“Ms Curran said the decision to source couplers overseas showed Government procurement rules released by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce in April, and which take effect on October 1, was a ”complete sham, delivering no real benefits”.
“Dunedin North MP David Clark said the Government’s procurement policy was just ”window dressing” and should take into account the ”whole-of-economy costs”, which included the extra tax paid by having people employed in New Zealand. ”
Don’t often find myself in complete agreement with both Dunedin Labour MPs on an issue, so thought I’d acknowledge that here. This is how NACT deal with our unemployment and manufacturing crises:
“Bradken [the multinational that leases Hillside] had missed on a contract to supply couplers for KiwiRail’s older wagon fleet, resulting in 64 staff moving to a four-day week”
Even the mislead youth from his own party opposes the GCSB bill, and what does Banksie do?
He says, “They are misinformed, they don’t know what I know because if they knew, they would know.”:-D
Time to give the old man a kick up the backside, Act. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/act-campus-opposes-spy-bills-ck-143916
They (ACT on Campus) kicked Botox Banks’ arse over marriage equality…….why when it comes to the spy bills do they take this confused crap (“because if they knew they would know….”), from this screechy caricature of a man ?
It wasn’t just any terrorist message that triggered U.S. terror alerts and embassy closures—but a conference call of more than 20 far-flung al Qaeda operatives
The intercept provided the U.S. intelligence community with a rare glimpse into how al Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, manages a global organization that includes affiliates in Africa, the Middle East, and southwest and southeast Asia.
The conference call reference is ridiculous – 083033 – Telecom meet me conference facility, dial in, please enter your pin code – You have been joined to the conference!
Just like regular office folk, this lot!
It’s as if the story tellers are not even trying to sound serious!
Well spotted McFlock, which is why I have not used that particular link, as it refers to taking out the supposed next in line…
This is what you want to read, and the Sibel Edmonds links.
In interviews with this author in early March, Edmonds claimed that Ayman al-Zawahiri, current head of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden’s deputy at the time, had innumerable, regular meetings at the U.S. embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, with U.S. military and intelligence officials between 1997 and 2001, as part of an operation known as ‘Gladio B’. Al-Zawahiri, she charged, as well as various members of the bin Laden family and other mujahideen, were transported on NATO planes to various parts of Central Asia and the Balkans to participate in Pentagon-backed destabilisation operations http://www.legitgov.org/CLG-Al-Zawahri-back-dead-issuing-new-al-Qaeda-terror-threats
Um – where did the US say that Zawahiri was dead? Injured and “possibly” dead after a strike, sure, but they never said he was definitely dead (unlike Bin Laden). Just they it seemed they’d seriously injured him and he might have been killed (obviously, he recovered from his injuries).
Which makes me look sceptically on any “news” story that says he’s “back from the dead”. It seems to be distorting original statements from the US in order to further an agenda. So what else might they have distorted, I wonder?
A whistleblower has revealed extraordinary information on the U.S. government’s support for international terrorist networks and organised crime. The government has denied the allegations yet gone to extraordinary lengths to silence her. Her critics have derided her as a fabulist and fabricator. But now comes word that some of her most serious allegations were confirmed by a major European newspaper only to be squashed at the request of the U.S. government.
thx Muzza .. what mind-exploding details ! I am amazed Sibel Edmonds has managed to stay alive as US have been trying to silence her for years. Brave and smart woman .. what a story. Long may she remain safe.
My default setting is to be cautious about so called whistle blowers, especially those who manage to stay alive, when there are so many that have been disappeared!
Gotta keep some faith though, because not everyone wants to die sitting back with the information they have, without taking it public.
The question is though, can enough people such as this, light a big enough fire under the sheep, before the technological grid becomes unbreakable, permanently!
“We went looking for the effects of cocaine,” Hurt said. But after a time “we began to ask, ‘Was there something else going on?’ ”
While the cocaine-exposed children and a group of nonexposed controls performed about the same on tests, both groups lagged on developmental and intellectual measures compared to the norm. Hurt and her team began to think the “something else” was poverty
Everything is suspicious if you look at it properly, everyone has secrets, no one is without guilt. It’s just we have to work out what it is that they are guilty off.
For one of the worlds biggest companies .
Using funds for the sale assets to prop up failing policy how much more is the govt going to bribe kiwis to part with what they already own.
Chris Trotter on the upcoming Labour Party conference, and issues likely to arise. He talks about the conflict between caucus and the rank and file, and possible outcomes. Also the party policy platform proposed by the rank and file that will be voted on as binding at the conference, and the problems this presents given the caucus doesn’t support this direction.
Labour believes that social justice means that all people should have equal access to social, economic, cultural, political, and legal spheres regardless of wealth, gender, ethnicity, or social position. Labour says that no matter the circumstances of our birth, we are each accorded equal opportunity to achieve our full potential in life. We believe in more than just equal opportunities—we believe in equality of outcomes.
Labour promises more funding for Plunket. Smart move. As organisations go in NZ, it’s doubtful you could point to one more trusted. Opposing this wouldn’t be tenable. But we might see National gazumping the pledge in next year’s budget.
Hey, if sight testing is all that’s required I think John Key is on drugs and should stand down. His skin is grey, he looks tired and there’s even memory lapses to back up my visual assessment.
I’m assuming she means illegal drugs and self-prescribed off-label use of pharmaceuticals, not alcohol or anti-depressants etc.
Mrs Walker challenged Mr Clendon to do what she did and said it was her right to determine recipients of food parcels.
“We struggled to get our money and we have a right to say who gets it and who doesn’t. Who the hell does he think he is? Will he come up here and help us get enough money to feed everyone?”
That is really fucking evil. So poor drug users are now fourth class citizens, even worse than beneficiaries. Why not just brand them and be done with it?
One look at her photo illustrates the old maxim “There’s nowt as cold as charity.” I sort of almost feel sorry for her, because she’s probably had very little joy in her life. She’s the embodiment of the Presbyterians that Billy Connolly jokes about, who can turn their mouths into assholes at will.
On the radio news – NZ is the only country in the OECD that does not produce an annual report on the condition of its environment? Did I hear that right – surely I misheard.
Yes, that’s true. The official reporting on the state of our environment has never been great and Labour have been as bad as National Ltd™ in this regard. The Ministry of the Environment was created under David Lange in 1986. Eventually, the Ministry was charged with providing a regular “state of the environment” report, the first published in December 2007. In the lead up to the 2012 report, the Ministry issued a discussion paper backgrounding the need for legislation to be introduced specifically to require the production of such reports to bring New Zealand into line with other OECD countries. In the forward to that report, the then Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith, said . . .
New Zealanders are quite rightly proud of our environment. In most areas our environment and the systems to protect it compare very well internationally. Our high quality agricultural exports and our lucrative tourist industry rely on these environmental credentials. The problem is that we are in a poor position to provide hard evidence that our clean, green brand is justified. New Zealand is one of only a few OECD countries without a legislative basis for national state of the environment reporting. In Australia,Canada and many other countries, regular national state of the environment reporting is required by law . . . . . .
This proposal is a refinement of National’s 2008 election policy for a new Environmental Reporting Act requiring publicly-accessible and meaningful, national-scale information on our water, air and land. On officials’ advice, we believe we need parallel changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 to enable the collection of nationally consistent environmental statistics from local authorities . . .
There was exactly zero progress in this proposal to enshrine environmental reporting into New Zealand law. Then, sometime in late 2012, silently and without even telling its own Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, National Ltd™ cancelled the 2012 report. This fact was dragged out of Amy Adams following a question from the Greens.
Basically, National Ltd™ was watching the compilation of the 2012 report and, without shame, saw exactly how dangerous it would be if New Zealanders were to realise the egregious impact its policies were already having on the environment. What’s worse, the incoming reports noted that the exponential increase, now underway and accelerating, is already beyond any possibility of mitigation for generations to come.
Then Fonterra fucked up, then the China Mail told the world New Zealand’s 100% Pure slogan is a “festering sore” and, guess what, hey presto – suddenly, just today, National Ltd™ realises that the environment is essential to business and it had better do something about it. Well, either that or this latest announcement is just more PR bullshit.
Yep, one report was presented in 2007 and the December 2012 report was cancelled months before it was due to be released. If Nick Smith had kept to his word in that 2011 discussion document, National Ltd™ would not have been able to secretly cancel the report and, indeed, the five yearly regime.
Hmmmm . . . Having had a wee re-read of some of this material, I’m wondering now when National Ltd™ cancelled the 2012 report. Given its rip-shit-and-bust agenda, its not surprising the Ministry for the Environment was National Ltd™’s first target. It was effectively sidelined with John Key’s imitation of his US betters with the formation of the EPA – stacked full of National Ltd™ cronies, of course. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if the report was cancelled early on but we only became aware of it when the Greens chased it up????
The majority of its rivers are too polluted to swim in. Its record on preservation of natural environments is among the worst in the world on a per capita basis. And it is the only OECD country that does not produce a regular national report on its environment.
The global average sea level was at record highs last year as the Earth continues to warm, scientists say.
The 2012 State of the Climate report, published today, said last year was the eighth or ninth warmest on record, as ranked by four independent datasets.
Globally, sea level rose to 3.6cm above the average for 1993-2010, rebounding after sharp decreases in the first half of 2011 linked to the La Nina weather pattern. The level was at its highest level since satellite records started in 1993.
Across the planet as a whole, the sea level has been increasing at an average rate between 2.8mm and 3.6mm a year over the past two decades, the report said.
Looks like Obama has thrown his toys out of his cot over Putin’s decisions to grant Edward Snowden asylum, at least for the time being. A meeting between Putin and Obama has been cancelled. All this on account of someone the Pres wrote off as a 30 year old hacker of no consequence. I’d say actions speak louder than words. If only Snowden had elected to come to New Zealand, he’d be tucked up safe and sound in a US dungeon right now:
rebounding after sharp decreases in the first half of 2011 linked to the La Nina weather pattern.
Thats an incorrect statement ( or poorly posed ) MSL rises during the La Nina phase and decreases during El nino similarly during the negative phase (positive) of the inter decadal pacific oscillation
(FYI – the GCSB Bill is being debated (Committee Stage) again today).
8 August 2013
‘Open Letter’ from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright to National MP for Auckland Central Nikki Kaye – a further 385 signatures opposing the GCSB Bill:
Nikki Kaye
National MP for Auckland Central
Dear Nikki,
I attempted to fax copies of these petition forms this morning. but with limited success.
Here are scanned copies of 385 further signatures of those who signed the following petition:
To National Party Member of Parliament for Auckland Central, Nikki Kaye :
“The will of the people is the basis of the authority of Government.”
We, the undersigned, call upon YOU, as an MP, to defend the lawful human
rights of New Zealanders to privacy, freedom of association and freedom of
expression – that is – to oppose arbitrary search and surveillance by the
State over citizens.
If YOU, as an MP, vote for this GCSB Bill, which will allow widespread spying
on New Zealanders, we, the undersigned hereby PLEDGE to campaign against
your re-election in 2014, and to encourage our families, neighbours and workmates
to do the same.
Please be advised that there were only two of us, ( myself and Jacquelyne Taylor) collecting signatures yesterday, outside Auckland University, between 1 – 3.30pm, so 385 signatures is arguably a significant number in a comparatively short time, which is indicative of the public concern over this matter.
As you are no doubt aware, (and this is meant in a respectful way), the total number of signatures of people who have pledged to campaign against you (now 885) if you continue to support this GCSB Bill, is more than your winning margin of votes cast in the 2011 election?
Electorate Result Winning Candidate 2nd Place Margin
Auckland Central 100.0% KAYE, Nikki (NAT) ARDERN, Jacinda (LAB) 717
Nikki, please do not underestimate the growing concern, and numbers of citizens who do NOT agree with the State giving the power to the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders?
There were times yesterday, when people were literally queuing up to sign this petition.
Nikki, please do the decent thing, and do NOT support this GCSB Bill.
I realise that you have been very busy with the Fonterra matter, but my full response to your reply to the first 500+ signatures on this above-mentioned petition is available here:
Hopefully, you will have found time to read it, before the GCSB Bill is further debated today, because I have put some time into addressing the points you have raised, in support of this legislation.
Northish-Southish – How would that header relate to the South American flight, which fyi, is nowhere near NZ at 930am anyway, even if it was, the trail would be east-west.
That’s what I was after anyway, a local opinion, which is why posted it, as I figured you would respond.
Very little, when talking about the flight paths from from South America in context of passing over Dunedin, as they head towards their destination in Australia.
Otherwise what you say is relevant, but still your contention it needs to be overlaid against the geography of a relatively static reference point, in this case Dunedin, with the variable being the flights path. Makes it very difficult to leave a northish-southish trail, McFlock.
. Military support missions flown from Christchurch International Airport are conducted during the Antarctic summer (late September to early March) each year by USAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC).
When was your chemtrail photographed? December?
Occam’s Razor can be a bitch.
For mine, its a c17 heading to the ice. And the height may be an optical illusion, ;a big vapour trail from a big plane. Google globemaster, image. Lots of similar shots.
@ Voice – Perhaps I didn’t make it obvious enough to McFlock – on his comment referenced below.
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d call from northish to southish.
There’s a heavy South America flight that follows that rough direction over Dunedin, and I assume the Deep Freeze aircraft do, as well.
There is no commercial flights from South America which would leave a trail on that header/direction, which was the message I was attempting to convey, McFlock went off into examples and links about military flights to Antarctica – I thought it was obvious my comments were referring to commercial flights, as they head towards their destination in Australia!
Anyway, I gave him a falcon for missing what I believed to be fairly clear in the comments that it was commercial, not military I was talking to, but I see below, he has again jumped on the military angle, McFlock, re-read the comments above fella!
@ J90 – Wrong, thus Voice, you have backed the wrong horse there, although you might well be correct about the flight, who knows. The only certainty is that it was not left by a commercial flight from South America, to anywhere!
Well you’ve just been shown that there is an airline flight route that can roughly approximate that heading, especially if winds are taken into account, even if you think that the earth is flat.
But even if there weren’t, what’s your fucking point in recycling a two and a half year old photo of the sky?
Direct effect (contrail-cirrus). Linear and spreading contrails, initially formed from exhaust water vapor and particles, constitute and additional cloud type and enhance cirrus cloud coverage. Initial contrail occurrence relies on well understood thermodynamic principles, initial contrail properties depend on soot and sulfur emissions and near-field exhaust (jet/vortex) dynamics. The spreading process of persistent contrails is controlled by wind shear and relative humidity. Contrail-cirrus are advected with the wind field over large distances, even into regions without significant air traffic. The direct effect is largest in regions without background cirrus.
I could never work out why the flights home from South America went down to the bottom of the map and then did a right turn to head back up into the Pacific and approach Dunedin from the East. Are you saying Mercator’s projection shouldn’t be taken literally?
I think there was one a few months ago that drew similar comment – that one was definitely a flight from south america. Must have been under Muzzas radar, though.
Draco, I would have given you more credit than that – Whats the name they giving those rainbow clouds, you know, the ones which never existed until recently, and which have the appearance of an oil slick?
One interesting thing about science, is that the more we learn about the world, the more stuff we discover that apparently “never happened before”, when actually it did, just no one wrote about it or noticed it.
In the case of rainbow coloured clouds, I suspect the widespread availability of coloured cameras, coupled with greater populations of people living in areas (polar regions for the first 2 above) where these things are more likely to happen than any previous time in history, leads to muzza’s mistaken claim that these clouds “never existed until recently”.
“Whats the name they giving those rainbow clouds, you know, the ones which never existed until recently, and which have the appearance of an oil slick?”
Or the appearance of light being refracted by water droplets.
It’s a contrail dissipating in the upper atmosphere.
Reminds me of the crap about flying saucers off the Kaikoura Coast in the 1970s. The Met Service made it clear what it was – lights from a group of Japanese fishing vessels at the surface being reflected by an anticyclonic inversion layer at around 1500/2000ft – but the media of the day including an overseas contingent ignored them. The truth was too boring and non sensational.
Strewth… I’m not arguing against that lot muzza but I still think it’s a contrail. Watched them forming at around 25,000 ft plus. You can’t actually see the plane but you can tell its whereabouts by the slow and regular lengthening of the contrail. That’s exactly what they look like 10 to 20 minutes after their formation.
Btw. I have to concede one point. From the photo it doesn’t look that high I must admit – 15000 ft maybe?
Hi Anne, wasn’t looking for an argument, or for you to provide one.
One of the links salient points is that very precise sets of met conditions are required, to create a trail of any sort, let alone the long, and horizon to horizon type trails, followed by a widening effect.
These types of trails required impossibly precise conditions in the troposphere, referred to as super-saturation over ice. Despite these rarified requirements, persistent trails are being recored, around the globe at ever accelerating velocity!
Have a good evening.
Edit – Just saw your BTW comment – The trail in the pics is very low, which is where the discussion about the precise met conditions requirements, comes into play. Such conditions to create so called persistent trails (super-saturation over ice), could not exist at that height, to support the trail as shown in those pics.
Hi Anne, wasn’t looking for an argument, or for you to provide one.
No, I wasn’t either. Went back to check the photo and noted it appeared unusually low. Hence the later edit. Interesting phenomenon. I wonder if a NIWA or Met Service scientist has commented.
Btw: Twaddle referred to Pop1. He’s talking through a hole in his head.
I slept one night on the beach at Kaikoura during that. My girlfriend from the time remembers seeing the lights. I don’t. She went on to become an alchemist. I am a physicist. Funny old world.
Murray O and Morrissey
Thanks for giving me the info on the book I had been looking for. You correctly named Stick out, Keep Left by Margaret Thorn as being the one I wanted. I actually went on to Abe NZ
and got it. It’s very good. Very humbling how passionate and committed she and her husband were – we owe these older people who shaped Labour so much. It would be a shame to drift back to the old system, to lose most of it, but it’s not impossible that could happen. I thought I’d put a few paragraphs in from time to time, just to keep the vision before us.
If the Government doesn’t back down on this bloody stupid only 3 snapper for non-commercial fishers they’ll be well fucked even granted labour being useless.
I’d support a cut to 8 snapper, with a closed season during spawning, and a lot more enforcement of the commercial rules. I saw a lot of rubbish when I used to go out fishing a lot, including upgrading and trawling straight through spawning grounds. One time we watched a large trawler drag its nets from just off Whangaparoa down to and through the Rakino Channel, at the height of the spawning season. We got its number and reported it to an inspector at the Orakei ramp when we got back. He was less than interested and said that, even though what they were doing was illegal, he couldn’t do anything unless we had video evidence.
I feel a bit sick after this when I see young Maori or Pasifika shown on tv for grabbing a few paua. Just like with any crime, it seems that making it big enough gets you immunity. Doing it while brown and on a small scale gets you prison.
Quite a few of my family have already been limiting the catch they take. It’s not the limiting the catch that pisses them off, it’s the fact that the commercial operations haven’t been limited as well. They’re recognising it as a move to maintain/protect commercial fishing rather than to protect the fish.
There is simply no way the personal take (‘recreational’ is a bullshit phrase) should be cut before the commercial. It’s as disgusting as mining in schedule 4.
Too many governments see the resource as only being worth something if it is being sold. That’s fucking stupid. All fishers use the resource and there is no rational reason to say that those who use it for consumption should have to pay those who use it to sell, or have their rights to it diminished in favour of those who are only seeking to turn a profit.
(It should be noted that his target of reducing unemployment to 7% is still above the 6% rate that the incomparibly evil Bill Phillips said was the ideal level to prevent inflation)
Radionz piece. Scientists up in arms. Sir Paul Callaghan left a business when he died that has a leading place in the world in lenses for telescopes? They have cancelled a contract saying that it was risky and had too tight schedules.
Can’t NZ manage to do anything right twice? Anyhow signing contracts with unreasonably short completion times is fairly frequent from what I hear. World pressure is on to be competitive. But even if you’re near the top of the industry you can’t sign up and then reneg or you get a bad name.
I remember a book about one of the first Japanese business men to start a business in industry after World War 2. Went to USA and overcome language barrier, started a whole new trend making motor scooters and went on to be a world industry. If we want to develop something else besides traditional animal husbandry and agriculture we can’t afford to be so laissez faire, which in NZ parlance is she’ll be right.
18:40 The Association of Scientists says it beggars belief that a Crown agency has
pulled the plug on a multimillion dollar international contract for telescope lenses.
That makes me sick to my stomach, Rt. We have some of the world’s best optical scientists, most of whom are working overseas because of the tall poppy syndrome, among other reasons. These guys have identified a market and are playing to their strengths, only to have some politically appointed seat warmers sabotage it for them. There is only so much people will accept in their careers before they take the opportunities available overseas. And then the country is left with the million dollar executives of Fonterra ballsing up one of the few things the government will back, or Shane Jones and his slave fisheries getting us locked out of other markets. Why are those who rule over us so bloody hopeless?
Murray O
(See my recent comment to you.
Why do these jerks… I think the Peter Principle. And being good talkers. We seem to be mesmerised by good talkers. I think many of us are a little inarticulate and I have noticed that we can be galvanised by someone with vitality, confidence and a loud voice.. Into the valley ..ride the 4 million!
And seat warmers. There is some sort of reserved place in employment heaven that chaps and busy business ladies get to and it takes a lot of bad karma for them to get taken down a peg or two.
I remember getting this feeling when Jim Salinger got his hand slapped and I didn’t think for anything important except for giving an opinion free on ‘the possible weather’ which was no longer okay because it was all to be charged for. Run by a seat warmer.
But of course there is this generic management idea. As if each type of business hasn’t its own set of strengths and problems and it helps to have some depth of experience in the field you are managing. My favourite is putting a manager into the social welfare who used to manage a seaport. He probably wished he could put them all on a Slow Boat to China.
Callaghan Innovation – a Crown entity that manages a $140-million-a-year portfolio of government funding and grants – has stopped its subsidiary, Kiwistar, from signing a $2.4 million contract with the Australian Astronomical Observatory to develop the lenses.
Stopped from signing, not cancelling/breaking the contract.
Oxymoron anyone think?
Minister and mayor say approvals for mine taking too long ( 3′ 17″ )
18:12 The Conservation Minister and the Buller District mayor say it’s taking too long
for a West Coast open cast coal mine to get the all clear from authorities.
Conditional go-ahead for Denniston Plateau mine ( 4′ 47″ )
17:46 Bathurst Resources expects to be coal mining on the Denniston Plateau by the
end of the year after winning conditional go-ahead from the Environment Court.
These senior managers and owners, after all, are earning record profits while choosing to pay their employees so little in many cases that the employees have to live in poverty.
And the senior managers and owners add insult to injury by blaming the employees for this: “If they want to get paid more, they should start their own company. Or get a better job.”
It is no mystery why America’s senior managers and owners describe the decision to pay employees as little as possible as a “law of capitalism” — because doing this masks the fact that they are making a choice.
But paying employees so little that they must live in poverty is not a law of capitalism.
It’s a choice.
The greed of the few is destroying even the consumerist economy that the politicians and the economists have lauded for the last few decades.
Took me right to the bottom of that article to find something that he did that might actually be considered beneficent. Most of it just went on about his sporting achievements which is, IMO, rather mundane.
Sheesh Karol, that’s off the planet ……………… and shows everything that’s wrong with leftwing mainstream values – land rights for gay whales. No wonder commentary from the right lampoons your way of viewing the world and your way of lumping everybody’s choice of life together. Get a life.
Actually, you show everything that’s wrong with mainstream values – always looking to sporting heroes, which is what got him the MSM attention, and most of the coverage in the article as DTB says.
Anyone who is doing these things, as mentioned ny joe90:
clean water projects, anti-malaria work, vaccination projects, tsunami aid, earthquake aid in the west of the Indonesian archipelago
Yep. Doing things of value.
But there’s a lot of people doing such things who never get MSM attention – so not so much a great Kiwi hero, as a Kiwi showing some good citizenship.
Sports man, P3 navigator, family man, artisan, innovator, employer, clean water projects, anti-malaria work, vaccination projects, tsunami aid, earthquake aid in the west of the Indonesian archipelago so yeah, nothing actually of social value, or to benefit the common good.
/
Thanks joe90, I was only aware of some of those things. But yep, add those things you have listed together with his surfing and the way he went about life and you get a true New Zealand hero, in the sense I meant (tho didn’t explain perhaps).
He was someone I looked up to – surf-wise and life-wise
The only things he was mentioned for in the article was his surfing and the fact that he made better surfboards. Most people reading that article would have have NFI who he was and so, by reading that article, would have the understanding that he became a “hero” for surfing. Nothing, IMO, good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article.
“Nothing, IMO, good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article”
Draco, you are not thinking. Most people would imagine that reaching the top position not just nationally but internationally (and which no other New Zealanders ever had before in this realm) in their chosen ‘sport’ is entirely good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article. Don’t you think that would be why newspapers do it? Because that is what the most people want to read? Your opinion may well be that that is not good enough for a newspaper mention – few would agree with you.
The hero piece was clearly my opinion. Heroism is, again if you think about it, subjective. You will note that the original post did not hype it up – I kept it simple and short, in keeping. There are a lot of people I consider my heroes, for many different reasons and in many realms. Some are business heroes, some are good people heroes, some are save the world heroes, ….
It seems that you and Karol save hero status for only the very most exceptional of people.
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
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Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
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1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
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. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
“Ms Curran said the decision to source couplers overseas showed Government procurement rules released by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce in April, and which take effect on October 1, was a ”complete sham, delivering no real benefits”.
“Dunedin North MP David Clark said the Government’s procurement policy was just ”window dressing” and should take into account the ”whole-of-economy costs”, which included the extra tax paid by having people employed in New Zealand. ”
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/267903/rail-contract-shows-policy-be-sham
Don’t often find myself in complete agreement with both Dunedin Labour MPs on an issue, so thought I’d acknowledge that here. This is how NACT deal with our unemployment and manufacturing crises:
“Bradken [the multinational that leases Hillside] had missed on a contract to supply couplers for KiwiRail’s older wagon fleet, resulting in 64 staff moving to a four-day week”
Even the mislead youth from his own party opposes the GCSB bill, and what does Banksie do?
He says, “They are misinformed, they don’t know what I know because if they knew, they would know.”:-D
Time to give the old man a kick up the backside, Act.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/act-campus-opposes-spy-bills-ck-143916
They (ACT on Campus) kicked Botox Banks’ arse over marriage equality…….why when it comes to the spy bills do they take this confused crap (“because if they knew they would know….”), from this screechy caricature of a man ?
Never good to kick people who will be your sole source of on the ground volunteers at the next election.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/07/al-qaeda-conference-call-intercepted-by-u-s-officials-sparked-alerts.html
A dead guy manages the organization ?
And he has conference calls. American Intelligence agencies Now there’s an Oxymoron.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/07/al-qaeda-conference-call-intercepted-by-u-s-officials-sparked-alerts.html
And yes they do say he’s a dead un
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-19361-Al-Qaeda-leader-killed-in-NWA-drone-strike
The conference call reference is ridiculous – 083033 – Telecom meet me conference facility, dial in, please enter your pin code – You have been joined to the conference!
Just like regular office folk, this lot!
It’s as if the story tellers are not even trying to sound serious!
That’s about the death of Abu Zaid, not Zawahiri.
Well spotted McFlock, which is why I have not used that particular link, as it refers to taking out the supposed next in line…
This is what you want to read, and the Sibel Edmonds links.
Um – where did the US say that Zawahiri was dead? Injured and “possibly” dead after a strike, sure, but they never said he was definitely dead (unlike Bin Laden). Just they it seemed they’d seriously injured him and he might have been killed (obviously, he recovered from his injuries).
Which makes me look sceptically on any “news” story that says he’s “back from the dead”. It seems to be distorting original statements from the US in order to further an agenda. So what else might they have distorted, I wonder?
Have to agree with you, McFlock, and it only serves to show the charade that the whole lot really is!
Like this garbage from CNN and telegraph, its like an episode of days of our lives the way they write about it!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8578914/Ayman-al-Zawahiri-the-worlds-most-dangerous-terrorist.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/16/al.qaeda.new.leader/index.html
It’s all a charade, with innocent people being maimed and killed around the world, mostly by imperialist fighting the so called, war on terror!
so why bother linking to sites that distort the truth to suit their own agenda? They tell you nothing – garbage in, garbage out..
“A dead guy manages the organization?”
Where has it been reported that al-Zawahiri is dead?
“tribal sources” are perhaps not the most reliable. I can find no other independant confirmation that Ayman al-Zawahiri is a dead-un
http://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/whistleblower-al-qaeda-chief-u-s-asset/
Alrighty then!
thx Muzza .. what mind-exploding details ! I am amazed Sibel Edmonds has managed to stay alive as US have been trying to silence her for years. Brave and smart woman .. what a story. Long may she remain safe.
No worries,
My default setting is to be cautious about so called whistle blowers, especially those who manage to stay alive, when there are so many that have been disappeared!
Gotta keep some faith though, because not everyone wants to die sitting back with the information they have, without taking it public.
The question is though, can enough people such as this, light a big enough fire under the sheep, before the technological grid becomes unbreakable, permanently!
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/4-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-crack-americas-most-vilified-drug-comment-ed-my-experiences-in-the-world-of-crack-cocaine/
(excerpt..)
“….i found using crack-cocaine to be the most obsessive/compelling of all the drugs i have used/explored..”
phillip ure..
Related.
“We went looking for the effects of cocaine,” Hurt said. But after a time “we began to ask, ‘Was there something else going on?’ ”
While the cocaine-exposed children and a group of nonexposed controls performed about the same on tests, both groups lagged on developmental and intellectual measures compared to the norm. Hurt and her team began to think the “something else” was poverty
http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-22/news/40709969_1_hallam-hurt-so-called-crack-babies-funded-study
when i said crack was the ‘worst’..i didn’t mean in physical health outcomes..
..for example..heroin/barbiturates and alcohol all take a higher physical toll on the user than does cocaine..
..(had i drunk as much booze as i used narcotics..i would be rheumy-eyed/drooling in a corner..
.seriously..!..booze is the brain-killer..)
..but it is that compulsion to use that was the strongest of any i experienced..
..that led to the labelling as ‘worst’..
..’cos with smack/barbs/booze you have eventually had enough..and you pass out..
..but with crack..you can go at it for days/nights on end..there is no stop button..
..(you go up (and down) like a high-speed lift in a skyscraper..
..and you just all the time want to get back ‘up’ again..
..and that was what frightened me off so effectively..
..you could be sitting there ‘waiting for the pipe’..with yr best friend..and looking at them in pure hatred..
..because they ‘are taking too long’ to pass the pipe back to you…
..(it is one head-fucking drug..)
..when i said it is a monkey on the back..it is actually more of a gorilla..
..with the crackhead becoming a total pawn of the drug..
..but as i say..as for fucking the mind/body from long-term use..
..excess booze is hard to beat..
..phillip ure..
Govt pays NZ$30 mln to smelter owners in a deal that will clear the way for the float of Meridian Energy
http://www.interest.co.nz/news/65787/govt-pays-nz30-mln-smelter-owners-deal-will-clear-way-float-meridian-energy
More welfare!!!
That’s another $30 million additional cost to the people of NZ to sell off their own assets..
Something else for Shearer to rrrreview.
No, something else for Shearer and Labour to repudiate and repeal.
The PRISONER:
Everything is suspicious if you look at it properly, everyone has secrets, no one is without guilt. It’s just we have to work out what it is that they are guilty off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdZpjq4ykw
And there ‘lies’ the power of surveillance…..The Panopticon, social engineering at it’s finest.
Dare you speak out….. no. 2 has got ya……………………
[lprent: Not related to the post – moved to OpenMike. ]
Cunliffe is willing to be in government with Shearer. Don’t see you criticising that.
[lprent: Perhaps you could point out the “criticism” in the post? I can’t see any. It just asks a question.
A poor attempt at diversion. Moved to OpenMike. Address the post rather than your own strawman construction. ]
D’oh! Has Cunliffe said Peters is “completely and utterly wrong per usual.” Errr….no.
“Key’s comments raise an important question: ‘would Key have in his government a man who is normally “completely and utterly wrong”?’”
It doesn’t stop the majority of people here supporting the Greens.
[lprent: Diversion. Doesn’t address the post – moved to OpenMike. ]
You seem to be suggesting that the majority of people here think the GP is completely and utterly wrong but would still work with them.
When you can’t count past one, you become a majority. And a neoliberal.
For one of the worlds biggest companies .
Using funds for the sale assets to prop up failing policy how much more is the govt going to bribe kiwis to part with what they already own.
Chris Trotter on the upcoming Labour Party conference, and issues likely to arise. He talks about the conflict between caucus and the rank and file, and possible outcomes. Also the party policy platform proposed by the rank and file that will be voted on as binding at the conference, and the problems this presents given the caucus doesn’t support this direction.
Labour believes that social justice means that all people should have equal access to social, economic, cultural, political, and legal spheres regardless of wealth, gender, ethnicity, or social position. Labour says that no matter the circumstances of our birth, we are each accorded equal opportunity to achieve our full potential in life. We believe in more than just equal opportunities—we believe in equality of outcomes.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/08/07/bitterness-anger-and-deep-deep-division-labour-prepares-for-its-97th-annual-conference/
Labour promises more funding for Plunket. Smart move. As organisations go in NZ, it’s doubtful you could point to one more trusted. Opposing this wouldn’t be tenable. But we might see National gazumping the pledge in next year’s budget.
Yep….
National gives $30 million to one of the world’s largest mining companies Rio Tinto
Labour gives $6 million to Plunket
Get the headline Labour and lay it right next to Rio Tinto
I wonder whether the Speaker would rule out Mr Key being referred to as ‘the Prime Muppet of Nz’?
Food bank manager won’t give parcels to people she thinks are on drugs. Not knows, thinks. Paula Bennett apparently agrees. http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/news/feisty-rose-weeds-out-drug-users/1976269/
Hey, if sight testing is all that’s required I think John Key is on drugs and should stand down. His skin is grey, he looks tired and there’s even memory lapses to back up my visual assessment.
I’m assuming she means illegal drugs and self-prescribed off-label use of pharmaceuticals, not alcohol or anti-depressants etc.
Mrs Walker challenged Mr Clendon to do what she did and said it was her right to determine recipients of food parcels.
“We struggled to get our money and we have a right to say who gets it and who doesn’t. Who the hell does he think he is? Will he come up here and help us get enough money to feed everyone?”
That is really fucking evil. So poor drug users are now fourth class citizens, even worse than beneficiaries. Why not just brand them and be done with it?
The manager’s attitude seems to be completely at odds with the rest of the operation – which is all about supporting people in need –
http://www.healthpages.co.nz/community-support-services/sexual-abuse-a-rape-support/kaitaia-women-children-fresh-start-support
One look at her photo illustrates the old maxim “There’s nowt as cold as charity.” I sort of almost feel sorry for her, because she’s probably had very little joy in her life. She’s the embodiment of the Presbyterians that Billy Connolly jokes about, who can turn their mouths into assholes at will.
She looks like a fucking nasty old bag. And we leave the provision of social services to people like her.
On the radio news – NZ is the only country in the OECD that does not produce an annual report on the condition of its environment? Did I hear that right – surely I misheard.
We used to do this very sensible thing but it was canned only a few months ago by this government. Why would they do that I wonder?
‘
Yes, that’s true. The official reporting on the state of our environment has never been great and Labour have been as bad as National Ltd™ in this regard. The Ministry of the Environment was created under David Lange in 1986. Eventually, the Ministry was charged with providing a regular “state of the environment” report, the first published in December 2007. In the lead up to the 2012 report, the Ministry issued a discussion paper backgrounding the need for legislation to be introduced specifically to require the production of such reports to bring New Zealand into line with other OECD countries. In the forward to that report, the then Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith, said . . .
There was exactly zero progress in this proposal to enshrine environmental reporting into New Zealand law. Then, sometime in late 2012, silently and without even telling its own Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, National Ltd™ cancelled the 2012 report. This fact was dragged out of Amy Adams following a question from the Greens.
Basically, National Ltd™ was watching the compilation of the 2012 report and, without shame, saw exactly how dangerous it would be if New Zealanders were to realise the egregious impact its policies were already having on the environment. What’s worse, the incoming reports noted that the exponential increase, now underway and accelerating, is already beyond any possibility of mitigation for generations to come.
Then Fonterra fucked up, then the China Mail told the world New Zealand’s 100% Pure slogan is a “festering sore” and, guess what, hey presto – suddenly, just today, National Ltd™ realises that the environment is essential to business and it had better do something about it. Well, either that or this latest announcement is just more PR bullshit.
It’s National and thus it’s PR BS. They won’t do anything to protect the environment because that reduces profits.
The most dangerous thing to life in this country is the National Party.
+1 googolplex, should be a front page article
We did have a program that would have reported every five years but National scrapped it.
‘
Yep, one report was presented in 2007 and the December 2012 report was cancelled months before it was due to be released. If Nick Smith had kept to his word in that 2011 discussion document, National Ltd™ would not have been able to secretly cancel the report and, indeed, the five yearly regime.
Hmmmm . . . Having had a wee re-read of some of this material, I’m wondering now when National Ltd™ cancelled the 2012 report. Given its rip-shit-and-bust agenda, its not surprising the Ministry for the Environment was National Ltd™’s first target. It was effectively sidelined with John Key’s imitation of his US betters with the formation of the EPA – stacked full of National Ltd™ cronies, of course. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if the report was cancelled early on but we only became aware of it when the Greens chased it up????
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/new-zealand-environment_n_3710859.html
This is seriously bad!
Have I just not noticed it before, or has Stuff added 2 new sections to the bottom of its home page?
They are: NZ Farmer and
Science.
Today, the Science section has an interesting article on global warming.
A DIPLOMATIC SULK
Looks like Obama has thrown his toys out of his cot over Putin’s decisions to grant Edward Snowden asylum, at least for the time being. A meeting between Putin and Obama has been cancelled. All this on account of someone the Pres wrote off as a 30 year old hacker of no consequence. I’d say actions speak louder than words. If only Snowden had elected to come to New Zealand, he’d be tucked up safe and sound in a US dungeon right now:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/07/obama-putin-talks-canceled-snowden
Considering who Snowden worked for and the access he had to information I’m pretty sure he knew that which is why he went the other way.
rebounding after sharp decreases in the first half of 2011 linked to the La Nina weather pattern.
Thats an incorrect statement ( or poorly posed ) MSL rises during the La Nina phase and decreases during El nino similarly during the negative phase (positive) of the inter decadal pacific oscillation
(FYI – the GCSB Bill is being debated (Committee Stage) again today).
8 August 2013
‘Open Letter’ from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright to National MP for Auckland Central Nikki Kaye – a further 385 signatures opposing the GCSB Bill:
Nikki Kaye
National MP for Auckland Central
Dear Nikki,
I attempted to fax copies of these petition forms this morning. but with limited success.
Here are scanned copies of 385 further signatures of those who signed the following petition:
To National Party Member of Parliament for Auckland Central, Nikki Kaye :
“The will of the people is the basis of the authority of Government.”
We, the undersigned, call upon YOU, as an MP, to defend the lawful human
rights of New Zealanders to privacy, freedom of association and freedom of
expression – that is – to oppose arbitrary search and surveillance by the
State over citizens.
If YOU, as an MP, vote for this GCSB Bill, which will allow widespread spying
on New Zealanders, we, the undersigned hereby PLEDGE to campaign against
your re-election in 2014, and to encourage our families, neighbours and workmates
to do the same.
______________________________________________________________________________
Please be advised that there were only two of us, ( myself and Jacquelyne Taylor) collecting signatures yesterday, outside Auckland University, between 1 – 3.30pm, so 385 signatures is arguably a significant number in a comparatively short time, which is indicative of the public concern over this matter.
As you are no doubt aware, (and this is meant in a respectful way), the total number of signatures of people who have pledged to campaign against you (now 885) if you continue to support this GCSB Bill, is more than your winning margin of votes cast in the 2011 election?
http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2011/electoratestatus.html
Electorate Result Winning Candidate 2nd Place Margin
Auckland Central 100.0% KAYE, Nikki (NAT) ARDERN, Jacinda (LAB) 717
Nikki, please do not underestimate the growing concern, and numbers of citizens who do NOT agree with the State giving the power to the GCSB to spy on New Zealanders?
There were times yesterday, when people were literally queuing up to sign this petition.
Nikki, please do the decent thing, and do NOT support this GCSB Bill.
I realise that you have been very busy with the Fonterra matter, but my full response to your reply to the first 500+ signatures on this above-mentioned petition is available here:
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz
Hopefully, you will have found time to read it, before the GCSB Bill is further debated today, because I have put some time into addressing the points you have raised, in support of this legislation.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
+1 Penny…you are a gem!
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/galleries/gallery/your-town/140238/reader-photos-cloud-formation-over-dunedin
Have to assume use of the word cloud, was purely out of ignorance!
nothing since 2010 to feed your chemtrail delusion, then? That means they’re just getting better at hiding their activities… /sarc
Actually, I assumed you would be the one to respond, so thanks, because I have a question.
In your opinion, which direction is the trail heading?
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d call from northish to southish.
There’s a heavy South America flight that follows that rough direction over Dunedin, and I assume the Deep Freeze aircraft do, as well.
Northish-Southish – How would that header relate to the South American flight, which fyi, is nowhere near NZ at 930am anyway, even if it was, the trail would be east-west.
That’s what I was after anyway, a local opinion, which is why posted it, as I figured you would respond.
Cheers
You are aware that the world is roughly spherical, right? What affect might that have on flight paths, do you think?
Very little, when talking about the flight paths from from South America in context of passing over Dunedin, as they head towards their destination in Australia.
Otherwise what you say is relevant, but still your contention it needs to be overlaid against the geography of a relatively static reference point, in this case Dunedin, with the variable being the flights path. Makes it very difficult to leave a northish-southish trail, McFlock.
Wrong.
And that’s not including a direct flight to Antarctica, of course.
When was your chemtrail photographed? December?
Occam’s Razor can be a bitch.
Do you know what a falcon is, McFlock, cos that ones hit you, right in the face!
Why is it a falcon, muz?
Ah, so because it might have been a military flight, it must have been spraying chemtrails? Moron.
I doubt muzza’s a league man TRP.
Good call Joe!
For mine, its a c17 heading to the ice. And the height may be an optical illusion, ;a big vapour trail from a big plane. Google globemaster, image. Lots of similar shots.
@ Voice – Perhaps I didn’t make it obvious enough to McFlock – on his comment referenced below.
There is no commercial flights from South America which would leave a trail on that header/direction, which was the message I was attempting to convey, McFlock went off into examples and links about military flights to Antarctica – I thought it was obvious my comments were referring to commercial flights, as they head towards their destination in Australia!
Anyway, I gave him a falcon for missing what I believed to be fairly clear in the comments that it was commercial, not military I was talking to, but I see below, he has again jumped on the military angle, McFlock, re-read the comments above fella!
@ J90 – Wrong, thus Voice, you have backed the wrong horse there, although you might well be correct about the flight, who knows. The only certainty is that it was not left by a commercial flight from South America, to anywhere!
Well you’ve just been shown that there is an airline flight route that can roughly approximate that heading, especially if winds are taken into account, even if you think that the earth is flat.
But even if there weren’t, what’s your fucking point in recycling a two and a half year old photo of the sky?
Soot.
Direct effect (contrail-cirrus). Linear and spreading contrails, initially formed from exhaust water vapor and particles, constitute and additional cloud type and enhance cirrus cloud coverage. Initial contrail occurrence relies on well understood thermodynamic principles, initial contrail properties depend on soot and sulfur emissions and near-field exhaust (jet/vortex) dynamics. The spreading process of persistent contrails is controlled by wind shear and relative humidity. Contrail-cirrus are advected with the wind field over large distances, even into regions without significant air traffic. The direct effect is largest in regions without background cirrus.
http://www.pa.op.dlr.de/pazi/
I could never work out why the flights home from South America went down to the bottom of the map and then did a right turn to head back up into the Pacific and approach Dunedin from the East. Are you saying Mercator’s projection shouldn’t be taken literally?
Apparently not.
Indeed
http://gc.kls2.com/faq.html
Lots of jet stream use too.
http://www.aviator.edu/129/section.aspx/59/principles-of-HYPERLINK
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greatcircle_Jetstream_routes.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_circle
I always flew into Auckland, so they probably went a bit closer, but any large planes over Dunedin are probably Deep Freeze anyway.
I think there was one a few months ago that drew similar comment – that one was definitely a flight from south america. Must have been under Muzzas radar, though.
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/jan07-cloud-of-the-month/
Draco, I would have given you more credit than that – Whats the name they giving those rainbow clouds, you know, the ones which never existed until recently, and which have the appearance of an oil slick?
I dunno, muzzocumulus?
muzzonimbuslenticularus. Howz that. 😛
A circumhorizontal or infralateral arc, and we have descriptions of them going back at least to medieval times. Dick.
Twaddle.
Whatever. I was refering to poor paranoid Muzza’s rainbow clouds, not contrails.
https://sylverblaque.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/medieval-nuremberg-ufo-battle1.jpg?w=584
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:V%C3%A4dersoltavlan_cropped.JPG
And a further check reveals the phenomenon described in Apuleius (c. 125 – c. 180 C.E.) Apologia XV
Muzza could also be meaning these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacreous_cloud
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_iridescence
One interesting thing about science, is that the more we learn about the world, the more stuff we discover that apparently “never happened before”, when actually it did, just no one wrote about it or noticed it.
In the case of rainbow coloured clouds, I suspect the widespread availability of coloured cameras, coupled with greater populations of people living in areas (polar regions for the first 2 above) where these things are more likely to happen than any previous time in history, leads to muzza’s mistaken claim that these clouds “never existed until recently”.
“Whats the name they giving those rainbow clouds, you know, the ones which never existed until recently, and which have the appearance of an oil slick?”
Or the appearance of light being refracted by water droplets.
Sorry – I mean ice crystals. Not droplets.
Anyway, it has a name. It’s called a Circumhorizontal Arc.
It’s a contrail dissipating in the upper atmosphere.
Reminds me of the crap about flying saucers off the Kaikoura Coast in the 1970s. The Met Service made it clear what it was – lights from a group of Japanese fishing vessels at the surface being reflected by an anticyclonic inversion layer at around 1500/2000ft – but the media of the day including an overseas contingent ignored them. The truth was too boring and non sensational.
Hi Anne, yes the met office, quite!
In any case, no it’s not a contrail, and its not in the upper atmosphere!
Here you go, some reading.
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/1689/2008/acp-8-1689-2008.pdf
Strewth… I’m not arguing against that lot muzza but I still think it’s a contrail. Watched them forming at around 25,000 ft plus. You can’t actually see the plane but you can tell its whereabouts by the slow and regular lengthening of the contrail. That’s exactly what they look like 10 to 20 minutes after their formation.
Btw. I have to concede one point. From the photo it doesn’t look that high I must admit – 15000 ft maybe?
Hi Anne, wasn’t looking for an argument, or for you to provide one.
One of the links salient points is that very precise sets of met conditions are required, to create a trail of any sort, let alone the long, and horizon to horizon type trails, followed by a widening effect.
These types of trails required impossibly precise conditions in the troposphere, referred to as super-saturation over ice. Despite these rarified requirements, persistent trails are being recored, around the globe at ever accelerating velocity!
Have a good evening.
Edit – Just saw your BTW comment – The trail in the pics is very low, which is where the discussion about the precise met conditions requirements, comes into play. Such conditions to create so called persistent trails (super-saturation over ice), could not exist at that height, to support the trail as shown in those pics.
Hi Anne, wasn’t looking for an argument, or for you to provide one.
No, I wasn’t either. Went back to check the photo and noted it appeared unusually low. Hence the later edit. Interesting phenomenon. I wonder if a NIWA or Met Service scientist has commented.
Btw: Twaddle referred to Pop1. He’s talking through a hole in his head.
And here is some reading for you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail
I slept one night on the beach at Kaikoura during that. My girlfriend from the time remembers seeing the lights. I don’t. She went on to become an alchemist. I am a physicist. Funny old world.
Murray O and Morrissey
Thanks for giving me the info on the book I had been looking for. You correctly named Stick out, Keep Left by Margaret Thorn as being the one I wanted. I actually went on to Abe NZ
and got it. It’s very good. Very humbling how passionate and committed she and her husband were – we owe these older people who shaped Labour so much. It would be a shame to drift back to the old system, to lose most of it, but it’s not impossible that could happen. I thought I’d put a few paragraphs in from time to time, just to keep the vision before us.
If the Government doesn’t back down on this bloody stupid only 3 snapper for non-commercial fishers they’ll be well fucked even granted labour being useless.
I’d support a cut to 8 snapper, with a closed season during spawning, and a lot more enforcement of the commercial rules. I saw a lot of rubbish when I used to go out fishing a lot, including upgrading and trawling straight through spawning grounds. One time we watched a large trawler drag its nets from just off Whangaparoa down to and through the Rakino Channel, at the height of the spawning season. We got its number and reported it to an inspector at the Orakei ramp when we got back. He was less than interested and said that, even though what they were doing was illegal, he couldn’t do anything unless we had video evidence.
I feel a bit sick after this when I see young Maori or Pasifika shown on tv for grabbing a few paua. Just like with any crime, it seems that making it big enough gets you immunity. Doing it while brown and on a small scale gets you prison.
Quite a few of my family have already been limiting the catch they take. It’s not the limiting the catch that pisses them off, it’s the fact that the commercial operations haven’t been limited as well. They’re recognising it as a move to maintain/protect commercial fishing rather than to protect the fish.
I’m agreeing with you 🙂
Sometimes I agree with other people, just to see what it feels like.
There is simply no way the personal take (‘recreational’ is a bullshit phrase) should be cut before the commercial. It’s as disgusting as mining in schedule 4.
Too many governments see the resource as only being worth something if it is being sold. That’s fucking stupid. All fishers use the resource and there is no rational reason to say that those who use it for consumption should have to pay those who use it to sell, or have their rights to it diminished in favour of those who are only seeking to turn a profit.
Reserve Bank and Treasury staff seen giving birth to kittens on The Terrace:
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney bets the bank: Revolutionary plan to target joblessness
(It should be noted that his target of reducing unemployment to 7% is still above the 6% rate that the incomparibly evil Bill Phillips said was the ideal level to prevent inflation)
Radionz piece. Scientists up in arms. Sir Paul Callaghan left a business when he died that has a leading place in the world in lenses for telescopes? They have cancelled a contract saying that it was risky and had too tight schedules.
Can’t NZ manage to do anything right twice? Anyhow signing contracts with unreasonably short completion times is fairly frequent from what I hear. World pressure is on to be competitive. But even if you’re near the top of the industry you can’t sign up and then reneg or you get a bad name.
I remember a book about one of the first Japanese business men to start a business in industry after World War 2. Went to USA and overcome language barrier, started a whole new trend making motor scooters and went on to be a world industry. If we want to develop something else besides traditional animal husbandry and agriculture we can’t afford to be so laissez faire, which in NZ parlance is she’ll be right.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint
Scientists upset lenses contract pulled ( 2′ 24″ )
18:40 The Association of Scientists says it beggars belief that a Crown agency has
pulled the plug on a multimillion dollar international contract for telescope lenses.
That makes me sick to my stomach, Rt. We have some of the world’s best optical scientists, most of whom are working overseas because of the tall poppy syndrome, among other reasons. These guys have identified a market and are playing to their strengths, only to have some politically appointed seat warmers sabotage it for them. There is only so much people will accept in their careers before they take the opportunities available overseas. And then the country is left with the million dollar executives of Fonterra ballsing up one of the few things the government will back, or Shane Jones and his slave fisheries getting us locked out of other markets. Why are those who rule over us so bloody hopeless?
Murray O
(See my recent comment to you.
Why do these jerks… I think the Peter Principle. And being good talkers. We seem to be mesmerised by good talkers. I think many of us are a little inarticulate and I have noticed that we can be galvanised by someone with vitality, confidence and a loud voice.. Into the valley ..ride the 4 million!
And seat warmers. There is some sort of reserved place in employment heaven that chaps and busy business ladies get to and it takes a lot of bad karma for them to get taken down a peg or two.
I remember getting this feeling when Jim Salinger got his hand slapped and I didn’t think for anything important except for giving an opinion free on ‘the possible weather’ which was no longer okay because it was all to be charged for. Run by a seat warmer.
But of course there is this generic management idea. As if each type of business hasn’t its own set of strengths and problems and it helps to have some depth of experience in the field you are managing. My favourite is putting a manager into the social welfare who used to manage a seaport. He probably wished he could put them all on a Slow Boat to China.
Scientists gobsmacked by funding withdrawal
Stopped from signing, not cancelling/breaking the contract.
Still, it really was a stupid decision.
Regardless of the legalese, no money. That’s death to a new venture.
ruhroh
Meridian sale looks more and more reckless:
http://t.co/ReNkynGkOg
Oxymoron anyone think?
Minister and mayor say approvals for mine taking too long ( 3′ 17″ )
18:12 The Conservation Minister and the Buller District mayor say it’s taking too long
for a West Coast open cast coal mine to get the all clear from authorities.
Conditional go-ahead for Denniston Plateau mine ( 4′ 47″ )
17:46 Bathurst Resources expects to be coal mining on the Denniston Plateau by the
end of the year after winning conditional go-ahead from the Environment Court.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint
Sorry, It’s Not A ‘Law Of Capitalism’ That You Pay Your Employees As Little As Possible
The greed of the few is destroying even the consumerist economy that the politicians and the economists have lauded for the last few decades.
it is eating itself
A New Zealand hero
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/9018548/Surfer-Byrne-dies-after-motorcycle-accident
salute
Took me right to the bottom of that article to find something that he did that might actually be considered beneficent. Most of it just went on about his sporting achievements which is, IMO, rather mundane.
Yes not a hero of the valiant battlefield invent penicillin kind, a hero of the live the dream push your own boundaries someone to look up to kind.
Shows everything that’s wrong with Kiwi mainstream values – sports – man vs wild.
not doing anything actually of social value, or to benefit the common good.
he live the dream push your own boundaries someone to look up to kind.
Sounds very libertarianz
Sheesh Karol, that’s off the planet ……………… and shows everything that’s wrong with leftwing mainstream values – land rights for gay whales. No wonder commentary from the right lampoons your way of viewing the world and your way of lumping everybody’s choice of life together. Get a life.
Actually, you show everything that’s wrong with mainstream values – always looking to sporting heroes, which is what got him the MSM attention, and most of the coverage in the article as DTB says.
Anyone who is doing these things, as mentioned ny joe90:
clean water projects, anti-malaria work, vaccination projects, tsunami aid, earthquake aid in the west of the Indonesian archipelago
Yep. Doing things of value.
But there’s a lot of people doing such things who never get MSM attention – so not so much a great Kiwi hero, as a Kiwi showing some good citizenship.
and you show everything that is wrong with leftwing bigots.
Sports man, P3 navigator, family man, artisan, innovator, employer, clean water projects, anti-malaria work, vaccination projects, tsunami aid, earthquake aid in the west of the Indonesian archipelago so yeah, nothing actually of social value, or to benefit the common good.
/
Thanks joe90, I was only aware of some of those things. But yep, add those things you have listed together with his surfing and the way he went about life and you get a true New Zealand hero, in the sense I meant (tho didn’t explain perhaps).
He was someone I looked up to – surf-wise and life-wise
Indeed vto, a thoroughly decent man who walked the talk in his own quiet way.
btw, one of my nephews is spending the season in Indonesia and following a cut throat sponsorship drive he left with ten of these.
mmm, the warm waters of indo. I try not to think of such when paddling out into the cooler waters of the south island.
Those filters look like life-savers in those environs.
Last time he was away it was mosquito nets vto but the self serving surfing yoof of today have damn sight better social consciences than I ever had.
The only things he was mentioned for in the article was his surfing and the fact that he made better surfboards. Most people reading that article would have have NFI who he was and so, by reading that article, would have the understanding that he became a “hero” for surfing. Nothing, IMO, good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article.
“Nothing, IMO, good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article”
Draco, you are not thinking. Most people would imagine that reaching the top position not just nationally but internationally (and which no other New Zealanders ever had before in this realm) in their chosen ‘sport’ is entirely good enough to get a mention in a newspaper article. Don’t you think that would be why newspapers do it? Because that is what the most people want to read? Your opinion may well be that that is not good enough for a newspaper mention – few would agree with you.
The hero piece was clearly my opinion. Heroism is, again if you think about it, subjective. You will note that the original post did not hype it up – I kept it simple and short, in keeping. There are a lot of people I consider my heroes, for many different reasons and in many realms. Some are business heroes, some are good people heroes, some are save the world heroes, ….
It seems that you and Karol save hero status for only the very most exceptional of people.
This could be interesting at 1pm today
Dunne Tweet
“I am doing NBR ASK ME ANYTHING session 1pm today. Leave a question now: nbr.co.nz/ask-peter-dunne”