Su’a William Sio says he looks forward to tabling the Tax Justice petition before parliament. He says having 50,000 signatures on a petition is enough reason for Parliament to take note and consider the merits and substance of this petition.
“The large numbers of people signing this petition also reflects the significant numbers of New Zealanders who are struggling to make ends meet due to the high cost of living, which I see everyday in Mangere,” says Mr Sio.
“Labour recognises that the cost of living is a huge issue in our communities and that’s why it has already set out its initial policies – removing all GST off fresh fruits and vegetables, and no tax on the first $5000 of income.”
As well as calling for the removal of GST off all food. The Tax Justice Petition calls for a Financial Transaction Tax on speculation. Currently the billions made by financiers like John Key and his ‘trader’ mates, goes untaxed. While food is taxed. This is why the campaign is called Tax Justice.
New Zealanders can sign an online version of the Tax Justice petition here
Sounds familiar Peter : “…..higher minimum wages flush more money into the economy without cutting into job growth — the latter a long-held contention of business interests and many conservatives.”
Is Christchurch going to come through this ok? Will the people return to at least the same as before and the economy rapidly gain its former capacity?
I don’t know, and there seem to be murmurings along these lines. There still seems to be a steady but low exodus from the city. Hundreds and hundreds of empty houses for rent. Businesses chopped down and evaporating.
Hope these thoughts are in the wrong direction but doubts are creeping in here and there.
Maybe what would help is some large scale demolition. Knock down a couple of the large buildings asap in order to show that progress is happenning.
Then again, only two weeks until the shortest day!
I think that history shows us that there is something akin to the “grieving process” that follows disasters like this.
One of those things that happen is the phase where the problem looks so big and the effort so little that people despair can set in – where you wonder how life can ever be “normal” again.
Human’s are resilient, very adaptive and have the smarts to survive. Human’s have throughout time adapted to changes in their physical environment and rebuilt that which has been destroyed.
Christchurch has taken a hit and, like the aftershocks, there is more to come as people adjust to the new realities (i.e. the need to relocate, the need to start a new business and or close an old one, dealing with the loss of investment etc).
When we build a life for ourselves we do so over time. Buy a car, lay down a lawn, build a house, get a job, move house, fix the plumbing, get the kids into a school.
But with an earthquake, not only is what you have built up over time destroyed or changed in a short time, you have to rebuild any number of things in a short time. Then you have to adapt to changes in the city – cafes you went to aren’t there anymore, the route you take to work doesn’t exist anymore, your morning walk no longer has the trees you loved.
All in all that is a HUGE number of stressors in with a short time in which to adapt.
Things will be “normal” again for Christchurch. Not “the same” but normal.
I feel (as much as I am able:-) ) for the burden that Chch people have to carry.
Having said all that, (and as an aside) the Christchurch earthquake was an obvious change that needs to be adapted to and humans will adapt.
It’s the slow stuff that worries me. The insidious creep of climate change may blind us to the urgent need to adapt.
Hi VTO,
I think that William Joyce has it right. Grieving is what you may have to do for all that is lost. I have gone through major changes forced on me by outside forces and while I tried to hold on to all that was familiar to me I found I could not move on until I acknowledged and grieved for all that I lost and I lost all.
It has taken me years and I still grief of and on but it gets easier in time and you and Christchurch will rebuild. It’s human nature.
Kind regards
Ev
I lived in Christchurch for 10 years when it was still beautiful. Went back after 22Feb; it’s a wreck, it will never be the same. I came up to Auckland for work just before all the quakes began and I’m sorry to say I have no desire to go back.. too depressing and messed up 🙁
Well I read a report the other day saying that Christchurch has had a total of 21 new housing consents since Sept last year, for replacing earthquake damaged housing.
At this pitiful run rate, they’ll still be fixing up houses from the recent Christchurch earthquake damage in the 24th/25th century.
Insurance companies are being slow to pay out, they are waiting for engineers to figure out how to stabilise the ground under those damaged properties, seems like a catch-22
While our bankster elite (both John and Don are after all finance boys firmly connected to the financial Wall street elite and the neocon boys through friendships and business relationships with Armitage, Geitner and Milton Friedman to name a few) advance the agenda of the international banksters here is a video of family members of some of those who died on the day it all began; 9/11 2001.
And why did people bet on the airplane companies to loose value in the week of 911. Oh and on Merrill Lynch too?
These ads are shown all over the US and with the UK marines of the coast of Yemen and 2000 US marines ready to invade Libya and New Zealand under attack from the Neocons scheisters who started it all I feel it is important to keep reminding people that this is not going away.
For more background information on the coordinated financial attack all the countries in the European/US region of influence (New Zealand amongst them) are currently suffering and the ongoing implementation of the NeoCon agenda in the middle East read up on it here.
There are still hundreds of questions not answered about the events that opened the door to all these developments and we will not stop until the family members, architects and engineers have those answers.
Surprising in the educated bloggers here that a number use loose instead of lose. I get the right meaning from the context, but why the mistake? I have seen it on Jackal’s posts and others too.
Try thinking of loose change in the pocket, though you can lose that. I think I need a better example.
It is the damn spell checkers. I notice it myself (and not just on the iPad). I check for spelling errors by looking at the spelling error highlights. If a word is spelt correctly but is the wrong variant then I don’t see it.
The classic examples in these pages is ‘you’ when people mean ‘your’. It shows up in posts and comments everywhere.
The converse is also true. I’m just itching to change ‘spelt’ because it shows as an error because of the idiot dictionary on this system.
I once chugged out an entire 12k word assignment that used, in every instance (which is quite often in an assignment on party leadership changes), “lead” instead of “led” because it was a bit rushed and I was reading it in my head to sound like “head” not “heed”. Interesting that my brain was full of the base metal I was spelling 🙂
I don’t like the USA bias which means a word with s is often underlined because it should be z. Myself I like to keep z as a rare letter for when I play scrabble for high stakes. Other USAisms intrude too but I find spell checker helpful, it does pick up the errors which occur more often since the last upgrade of the Opera browser when the font for the standard decreased straining my eyesight, and some of my keys are so worn that the wrong alpha gets up. Machinery!
Exactly! I use Open Orifice and make certain it’s set to UK English (as NZ English isn’t an option weirdly..) When I use Word (only occasionally), it defaults back to US English, and quite insanely, many language schools offer only US English on their computers – I say insanely because many students I’ve had, have come to NZ because they want to avoid learning US dialect…
If a word is spelt correctly but is the wrong variant then I don’t see it.
That reminds me of a story I heard years ago from a woman working as a temp dicta-typist, who got into a power of trouble for typing “The morning Jew lay gently on the grass”… 😀
Spelt as in the grain? Try meaning ‘fora’ (plural of forums in Microsoft Word. It simply won’t allow it, which caused trouble in an essay I was writing for linguistics in 2003)
Smarmy Peter Dunne. On Morning Report about 1080 with his own particular brand of common sense. Which is to heap an attitude of nonsense on anything that he doesn’t agree with. And the report saying that more 1080 is needed, and that the use of it has been refined so that it achieves its goals with minimum downside, he can’t agree with. Because he has become spokesperson for the huntin, shootin community. That is the constituency he has adopted, and vice versa, and he needs some group to back his Greta Garbo party (she was known for a comment that she ‘Wanted to be alone’). His ‘ commonsense’ approach is to point out the failure of 1080 so far to completely solve the problem of defoliating and predating furry critters, possums, rats etc etc which breed like billyoh out in the back country. Trappers should be used providing employment, but the wild areas of NZ are extremely hard to work in, and that method is impossibly expensive for government.
He was arguing against two women, one from Forest and Bird which he tried to portray as soft-headed greenies, and (thanks google) Dr Jan Wright [who]was sworn in as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment for a five-year term on 5 March 2007. Jan has a multidisciplinary background … He called their argument emotional during his forthright emotional rant and brought up various nice ideas such as trappers and possum fur providing jobs (impossible as the large number of possums required for a viable business would increase their numbers and stymie the drive to urgently decrease their destructive reign.)
He thinks the environment should be sacrificed so that jobs can be created, he can get the hunting votes, and he can stay in parliament to dole out his common sense. And the hunters say they care for the environment and want to protect it. They care about their own interests, the ease of finding targets, and their hunting dogs which can fall prey to 1080 as they range around. But one dog can kill 200 kiwi in a short time. So the hunters as a group have members who are destroying protected wild life themselves. And the environmental lobby fears that all kiwi will vanish with this sort of predation and other problems, in a few decades.
“Because he has become spokesperson for the huntin, shootin community.”
They were nearly a political Party weren’t they Prism, but became instead a lobby group funneled through Mr Dunne. Funny therefore that Mr Dunne should blast a scientific report? No?
The discussion on 9 to noon about 9:30 ish ended with an American damning the use of aerial dropping of 1080. He said NZ was the only country who used this method, and therefore it must be wrong! Really?
He did say that there should be a research project set up. That would be good.
1 third with no action.
1 third aerial drop.
1 third bait station.
His rant about making a fur trapping business for export growth was clearly him just mouthing the right words.
If industrial-scale fur trapping were a viable business, it would already exist. The 1080 coverage is said to be a very very small percentage of all DOC lands, so there’s nothing stopping him from setting up a fur business dealing to possums in the rest of the country. I would suggest (don’t know, but I’m assuming) that the DOC areas with 1080 aerial drops are in the parts of the country where other methods of control aren’t feasible anyway.
I have some insider knowledge of 1080 drops, their impressive results (possums and also rats and stoats as a bonus), the way they are carefully GPS mapped so they avoid farms and waterways (unlike the bad old days when the pellets were dropped anywhere), and the various bullshit stories and even dangerous sabotage attempts coming from the hunting and/or DOC hating community. The Commissioner is completely bang on with her report, there is no other working alternative. Certainly not bloody trapping. Its a shame the government isn’t interested in slinging more money at the programme so they can cover more ground. Idiots like Dunne and those Graf brothers make me bloody furious.
Recent murmurings from the forgotten coast confirm that for sheep the price per kilo of wool is a handful of dollars, whereas for possum fur it is now one hundred and thirty dollars.
I have not read the report yet but everything in the media today lacks any actual facts and instead is a variation of “I have read the research and concluded that my view is right.” There have been no facts presented as part of the report release today. Subtle. Prove me wrong before this gets completely out of hand. Which it will in a localised way.
Getting out at night shooting the buggers, plucking them the moment they die (best time to pluck them and that about 22 X. That is a lot of hard work for a measly $130 and whether they are a pest or not it’s still a big mammal you have to kill and they are hard to kill. Not fun.
Now all we need are possum shepherds who can individually muster dozens at the time. To heck with 1080, bring back The Dog Show.
And now the news: the sheep dog trials ended in a ruckus when all four were found guilty. Baaaaaad dog! (that one was probably ancient when the Two Ronnies did it).
Hee hee. But it’s viable. A series of traplines checked once every day or two should, in a well populated area, realise a few dozen possums. 15 possums for a kilo of fur. They are quite easy to kill – hold them upside down by the tail and a quick chop to the back of the arching neck. 5 minutes to de-fur when fresh, 15 when not so. Move the traplines steadily back to the next ridge / valley / river and chomp through larger areas. It is entirely feasible. People already do it. Subsidies to the extent of 1080 cost may well be enough to break the back of trapping excuses.
As for 1080, when will we learn? 245t anyone? Or how about asbestos? Formaldehyde? The “authorities” claimed each and every one of these killers was ok too. Pardon me if I am not a believer.
the point is though that it’s not the high income yields for investment in work that you suggest – for the industry to be sustainably if womone worked 8 hours a day on traplines they’d have to get ($130/night*5nights = $650/w) a permanantly sustainable catch rate of 15 possums a night. Not including skinning or treating costs.
And we want skilled workers (even if trappers) to get more than that, as well as the possum industry to be unsustainable, i.e. possum eradication (not farming on DoC reserves).
ianmac Yes Dunne was for more research. Yet he wasn’t interested in the facts presently gathered. I think some of these guys use the idea of research as a delaying tactic so they don’t have to be seen doing something that will aggravate some possible voters. Talk, do nothing and the spotlight will turn away to some other problem.
For sure more research would be good, if government can prise money out of the wealthy’s pockets where they put those tax cuts. Um, sorry, we were a bit out on our budgets for the country and shouldn’t have cut the tax rate like that. We’re sure you’ll understand that we now need it back!
I think bait stations are used where possible aren’t they. Would half and half with 1080 for active depopulation of pests be the right proportion of intervention? I think they should use what they have to in as careful a way as possible. (One email to the station commented on the unlikelihood of Peter Dunne having done the bait station thing, getting out into the wild countryside, crawling through wet grass. You would have to go and put the trap in, bait it, back to check it, then rebait or dispose of the dead animal safely. Then repeat…for quite a while.)
A few years ago, a couple of Density Church members came to my house and asked for money. They appeared to be hyped on some sort of drug or perhaps that was just religious fervour. I engaged in conversation with them for a while but ultimately told them I had nothing to give, which wasn’t far from the truth. Once I had made it clear that I wasn’t going to part with any folding, they skedaddled leaving the gate open on the way out. I thought this rather rude as I had sheep that could’ve escape onto the road. Luckily I noticed, as there are large fines for wandering stock these days.
I could have predicted that one. I heard somebody mention he might be going to work for the UN. I’m not holding my breath in expectation of all his detractors to apologize for their accusations now that he’s been exonerated.
He hasn’t been exonerated (which has a quite explicit meaning and would have required him to stand trial to achieve).
He has not been charged because the evidence did not stack up to something that could be taken to court under a criminal charge. In other words the police did not think that they had even the moderate chance of winning the case.
It could be that he didn’t do whatever the allegation was, or that the alleged activity was not illegal, or that there was insufficient evidence. Unfortunately that is about all that Darren Hughes would or could get publically from the police will be the yes/no about if they are charging him.
I was meaning the word exonerated in the public and not legal sense. Perhaps vindicated would have been more appropriate. Whatever the case, it seems that the damage has been done and not only to his career. It will be a cold day in hell before Phil Goff gets an apology for the almost two weeks of media beat up we were all subjected to.
I believe speculating further when the police have found there is no case to answer would be inappropriate.
I don’t know. The trouble is, it only clears Hughes of criminal charges, but the police won’t go into details. So it means we don’t know if there was anethical or moral breach:
Well if there is no charge he’s innocent in my mind. He should be reinstated and there should be a public apology. The red necked Tory dirty trick brigade have come unstuck . I bet Crosby Textor are furious and licking their wounds.
They should now be exposed, and those responsible should be named .
Yesterday, Martyn Bradbury AKA Bomber declared war on the Jackal for debating issues raised in an article written for Tumeke entitled “Why I can’t vote Green this election.” His blog was inspired by an announcement concerning the political position of the Green Party. The implications of declaring WAR are far ranging as can be seen in the National Government’s “War on Beneficiaries,” which proposes the forced sterilization of Woman on the DPB in some kind of Nazi inspired Eugenics Program…
National knows it’s exact plan. Too early to tell really means that they haven’t softened up the populace enough to accept their radical, right-wing plans that give more power and our wealth to the capitalists yet.
Dont worry, guys and gals, the union movement and the Labour party will stop John Key and his minions dead in their tracks with a series of strongly worded press releases and a tacky website or two.
Yes! You heard right! Peter Dunne is our first Hero of the Week Award winner. I know we give Dunne a bit of stick… I mean who could go past the Bouffant or planking incident without throwing in a few jibes. For now, let’s put that aside. Let’s also out aside the fact that he’s a right-wing politician that’s been supporting the corrupt National Party in their campaign against society. The Jackal believes in the benefits of giving credit where credit is due, so good on ya mate!
I use Clearnet for my e-mail. To reduce spam and phishing, all customers have been sent a letter which in part says:
“Consequently, from 11 July 2011 you will no longer be able to send Clearnet email if you are connected from an overseas location and using email software such as Outlook, Microsoft Mail, Apple Mail etc”
Does this mean that usual e-mail traffic to/from friends overseas will be blocked? Will enquire further tomorrow.
Confusing terminology but what it means is that, if you’re overseas, you won’t be able to send email from a local (on the PC) email client. At a guess I’d say that you’ll still be able to use their web based mail client to send email.
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British mercenary Aiden Aslin, now a prisoner in the Donetsk People’s Republic, expressed real concern that he may die from the Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk. He has experienced many missile attacks that came close to the prison.Is he still alive? Understandably, we are always shocked about the losses ...
Politics is largely reported as theatre: tragedy and comedy, thriller and farce. Andrea Vance captures it all very successfully in Blue Blood. But it is the politics of personality, not of policy – of the impact of government on the people’s wellbeing. Even so, we can see from the book ...
This year the government finally got its clean car feebate scheme into place. But there's a problem: it's been too successful: Transport Minister Michael Wood will shortly review the cost of the fees and rebates in the Government's "feebate" scheme after the runaway success of the policy has meant ...
Given how the pandemic has disrupted the sporting calendar, no-one would begrudge our elite athletes their chance to compete at international level. What with the war in Ukraine and the cost of living, there are also not many ‘good news” stories out there. So… I suppose the strenuous efforts the ...
Everybody Having A Say: Democracy commands us to look outward; it demands our trust; it tells us what is expected of our humanity; it elevates the collective above the self; it celebrates the things we have in common; it defines our morals and values; it calculates what we owe one ...
Even right-wing commentators have, over recent days, and jusrifiably enough, been taking the National leader, Christopher Luxon, to task. They have lambasted him over his soft-shoe shuffle over abortion, for bad-mouthing New Zealand business while he was overseas, and for pretending to be in Te Puke while he was actually ...
So, now we know for sure. The “protesters” who defiled the grounds of parliament and who (according to their own account) intended to create in three of our major cities “maximum disruption and inconvenience” to other citizens, are not interested in democracy – indeed, quite the contrary. Their objective, quite ...
The issue with Christopher Luxon’s social media post talking about his day in Te Puke when he was in Hawaii is it’s fake news. He has since apologised for the mistake. But this doesn’t negate its impact. This mistake, misstep, gaffe or whatever you like to call it, is about ...
Over the last couple of years there has been a disturbing trend of new legislation containing secrecy clauses, which effectively make it illegal for affected government bodies to disclose information under the Official Information Act. Some of these are re-enacting old legislation from the pre- or early-OIA era (in which ...
Allegations of political corruption are once again at the heart of a new High Court trial this week. The trial follows straight on from the “not guilty” verdict for those running the New Zealand First Foundation. And this latest trial is once again about whether wealthy businesspeople and political parties ...
Ukrainian operation to steal Russian military aircraft exposed [English edit] Representatives of the Ukrainian special services offered up to $2 million for hijacking Russian military aircraft, as well as European passports for the pilots and their families. In order to gain trust, Ukrainians shared information they were not allowed ...
Struck Down: As James Shaw saved the pure Greens from themselves in 2017, they resented him. As he secured the Climate Change portfolio for his party, they suspected him. As he achieved cross-party support for crucial climate change legislation, they condemned him. And, as he was white, and male, and ...
If nothing else, some of the media treatment of the Luxon lu’au has reeked of a double standard. If Jacinda Ardern – or any of her Cabinet Ministers – had been holidaying in Hawaii while their social media imagery was depicting them working hard on the public’s behalf in Te ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme is broken. Stuffed with free allocations and rigged with a "cost containment reserve" which floods the market any time prices get "too high" (for a definition of "too high" set in a different world), its basicly served as a machanism to subsidise the production of the ...
Think Big: A democratic-socialist government could remove GST from basic food items. It could re-nationalise and centralise the generation and distribution of electric power, and then retail it to citizens at an affordable price. A democratic-socialist government could nationalise the public transportation system and make it free for everyone. A democratic-socialist government ...
Pure Poison: It is when the fetid atmosphere created by the Right’s toxic accusations and denunciations is at its thickest, that comparisons with the Woke Left spring most easily to mind. If the level of emotion on display, and the strength of the invective used, is inversely related to the ...
New Zealand companies are using their oligopolistic market power to gouge mega profits, driving up inflation. Overseas, such actions have resulted in windfall taxes, which have been used both to drive down inflation, and ameliorate its impacts (while driving down emissions). With New Zealand petrol companies pocketing record margins and ...
We’re helping more Kiwis into work, to help support whānau, grow our skilled workforce and secure our economy for future generations. During our time in Government, we’ve delivered record low unemployment rates, as well as a steady fall in the number of New Zealanders receiving a main benefit, and we’re ...
The Green Party once again calls on the Government to ban bottom trawling on all seamounts following the release of an industry white paper on so-called ‘sustainable’ trawling. ...
Urgent reform is essential to ensure disabled people have equal access to the care and support they need, the Green Party says in response to a new report that challenges politicians to fix the current system. ...
COVID-19 is here to stay and so the Government needs to put in place long-term protection measures, including mandatory ventilation standards, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to overhaul the Recognised Seasonal Employers scheme in the wake of revelations of shocking human rights violations. ...
The Green Party is calling for a cross-party commitment to guaranteeing at least a living wage and safe working conditions to people seeking employment, instead of continuing benefit sanctions. ...
The Green Party is once again calling on the Government to announce its support for a moratorium on deep sea mining, and to support a member’s bill going to select committee. ...
The Government must take steps to ensure that the way we build our homes is helping to meet New Zealand’s climate change targets, the Green Party said. ...
The Government’s employment initiatives led by the Ministry of Social Development must guarantee liveable incomes and fair working conditions, the Green Party says. ...
New Zealanders deserve a health system that works for everyone, no matter who you are or where you live. Our Government has a plan to make this a reality, and we’re taking the next steps. We now have thousands more health professionals, such as doctors and nurses, working in New ...
During her time as Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has navigated New Zealand through unprecedented times. Through it all, she’s become known as someone who leads with kindness, compassion and strength, while keeping the wellbeing of Kiwis at the heart of her approach. To celebrate five years of Jacinda leading the ...
Since taking office in 2017, our Government has worked hard to lift wages and make life more affordable for New Zealanders, as we move forward with our plan to grow a secure economy for all. ...
The Government must use the opportunity of the Electoral Amendment Bill in Parliament to close the loophole in the political donations regime, the Green Party says. ...
Thanks to political pressure from the Green Party and the more than 900 personal stories of birth injury and trauma delivered to Minister Sepuloni, more injuries have been added to the ACC birth injuries bill. ...
Supporting New Zealanders is at the heart of our approach as a Government, and we’re working hard to tackle the big issues Kiwis are facing. While long term challenges like child poverty won’t be solved overnight, we’re putting in place policies that make a real difference for New Zealanders. Here ...
Delegates at the AGM of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have voted to retain Marama Davidson as Green Party co-leader and to re-open nominations for the other co-leader position. ...
The Tourism Industry Transformation Plan outlines key actions to improve the sector This includes a Tourism and Hospitality Accord to set employment standards Developing cultural competency within the workforce Improving the education and training system for tourism Equipping business owners and operators with better tools and enabling better work ...
Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark welcomes Google Cloud’s decision to make New Zealand a cloud region. “This is another major vote of confidence for New Zealand’s growing digital sector, and our economic recovery from COVID 19,” David Clark said. “Becoming a cloud region will mean ...
A package of changes to NCEA and University Entrance announced today recognise the impact COVID-19 has had on senior secondary students’ assessment towards NCEA in 2022, says Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti. “We have heard from schools how significant absences of students and teachers, as a result of COVID-19, ...
Te Reo Māori tauparapara… Tapatapa tū ki te Rangi! Ki te Whei-ao! Ki te Ao-mārama Tihei mauri ora! Stand at the edge of the universe! of the spiritual world! of the physical world! It is the breath of creation Formal acknowledgments… [Your Highness Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and Masiofo] ...
The Government’s commitment to combatting firearms violence has reached another significant milestone today with the passage of the Firearms Prohibition Order Legislation Bill, Police Minister Chris Hipkins says. The new law helps to reduce firearm-related crime by targeting possession, use, or carriage of firearms by people whose actions and behaviours ...
Minister for Veterans, Hon Meka Whaitiri sends her condolences to the last Battle for Crete veteran. “I am saddened today to learn of the passing of Cyril Henry Robinson known as Brant Robinson, who is believed to be the last surviving New Zealand veteran of the Battle for Crete, Meka ...
Legislation to repeal the ‘Three Strikes’ law has passed its third reading in Parliament. “The Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill ends an anomaly in New Zealand’s justice system that dictates what sentence judges must hand down irrespective of relevant factors,” Justice Minister Kiri Allan said. “The three strikes law was ...
Work is under way on preliminary steps to improve the Government’s support for survivors of abuse in care while a new, independent redress system is designed, Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins says. These steps – recommended by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry – include rapid payments for ...
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki Online Forum 77 years ago today, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Three days earlier, on the 6th of August 1945, the same fate had befallen the people of Hiroshima. Tens of thousands died instantly. In the years that followed 340,000 ...
An agreement signed today between the New Zealand and United States governments will provide new opportunities for our space sector and closer collaboration with NASA, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash said. Stuart Nash signed the Framework Agreement with United States Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman. The signing ...
An agreement signed today between New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will strengthen global emergency management capability, says Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty. “The Government is committed to continually strengthening our emergency management system, and this Memorandum of Cooperation ...
New Zealand will remain at the Orange traffic light setting, while hospitalisations remain elevated and pressure on the health system continues through winter. “There’s still significant pressure on hospitals from winter illnesses, so our current measures have an ongoing role to play in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases and ...
Streets will soon be able to be transformed from unsafe and inaccessible corridors to vibrant places for all transport modes thanks to new legislation proposed today, announced Transport Minister Michael Wood. “We need to make it safe, quicker and more attractive for people to walk, ride and take public transport ...
More young minds eyeing food and fibre careers is the aim of new Government support for agricultural and horticultural science teachers in secondary schools, Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The Government is committing $1.6 million over five years to the initiative through the Ministry for Primary ...
Kākāpō numbers have increased from 197 to 252 in the 2022 breeding season, and there are now more of the endangered parrots than there have been for almost 50 years, Conservation Minister Poto Williams announced today. The flightless, nocturnal parrot is a taonga of Ngāi Tahu and a species unique ...
The relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Malaysia is to be elevated to the status of a Strategic Partnership, to open up opportunities for greater co-operation and connections in areas like regional security and economic development. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta met her Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah today during a ...
With additional trains operating across the network, powered by the Government’s investment in rail, there is need for a renewed focus on rail safety, Transport Minister Michael Wood emphasised at the launch of Rail Safety Week 2022. “Over the last five years the Government has invested significantly to improve level ...
The Foreign Minister has wrapped up a series of meetings with Indo-Pacific partners in Cambodia which reinforced the need for the region to work collectively to deal with security and economic challenges. Nanaia Mahuta travelled to Phnom Penh for a bilateral meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and Aotearoa New Zealand, ...
Extension of Aotearoa Touring Programme supporting domestic musicians The Programme has supported more than 1,700 shows and over 250 artists New Zealand Music Commission estimates that around 200,000 Kiwis have been able to attend shows as a result of the programme The Government is hitting a high note, with ...
Minister of Defence Peeni Henare will depart tomorrow for Solomon Islands to attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. While in Solomon Islands, Minister Henare will also meet with Solomon Islands Minister of National Security, Correctional Services and Police Anthony Veke to continue cooperation on security ...
The Government is partnering with Ngāi Tahu Farming Limited and Ngāi Tūāhuriri on a whole-farm scale study in North Canterbury to validate the science of regenerative farming, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The programme aims to scientifically evaluate the financial, social and environmental differences between regenerative and conventional practices. ...
52.5% of people on public boards are women Greatest ever percentage of women Improved collection of ethnicity data “Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees is now 52.5 percent, the highest ever level. The facts prove that diverse boards bring a wider range of knowledge, expertise and skill. ...
I am honoured to support the 2022 Women in Governance Awards, celebrating governance leaders, directors, change-makers, and rising stars in the community, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. For the second consecutive year, MPP is proudly sponsoring the Pacific Governance Leader category, recognising Pacific women in governance and presented to ...
Today Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash turned the sod for the new Whakatāne Commercial Boat Harbour, cut the ribbon for the revitalised Whakatāne Wharf, and inspected work underway to develop the old Whakatāne Army Hall into a visitor centre, all of which are part of the $36.8 million ...
New Zealanders are not getting a fair deal on some key residential building supplies and while the Government has already driven improvements in the sector, a Commerce Commission review finds that changes are needed to make it more competitive. “New Zealand is facing the same global cost of living and ...
Mana in Mahi reaches a milestone surpassing 5,000 participants 75 per cent of participants who had been on a benefit for two or more years haven’t gone back onto a benefit 89 per cent who have a training pathway are working towards a qualification at NZQA level 3 or ...
The Government has invested $7.7 million in a research innovation hub which was officially opened today by Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Dr Ayesha Verrall. The new facility named Te Pā Harakeke Flexible Labs comprises 560 square metres of new laboratory space for research staff and is based at ...
Unemployment has remained near record lows thanks to the Government’s economic plan to support households and businesses through the challenging global environment, resulting in more people in work and wages rising. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in the June quarter, with 96,000 people classed out ...
Action to address the risks identified in the 2020 climate change risk assessment, protecting lives, livelihoods, homes, businesses and infrastructure A joined up approach that will support community-based adaptation with national policies and legislation Providing all New Zealanders with information about local climate risks via a new online data ...
Māori with mental health and addiction challenges have easier access to care thanks to twenty-nine Kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction services across Aotearoa, Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare says. “Labour is the first government to take mental health seriously for all New Zealanders. We know that Māori ...
A Bill which updates New Zealand’s statistics legislation for the 21st century has passed its third and final reading today, Minister of Statistics David Clark said. The Data and Statistics Act replaces the Statistics Act, which has been in effect since 1975. “In the last few decades, national data and ...
The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament today, marking a significant milestone to improve the lives of disabled people. “The Bill aims to address accessibility barriers that prevent disabled people, tāngata whaikaha and their whānau, and others with accessibility needs from living independently,” said ...
Kia ora koutou, da jia hao It’s great to be back at this year’s China Business Summit. I would first like to acknowledge Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, His Excellency Ambassador Wang Xiaolong, and parliamentary colleagues both current and former the Right Honourable Winston Peters, the ...
Narrowing the expenses considered by lenders Relaxing the assumptions that lenders were required to make about credit cards and buy-now pay-later schemes. Helping make debt refinancing or debt consolidation more accessible if appropriate for borrowers The Government is clarifying the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance (CCCFA) Regulations, to ensure ...
The Firearms Prohibition Order Legislation Bill will be passed through all remaining stages by the end of next week, Police Minister Chris Hipkins said. The Justice Select Committee has received public feedback and finalised its report more quickly than planned. It reported back to the House on Friday. “The Bill will ...
The Government has stepped up activity to protect kauri, with a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) coming into effect today, Biosecurity Minister Damien O'Connor and Associate Environment Minister James Shaw said. “We have a duty to ensure this magnificent species endures for future generations and also for the health of ...
Prime Minister Ardern met with members of Samoa’s Cabinet in Apia, today, announcing the launch of a new climate change partnership and confirming support for the rebuild of the capital’s main market, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between Aotearoa New ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for the Indo-Pacific region today for talks on security and economic issues at meetings of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, and during bilateral engagements in Malaysia. “Engaging in person with our regional partners is a key part of our reconnecting strategy as ...
United Nations Headquarters, New York City Thank you, Mr President. Ngā mihi ki a koutou. I extend my warm congratulations to you and assure you of the full cooperation of the New Zealand delegation. I will get right to it. In spite of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the nuclear ...
A major milestone of 10,037 additional public homes has been achieved since Labour came into office, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods confirmed today. “It’s extremely satisfying and a testament to our commitment to providing a safety net for people who need public housing, that we have delivered these warm, ...
Pacific Media Watch newsdesk Amnesty International and Civicus have called on the Fiji government to drop contempt of court charges against a lawyer in Fiji for exercising his right to freedom of expression. On 27 June 2022, Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum filed charges for contempt of court against senior lawyer ...
Opinion - The accusations against MP Sam Uffindell are showing National leader Christopher Luxon that driving a strong team culture doesn't just mean just celebrating the wins, but also dealing with the difficult situations fairly and decisively. ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Is Tauranga headed towards yet another by-election?Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. If National causes yet another by-election to be held in Tauranga, not only will it cost the taxpayers another unnecessary $1m for the taxpayers after Simon Bridges called it quits earlier in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University Shutterstock Eighteen months ago, a Melbourne woman named Leila had a stroke and went to a local hospital. After medical support over a few weeks, Leila was ready to be discharged from ...
A View from Afar – In this podcast, political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning will analyse hostilities and the pathway ahead for Taiwan, China, Asia Pacific nations and the United States of America. Buchanan and Manning will examine why hostilities have intensified, what defence and pre-emptive security moves ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Klaus Nielsen/Pexels , CC BY-SA Australia is experiencing a national egg shortage. Prices are rising and supermarket stocks are patchy. Some cafes are reportedly serving breakfast with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Broom, Professor of Sociology & Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, The University of Sydney., University of Sydney Since news of Olivia Newton-John’s death this week, many have paid tribute to her character, humble nature and cultural significance. She also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Paul Miller/AAP New analysis this week found strong fuel efficiency standards would have saved Australia A$5.9 billion in fuel costs and emissions equal to a year’s worth of domestic flights ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Broom, Professor of Sociology & Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, The University of Sydney., University of Sydney Since news of Olivia Newton-John’s death this week, many have paid tribute to her character, humble nature and cultural significance. She also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McNeil, Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney Throughout his career, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who has died of cancer at 84, rejected terms like “fashion”. But his work allowed much of the world to reimagine ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. This morning, RNZ played the following story: Health stats show 87 people have died in their homes from Covid-19 since March, which references New Zealand’s ...
Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick says she is frustrated that her bill to ban alcohol sponsorship in sports is not receiving the backing of the government, despite the presence of overwhelming evidence. ...
By Gorethy Kenneth of the PNG Post-Courier in Port Moresby In a historic first, the Papua New Guinea Parliament has installed Pangu Pati leader and Tari-Pori MP James Marape by a unanimous majority as the country’s ninth Prime Minister. Immediately, in his address to the House and streamed live to ...
By Geraldine Panapasa, editor-in-chief of Wansolwara Newsin Suva Addressing the training development deficit in the Fiji media industry can stem journalist attrition and improve coverage of election reporting in the country, says University of the South Pacific journalism coordinator Dr Shailendra Singh. Speaking during last week’s launch of the National ...
Buzz from the Beehive Some ministers commemorated historical events in the latest press statements from the Beehive while others pointed to New Zealand’s role in the space age and to technological developments around the digital economy and data storage in the cloud. Three statements were related to events in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karlo Doroc, PhD Candidate in Decision Science, Centre for Brain, Mind and Markets, The University of Melbourne Unsplash/Susan Q Yin Nobel laureate economist Richard Thaler famously quipped: People aren’t dumb, the world is hard. Indeed, we routinely ...
Flexible workshops designed to help students understand the impacts of climate change, and how they can make a difference Keep New Zealand Beautiful, an iconic not-for-profit organisation that this year celebrates its 55 year milestone, has today launched ...
“Numbers are dropping in the New Zealand Defence Force as personnel are faced with poor pay, poor dwellings, and poor leadership from the Minister,” says ACT’s Defence spokesperson Dr James McDowall. “NZDF is experiencing increasing attrition ...
Christopher Luxon says member of his staff was told about the red flags around candidate Sam Uffindell during the campaign for the Tauranga by-election ...
Christopher Luxon says a member of his staff was told about the red flags around candidate Sam Uffindell during the campaign for the Tauranga by-election. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Huon pine in TasmaniaShutterstock When you think of “conifers”, tall, conical shaped trees often found in public parks or front yards may spring to mind. But ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has written to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on behalf of the more than 65,000 New Zealanders who took the time to submit on the Water Services Entities Bill (Three Waters) through our submission tool. “We learnt ...
The National Party's new president has admitted its candidate selection process could be improved, after its Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell was suspended over bullying allegations. ...
A top US diplomat says New Zealand could eventually become a member of the AUKUS defence alliance, highlighting the country's strategic importance. ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon says work has already been done to reset the culture within the party and in improving its candidate selection process. ...
“James Shaw has doubled down on his Government’s assurance that existing land use will continue on Significant Natural Areas (SNAs),” says ACT’s Primary Industries spokesperson Mark Cameron. “Responding to written parliamentary questions from ...
To celebrate 90 years of supporting disabled people into employment opportunities, Workbridge has launched a new book, Taking Charge: The Story of Workbridge. Workbridge has a proud history as an independent disability-owned and led organisation, delivering ...
Kelvin Hastie – best known for starting New Zealand's first predator free community – has announced that he will run for the mayor of Wellington. "What we need now is unity," says Hastie, something that he ignited in the community when ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Marks, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Strategy, Government and Alliances, Western Sydney University The 1973 Watergate Committee hearings ran for 51 days. The televised revelations drew a huge audience. The pressure built with slow, devastating intensity, devouring then US President Richard Nixon’s agenda, eventually ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University Jeffery Erhunse/Unsplash Egg freezing is promoted as an empowering option for women who want to stop the biological clock and improve their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penelope Jones, Research Fellow in Environmental Health, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Savanna burning projects in northern Australia provide economic benefits to Indigenous communities and claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But our research suggests smoke from these projects is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Sciberras, Associate Professor, Deakin University Simeon Frank/Unsplash COVID lockdowns and home schooling seemed never-ending for a lot of families. But there were some silver linings. Our new research published in two papers looked at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sian Mitchell, Lecturer, Film, Television and Animation, Deakin University Warner Bros Batgirl has become the latest film to be added to a growing list of movies we will never get to see. The US$90 million film had been shot and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Howe, Research Fellow, University of Auckland Getty Images Routine childhood immunisations have dropped so dramatically globally during the COVID-19 pandemic that the World Health Organization and UNICEF are raising the alarm. Internationally, 25 million children in 2021 alone ...
Sam Uffendell should resign or be sacked and a new election held at National's expense. The NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party demand the National Party sack newly elected Sam Uffendell and pay for a new election giving the people of Tauranga a fair vote ...
When I was a student at Otago I enjoyed a student lifestyle, which included drinking and, at times, smoking marijuana. While in second year a number of flatmates fell out – and two of the flatmates left midway through the year. I reject any accusation ...
National MP Sam Uffindell has been stood down from the party's caucus while an investigation is carried out into further allegations of bullying raised by RNZ. ...
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk Papua New Guinea’s incumbent leader, James Marape, has been returned to the top job as the country’s ninth prime minister, reports the ABC’s Port Moresby correspondent Natalie Whiting. “Marape was voted in as prime minister unopposed, with unanimous support from all MPs present in the first ...
RNZ News New research details the extent of racism, othering and tokenism faced by Māori and Pacific postgraduate students in Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, was based off responses of 43 Māori and Pacific students in science, technology, engineering, ...
RNZ Pacific Pacific athletes have won a total of 13 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, split among six nations. Samoa won the region’s only gold, through weightlifter Don Opolenge and the nation’s lifters also won three silver medals. They also gained a silver in boxing. Fiji won four ...
The Auditor-General's submission on three waters legislation is a "constructive suggestion", the minister says, and a normal part of the Parliamentary process. ...
The latest political polling shows the centre-right parties pulling ahead of the centre-left—but it may be too soon for the leaders of the National and ACT parties to be thinking they will be forming the next government. The mood of the country has seldom been as dark, chastened as it ...
A former secretary of the National Party says he repeatedly asked then MP Jami-Lee Ross to provide information about the individual donors behind one large donation to the party but the information was not forthcoming. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Encarnacao, Musician, lecturer, Western Sydney University Photo by Roger Allston/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images My default mental image of Olivia Newton-John is from the mid-1970s: long, flowing floral dresses; long, centre-parted light brown hair; big inquisitive eyes; and, when called ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rodney Tiffen, Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Police direct traffic outside an entrance to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after the former president said the FBI was conducting a search.Terry Renna/AP “These are dark times ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasim Raja, Research scientist, CSIRO CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Processing/Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Author provided Within 24 hours of accessing the first stage of Australia’s newest supercomputing system, researchers have processed a series of radio telescope observations, including a highly ...
Party People is joined by former National MP Paul Quinn to discuss the Sam Uffindell controversy, the National Party conference, and the latest 1 News / Kantar political poll. ...
Sam Uffindell's constituents in Tauranga appear largely ready to forgive and forget after the revelations of their MP's past as a self-confessed high school bully. ...
The government has passed its bill repealing the three strikes law, which automatically hands maximum sentences to criminals who commit three serious crimes. Justice Minister Kiri Allan says serious and repeat offenders will still be held to account. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University stocker193/Shutterstock Less than two weeks after the announcement of its acquisition of US healthcare company One Medical, Amazon is continuing its expansion with a US$1.7 billion offer for iRobot, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University Earlier today, reports began emerging Google was down.
While it has since returned, it once again highlights our dependence on technology service providers and shows how reliant many people ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Brown, Midwifery Program Director , University of South Australia Shutterstock So far, there have been 57 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox reported by Australian authorities. In July, the Australian government issued a health alert for monkeypox as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Author provided Australia once had vast oyster and mussel reefs, which anchored marine ecosystems and provided a key food source for coastal First Nations people. But after colonisation, Europeans harvested them for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Baker, Professor of Housing Research, University of Adelaide The federal government’s confirmation on Monday that it will set up a National Housing Supply and Affordability Council has not received much media or public attention. But, dollar for dollar, it might be ...
Yesterday Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson decided to write an opinion piece in the NZHerald that tries to justify the Labour Party’s push for apartheid in our country via co-governance. The fact that Willie loudly announced that New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University Olivia Newton-John was a versatile artist with an appeal that spanned generations, and who played an important role in claiming a space for Australian popular culture on the world stage. She was the ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon is standing by his MP for Tauranga, but says the assault of a smaller boy at boarding school should have been made public. ...
By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal in Majuro The Marshall Islands lost its covid-free status yesterday when tests confirmed six positive cases in the capital, the first known community transmission since the pandemic started in early 2020. It was not immediately clear the source of the covid-19 ...
By Jairo Bolledo of Rappler in Manila Former Philippines vice-presidential candidate and Laban ng Masa chairperson Walden Bello has been arrested for two counts of alleged cyber libel by the police. Bello, 76, is a globally renowned environmental and social justice activist and academic. Bello’s arrest yesterday was confirmed by ...
By Gorethy Kenneth of the PNG Post-Courier in Port Moresby If there is a glimmer of hope in Papua New Guinea’s violence marred national general elections, then it has to be the elevation of a lone woman to the National Parliament. It took the People’s National Congress (PNC) Governor-elect of ...
RNZ Pacific About 100 people have marched in the New Caledonian capital of Noumea to protest against what they see as government inaction to curb violence against women. The rally was called by the group Women in Anger just days after the latest killing of a woman at the hands ...
RNZ Pacific A Japanese sailor has been stabbed at Bloody Ridge in Solomon Islands during a World War II remembrance ceremony in Honiara. Witnesses say the man, who was part of the Japanese Navy media team, was stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors. Bloody Ridge community chief ...
By Rusiate Baleilevuka of Fijivillage in Suva “We need to scrap or reform the Media Industry Development Act.” This is one of the key recommendations in the National Media Reporting of the 2018 Fijian General Elections Report. Co-author and University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism coordinator, Associate Professor Shailendra ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Dan Himbrechts/AAP The much-debated term “neoliberalism” again entered the political debate last week, with Greens leader Adam Bandt using a National Press Club speech to decry neoliberalism ...
Petition requesting that Parliament urge the Government to expel the ambassador of the Russian Federation and sever diplomatic relations with Russia will be submitted 11 August, 1.30pm for presenting by Dr Gaurav Sharma MP to NZ House of Representatives. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Our Foreign Affairs Minister has announced the relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia is to be elevated to the status of a Strategic Partnership, the Minister of Conservation is clucking about the growth in kākāpō numbers in the 2022 breeding season, the Covid Response Minister has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tara McAllister, Research Fellow, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images Given most New Zealand universities have goals for increasing Māori and Pacific student and staff numbers, we need to ask why their numbers still remain stubbornly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, Macquarie University Shutterstock There’s nothing like the fresh eggs from your own hens, the more than 400,000 Australians who keep backyard chooks will tell you. Unfortunately, it’s often not just ...
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Labour MP for Mangere to table Tax Justice petition before parliament.
As well as calling for the removal of GST off all food. The Tax Justice Petition calls for a Financial Transaction Tax on speculation. Currently the billions made by financiers like John Key and his ‘trader’ mates, goes untaxed. While food is taxed. This is why the campaign is called Tax Justice.
New Zealanders can sign an online version of the Tax Justice petition here
Thank you for bringing this petition to my attention Jenny, I have just signed it and will urge my friends and family to do so as well.
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Hi Jilly, You might like this.
Kind regards Jenny
Todays Huffington Post in support of increasing mimimum wages
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/minimum-wage-increase-help-economy-experts_n_872617.html
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It may be little wonder that even conservative media are considering increasing minimum wages as US workers share of national income has fallen to its lowest point in modern history
Echoing the concerns expressed at the Huffington Post on this level of inequality, David Rosenberg asks, “Is this sustainable?”
Sounds familiar Peter : “…..higher minimum wages flush more money into the economy without cutting into job growth — the latter a long-held contention of business interests and many conservatives.”
Is Christchurch going to come through this ok? Will the people return to at least the same as before and the economy rapidly gain its former capacity?
I don’t know, and there seem to be murmurings along these lines. There still seems to be a steady but low exodus from the city. Hundreds and hundreds of empty houses for rent. Businesses chopped down and evaporating.
Hope these thoughts are in the wrong direction but doubts are creeping in here and there.
Maybe what would help is some large scale demolition. Knock down a couple of the large buildings asap in order to show that progress is happenning.
Then again, only two weeks until the shortest day!
I think that history shows us that there is something akin to the “grieving process” that follows disasters like this.
One of those things that happen is the phase where the problem looks so big and the effort so little that people despair can set in – where you wonder how life can ever be “normal” again.
Human’s are resilient, very adaptive and have the smarts to survive. Human’s have throughout time adapted to changes in their physical environment and rebuilt that which has been destroyed.
Christchurch has taken a hit and, like the aftershocks, there is more to come as people adjust to the new realities (i.e. the need to relocate, the need to start a new business and or close an old one, dealing with the loss of investment etc).
When we build a life for ourselves we do so over time. Buy a car, lay down a lawn, build a house, get a job, move house, fix the plumbing, get the kids into a school.
But with an earthquake, not only is what you have built up over time destroyed or changed in a short time, you have to rebuild any number of things in a short time. Then you have to adapt to changes in the city – cafes you went to aren’t there anymore, the route you take to work doesn’t exist anymore, your morning walk no longer has the trees you loved.
All in all that is a HUGE number of stressors in with a short time in which to adapt.
Things will be “normal” again for Christchurch. Not “the same” but normal.
I feel (as much as I am able:-) ) for the burden that Chch people have to carry.
Having said all that, (and as an aside) the Christchurch earthquake was an obvious change that needs to be adapted to and humans will adapt.
It’s the slow stuff that worries me. The insidious creep of climate change may blind us to the urgent need to adapt.
Hi VTO,
I think that William Joyce has it right. Grieving is what you may have to do for all that is lost. I have gone through major changes forced on me by outside forces and while I tried to hold on to all that was familiar to me I found I could not move on until I acknowledged and grieved for all that I lost and I lost all.
It has taken me years and I still grief of and on but it gets easier in time and you and Christchurch will rebuild. It’s human nature.
Kind regards
Ev
I lived in Christchurch for 10 years when it was still beautiful. Went back after 22Feb; it’s a wreck, it will never be the same. I came up to Auckland for work just before all the quakes began and I’m sorry to say I have no desire to go back.. too depressing and messed up 🙁
Well I read a report the other day saying that Christchurch has had a total of 21 new housing consents since Sept last year, for replacing earthquake damaged housing.
At this pitiful run rate, they’ll still be fixing up houses from the recent Christchurch earthquake damage in the 24th/25th century.
Insurance companies are being slow to pay out, they are waiting for engineers to figure out how to stabilise the ground under those damaged properties, seems like a catch-22
While our bankster elite (both John and Don are after all finance boys firmly connected to the financial Wall street elite and the neocon boys through friendships and business relationships with Armitage, Geitner and Milton Friedman to name a few) advance the agenda of the international banksters here is a video of family members of some of those who died on the day it all began; 9/11 2001.
They still have questions and so do 1500+ architects and engineers.
And why did people bet on the airplane companies to loose value in the week of 911. Oh and on Merrill Lynch too?
These ads are shown all over the US and with the UK marines of the coast of Yemen and 2000 US marines ready to invade Libya and New Zealand under attack from the Neocons scheisters who started it all I feel it is important to keep reminding people that this is not going away.
For more background information on the coordinated financial attack all the countries in the European/US region of influence (New Zealand amongst them) are currently suffering and the ongoing implementation of the NeoCon agenda in the middle East read up on it here.
There are still hundreds of questions not answered about the events that opened the door to all these developments and we will not stop until the family members, architects and engineers have those answers.
Surprising in the educated bloggers here that a number use loose instead of lose. I get the right meaning from the context, but why the mistake? I have seen it on Jackal’s posts and others too.
Try thinking of loose change in the pocket, though you can lose that. I think I need a better example.
Lost loose losers losing loose change usually means loose lost brains losing looseness. Lost?.
vto Now that’s education for you – Anne Tolley look and marvel.
It is the damn spell checkers. I notice it myself (and not just on the iPad). I check for spelling errors by looking at the spelling error highlights. If a word is spelt correctly but is the wrong variant then I don’t see it.
The classic examples in these pages is ‘you’ when people mean ‘your’. It shows up in posts and comments everywhere.
The converse is also true. I’m just itching to change ‘spelt’ because it shows as an error because of the idiot dictionary on this system.
Now, now, stop blaming the machinery 😛
I once chugged out an entire 12k word assignment that used, in every instance (which is quite often in an assignment on party leadership changes), “lead” instead of “led” because it was a bit rushed and I was reading it in my head to sound like “head” not “heed”. Interesting that my brain was full of the base metal I was spelling 🙂
I don’t like the USA bias which means a word with s is often underlined because it should be z. Myself I like to keep z as a rare letter for when I play scrabble for high stakes. Other USAisms intrude too but I find spell checker helpful, it does pick up the errors which occur more often since the last upgrade of the Opera browser when the font for the standard decreased straining my eyesight, and some of my keys are so worn that the wrong alpha gets up. Machinery!
Exactly! I use Open Orifice and make certain it’s set to UK English (as NZ English isn’t an option weirdly..) When I use Word (only occasionally), it defaults back to US English, and quite insanely, many language schools offer only US English on their computers – I say insanely because many students I’ve had, have come to NZ because they want to avoid learning US dialect…
That reminds me of a story I heard years ago from a woman working as a temp dicta-typist, who got into a power of trouble for typing “The morning Jew lay gently on the grass”… 😀
Spelt as in the grain? Try meaning ‘fora’ (plural of forums in Microsoft Word. It simply won’t allow it, which caused trouble in an essay I was writing for linguistics in 2003)
vicky 32 That sentence obviously should have been “The mourning Jew lay gently on the grass…” 😯
That’s poetry vto.
Smarmy Peter Dunne. On Morning Report about 1080 with his own particular brand of common sense. Which is to heap an attitude of nonsense on anything that he doesn’t agree with. And the report saying that more 1080 is needed, and that the use of it has been refined so that it achieves its goals with minimum downside, he can’t agree with. Because he has become spokesperson for the huntin, shootin community. That is the constituency he has adopted, and vice versa, and he needs some group to back his Greta Garbo party (she was known for a comment that she ‘Wanted to be alone’). His ‘ commonsense’ approach is to point out the failure of 1080 so far to completely solve the problem of defoliating and predating furry critters, possums, rats etc etc which breed like billyoh out in the back country. Trappers should be used providing employment, but the wild areas of NZ are extremely hard to work in, and that method is impossibly expensive for government.
He was arguing against two women, one from Forest and Bird which he tried to portray as soft-headed greenies, and (thanks google) Dr Jan Wright [who]was sworn in as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment for a five-year term on 5 March 2007. Jan has a multidisciplinary background … He called their argument emotional during his forthright emotional rant and brought up various nice ideas such as trappers and possum fur providing jobs (impossible as the large number of possums required for a viable business would increase their numbers and stymie the drive to urgently decrease their destructive reign.)
He thinks the environment should be sacrificed so that jobs can be created, he can get the hunting votes, and he can stay in parliament to dole out his common sense. And the hunters say they care for the environment and want to protect it. They care about their own interests, the ease of finding targets, and their hunting dogs which can fall prey to 1080 as they range around. But one dog can kill 200 kiwi in a short time. So the hunters as a group have members who are destroying protected wild life themselves. And the environmental lobby fears that all kiwi will vanish with this sort of predation and other problems, in a few decades.
“Because he has become spokesperson for the huntin, shootin community.”
They were nearly a political Party weren’t they Prism, but became instead a lobby group funneled through Mr Dunne. Funny therefore that Mr Dunne should blast a scientific report? No?
The discussion on 9 to noon about 9:30 ish ended with an American damning the use of aerial dropping of 1080. He said NZ was the only country who used this method, and therefore it must be wrong! Really?
He did say that there should be a research project set up. That would be good.
1 third with no action.
1 third aerial drop.
1 third bait station.
His rant about making a fur trapping business for export growth was clearly him just mouthing the right words.
If industrial-scale fur trapping were a viable business, it would already exist. The 1080 coverage is said to be a very very small percentage of all DOC lands, so there’s nothing stopping him from setting up a fur business dealing to possums in the rest of the country. I would suggest (don’t know, but I’m assuming) that the DOC areas with 1080 aerial drops are in the parts of the country where other methods of control aren’t feasible anyway.
lanthanide That’s what I have heard. That 1080 is essential for the most inacessible areas.
I have some insider knowledge of 1080 drops, their impressive results (possums and also rats and stoats as a bonus), the way they are carefully GPS mapped so they avoid farms and waterways (unlike the bad old days when the pellets were dropped anywhere), and the various bullshit stories and even dangerous sabotage attempts coming from the hunting and/or DOC hating community. The Commissioner is completely bang on with her report, there is no other working alternative. Certainly not bloody trapping. Its a shame the government isn’t interested in slinging more money at the programme so they can cover more ground. Idiots like Dunne and those Graf brothers make me bloody furious.
Recent murmurings from the forgotten coast confirm that for sheep the price per kilo of wool is a handful of dollars, whereas for possum fur it is now one hundred and thirty dollars.
I have not read the report yet but everything in the media today lacks any actual facts and instead is a variation of “I have read the research and concluded that my view is right.” There have been no facts presented as part of the report release today. Subtle. Prove me wrong before this gets completely out of hand. Which it will in a localised way.
Of course, there is a relative cost in getting that kilo of possum fur vs a kilo of wool.
Getting out at night shooting the buggers, plucking them the moment they die (best time to pluck them and that about 22 X. That is a lot of hard work for a measly $130 and whether they are a pest or not it’s still a big mammal you have to kill and they are hard to kill. Not fun.
Yes the land comes free for a start
Lol.
Now all we need are possum shepherds who can individually muster dozens at the time. To heck with 1080, bring back The Dog Show.
And now the news: the sheep dog trials ended in a ruckus when all four were found guilty. Baaaaaad dog! (that one was probably ancient when the Two Ronnies did it).
Hee hee. But it’s viable. A series of traplines checked once every day or two should, in a well populated area, realise a few dozen possums. 15 possums for a kilo of fur. They are quite easy to kill – hold them upside down by the tail and a quick chop to the back of the arching neck. 5 minutes to de-fur when fresh, 15 when not so. Move the traplines steadily back to the next ridge / valley / river and chomp through larger areas. It is entirely feasible. People already do it. Subsidies to the extent of 1080 cost may well be enough to break the back of trapping excuses.
As for 1080, when will we learn? 245t anyone? Or how about asbestos? Formaldehyde? The “authorities” claimed each and every one of these killers was ok too. Pardon me if I am not a believer.
Add vioxx and synthetic red food colouring to the list. Mobile phone radiation too…
the point is though that it’s not the high income yields for investment in work that you suggest – for the industry to be sustainably if womone worked 8 hours a day on traplines they’d have to get ($130/night*5nights = $650/w) a permanantly sustainable catch rate of 15 possums a night. Not including skinning or treating costs.
And we want skilled workers (even if trappers) to get more than that, as well as the possum industry to be unsustainable, i.e. possum eradication (not farming on DoC reserves).
ianmac Yes Dunne was for more research. Yet he wasn’t interested in the facts presently gathered. I think some of these guys use the idea of research as a delaying tactic so they don’t have to be seen doing something that will aggravate some possible voters. Talk, do nothing and the spotlight will turn away to some other problem.
For sure more research would be good, if government can prise money out of the wealthy’s pockets where they put those tax cuts. Um, sorry, we were a bit out on our budgets for the country and shouldn’t have cut the tax rate like that. We’re sure you’ll understand that we now need it back!
I think bait stations are used where possible aren’t they. Would half and half with 1080 for active depopulation of pests be the right proportion of intervention? I think they should use what they have to in as careful a way as possible. (One email to the station commented on the unlikelihood of Peter Dunne having done the bait station thing, getting out into the wild countryside, crawling through wet grass. You would have to go and put the trap in, bait it, back to check it, then rebait or dispose of the dead animal safely. Then repeat…for quite a while.)
Had to put this tweet up:
by @paulwaite
oh I like that
The King of Destiny Church
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/06/king-of-destiny-church.html
A few years ago, a couple of Density Church members came to my house and asked for money. They appeared to be hyped on some sort of drug or perhaps that was just religious fervour. I engaged in conversation with them for a while but ultimately told them I had nothing to give, which wasn’t far from the truth. Once I had made it clear that I wasn’t going to part with any folding, they skedaddled leaving the gate open on the way out. I thought this rather rude as I had sheep that could’ve escape onto the road. Luckily I noticed, as there are large fines for wandering stock these days.
Breaking news on Stuff: “Darren Hughes will not be charged – police.”
What now for Darren Hughes?
Will he make a return to politics?
Can he do this at the next election?
I could have predicted that one. I heard somebody mention he might be going to work for the UN. I’m not holding my breath in expectation of all his detractors to apologize for their accusations now that he’s been exonerated.
He hasn’t been exonerated (which has a quite explicit meaning and would have required him to stand trial to achieve).
He has not been charged because the evidence did not stack up to something that could be taken to court under a criminal charge. In other words the police did not think that they had even the moderate chance of winning the case.
It could be that he didn’t do whatever the allegation was, or that the alleged activity was not illegal, or that there was insufficient evidence. Unfortunately that is about all that Darren Hughes would or could get publically from the police will be the yes/no about if they are charging him.
I was meaning the word exonerated in the public and not legal sense. Perhaps vindicated would have been more appropriate. Whatever the case, it seems that the damage has been done and not only to his career. It will be a cold day in hell before Phil Goff gets an apology for the almost two weeks of media beat up we were all subjected to.
I believe speculating further when the police have found there is no case to answer would be inappropriate.
I don’t know. The trouble is, it only clears Hughes of criminal charges, but the police won’t go into details. So it means we don’t know if there was anethical or moral breach:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5116263/No-charges-against-former-Labour-MP-Darren-Hughes
Well if there is no charge he’s innocent in my mind. He should be reinstated and there should be a public apology. The red necked Tory dirty trick brigade have come unstuck . I bet Crosby Textor are furious and licking their wounds.
They should now be exposed, and those responsible should be named .
Bomber Declares War on the Jackal
Yesterday, Martyn Bradbury AKA Bomber declared war on the Jackal for debating issues raised in an article written for Tumeke entitled “Why I can’t vote Green this election.” His blog was inspired by an announcement concerning the political position of the Green Party. The implications of declaring WAR are far ranging as can be seen in the National Government’s “War on Beneficiaries,” which proposes the forced sterilization of Woman on the DPB in some kind of Nazi inspired Eugenics Program…
Here we go again.
National are really starting to get their ducks in a row, but using the usual vague dissembling language they are becoming known for. Just a “a couple of initiatives around industrial relations, but what those are it’s too early for us to tell,” ‘Too early to tell’ but apparently early enough to give the teaser to RNZ (at least) about bargaining agents.
Talk about a forked tongue. I keep waiting for the metaphorical young boy in the media to shout “the emperor has no clothes”.
National knows it’s exact plan. Too early to tell really means that they haven’t softened up the populace enough to accept their radical, right-wing plans that give more power and our wealth to the capitalists yet.
Dont worry, guys and gals, the union movement and the Labour party will stop John Key and his minions dead in their tracks with a series of strongly worded press releases and a tacky website or two.
This is the link I meant to include above.
Hero of the Week Award – Peter Dunne
Yes! You heard right! Peter Dunne is our first Hero of the Week Award winner. I know we give Dunne a bit of stick… I mean who could go past the Bouffant or planking incident without throwing in a few jibes. For now, let’s put that aside. Let’s also out aside the fact that he’s a right-wing politician that’s been supporting the corrupt National Party in their campaign against society. The Jackal believes in the benefits of giving credit where credit is due, so good on ya mate!
Worth a look
http://www.dailymotion.com/user/OneWorldTV/subscriptions/2011-06-08/1:1?mode=playlist&from=email_subscriptiondigestusers&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=SubscriptionDigestUsers&utm_campaign=Alert-SubscriptionDigestUsers#videoId=xj5okw
This compelling tour of developing countries on the front line of climate
change shows the impacts they are experiencing today.Community organisers,
government ministers, development workers and aid donors speak out. A
special CDKN collaboration with OneWorld films.http://www.oneworldgroup.org
I use Clearnet for my e-mail. To reduce spam and phishing, all customers have been sent a letter which in part says:
“Consequently, from 11 July 2011 you will no longer be able to send Clearnet email if you are connected from an overseas location and using email software such as Outlook, Microsoft Mail, Apple Mail etc”
Does this mean that usual e-mail traffic to/from friends overseas will be blocked? Will enquire further tomorrow.
Confusing terminology but what it means is that, if you’re overseas, you won’t be able to send email from a local (on the PC) email client. At a guess I’d say that you’ll still be able to use their web based mail client to send email.
I was out earlier this evening and recorded Back Benchers – have just watched it. I was left absolutely gobsmacked by Hillary Calvert’s antics – sheesh, words fail me. Between her and the MP for New Plymouth – go Andrew Little!! I was also delighted to see Clare Curran in her Highlander’s rugby shirt, after being turfed out of Parliament on Tuesday. It reminded me of a friend who was denied entry into a well known night club in Auckland in the 1960s [can’t recall the name] because he didn’t wear a tie. My friend immediately went outside, divested himself of his shirt, found a tie and went back inside – he was allowed in!!