It’s the Herald. Hide is just one of many commentators the Herald will parade telling Northlanders not to vote for Peters.
The media will be one to watch here. They’ve been taken by surprise a bit by the polls and they don’t have much time to influence the by-election. They’ll be spitting tacks if their nemesis wins
I think we can expect to see an upsurge in negative comments about Winston Peters from the media over the rest of the month. The next weekend Herald will be one to watch, Roughan and O’Sullivan were busy defending their Godboy this week but I suspect they’ll have a different target next time.
Midweek I’m guessing we’ll have the likes of Armstrong and Trevett putting the boot in to Peters, with advice for Northlanders from the likes of Hoskings and the odd cameo appearances.
I’d like to believe that but experience shows the media have more power and influence over voters than we can be comfortable with. The corporate media will certainly have been quietly congratulating themselves over the hatchet job they did on David Cunliffe… it worked.
totally agree but the TV1 poll just published says Winston 36 Nats 36 Lab 20. Some tactical voting and a few subtle hints by Little (and others) should see Winston sail home. Lets see what Little says on TV1 in 2 minutes…..and he is subtly saying vote Winston.
Interestingly, Bearded Git, Andrew Little was saying exactly what Willow-Jean has on her leaflet for distribution around Northland households ie “Its time to send a message to the government that Northland deserves better”. This leaflet was printed out well before Winston appeared on the scene with a similar message on his bus !
Oh come on Jenny-he didn’t say vote Labour. He said vote for the person who is likely to beat National, which is the only way a message can be sent. And that person is Winnie.
It was a clever piece of repositioning. Little sounded like a PM in waiting to me.
Andrew Little is a good man. Fair and thoughtful. What more does anyone want? He will be a very good Prime Minister, liked by people of all persuasion. Trust me on that. You heard it here first!
Hide has as an obsessive hatred of Peters which goes back to the Winebox saga. He was a full time economic adviser to Alan Gibbs prior to him entering parliament, and was an integral part of that whole tax evasion/avoidance scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was placed in the ACT headquarters by Gibbs for the express purpose of becoming… Gibbs’ man in parliament. It worked for a while then it all (thankfully) turned to dust. I wouldn’t be surprised if they blame Winston Peters for that too.
Anne
Thanks for that historical snippet.
Most people don’t know or have forgotten Gibb’s puppetry with Rodney Hide.
We need reminding every now and then.
We need reminding of Key’s support for the invasion of Iraq, his taking out a new mortgage for an apartment he already owned because of a parliamentary perk, English’s Wellington home etc….etc..
Andrew Little needs to enforce standards in the Labour Party on matters surrounding donations. A scandal in this area could undo his good works.
Letting Mallard, Cosgrove and Nash get away with dodgy donations is not a good precedent.
Sadly Robertson counts on them as supporters. If Robertson gets a top 4 role in the November reshuffle, following King’s planned step-down, Robertson will rehabilitate Cosgrove. Cosgrove has tooooo much on Robertson.
Just seen Corrin Dan on Q&A announce that Andrew Little would be the next speaker
I do like the unbiased introduction by Dan, Andrew Little, former Union Boss. Perhaps next time Key comes on he will introduce Key as the former, and still is money trading spiv
I like that, but he Still is, and if Dan Dan the lavatory man has to introduce that prat from Epsom (Rimmer) they play the signature music of Red Dwarf
The Ruskies think that Nemtsov was followed the whole day by several cars who interchanged positions as they tracked him. So there is much more yet to come.
That is NOT what Andrew Little said, fisiani. He said instead that NZ had previously had a fairness in legislation that allowed for a trial period at a workplace, and that is what he wants to see reinstated.
When Labour Party supporters ‘do an Epsom’ and vote strategically in Northland, Winston Peters will romp in.
When Winston Peters takes Northland off National, they will be left with 59 out of 121 MPs and will be politically ‘wing-clipped’ in terms of passing their pro-corporate / anti-worker legislation.
Why on earth would Labour not be pulling out all the stops in order to help this happen – by promoting ‘STRATEGIC’ voting in Northland?
I for one am not saying Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime should ‘stand aside’ or not continue to advocate and publicise Labour’s policies.
But this Northland by-election is FAR bigger than Northland.
Labour – do NOT stuff it up for the majority of New Zealanders!
Why Obama wants to broker peace with Iran. Why Israel is opposed . Who is supporting ISIL?….a very good discussion with Peter Lavelle moderating:
“So close, yet so far. Iran and the West are close to accomplishing what so many in Washington and Tel Aviv are terrified of – a negotiated end to the Western standoff with Iran. Israel’s Netanyahu has made it clear: war is better than peace. Can Washington finally say ‘yes’ to peace?”
CrossTalking with Mohammad Marandi, Gareth Porter, and Chuck Freilich.
Saudi Arabia would also hate US corporates having full access to Iran to sack Iran’s resources and send profits from its vast oil and gas fields back to Wall St.
My very amateur over view on Israel’s position around its neighbours is to keep them unstable , divided and weak.
I bet Iran and Iraq working together on the IS problem is worrying Israel big time
My last blog post on medicinal Cannabis for a while, this time not based around pain, but the Anti Nausea and appetite stimulating effects and their positive impact on a patient suffering from HIV
Sorry, but have stopped reading until the entanglement with Pete George is gone. By all means post on his site too, but when you link like you do, here of all places, it’s a distraction and plain rude (I suspect you don’t fully understand the extent of the trouble PG has caused here).
I think it’s been pointed out to you a number of times. My comment isn’t about you posting at yawnz, it’s about how you link here. Your choice of course.
I would have thought it important for the people of Northland to understand the implosion around the National Party people in Northland, and in particular Mike Sabin. The reasons he left. And what and when the National Party people knew about it.
Otherwise it is nothing but a bullshit-extension of the same….
Oh, no nothing like that, just important facts concerning the organisation so many people in Northland seem hell bent on electing back in. i.e. the National Party
It is the GIANT elephant in the room making so much difference — seemingly not to be mentioned or even alluded to by msm. I’m thinking Winston is somehow going to challenge the silence — it is after all, the sole raison d’etre for this by-election. He tried several times in the House but Carter cut him off at the pass … maybe this week or next in the House ? Winston is surely more canny than the rest of them combined.
(Have been wondering if a an airplane towing a message drogue would constitute breaching name suppression — is it publishing in the air ?? And yes, I am half-serious.)
I am sure it could be done in a way that didn’t breach any suppression orders. You’d probably need your own plane, because I suspect anyone renting them out in Northland would be an ardent Tory. If I was still there, I’d be putting up signs at night. Or maybe even during the day. The legal situation is very unclear.
A brilliant article by guest author Sam Goldham at the Daily Blog shows clearly why Tony Abbott and John Key are criminals and even worse, war criminals.
I would like to add multiple cases (past, present and future) of the criminal act of financial terrorism to John Key’s name!
This, in large part, is the triumph of capitalism over democracy, as Lebowitz calls it. Through the corporate mass media – particularly television news (and particularly cable TV news) – the “masters of the universe” capitalists embed a world view in enough voters to create the semblance of a democracy. In reality the real decisions are being made upstairs, where the money is counted and continues to pile up to the rafters.
But I believe that people mistake when capitalism triumphed over democracy:
In order to do this, the Patriot leaders of the Revolution used ‘a language inspiring to all classes, specific enough in its listing of grievances to charge people with anger against the British, vague enough to avoid class conflict among the rebels, and stirring enough to build a patriotic feeling for the resistance movement’ (1999: 68). But this was a difiicult game for the Patriot leaders to play because it required a balancing act, maintaining broadly popular support for the War of Independence and Revolution by appealing to universal notions of liberty and democracy, on one hand, while simultaneously defending the sanctity of property and the rule of a rich capitalist minority, on the other.
History of Democracy by B. Roper
It can. IMO, be said that we’ve never had democracy because the rich didn’t want us to have it and they still fight against it whenever it pops up. A good example of this fight against democracy by the rich is the firing of ECan by this government.
ffs, when you delete comments that are already replied to you screw up the bottom of the thread and all subsequent comments. Instead, edit the content (replace everything with a full stop if you have to).
I happened to be in Palmerston North yesterday and attended the TPP march which was pretty well attended I think. At least not less than 500 in my guess.
There were lots of people with videos and cameras and two people who took my picture with my nice placard told me they would be putting the photos on line and one said it would be on face book. I wonder if any one of you knows where I can find the photos from Palmerston North to see if I am there !
Thanks in advance for your help.
P.S :
There was a lovely band which played there with great music. The female singer was very talented and very pleasant to listen to. Well done, singer, who ever you are. Great job!
The male singer was good too with quite clever political songs. well done!
It also shows the effects a universal basic income has had on many Native American communities. Many Native American reservations operate casinos and pay every resident a dividend, which has reached $10k a year in some communities. The benefits have been amazing.
Turkish government gives senior ISIS commander hospital care
Says that it is what any Turkish citizen deserves. (The ISIS commander is one of approx. 1000 Turkish citizens currently fighting with ISIS).
Meanwhile a Turkish medical student who went to give medical assistance to the Kurds in Kobani is being arrested by the Turkish Government for terrorism.
Turkey would rather support AL-Nusrah & probably even Da’ish than the Kurds and various autonomous cantons. They want Assad gone, the Kurds suppressed, a Sunni state in Syria, and the Syrian refugees sent home. They’re hovering dangerously around wanting to have their cake and eat it as well. Erdogan is showing every sign of being a Turkish Mubarak or even a Turkish Putin.
That said it seems unclear what the fate of the Da’ish commander ultimately will be. Receiving medical treatment is of course the humanitarian thing to do – if he is then released to re-cross the border that would be another thing entirely.
Our Labour Party branch down here in Dunedin South watched part of that interview. Just outstanding. Binney is incredibly talented and moral. People like him give me huge respect for some of the citizens of the USA.
"You're going to need a longer runway" Gratton et al explore the ongoing effects of upward-creeping temperatures on aviation in Greece in the period since 1955 at a range of airports in that country. For longer runways impacts are measurable but with little impact on operations. For airports with shorter runways, ...
In mid-December the Israeli secret police, the Shin Beit, revealed it had arrested dozens of Palestinian left-wing activists, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in the previous few months. Among those arrested was one of the central leaders of the PFLP, Khalida Jarrar. As ...
Former National Party chief whip Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four people charged over National's multiple fraudulent donations. How unsurprising. Meanwhile, just days ago National leader Simon Bridges was trying to pretend the charges were nothing to do with his party. Yeah, right. When your chief whip effectively publicly ...
If you've been watching FYI for a while, you'll have noticed that the police have a bad habit of demanding ID from requesters. They have apparently been repeatedly told to stop doing this by the Ombudsman, but we all know what law enforcement thinks of the law, so thye keep ...
Collateral Damage: For the Green Phoenix to be reborn, the funeral pyre so patiently assembled by its identity politicians over the course of many fractious years – but with growing intensity over the past three – first has to be ignited. The terrible probability, of course, is that, in setting ...
If you follow politics in New Zealand you've likely noticed that the right wing have been going on and on about the Coalition Government failing to reduce poverty. In fact they’ve been incessantly claiming, in the absence of any conclusive data, that poverty has been getting worse.Yesterday, NewstalkZB reported:Mike Hosking: ...
The Herald reported over the weekend that an Auckland business owner is being targeted with asset forfeiture laws over a workplace death:A workplace fatality has seen police use a law usually associated with drugs and organised crime to seize millions of dollars in assets from a business owner because of ...
Just days after talking about how people feel "squeezed" and promising tax and service cuts as a "solution", National is talking about cancelling a rise in the minimum wage if elected: National is considering scrapping the Government's planned minimum wage increase if it wins this year's election, the party's finance ...
Nobody thinks about the next century anymore. That at least is Sci-Fi writer William Gibson’s observation (in this BBC 4 short interview, starting at 1:43:50 ). He calls it “Futures Fatigue”, but isn’t judgemental about it. Gibson notes that in the 20th century speculation about the 21st (and beyond) was common. Now ...
A Labour government desperate for the numbers crawls into bed with Winston Peters. Winston ignores the law and secretly takes money under the table from someone. When it is exposed just months out from an election, he is investigated by the Serious Fraud Office. That's what happened back in 2008. ...
So the Serious Fraud Office has another secret $100,050 National Party donation before the Courts in a major scandal that looks set to quash any chances Simon Bridges had of winning the 2020 election.Yesterday, Newsroom reported:The Serious Fraud Office prosecution of four people over donations to the National Party involves ...
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Stuff today has a piece about the government discovering it has been oversubsidising polluters for a decade under the Emissions Trading scheme:The Government is pledging to urgently fix an issue within the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), after it emerged some polluters are likely being over-compensated with taxpayer-funded carbon credits. [...] ...
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When Winston Peters was caught money laundering donations and stalking journalists, the Greens were conspicuous by their silence. It was another example of how getting along with their government partners was eroding their values and their own reputation. It was obviously unsustainable, and so now James Shaw has finally spoken ...
I am among the most pro-free speech people I know. I don’t doubt there are others more strident than me, but I’m certainly up there. And my support for freedom of expression isn’t limited to opposition to government-imposed restrictions. It extends to a belief that employers should have limited powers ...
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Bob Jones has dropped his defamation case against Renae Maihi. Good. But at the same time, it perfectly exposes what the case was all about: not protecting Jones' reputation, but punishing someone who had dared to criticise him, and deterring others from doing the same. This rich pompous asshat dragged ...
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So the guy who advocated for public burning and beheading feels offended because someone called him a racist!Perhaps Bob Jones hasn't heard of the very old saying; Live by the sword, die by the sword?I mean for someone who often writes opinionated nonsense about Maori; this is a ridiculous case ...
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by Philip Ferguson Last month B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported: “In 2019, Israeli security forces killed 133 Palestinians, including 28 minors. Of the casualties, 104 were killed in the Gaza Strip, 26 in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and three within ...
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It may have been the first sitting week of 2020, but our Government is already in full-swing - managing a strong economy, investing in infrastructure, and working to break the cycle of homelessness. Read below for all that, and more... ...
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Speech by the Rt Hon Winston Peters at Parliament’s Opening 2020 "We all need insurance" This year New Zealanders are going to have a clear choice to make That choice is between: Optimism versus pessimism; More progress versus back to the future; Investment versus divestment; Unity versus division. New Zealand ...
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Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Broadcasting New Zealand First supports the commissioning of a business case to assess the viability of a new public media entity. “A strong media environment is critical for a healthy democracy. New Zealand First is a strong supporter of a diverse, independent media,” New Zealand First broadcasting spokesperson ...
Pounamou and technology industries in the West Coast region are set to receive more than $2 million in Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding. This was announced by the Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau during Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika. He said $800,000 would be given to Development West ...
Clayton Mitchell MP, New Zealand First spokesperson for Labour and Industrial Relations Unemployment and wage growth numbers released by Stats NZ today demonstrate a labour market in good shape with unemployment falling to 4.0%, the underutilisation rate falling to an 11 year low, and wage growth at a 10-year high ...
Hon. Ron Mark, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence Ron Mark, welcomes the official opening of Te Rau Aroha, a new museum at Waitangi Treaty Grounds as part of our Coalition Agreement. “It is a great honour to be part of an effective Government ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime MinisterGood morning,Let us start with important acknowledgements.First, this special day, in remembrance of the 28th Maori Battalion, is also to honour all those men and women who have risked their lives in the service of our country.Second, special guest Robert ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand will look to build on its relationship with the United Kingdom and recommit to the European Union, after the country officially left the continental union recently. The Minister said New Zealand already cooperates closely with Britain on defence and security issues and has ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs The Government has agreed with Air New Zealand to charter an aircraft to assist New Zealanders leaving Wuhan, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. The aircraft will have capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to ...
Tougher penalties for gun crime are a step closer with the passage of firearms reform legislation through another stage in Parliament. The Arms Legislation Bill has tonight passed its Second Reading. “The changes have one objective - to prevent firearms falling into the wrong hands,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. ...
Introduction Mr Speaker We all know why we are here today. It has been a long journey. The journey did not actually begin on 15 March 2019. It began on 30 June 1997. Almost 23 years ago, Justice Sir Thomas Thorp told us what was wrong with our firearms legislation. ...
The Government’s work to put trades and vocational education back on the agenda took another major step forward today with the passing of the Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Bill, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is a watershed day for trades and vocational education. These law changes formalise ...
Speeding up the return of Christchurch regeneration activities to local leadership is behind the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today by Minister Megan Woods. “As we approach nine years since the February 2011 earthquake in Canterbury, and with the transition to local leadership well underway, the time ...
Hundreds of New Zealanders and international visitors will be able to get back out into nature with the Milford Track partially reopening next week, after extensive assessments and repairs, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The popular Great Walk has been closed since 3 February after an extreme ...
Up to 110 new EV chargers nationwide in cities and regions 50 electric vehicles for ride-sharing The Government is helping deliver more infrastructure and options for low emissions transport through new projects, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. Tauranga, Nelson, Levin, New Plymouth and Oamaru are just some ...
New Zealanders are increasingly better off under this Government as wages rise and families have more disposable income, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ reported today that average household disposable incomes after housing costs rose 4.9% in 2019. This was the highest rise in four years and came as ...
All New Zealanders need to have their voices heard at work to ensure we have an inclusive and productive economy. Today we introduce a Bill to do this for workers in the New Zealand screen industry, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “The Screen Industry Workers Bill will ...
The Government has announced further help for the Southland and Otago regions to speed up recovery efforts from the floods. “I’ve approved Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG), making $500,000 available to help with the clean-up in Fiordland, Southland, and the Clutha district in Otago,” Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
Following the announcement that more than 340 schools will be funded to run events promoting vocational education, the Government has announced it will fund a further 257 events to be run by employers and industry. “These industry-run events will allow more than 30,000 students to connect with more than 2,000 ...
Today the Government is making progress on a fairer and more secure rental market for renters and landlords with the introduction of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill in Parliament. “This Bill includes a series of reforms to improve the wellbeing of the 609,700 households that live in rented homes, and ...
A Government programme to wipe out pea weevil has achieved a world first, with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor today announcing the successful eradication of the noxious pest from Wairarapa. This means the nearly four-year ban on pea plants and pea straw was lifted today. Commercial and home gardeners can again grow ...
Southland residents hit by flooding caused by heavy rainfall can now access help finding temporary accommodation with the Government activating the Temporary Accommodation Service, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare announced today. “The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to help ...
“Is that it?” That’s Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s response to Simon Bridges’ much-hyped economic speech today. “Simon Bridges just gave the most over-hyped and under-delivered speech that I can remember during my time in politics,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s not surprising. Simon Bridges literally said on the radio this morning ...
A trial deployment of the Police Eagle helicopter in Christchurch will test whether the aircraft would make a significant difference to crime prevention and community safety. “The Bell 429 helicopter will be based in Christchurch for five weeks, from 17 February to 20 March,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. “The ...
The Government has kept up the pace of its work to promote New Zealand’s trade interests and diversify our export markets, with visits to Fiji and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. Building momentum to bring the PACER Plus trade and development agreement ...
The Coalition Government’s investment in a strong border and disrupting transnational organised crime produced record results for stopping drugs in 2019, says Minister of Customs Jenny Salesa. The illegal drugs were seized at the New Zealand border by Customs, and overseas by Customs’ international border partners before the drugs could ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off construction of a separated cycleway alongside Tamaki Drive. A two-way separated cycleway will be built along the northern side of Tamaki Drive, between the Quay Street Cycleway extension and Ngapipi Road. There will be a separate walking path alongside. Phil Twyford said giving ...
Owner-occupiers of unit and apartments living in earthquake-prone buildings will have certainty about the financial support they’ll be eligible for with the release of criteria for an upcoming assistance scheme, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. The Residential Earthquake-Prone Building Financial Assistance Scheme will help unit owners facing ...
Temporary restrictions on travel from China will remain in place as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The restrictions which prevent foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China from entering New Zealand have been extended for a further 8 days. This position ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today that Tairāwhiti rangatahi will benefit from an investment made by the Government’s He Poutama Rangatahi (HPR) scheme. The funding will go to the Tautua Village, Kauneke programme and the Matapuna Supported Employment Programme which will fund 120 rangatahi over two years. “Both programmes work ...
All parents and caregivers need to ensure that their children go to school unless they are sick, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin said today. “The school attendance results for 2019 show, across the board, a drop in the number of students going to school regularly,” the Minister says. “Apart from ...
A Deed of Settlement agreeing redress for historical Treaty claims has been signed by the Crown and Moriori at Kōpinga Marae on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Moriori have a tradition of peace that extends back over 600 years. This settlement ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today with Māori King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII officially opened the country’s newest road, the $384 million Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway. The 15km four-lane highway with side and central safety barriers takes State Highway 1 east of Huntly town, across lowlands and streams ...
The rapid uptake of life-saving new hepatitis C medicine Maviret since it was funded by PHARMAC a year ago means the elimination of the deadly disease from this country is a realistic goal, Health Minister David Clark says. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which attacks the liver, proving fatal ...
Kaupapa Māori will underpin the Government’s new plan to deal with homelessness announced by the Prime Minister in Auckland this morning. “Māori are massively overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness, so, to achieve different outcomes for Māori, we have to do things very differently,” says the Minister of Māori Development ...
1000 new transitional housing places delivered by end of year to reduce demand for emergency motel accommodation. Introduce 25% of income payment, after 7 days, for those in emergency motel accommodation to bring in line with other forms of accommodation support. Over $70m extra to programmes that prevents those at ...
Clear requirements for ensuring customers are treated fairly by banks, insurers and other financial service providers are included in new financial conduct legislation that passed its first reading today. “The recent reviews, by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and Reserve Bank of New Zealand, into the conduct of banks and ...
Applications are now open for the fifth round of the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson announced today. “I am delighted to open this year’s fund which has some $7 million available to support performing arts venues, galleries, museums and whare ...
The Minister of Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta today congratulated Associate Professor Amokura Kawharu on her appointment as the next President of the Law Commission. “Amokura Kawharu will be a standout in her new role, leading in an innovative and forward looking approach to the law reform process. She will ...
Auckland University legal academic Amokura Kawharu has been appointed as the next President of the Law Commission, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Associate Professor Kawharu will take up her new appointment on 11 May 2020. “I would like to congratulate Associate Professor Kawharu on her appointment,” Andrew ...
A programme for employers to help them engage effectively with younger employees was launched today by Minister of Employment, Willie Jackson. The Youth Ready Employer Programme contains a range of on-line templates that employers can easily access to help with employing and retaining young people in their businesses. The programme ...
Budget 2020 will be delivered on Thursday 14 May, Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “This year’s Budget will continue the Coalition Government’s focus on tackling the long-term challenges facing New Zealand while also preparing the economy for the future. “Those challenges and opportunities cannot be resolved in one budget, ...
I move, That this House place on record its appreciation and thanks for the devoted and distinguished service to New Zealand by the late Rt Hon Michael Kenneth Moore, member of the Order of New Zealand, a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, an Honorary Member of the ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has today classified the drought conditions in Northland as an adverse event for the primary sector, unlocking $80,000 in Government support. “This is recognition that the extreme and prolonged nature of this dry spell is taking its toll on our farmers and growers and additional support ...
The Minister of Police says an operation to smash a trans national drug smuggling ring today will make a significant impact on the methamphetamine trade fuelling harm in our communities. Police have announced 10 arrests and the seizure of up to five million dollars’ worth of illicit drugs after an ...
The Government’s books are in a strong position to withstand global headwinds, with the accounts in surplus and expenses close to forecast, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown accounts for the six months to December. The operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was above ...
Race courses can improve safety with this year’s second round of funding from the Racing Safety Development Fund. Minister for Racing Winston Peters has announced the second funding round of 2019/20 is open with $347,875 available for distribution. “The racing industry is integral to the economic and social fabric of ...
Hundreds of thousands of young adults will be offered measles vaccinations in a new campaign to strengthen New Zealand’s immunisation system, Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter said at its launch in Auckland today. “About 300,000 young adults aged between 15 and 29 are not fully protected against measles, and ...
The Government is committing $300,000 to fund research to update behavioural information to make sure HIV and STI prevention services are targeted appropriately in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson made the announcement at today’s Big Gay Out in Auckland. “There is much talk about ...
The Prime Minister has tried to relieve mounting pressure on China and New Zealand's bilateral relationship at a Chinese New Year Celebration at Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa Christensen, Lecturer in Criminology & Justice | Co-leader of the Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit (SVRPU), University of the Sunshine Coast This week’s ABC’s Four Corners exposed an elite Melbourne school for failing to adequately respond to the grooming of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trish Luker, Senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the names and voices of deceased people. When was the last time you signed your name? Perhaps you are more familiar with the ...
“Oranga Tamariki have remained silent on their role in this horrific situation,” a Māori leader tells Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner. A respected Hawke’s Bay kaumatua, who has been supporting the whānau whānui of a four-year-old boy being treated in hospital for brain injuries, says Oranga Tamariki needs to take responsibility ...
*Watch Melanie Reid's full interview in the video player above* Oranga Tamariki stands accused of returning a four-year-old who had been previously badly injured within a Flaxmere household to the same home, where he has since been severely injured again. It allegedly did so without full consultation with the wider whānau, some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roy Green, Emeritus Professor & UTS innovation adviser, University of Technology Sydney The only surprise about the termination of the Holden brand in Australia was that it caused such surprise. This was the final nail in an already empty coffin, given local ...
The owners of the disputed land at Ihumātao say for seven months they've halted development at the request of the Prime Minister, but that can't continue indefinitely. ...
Big Tech companies like Microsoft have raised the spectre of geo-blocking NZ if the Government proceeds with a bill for classifying streamed content. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Williamson, Research Fellow in Environmental Science, University of Tasmania As bushfires in New South Wales are finally contained, attention is turning to nature’s recovery. Green shoots are sprouting and animals are returning. But we must accept that in some cases, the ...
Are you a time-poor urban apartment-dweller who’s put composting in the too-hard basket? Read on…About half of what Aucklanders chuck in their rubbish bins is actually compostable material. That means a whopping 90,000 tonnes of Auckland households’ food waste ends up in landfill each year. Why is that a problem? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Associate Professor, Psychology, Deakin University Snapchat has announced a new feature called “Here For You” that promises to “provide proactive in-app support to Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis”. The popular youth-oriented app is the ...
Dr Bryce Edwards.A very concerning element of the current NZ First donations scandal is the role of lobbying and lobbyists close to the Government. The most recent story from RNZ’s Guyon Espiner and Kate Newton, revealed that lobbyist Doug Woolerton, who is also a trustee of the NZ First ...
“The visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing has reinforced the need to view good, affordable homes as a fundamental human right – and highlighted what needs to happen to ensure all New Zealanders are well-housed,” says Scott ...
The government has announced a ban on electricity retailers using promotions to lure back customers who’ve changed companies. Flick Electric’s Nikki Cockburn explains why this is a victory for consumers and competition. Progress on the Electricity Price Review (EPR) might be slow – especially when it comes to putting recommendations into ...
Acculturation – the cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture or a merging of cultures – is increasingly evident in this country’s public agencies. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has not escaped the process. In July 2018, soon after ...
Pacific Media Watch The Philippines top state lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the country’s key television broadcaster with “guns blazing” but he ought to be devoting more effort on governance, says Rappler co-founder and managing editor Glenda M. Gloria. Gloria, who has been announced as a keynote speaker ...
The Electricity Authority says the ban on power companies offering better deals to customers who want to switch should bring down power prices. From 21 March the authority will ban the so-called win-backs offered to customers within 180 days of leaving their original supplier. Figures show 435,000 consumers switched suppliers ...
This is a press statement from UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing at the end of her 10-day visit to New Zealand. The Government of New Zealand has recognized that the country is facing a housing crisis, said Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur ...
Fletcher Building is hopeful the Ihumātao land dispute can be resolved soon but says it cannot hold off indefinitely. Presenting the construction company's half-year results to the end of December 2019 chief executive Ross Taylor said it has been a complex situation. But the company said in a presentation that ...
The telecommunications company Spark has made a larger profit off a big boost in mobile sales, with the company's bottom line rising 9.2 percent to $167 million in the six months ended December. Revenue rose 4 percent to $1.82 billion with increased margins in the mobile, broadband and cloud divisions. ...
Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt, welcomes the release of the preliminary findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, today, and looks forward to giving her recommendations careful consideration. “Ms ...
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross, has been named today as one of the four people facing Serious Fraud Office charges in relation to two $100,000 donations made to the National Party. ...
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four men charged by the Serious Fraud Office in the National Party donations case - alongside a Chinese community leader who reportedly gave $100,000 to the party, and two others. Name suppression for Ross and his co-accused Zhang Yikun, Zheng Shijia, ...
Almost a third of middle-aged New Zealanders have tried methamphetamine at least once, according to a new University of Otago, Christchurch study looking at the link between using the drug and violence in the general population. The study found those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Lecturer Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong Why don’t burns bleed? – from the year three and four students at Islington Public School in NSW Hello year three and four students – thanks for your excellent question! To ...
The report details an unannounced follow-up inspection, the first in a new phase of inspections of all 18 New Zealand prisons by the Office of the Inspectorate. This follows the first phase of inspections, where all prisons were inspected in a process ...
Netflix’s new release Horse Girl promised a quirky indie dramedy from its trailer. In reality, it’s a nightmarish time-warped look into the mind of a mental illness sufferer, writes Alice Webb-Liddall.There was a horse girl in every primary school classroom. The one with ballet flats and low ponytails and books ...
You may not be punching strangers’ seats, but there’s plenty of other behaviour that is guaranteed to make your fellow passengers seethe with rage. Here’s how to travel by plane without making people hate you.You’ve probably seen the video: a woman leans back in her reclined seat as a man ...
Earmarked for big things since she left high school, the ‘Nothing to Regret’ singer has been dealing with the weight of expectations for a while now. With her debut EP just released, she’s OK with where she’s at.Given the circumstances, Robinson is surprisingly relaxed. It’s early afternoon on a swelteringly ...
By Meriba Tulo in Port Moresby Over the past month, the Autonomous Bougainville Government has made known its intention to put forward several proposed amendments to the Bougainville House of Representatives. These amendments include a provision to allow for a president to serve for more than two terms – ...
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are concerned that unborn babies will lose their existing tenuous legal rights if Parliament passes the Abortion Legislation Bill in the form proposed by a select committee. And unborn babies with a fetal disability ...
Younger voters are being encouraged to take time now to make sure they are enrolled and ready to vote in this year’s election and referendums. The Electoral Commission’s enrolment teams will be at orientation events at universities, polytechnics and wānanga ...
FIRST Union’s Real Work Real Jobs campaign is expanding its focus to include ‘gig economy’ workers like Uber drivers and dependent contractors, with the public release of the union’s submission on the Government’s Better Protections for Contractors ...
Linda Burgess climbs the eternal staircase at the Opera House in Wellington to watch the virtuoso actor. At the interval her legs are aching. But in the second half, magic happens.There’s one person wearing a face mask, just the one, and it turns his face into a disposable nappy with ...
National Party leader Simon Bridges says the Serious Fraud Office investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation adds weight to calls for Winston Peters to be stood down. ...
Tutors at Northtec have begun strike action this week, action that will be disruptive for the institution and students. “Tutors never want to affect their students in negative ways, but they want their employer to show respect and put a decent pay ...
Dairy prices have fallen again in the latest global dairy auction, as the coronavirus outbreak takes its toll on trade. The average price at the overnight auction fell by almost 3 percent to $US3176 a tonne. Following a 4.7 percent fall at the previous auction two weeks ago, it was ...
Motorists are now able to offset their carbon emissions when they fuel up at Z Energy stations. A new feature in the Z app called Carbon Count will show drivers the carbon impact of each fill, then give them the option to offset that. There will be a per-fill option ...
Growth in bank sector profits stalled last year after years of seemingly unstoppable development. Business advisory firm KPMG's annual sector report showed the industry's collective profits fell just under 1 percent to $5.7 billion, with a growth in lending, while margins were squeezed slightly, costs rose markedly, and bad debts ...
After years of swearword-emblazoned book covers, are readers all out of fucks to give about bad language?Since Adam Mansbuch’s 2011 bestseller, Go the Fuck to Sleep, book titles have been swearing profusely to grab audience attention. The author followed up on the winning formula with You Have to Fucking Eat ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will keep his Ministerial portfolios as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigates the New Zealand First Foundation. ...
Here's how the Government could force you to sell your house for state housing; and impact of drought, coronavirus could lead to recession - economist. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentNZ First donations scandal Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Jacinda Ardern right to let Winston Peters’ keep his head over donations ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners is calling on Police Minister Stuart Nash to front up and explain, after releasing new figures showing that since 2011, Police employees have been caught 244 times for unauthorised use of confidential and sensitive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute Young Australians are abandoning private health insurance in droves. And the overall decline in the percentage of the population with private coverage is continuing. New data for the three months to the end of 2019, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, University of Melbourne As the brutal reality of climate change dawned this summer, you may have asked yourself a hard question: am I well-prepared to live in a warmer world? There are many ways we can ready ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eva Plaganyi, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Currents are strong around the Torres Strait Islands, lying between Australia’s northern-most tip and Papua New Guinea. When the tidal conditions are right and the waters relatively still, though, up to 230 islanders – a sizeable ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Fahey, PhD Candidate, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University General Motors has announced the Holden brand will be “retired” in 2021. This week’s announcement has been a long time coming. The Holden brand has been in a state of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra An “unholy coalition” is attacking the planned increase in the superannuation guarantee, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says in his latest “vision statement”, pledging to resist any attempt to stop the legislated rise to 12% going ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University China’s ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, let the cat out of the bag this week when he lambasted Canberra over its decision to exclude Huawei from the build-out of Australia’s 5G network. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The idea that we should decentralise our population has come up many times in Australia. Recently, the National Farmers’ Federation president pushed the notion, calling for a shift to the regions. And ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fresh developments around in the political donations saga, the Chinese ambassador speaks out, and some troubling poll numbers for advocates of cannabis law reform.The Serious Fraud Office is formally investigating the operations of the NZ First Foundation. The confirmation came in ...
ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias interviews Dr Gwendoline Smith about how terrible it is to think too much.Certainly I overthink things, in the sense that I worry and fret and angst, but not in the sense that I actually think very deeply or intelligently. It’s more ...
A major report by the Auditor-General on how New Zealand's drinking, storm and waste waters are managed finds a conflicting, disorganised and stagnant system ill-prepared for climate change. Dileepa Fonseka reports. ...
Overworked and stressed teachers, overcrowded classrooms and substandard nutrition have ECE at crisis point. ECE teacher Susan Bates explains why everyone should care. If you want to know what NZ society might look like in the future, look into the eyes of the young children in your neighbourhood. Ask yourself ...
The pressures on the state budget of a rapidly ageing population must be acknowledged, and treated holistically and with nuance, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale The latest three-yearly 2019 Retirement Incomes Review takes a refreshingly holistic view of retirement policy and is welcomed by the Retirement Policy and ...
Manchester City and the Houston Astros are latest inductees into the sports hall of shame. Dirty, rotten cheats. Calculated, cynical, premeditated, habitual, recidivist, despicable cheats. Committed cheats. Add Manchester City and the Houston Astros to a gallery of shame occupied for all eternity by Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, ...
The 10-year-old girl from Tawa who cherished a cricket bat signed by her 2000 World Cup heroes, now wants to spur a new crop of cricketers through her own swashbuckling deeds. In a recent column looking ahead to the T20 World Cup starting in Australia this week, Sophie Devine wrote that she “hoped to inspire ...
Transforming diseases into foes and therapies into battles isn’t the best way to face contagion. Annemarie Jutel asks: When did panic and catastrophe help anyone organise anything? Public anxiety and nations’ responses to coronavirus (COVID-19) have been shaped by the hyperbolic metaphors surrounding its discussion. Even the usually sedate and measured ...
The dreaded pea weevil is no more in the Wairarapa, after a successful eradication effort. So why does this matter? OK, what on earth is a pea weevil?It’s a type of leaf beetle, so not actually a weevil after all, but the name is the name. Basically it gets into pea ...
Controversial Australian philosopher Peter Singer is coming to New Zealand in June. While he believes in reducing suffering for all humans and animals, his views on disability have sparked widespread alarm and condemnation.Utilitarian and moral philosopher Peter Singer is best known by many for the parable of the drowning child, ...
Sharon Brettkelly gets a rare look at the internal workings of Immigration New Zealand - and we look at what's holding up visa applications. Immigration New Zealand's Henderson office is like any other, with rows of workers at their computers. But in this workplace the lives of tens of thousands ...
Alex Casey delivers her seventh power rankings for The Bachelorette NZ, where a group of intruders have herniated the competition’s intestines forever. Click here for previous instalments. Welcome back to The Bachelorette NZ, where everything is made up and every man is suddenly named Mike. Intruders! Five of them! A whole ...
By Felipe F. Salvosa II in Manila Solicitor-General Jose Calida asked the Supreme Court today to issue a gag order against ABS-CBN, claiming the Philippines’ largest television network was engaging in “propaganda” to sway the justices in the quo warranto case seeking to void its franchise. Calida filed the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen R Fisher, Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for young children with disability is not equal across Australia. Where you live can hinder access to information about disability support, assistance to apply for ...
The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations applauds the changes to the Residential Tenancies Act released by the government yesterday but does not believe that they go far enough to improving the rights of renters. The power imbalance in the current ...
Open mike 08/03/2015 
Open mike is your post.
"You're going to need a longer runway" Gratton et al explore the ongoing effects of upward-creeping temperatures on aviation in Greece in the period since 1955 at a range of airports in that country. For longer runways impacts are measurable but with little impact on operations. For airports with shorter runways, ...8 hours ago
In mid-December the Israeli secret police, the Shin Beit, revealed it had arrested dozens of Palestinian left-wing activists, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in the previous few months. Among those arrested was one of the central leaders of the PFLP, Khalida Jarrar. As ...10 hours ago
Former National Party chief whip Jami-Lee Ross is one of the four people charged over National's multiple fraudulent donations. How unsurprising. Meanwhile, just days ago National leader Simon Bridges was trying to pretend the charges were nothing to do with his party. Yeah, right. When your chief whip effectively publicly ...13 hours ago
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If you follow politics in New Zealand you've likely noticed that the right wing have been going on and on about the Coalition Government failing to reduce poverty. In fact they’ve been incessantly claiming, in the absence of any conclusive data, that poverty has been getting worse.Yesterday, NewstalkZB reported:Mike Hosking: ...22 hours ago
Nobody thinks about the next century anymore. That at least is Sci-Fi writer William Gibson’s observation (in this BBC 4 short interview, starting at 1:43:50 ). He calls it “Futures Fatigue”, but isn’t judgemental about it. Gibson notes that in the 20th century speculation about the 21st (and beyond) was common. Now ...2 days ago
I am among the most pro-free speech people I know. I don’t doubt there are others more strident than me, but I’m certainly up there. And my support for freedom of expression isn’t limited to opposition to government-imposed restrictions. It extends to a belief that employers should have limited powers ...3 days ago
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Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian has penned a column which chastises the left wing of the Labour party for daring to retain principles and ideals, qualities - it seems - that should be jettisoned in pursuit of power.Never mind that Freedland was an ardent Remainer, that is to say, one ...2 weeks ago
We are confronted with the spectre of Simon Bridges making clear he cannot, will not, trust Winston Peters – the oft-cited “King Maker” in New Zealand politics. Supporters are lauding it as a master stroke, naturally, because in their eyes, it prevents him being the tail that wags the dog. ...2 weeks ago
Inaccuracies are very common in scientific paper abstracts. Image credit: Science in the Abstract: Don’t Judge a Study by its Cover I have come to accept anti-fluoride campaigners will never stop cherry-picking research and findings ... 2 weeks ago
“The scene is set, the players met…”. And what players they are in this farce of an Election coming up in the United States this year. There is a multi-faceted anger in the broader situation the world finds itself in, in which the false promises of so-called “moderates” find themselves ...2 weeks ago
Unhappy with the demonisation of Iran in Western media, I was fortunate to have the Australian Institute of International Affairs invite me to write an alternative analysis for their on-line journal Australian Outlook. I did, and they serialised it into two parts. The essays are short, so I did not ...2 weeks ago
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Rodney Hide concludes Peters wants to come second in Northland. They pay this guy for this drivel?
see: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11413598
It’s the Herald. Hide is just one of many commentators the Herald will parade telling Northlanders not to vote for Peters.
The media will be one to watch here. They’ve been taken by surprise a bit by the polls and they don’t have much time to influence the by-election. They’ll be spitting tacks if their nemesis wins
I think we can expect to see an upsurge in negative comments about Winston Peters from the media over the rest of the month. The next weekend Herald will be one to watch, Roughan and O’Sullivan were busy defending their Godboy this week but I suspect they’ll have a different target next time.
Midweek I’m guessing we’ll have the likes of Armstrong and Trevett putting the boot in to Peters, with advice for Northlanders from the likes of Hoskings and the odd cameo appearances.
@ DH
agreed-and which will simply boost Peter’s profile.
I’d like to believe that but experience shows the media have more power and influence over voters than we can be comfortable with. The corporate media will certainly have been quietly congratulating themselves over the hatchet job they did on David Cunliffe… it worked.
@dh
totally agree but the TV1 poll just published says Winston 36 Nats 36 Lab 20. Some tactical voting and a few subtle hints by Little (and others) should see Winston sail home. Lets see what Little says on TV1 in 2 minutes…..and he is subtly saying vote Winston.
Neck and neck. it seems! I was keen to watch but having ‘signal’ problems! Hazy. Thanks for the info. Would like more info if possible.
Interestingly, Bearded Git, Andrew Little was saying exactly what Willow-Jean has on her leaflet for distribution around Northland households ie “Its time to send a message to the government that Northland deserves better”. This leaflet was printed out well before Winston appeared on the scene with a similar message on his bus !
Oh come on Jenny-he didn’t say vote Labour. He said vote for the person who is likely to beat National, which is the only way a message can be sent. And that person is Winnie.
It was a clever piece of repositioning. Little sounded like a PM in waiting to me.
Yep – Bearded Git – he sounded like a PM in waiting to me, too !
Andrew Little is a good man. Fair and thoughtful. What more does anyone want? He will be a very good Prime Minister, liked by people of all persuasion. Trust me on that. You heard it here first!
I hoped it first in my heart Clemeogin when I voted for him at the leadership ballot after the election.
@ScottGN
Good on you. Shows that great minds think alike. [although fools seldom differ too!]
Bearded Git @ 1
Hide has as an obsessive hatred of Peters which goes back to the Winebox saga. He was a full time economic adviser to Alan Gibbs prior to him entering parliament, and was an integral part of that whole tax evasion/avoidance scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was placed in the ACT headquarters by Gibbs for the express purpose of becoming… Gibbs’ man in parliament. It worked for a while then it all (thankfully) turned to dust. I wouldn’t be surprised if they blame Winston Peters for that too.
+100…thanks Anne …very interesting!
Anne
Thanks for that historical snippet.
Most people don’t know or have forgotten Gibb’s puppetry with Rodney Hide.
We need reminding every now and then.
We need reminding of Key’s support for the invasion of Iraq, his taking out a new mortgage for an apartment he already owned because of a parliamentary perk, English’s Wellington home etc….etc..
Andrew Little needs to enforce standards in the Labour Party on matters surrounding donations. A scandal in this area could undo his good works.
Letting Mallard, Cosgrove and Nash get away with dodgy donations is not a good precedent.
Mallard Cosgrove and Nash are like manyoo centre halves, wear the red shirt but regularly gift the opposition goals.
They should be nowhere near a labour ministerial team sheet when the time comes.
Sadly Robertson counts on them as supporters. If Robertson gets a top 4 role in the November reshuffle, following King’s planned step-down, Robertson will rehabilitate Cosgrove. Cosgrove has tooooo much on Robertson.
Just seen Corrin Dan on Q&A announce that Andrew Little would be the next speaker
I do like the unbiased introduction by Dan, Andrew Little, former Union Boss. Perhaps next time Key comes on he will introduce Key as the former, and still is money trading spiv
“Union boss” is such a telling phrase, isn’t it?
That instruction went out the day little won, TVNZ use it across the board at times heard the blonde evening news muppet use it recently.
Imagine if it was done consistently….former curreny trader, former disgraced policeman, former treasury analyst/Nat party leader, former hologram etc
former disgraced policeman? I prefer disgraced former policeman.
Wait till the process runs its course…..it’s just a question of where the disgraced goes….before policeman, minister etc.
former office ?? ( sorry, can’t resist!)
“former hologram”
I like that, but he Still is, and if Dan Dan the lavatory man has to introduce that prat from Epsom (Rimmer) they play the signature music of Red Dwarf
As predicted, the Chechens did it!!!!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102485952
Thank god for scapegoats
The Ruskies think that Nemtsov was followed the whole day by several cars who interchanged positions as they tracked him. So there is much more yet to come.
…interesting….like spy who dunnit…my bet it wasnt Putin
Russian speakers on another forum posted about the killers Chechen/Putin connection.
google translate;
Here, Rashid Nurgaliev and Kadyrov was awarded the military government awards of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic.
http://www.chechnya.gov.ru/page.php?r=126&id=8314
google translate:
Kadyrov collects Basmachi the stadium , then one of the leaders of his combat unit kills the leader of the opposition
Георгий АлбуровVerified account @alburov
Кадыров собирает басмачей на стадионе, затем один из руководителей его боевого подразделения убивает лидера оппозиции
So Andrew Little wants to keep the 90 day right to prove yourself law. Whodathunkit?
Wake up, fisi, you’re dreaming. Little has just confirmed on Q+A that the Fire at Will provision is going.
you have to admire the brevity of fisi’s troling though.
That is NOT what Andrew Little said, fisiani. He said instead that NZ had previously had a fairness in legislation that allowed for a trial period at a workplace, and that is what he wants to see reinstated.
So the nasty tories want to treat people as if they are a tradeable commodity like plastic buckets.
No wonder their lives are so shallow – they have no humanity (or rather they are incapable of recognising it)
This is what you and your people have done and continue to do fisiani.
In NZ Ernie Abbot 1982
In NZ Fred Evans 1912
Your lot are scum. Rot in hell.
When Labour Party supporters ‘do an Epsom’ and vote strategically in Northland, Winston Peters will romp in.
When Winston Peters takes Northland off National, they will be left with 59 out of 121 MPs and will be politically ‘wing-clipped’ in terms of passing their pro-corporate / anti-worker legislation.
Why on earth would Labour not be pulling out all the stops in order to help this happen – by promoting ‘STRATEGIC’ voting in Northland?
I for one am not saying Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime should ‘stand aside’ or not continue to advocate and publicise Labour’s policies.
But this Northland by-election is FAR bigger than Northland.
Labour – do NOT stuff it up for the majority of New Zealanders!
The nation is watching ….
Penny Bright
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/andrew-little-gives-big-hint-left-voters-peters-support-6249844
I see a post has just gone up on this, but thought I would post this link anyway.
This stance is perfection from Andrew Little.
Be afraid National be very afraid. That add’s up to another 16% to Winston’s lead.
AND this is before a suppression order is lifted in the week before the election!!!
it will be extended……
It’s already been lifted, but publication has to wait for the prominent NZer’s appeal against the lifting to be unsuccessful. Here’s hoping.
+100 Penny
Does the Labour Party put the needs of the vast majority of New Zealanders above the Labour Party’s needs?
Redline collection of articles on women’s liberation, socialism. . .
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/marxism-and-womens-liberation/
Why Obama wants to broker peace with Iran. Why Israel is opposed . Who is supporting ISIL?….a very good discussion with Peter Lavelle moderating:
“So close, yet so far. Iran and the West are close to accomplishing what so many in Washington and Tel Aviv are terrified of – a negotiated end to the Western standoff with Iran. Israel’s Netanyahu has made it clear: war is better than peace. Can Washington finally say ‘yes’ to peace?”
CrossTalking with Mohammad Marandi, Gareth Porter, and Chuck Freilich.
http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/238281-bibi-iran-war-peace/
Saudi Arabia would also hate US corporates having full access to Iran to help Iran fully develop its vast oil and gas fields to compete with it.
Another example of how Israel and Saudi Arabia’s interests line up very neatly.
….and support of ISIL ?…but they better be careful because ISIS could be a snake by the tail…and mutate into something which has a nasty back bite
Saudi Arabia would also hate US corporates having full access to Iran to sack Iran’s resources and send profits from its vast oil and gas fields back to Wall St.
FIFY
My very amateur over view on Israel’s position around its neighbours is to keep them unstable , divided and weak.
I bet Iran and Iraq working together on the IS problem is worrying Israel big time
My last blog post on medicinal Cannabis for a while, this time not based around pain, but the Anti Nausea and appetite stimulating effects and their positive impact on a patient suffering from HIV
http://yournz.org/2015/03/08/medical-marijuana-munchies-vs-hiv-munchies-wins/
Alternate address for those not fond of beige.
https://mmj4chronicpain.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/medicinal-marijuana-and-the-munchies-vs-hiv-munchies-wins/
Sorry, but have stopped reading until the entanglement with Pete George is gone. By all means post on his site too, but when you link like you do, here of all places, it’s a distraction and plain rude (I suspect you don’t fully understand the extent of the trouble PG has caused here).
To this day I am still blissfully unaware sorry. I only sign in to write my piece, then i’m out again until next week….
I think it’s been pointed out to you a number of times. My comment isn’t about you posting at yawnz, it’s about how you link here. Your choice of course.
He chooses to not heed good advice so rather apt he continues to points to the beige site as a sure sign of fingers in the ears going la la la la….
+ 1 yep no point trying to help someone who doesn’t want help imo
I would have thought it important for the people of Northland to understand the implosion around the National Party people in Northland, and in particular Mike Sabin. The reasons he left. And what and when the National Party people knew about it.
Otherwise it is nothing but a bullshit-extension of the same….
yes but what is your comment in reference to vto?
northland election
I know that, it just seemed like it was in reference to something someone had said, or a news report, or something.
Oh, no nothing like that, just important facts concerning the organisation so many people in Northland seem hell bent on electing back in. i.e. the National Party
It is the GIANT elephant in the room making so much difference — seemingly not to be mentioned or even alluded to by msm. I’m thinking Winston is somehow going to challenge the silence — it is after all, the sole raison d’etre for this by-election. He tried several times in the House but Carter cut him off at the pass … maybe this week or next in the House ? Winston is surely more canny than the rest of them combined.
(Have been wondering if a an airplane towing a message drogue would constitute breaching name suppression — is it publishing in the air ?? And yes, I am half-serious.)
I am sure it could be done in a way that didn’t breach any suppression orders. You’d probably need your own plane, because I suspect anyone renting them out in Northland would be an ardent Tory. If I was still there, I’d be putting up signs at night. Or maybe even during the day. The legal situation is very unclear.
v interesting ..
I’ve been slipping a few Sabin comments into the stuff comments it’s surprised the hell out of me that some of them are getting past the moderaters .
well done ..
A brilliant article by guest author Sam Goldham at the Daily Blog shows clearly why Tony Abbott and John Key are criminals and even worse, war criminals.
I would like to add multiple cases (past, present and future) of the criminal act of financial terrorism to John Key’s name!
On Andrew Krieger, Currency Wars And Financial Terrorism Or Why John Key Is A Criminal In More Than One Way.
+100 travellerev….good articles …pretty sobering
Fran Lebowitz: Capitalism Triumphed Over Both Communism and Democracy
But I believe that people mistake when capitalism triumphed over democracy:
It can. IMO, be said that we’ve never had democracy because the rich didn’t want us to have it and they still fight against it whenever it pops up. A good example of this fight against democracy by the rich is the firing of ECan by this government.
See that Key was in the parliamentary library this am and his pant caught on fire.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/67098957/fire-in-parliament-library
Hmmmm perhaps we could give this wee little topic a breather for a few days?
Fair enough CR I will delete it
🙂 chur!
ffs, when you delete comments that are already replied to you screw up the bottom of the thread and all subsequent comments. Instead, edit the content (replace everything with a full stop if you have to).
It wouldn’t lose much content 😛
I happened to be in Palmerston North yesterday and attended the TPP march which was pretty well attended I think. At least not less than 500 in my guess.
There were lots of people with videos and cameras and two people who took my picture with my nice placard told me they would be putting the photos on line and one said it would be on face book. I wonder if any one of you knows where I can find the photos from Palmerston North to see if I am there !
Thanks in advance for your help.
P.S :
There was a lovely band which played there with great music. The female singer was very talented and very pleasant to listen to. Well done, singer, who ever you are. Great job!
The male singer was good too with quite clever political songs. well done!
I know people who went to the Palmerston North protest 🙂
BTW did you see any National Party signs around???
No, I didn’t. (or as Banks and Key would say, “I don’t recall”. “Don’t remember”. “I am too clever”. ‘I wasn’t born in a cabbage boat”. ” Amnesia”!)
Curious as to why you asked that?
Can you ask your Palmy friends if they have URL links for those photos?
Great article from CNN advocating for a universal basic income: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/01/opinion/sutter-basic-income/index.html
It also shows the effects a universal basic income has had on many Native American communities. Many Native American reservations operate casinos and pay every resident a dividend, which has reached $10k a year in some communities. The benefits have been amazing.
Turkish government gives senior ISIS commander hospital care
Says that it is what any Turkish citizen deserves. (The ISIS commander is one of approx. 1000 Turkish citizens currently fighting with ISIS).
Meanwhile a Turkish medical student who went to give medical assistance to the Kurds in Kobani is being arrested by the Turkish Government for terrorism.
And this is what NZ is stepping into.
http://rt.com/news/238713-isis-commander-turkey-hospital/
Turkey would rather support AL-Nusrah & probably even Da’ish than the Kurds and various autonomous cantons. They want Assad gone, the Kurds suppressed, a Sunni state in Syria, and the Syrian refugees sent home. They’re hovering dangerously around wanting to have their cake and eat it as well. Erdogan is showing every sign of being a Turkish Mubarak or even a Turkish Putin.
That said it seems unclear what the fate of the Da’ish commander ultimately will be. Receiving medical treatment is of course the humanitarian thing to do – if he is then released to re-cross the border that would be another thing entirely.
It’s a f*@king shambles though.
Help save this 500 yr old kauri tree.
Local Auckland @LocalAuckland
Auckland City, New Zealand
@AklCouncil Hey guys please comment on the Kauri issue, is there anything that you can do? https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=445615775587060&id=379993285482643&substory_index=0 … How was consent given?
SJT
@simonjtapp
URGENT: Protest to SAVE this 500 yo kauri. 40 Paturoa Rd, Titirangi. 7am TOMORROW Monday 9th March. Pls RT & attend!
An interview with NSA whitleblower William Binney.
Our Labour Party branch down here in Dunedin South watched part of that interview. Just outstanding. Binney is incredibly talented and moral. People like him give me huge respect for some of the citizens of the USA.