to think about how women contributing here might see things.
       
      So kudos to Hillary. Even if the words weren’t perfect, the sentiment is pretty close to correct. I’d be interested to know how others think the Standard could become a more inclusive site and lift those numbers to a more reflective 50/50.

      • lprent 5.4.1

        I’d be interested to know how others think the Standard could become a more inclusive site and lift those numbers to a more reflective 50/50.

        As far as I am concerned that is easy to envisage, a lot harder to achieve. More woman authors who post more than they currently do.

        Hard enough to get authors. But it feels like what I’d envisage is the pain threshold of waxing arsehairs to get female authors doing regular posts. It is enough of a real pain recruiting authors and having them do more than a few posts, but I draw the line at the pain of waxing. Hell, I avoid facial shaving if I have a chance…

        • RedBaron 5.4.1.1

          Um – what clues do you use to suspect a poster of being female?

          • lprent 5.4.1.1.1

            In my case I can see their email, their comment history, and I get far more email from female commentators when they need assistance. I look at the topics of interest, what they have said, and see a pattern – just as i do for everyone. There is also a difference in writing style – can’t tell you what it is, but it is distinctive when you read as many comments as I do (Irish is the master at the art of detecting personality in writing).

            It isn’t precise. But it is good enough to look at trends.

    • Te Reo Putake 5.5

      Double posting, sorry.

    • Hilary 5.6

      Thanks for that data. It actually takes a bit of courage/confidence to participate in this site which (like many others) frequently has testosterone-fuelled and personally aggressive comments. Perhaps that is why women choose to opt out.

  6. Good work Hone in putting this open letter out there so overseas investors are under no misunderstandings about what will happen in the future

    “As the leader of the MANA Movement and Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, I wish to advise that MANA is opposed to the privatisation of state assets and will strongly argue for any shares sold to overseas investors to be returned to New Zealand hands.

    You have been warned…”

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1203/S00104/open-letter-to-overseas-investors.htm

    http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/fair-warning.html

    • vto 6.1

      Agreed marty mars, fight fire with fire. Go Hone!

      Btw, I recall last week some coughing and spluttering from yourself when I referred to the military machinations of Ngai Tahu. In the last week I have had cause to visit various tourist sites around the South Island, several of which had informations available regarding Maori history at the particular sites. I was quite appalled at the lack of reference to those who existed prior to Ngai Tahu’s invasions and the dominance of recent history (last 200 years i.e. Ngai Tahu) over longer history. I guess that some things never change – the victor writes the history books.

      • marty mars 6.1.1

        oh vto rest easy the histories are there for those who are able to see them. Look up mana whenua and whānui, they might give you some clue – but seriously stick to the stuff you nearly know rather than things you know nothing about – makes you less stressed and less antagonistic.

        anyway I’m off to drive tourists on farewell spit now so I’ll reply to your inevitable prodding a bit later…

        • vto 6.1.1.1

          ” the histories are there for those who are able to see them. Look up mana whenua and whānui, they might give you some clue – but seriously stick to the stuff you nearly know rather than things you know nothing about – makes you less stressed and less antagonistic.”

          Actually marty, my point was that “the histories weren’t there”. That is what I specifically looked for. That is what my comment above concerned – the particular point of histories made available at tourist sites. Do you expect people to google stuff at each place they visit? Is that what people do out on Farewell Spit?

          And please stop attacking me personally and accusing me of not knowing stuff and being antagonistic. You wouldn’t have a clue about my knowledge base. I have seen tiny little knowledge from you, just coughing, spluttering, harrumphing, etc. And where on earth is the antagonism in my post above? Nowhere. Which indicates an uncomfortable defensive reaction on your part.

          Try answering the issue and not playing the person. You make a habit of it and all it does is detract further from the points you haven’t made. In fact, whenever Maori issues get questioned those like yourself get highly defensive and abusive, just like our dear farmers whenever they get questioned about the shit in the rivers – all they do is harrumph and abuse and storm off.

          Fact: Histories at tourist sites around the South Island are excessively slanted in favour of Ngai Tahu, the victors.

          Answer: Happy to hear yours but more personal plays without substance on the issue at hand will confirm a growing suspicion re yourself.

          • marty mars 6.1.1.1.1

            you keep raising the same point in a snide way, such as – “when I referred to the military machinations of Ngai Tahu” and “I was quite appalled at the lack of reference to those who existed prior to Ngai Tahu’s invasions and the(ir) dominance of recent history.” Those statements are ignorant – sorry if that offends you. Just who are you talking about vto? Ngāti Mamoe? Waitaha? Guess what, most Ngāi Tahu whānui, like me, whakapapa to all three iwi – that’s what it means to be part of the iwi – it’s on the front page of their website, not hard to find. Perhaps you are talking about other peoples who inhabited the island – please tell me who you are talking about. Hopefully you don’t bring up some brailsford bullshit.

            The reason behind the statements – give me that also and I will treat it with respect.

            • vto 6.1.1.1.1.1

              marty mars, this issue began when you raised yourself to some higher moral ground to look down on the european colonists and their military ways, forgetting your own past and its own military ways. The basis of the issue was hypocrisy and it was that which I was pointing out.

              As for “Brailsford bullshit”, well, that is entirely the consistent reaction to anything which challenges current orthodoxy. The victors write the history books – always have.

              • so you’ve got nothing – no answers to any of my questions – you are totally delusional and a waste of time – how have I forgotton my past again LOL. If you don’t want me to flick you with a wet teatowel then don’t bait me for no reason.

                • vto

                  Where was the baiting? It was you who climbed the lofty depths of confused moral high ground and forgot your own past and its military ways while at the same time deriding others for the same thing. I call that a baiting.

                  If you don’t like being questioned then don’t spout such bullshit.

                • vto

                  “… and through inter-marriage and conquest these migrants merged with the resident Waitaha and took over authority of Te Waipounamu.” Ngai Tahu website.

                  LOL, this is exactly what I was referring to. A painting of history at odds with the reality. For example, why write “…through inter-marriage and conquest … took over authority” which implies inter-marriage was somehow equal at the time to conquest? I tell you why – because it makes for a better looking history when compared to writing “though military conquest the Waitaha were conquered and authority assumed by mamoe at the end of a taiaha. … ” As for inter-marriage, how long after the “conquest” was that? Or was it a result of the rape by soldiers?

                  face it marty mars, the history as written is not settled. Why else would it get raised in conversation when in certain parts of the South Island?

                  And as for your moral high ground when referencing european military escapades as compared your own, sheesh, your own website blows that one out of the water. Wake up fulla.

                  • Hateatea

                    @ Vto – perhaps if you identified the particular sites where you had concerns with the interpretation, it might be possible to advise you more precisely as to where to address your complaints. Of course, where Marty lives and works has different stories as he is outside the rohe potae of Ngāi Tahu whānui.

                    I am also interested to know why you have not engaged with the information I gave you. Is your ‘fight’ specific to Marty or do you just want to carry on believing the Brailsford fairy stories?

                    • vto

                      Hateatea, why would you think I place Brailsford over current history? I haven’t indicated that at all.

                      Regarding your pointers, I appreciate it. Sincerely. I don’t pick these ‘fights’ for fights sake. I have a genuine interest in these things. It is semi-amusing though how marty and I clash over these things.

                      I think I have made my point reasonably clearly above.

                      Appreciate the contact and think the conversation must be kept open – no matter how long it takes.

                  • “at odds with the reality” – your distorted reality vto
                    “which implies” – only in your head vto
                    “better looking history” – so you say vto

                    the knowledge is there vto of what happened in detail the fact is you aren’t ready for it and couldn’t handle it – it not yours and not for you.

                    your bigotry shows through loud and clear with your final ‘fulla’ – you show yourself.

                    • vto

                      Get off the grass marty. Your post is as useless at the others, as I suggested previously. Once again you do nothing but point your points at me rather than the point. Have you got a point? Or do you just swallow everyone else’s goop?

                      And if you think the word ‘fulla’ is somehow pointing at something to do with you only then you are the one lacking reality. I’m out. Had enough.

                  • hateatea

                    ‘A painting of history at odds with the reality. For example, why write “…through inter-marriage and conquest … took over authority” which implies inter-marriage was somehow equal at the time to conquest? I tell you why – because it makes for a better looking history when compared to writing “though military conquest the Waitaha were conquered and authority assumed by mamoe at the end of a taiaha. … ” As for inter-marriage, how long after the “conquest” was that? Or was it a result of the rape by soldiers?’

                    Sorry, Vto, but I don’t understand why you are beating Marty up about something that he didn’t writeThere has never been any dispute, that I am personally aware of, that firstly Ngati Mamoe and later, Ngai Tahu fought to gain dominance of most of Te Wahi Pounemu. Equally, I have never personally heard anyone refute that there were many ‘rongopai’ marriages that ensured the peace and bound the strands of whakapapa together. One of the best known of these is observed at Poupoutunoa near Clinton. http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/scripts/reports/reports/27/48D0AE4D-9734-410D-B1EE-14EB761D3F49.pdf

                    You have not been precise about the locales where you claim to have seen the offending lack of acknowledgement about other migration and settlement stories and your caginess lead both Marty and myself, independently of one another, to conclude that you may have been influenced by Barry Brailsford’s very romantic treatises on Waitaha.

                    If there is something specific to which you would like to refer, I wish you would just spit it out. I really do not like the constant jibing at Marty when neither he nor I, as far as I can tell, know of what he stands accused.

                    I am happy to engage in dialogue, I just need a clearer picture of what your real issue is with either Marty or Ngai Tahu (or both)

                    • vto

                      “Sorry, Vto, but I don’t understand why you are beating Marty up about something that he didn’t writeThere has never been any dispute, that I am personally aware of, that firstly Ngati Mamoe and later, Ngai Tahu fought to gain dominance of most of Te Wahi Pounemu. ”

                      I am questioning marty’s point some couple weeks ago that saw him clamber onto high moral ground and look down on the ways and means of the European as if they are / were somehow worse and more morally lacking than those of Maori at times of conquest or colonisation. His own history is the same, as you perfectly point out above. He chooses to ignore this and claim a superiority. That is what grates. An incorrect view of history and a hypocrisy. The line ‘the victor writes the history books’, so true through all of humanity, is entirely applicable.

                      That questioning by me of marty’s view then resurfaced through the example of Maori histories at tourist sites I happenned to come across some days ago, which also painted a view of their history seemingly at odds with other views. To further support this I copied just one part of Ngai Tahu’s website to indicate how the wording has been constructed to paint a more favourable picture than could otherwise have been written. He has not answered any of this except to say I am thick and no nothing. That is all he has said. Read it yourself, it is all there above and around.

                      You also say “You have not been precise about the locales where you claim to have seen the offending lack of acknowledgement about other migration and settlement stories and your caginess lead both Marty and myself, independently of one another, to conclude that you may have been influenced by Barry Brailsford’s very romantic treatises on Waitaha. If there is something specific to which you would like to refer, I wish you would just spit it out..”

                      No I haven’t been precise and I wont. The reasons for this relate to my activities in the South Island and the potential for personal exposure and its subsequent effects. You will appreciate that parts of the region are populated by few people who all know each other and live and work together. I am not putting that at jeopardy to satisfy a small example part of the wider issue I explained above.

                      You also say “I really do not like the constant jibing at Marty when neither he nor I, as far as I can tell, know of what he stands accused.”.

                      I invite you to re-read the above. Count up the personal attacks from marty and the lack of points made and evidence in support. It is marty who has on each post led the personal attack. Have a look. I am sick of it. He gets all upset everytime his understanding of the world gest questioned. Harrumphs, snorts, abuses and storms off. It is quite pathetic.

                      Marty claimed the moral high ground. I questioned it. He got all upset and has done nothing to support his claim.

                    • “He chooses to ignore this and claim a superiority.”

                      no I don’t – please provide reference

                      “An incorrect view of history and a hypocrisy”

                      In your opinion or do you have backup for your ‘incorrect history’ story

                      “seemingly at odds with other views”

                      Which other views – come on provide your sources

                      “to paint a more favourable picture”

                      Once again in your view – favourable is subjective – my point to you is that you don’t know enough to understand the concept or content in relation to these matters, you are still looking through your blurred lense created by your own stuff.

                      You started this deliberate attack on me because you know I am part of the iwi. You added comments to my unrelated comments to bring up the point that you strongly wished to say. Yet you still waffle on scared to tell your truth. Here you go – get it out – tell me the real story.

                      “I don’t like Ngai Tahu”
                      “I don’t like maori getting special treatment”
                      “I don’t like maori not fitting in to our country” and so on…

                      Frankly, if it is actually about indigenous historial narratives and their use in creating perceptions and positioning for marginalised groups, I’ll eat my hat.

                    • vto

                      I’ve told you already marty, I’m out. Had enough and can’t have a general discussion with you without personal attacks from you.

                      I have provided examples and evidence e.g. Ngai Tahu website. Tourist sites.

                      You continue with your baseless and unsupported attacks on me personally rather than debate the issue. In addition you provide not one single piece of evidence or example or sample anywhere to support anything you have claimed about me. All you say is “you’re ignorant”.

                      And now you think I “started this because you are part of the iwi”. For fucks sake I had no idea of that and it is irrelevant. And now you say these things too ““I don’t like Ngai Tahu”
                      “I don’t like maori getting special treatment”
                      “I don’t like maori not fitting in to our country” and so on…

                      You are full of substanceless shit. Piss off

                    • jeepers what a sook

                      hopefully you’ll think twice before posting any more bullshit but somehow I doubt it.

                    • vto

                      hollow again

      • hateatea 6.1.2

        If the sites you visited had historical interpretation then you had the story from the perspective of the people who live locally ie the descendants of Ngai Tahu whanui. As most people don’t know how the whakapapa of Ngai Tahu is openly acknowledged as having the several strands, you may have confused the KISS principle for writing commentary for signage with suppression of other stories. It is more usual for available space to be the problem rather than a lack of knowledge of the whole history of an area.

        Historians such as Harry Evison, Atholl Anderson and Dr Te Maire Tau have all written extensively on the various migrations from north to south that have resulted in what is called Ngai Tahu today but like Marty, those who whakapapa to the iwi take great pride in the individual strands and the stories that are interwoven

      • hateatea 6.1.3

        OK, this seems to be where it all started

        ‘Regarding theft of land – are you referring to Ngai Tahu and its military takeover and theft of the South Island and its resources such as pounamu, post European arrival?

        You later seemed to acknowledge that you had been a little over the top

        ‘As for the military takeover by Ngai Tahu – that was a tiny exaggeration to go with your exaggerated claim re theft of lands in your first post above.’

        Vto, it was more than exaggerated, it was a claim totally without foundation. Ngai Tahu had been in Te Wahi Pounemu long before the arrival of the sealers, whalers, traders and gun and while there were battles fought, describing it as a military takeover is more than a little OTT, isn’t it?
        ‘But why would it be such a shock to Ngai Tahu to learn of, or even begin to question, the warring ways to gain lands and resources which are then claimed from high moral ground under the treaty process in a subsequent century. Many parts of this period and history are quietly but forcefully shoved under the carpet. Perhaps a little more openness and honesty about what happenned then would be useful for all parties.’

        Who is shoving them under the carpet? All this and much, much more was well and truly aired during the 150 years between the beginning of the Ngai Tahu Claim and the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 
        ‘As an example, the true history of Ngai Tahu on Te Tai Poutini combined with the undercurrents of today regarding pounamu may be a good starting point.’
         
        There are many who feel that the role of their particular whanau or hapu has not been well served by the settlement process and I neither deny nor defend that. Indeed, many of them are whanaunga of mine.

        ‘I am questioning marty’s point some couple weeks ago that saw him clamber onto high moral ground and look down on the ways and means of the European as if they are / were somehow worse and more morally lacking than those of Maori at times of conquest or colonisation. His own history is the same, as you perfectly point out above. He chooses to ignore this and claim a superiority. That is what grates. An incorrect view of history and a hypocrisy. The line ‘the victor writes the history books’, so true through all of humanity, is entirely applicable.
        ‘No I haven’t been precise and I wont. The reasons for this relate to my activities in the South Island and the potential for personal exposure and its subsequent effects. You will appreciate that parts of the region are populated by few people who all know each other and live and work together. I am not putting that at jeopardy to satisfy a small example part of the wider issue I explained above’
        That questioning by me of marty’s view then resurfaced through the example of Maori histories at tourist sites I happenned to come across some days ago, which also painted a view of their history seemingly at odds with other views. To further support this I copied just one part of Ngai Tahu’s website to indicate how the wording has been constructed to paint a more favourable picture than could otherwise have been written. He has not answered any of this except to say I am thick and no nothing. That is all he has said. Read it yourself, it is all there above and around.’

        I have read it, once I tracked it all down. Mostly what I see is someone baiting and prodding (Vto) and someone who doesn’t really want to get into it (Marty) who sometimes was fairly terse in his responses to you. Forgive me if I have over simplified. The reality is that knowing our history and how it has created our particular whanau is something that is intensely personal and not one usually broadcast to the four winds 

        I understand the need for anonymity. I have a similar need and I may well be more easily identified than you. I don’t know. Nevertheless, your unwillingness to name any particular site  where you disagree with the interpretation makes it difficult to evaluate how real the issue is

        I think this matter got out of hand rather rapidly and that perhaps no one comes out of it totally without fault. I suppose that I would like to think that we can all move on from this rather than to continue to mount attacks and counter attacks everytime one of us sees the others screenname on a thread.

        That we all have our own world view is a given. It is what makes the blogosphere interesting but we needed be constantly butting heads here. There is enough of that out there in the real world without transferring it to the etherworld.

        Kia tau te rangimarie 

        • vto 6.1.3.1

          Pretty good summary there Hateatea, well done. I too want to keep these debates open and enjoy and seek out arenas to test various things.

          The problem that comes to mind from my perspective when raising these issues is that at times people do not like their seemingly solid foundations being questioned and they respond in a personal manner. That is understandable given our foible-filled character, though not particularly useful. Conversely, perhaps the issues could be raised by me in a better way.

          A similarly difficult long line of debate between marty and I occurred recently when I questioned the relevance of the structure of the Treaty of Waitangi (not its content) in today’s world. For various reasons I think it should be re-worked – but that just elicited all sorts of personal responses.

          Anyways, appreciate the thought and effort you have gone to. Last night I determined to take one of the matters above, the historical narratives at various tourist sites around the South Island, and dig deeper to evaluate the suggestions I have made re their realism or romanticism. If wrong I will admit it and change course (as I have done with other issues in the past). If not I would hope the same is offered in return. Watch this space.

          Onwards!

          • hateatea 6.1.3.1.1

            Thanks for taking the time to respond, Vto.

            I think that sometimes we are all inclined to forget that we are not receiving all the other clues we get in RL debate; body posture, facial movements, tone and pace of expression, merely flat words on a page and it can be far too easy to see aggression where none was intended.

            I look forward to further harmonious discussions

  7. Jackal 7

    Richard Pearson – Asshole of the Week

    Yesterday, One News correspondent Stephen Smith reported that Ports of Auckland Chairman Richard Pearson refutes the Union claims that it was planning redundancies all along. Pearson ignores the fact that PoAL’s illegal Labour Strategy (PDF) that outlined how they would make the workers redundant has been made public…

    • Tiger Mountain 7.1

      Exactly Jackal, Pearson and the super city’s Mark Ford et al are the type of scumbags that rank right up there with Roger Douglas and Shonkey as traitors to this country.

  8. lprent 8

    Testing ajax edit.

    Lost the popup.

  9. Te Reo Putake 9

     Pay Equity Challenge Coalition says little good news for women on International Women’s Day.
     
    Today marks the 101st International Women’s Day but according to the Pay Equity Challenge Coalition there is little good news for women workers.
     
    “The Government has shown by moving the Minister of Women’s Affairs outside of Cabinet that working women’s issues are not a priority,” says spokesperson Angela McLeod.
     
    “To add to that, the briefing to the new Minister doesn’t use the words “gender pay gap”  let alone provide effective solutions on how to reduce it.
     
    “According to the Quarterly Employment Survey figures, the gender pay gap for the final quarter last year was 13%, an increase from 12.85% in the September quarter.  This is completely unacceptable,” says Mrs McLeod. The gender gap is even bigger in some occupations and in one  public service department it reaches a high of 38%”
     
    “Members of the Coalition will be seeking a meeting with the Minister of Women’s Affairs to talk about real solutions to close the pay gap. “We think it’s important to value the work that women do and to pay them fairly.
     
    The Minister needs to understand that pay rates have to rise for women working in low paid occupations. The latest example is the Oceania residential aged care workers currently taking industrial action, who have been offered a pitiful 1% a year pay increase spread over three years. These workers are underpaid and undervalued yet take care of our respected and vulnerable elderly.    
     
    “Given that this is 2012 and is the Chinese Year of the Dragon, a year for prosperity, we’d like to see some more prosperity in the direction of the pay packets of these and other low paid working women,” Mrs McLeod adds.
     
    “A Government plan to close the gender pay gap is the news we want to hear”
     

  10. stever 10

    Great article on Ayn Rand (her birthday a few days ago) by Monbiot.

    A great quote: “[what would her disciples think] if they knew that towards the end of her life she signed on for both Medicare and social security”

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/05/new-right-ayn-rand-marx

  11. Herodotus 11

    An unneccessary spend of Govt money-
    Botany Downs Secondary School built 2005 – stormwater flow issues reported to MOE in 2005. Now after investigations we find out ….
    Pipes were undersized for the size of the school,poorly constructed, materials didn’t meet necessary regulatory codes, pipes installed incorrectly without adequate insulation,no concrete laid in base in stormwater holding tanks to use in irrigation of sports fields (And water leached out causing subsidence !!!), defects included sewage and sprinkle systems. And the MOE received Code of Compliance from the council. The result replacement of entire system by the MOE, with the MOE “considering” options into recovery of costs. How can this hapen !!!!! And where are those who should be accountable ???

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      Large numbers of NZ professionals, decision makers and tradesmen with subzero give-a-fuck factors.

  12. Bored 12

    Oh how the chickens come home to roost…..the column on “dumb arse POA management” resonates loudly, echos of ridiculous legislation by Douglas and a succession of ideologically blind fools.

    As a business person I have always thought the whole idea of “creating markets” on natural monopolies was perhaps the most stupid piece of foolishness ever. All we have done as a nation is surrender a key component of our international competitiveness to ideological folly with a very negative dollar impact upon businesses that actually do something. The only ones who benefit are the corporate big boys who have better negotiating power, the rest of business actually end up worse off.

    In a nut shell utilities (SOEs for power and transport etc) have been made to compete at cost to the rest of us. Capitaql that should have gone to productive enterprise has been captured to buy shares in these “rentier” ventures. Then you get the real stupidity….ports “competing” for the business of the likes of Maersk. How fucking stupid, it costs us all money. If they all belonged to “Waterfront NZ” SOE they might be able to plan rationally and negotiate effectively.

    Or perhaps look at the UBF roll out…..lots of smaller contractors and big private ventures clipping the ticket, us paying more either through direct costs or by tax subsidies…why the hell did we sell Telecom????? making it run better is one thing, making us pay a lot more to shareholders is entirely another. Absolute foolishness.

  13. ScottGN 13

    As someone who thought Goff was much under-appreciated as Leader of the Opposition I must say it’s great to see him getting up in The House and serving it up to the Govt day after day on the cuts to MFAT. The Govt has no idea where the leaks are going to come from next but they have a sinking feeling that they are going to keep on coming. Payback for Goff for the three years when all those half-arsed National MPs thought he was good to kick the shit out of.

    • deuto 13.1

      I agree. Goff seems so much more relaxed/happy but is really giving it to them on this issue. Just wish the rest of Labour were doing such a good job. IMO the jury is still out re Shearer.

  14. Jackal 14

    Peter Dunne lying scum

    Today, Peter Dunne challenged people to find evidence of him saying he was against the sale of our assets prior to the last general election… challenge accepted!

    • You won’t find anything of substance. Dunne has been clear and consistent, some try and nitpick but fail so they bluster.

      Here’s a direct link to the speech: http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/11829

      • phillip ure.. 14.1.1

        so..you support yr leader..

        ..and want the assets sold..?

        phil@whoar.

        • Vicky32 14.1.1.1

          phil@whoar.

          Just coming along to say that I heard you on Radio New Zealand two or so hours back, Phil!
          Best song ever written… Mine’s Solsbury Hill, but i like your choice…

    • ianmac 14.2

      The consummate politician says what he thinks would go down well but with enough ambiguity to claim denial later, after an Election.
      Dunne? Definitely.
      Key? Very much so.

      • Pete George 14.2.1

        Not at all, quite clear before and after to anyone who cares to check rather than just jump to conclusions.

        • marty mars 14.2.1.1

          but what about now pete when the will of the people is obviously against the sales will dunne listen to the people? I hope you have his ear because surely you believe in following the will of the people and wise words are needed. Please no distracting with the election dah dee dah I know, I voted, but here and now McFlock was correct with the numbers and analysis.

        • rosy 14.2.1.2

          “Not at all, quite clear before and after to anyone who cares to check rather than just jump to conclusions.”
          I did check.
          http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/peter-dunne-address-to-deloitte-business

          Asset sales are on National’s agenda, but the jury is very much out on just how comfortable New Zealander’s are with this policy.
          – My take on it is that Kiwis are not very comfortable at all with it – most certainly not with anything close to open slather.
          – The many people who want John Key back in power for the next three years, want him in spite of asset sales and not because of them.
          – I sense very strongly that New Zealander’s do not want to give National a blank cheque on asset sales.

          I think that makes Ianmac correct when he says:
          “The consummate politician says what he thinks would go down well but with enough ambiguity to claim denial later, after an Election.”

    • This is dishonest nonsense:

      “When you take peoples’ property against their consent, that is called theft. This Government is proposing to steal the assets from 100 per cent of New Zealanders and give it to the 1 per cent.”

      (Russell Norman)

  15. Reagan Cline 15

    Jofhn Christiansen of Mt Albert could give his neighbour Judith Bassett a call and go search out some homeless vagrants to take home for a nice re-assuring cuppa with her and Micky. They could enjoy those nice scones (Mike’s Mum’s special recipe) and talk about Judith’s old headliner POA and how to get lead letter in the “New Zealand” Herald. Then drive them down to Hobson St and be awfully shocked on the way home with the thought of bloated human corpses in a city built on Fordism and a complete denial of the worth of a human person.

  16. Morrissey 16

    New evidence that excessive exposure to the sun can cause brain damage

    http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/new-evidence-that-excessive-exposure-to-the-sun-can-cause-brain-damage/

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
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    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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