Open Mike 09/03/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 9th, 2018 - 139 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

139 comments on “Open Mike 09/03/2018 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. eco maori 1
    9 March 2018 at 6:46 am

    ECO MAORIs Kiwi Bank ac 389019048573100 Please help me to sort the nz police out
    I decided against trying to use PayPal to receive donations .I decided to copy
    Thestandards safe way of appealing and receiving donations I set up a Kiwi Bank AC
    So he tangata the people of Aoteraoroa New Zealand who support ECO MAORI can use internet banking to make donations and know that there bank accounts are safe after they have made a donation . ECO MAORI will use the donations to SUE the nz police for all the breaches to mine and my Whano Privacy Rights & Human Rights a lot of people can see this has been happening to ECO MAORI when I win my case I will set up a
    Charitable Trust and I will pay the money that I used and any extra donations into this Trust account and appeal to anyone else in Aoteraoroa who need help with finance to SUE the nz police for there in justices I will copy bank statements on this site to let he tangata the people know that ECO MAORI has Honest Honorable and transparent intentions to use your hard earned Putea Money. .
    Kia Kaha Ka kite ano

    • eco maori 1.1
      9 March 2018 at 7:25 am

      Good morning te Am show on 3.
      Te plan B of the Flute Master starts today YEA. The Warriors will be fine don’t worry. Any extra educational study for the mokos is good they get to make new friends and pick up new Ideas Jobs and Wozniak did not make that personal computer by them selves they were students and came up with the idea in a group of friends they could not get axis to a computer so they decided to build their own computer to buy one was to expense then they came up with the idea of making and selling personal computers enough said.
      Global warming is hear all OUR Pacific cousins need to come up with a better design for there dwelling it doesn’t have to be expensive just good design test to survive the weather that they are going to receive. I say a prefabricated flat packed design using the new laminated wood technology and the new small smart house design is what is need.Kia kaha Ka kite ano

      • eco maori 1.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 7:45 am

        Am show Phil Twyford it is not acceptable that the state employees spy on KIWIs?????????.
        As you can see I Back the Labour Party lead Government but I will give a honest opinion on anyones views that don’t serve the 99.9 % te tangata the people equally and honestly and fairly.
        Ka pai Ka kite ano

        • eco maori 1.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 8:23 am

          Am show many Thanks to Pita for getting OUR History of Aotearoa changing social climate in the 18th century for Maori and Aotearoa new cultures of people .
          I use this because I don’t like to promote War even though there was a lot of that going on. At least some of our Tepuna could see the big picture and plan for a better future for there MOKOS. If they didn’t get the big picture we would be like a lot of minority indigenous cultures around Papatuanukue the world that are just existing Kia kaha Ka kite ano. P.S we are only on Papatuanukue mother earth for a very short period of time isn’t it logical to leave her in best condition we can for All OUR Mokos

          • eco maori 1.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 11:18 am

            Valerie Adams you opperstion are just trying to get under your skin.
            There tactics are to put you off your A game ignore them and know this you are a better person than them you would never stoop to those levels of using imtimadation to Win Kia kaha Ka kite ano

            • eco maori 1.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 5:59 pm

              I will Watch Prime News I say they will be more honourable than the other channels Ka pai Ka kite ano

  2. adam 2
    9 March 2018 at 6:46 am

    This was good idea for International Women’s day, posting as the rest of the world is still in International women’s day.

    Nice interview with a Hungarian women living in East London, talking life, work and fears of Brexit.

    https://libcom.org/blog/series-interviews-working-class-women-west-london-part-1-08032018

  3. Bill Drees 3
    9 March 2018 at 7:23 am

    Catherine Ryan on Nine to noon yesterday interviewed Stanley Johnson, father of The UKs worse Foreign Secretary. Papa previously has said he sons switch from Remain to Leave would do wonders for his career!!!!
    Ryan was at her fawning worse. I couldn’t take more that five minutes of it.

    • cleangreen 3.1
      9 March 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Catherine Ryan is a right winger parachuted in by National last year and I cant believe that RNZ Minister of Broadcasting hasn’t gotten rid of her yet.

      Wake up Clare Curran or find another job yourself if you cant help make RNZ more “balanced and un-baised” still riddled with right wingers..

  4. Sanctuary 4
    9 March 2018 at 8:06 am

    Today provides an interesting juxtaposition of political stances – and responses – that goes a long way to explain Trumpism and the whole appeal to MAGA.

    In Chile, warmly applauded by the entire NZ elite and establishment media, a liberal democratic Labour government will sign the ultra-intrusive “free trade” agreement the (CP)TPPA.

    In Washington, to the outraged uniform horror of the entire US elite (including the liberal democrat main opposition) and establishment media (including the likes of Stephen Colbert), the populist right wing US president will put in place tariffs to protect the US metals industry and the 200,000 odd workers (all members of the remnant US working class) who remain working therein.

    Now, the Liberal-democratic NZ Labour led coalition government will get away with signing the (CP)TPPA because neoliberalism is yet to be repudiated by the vast majority of the professional middle class. Unlike Europe and the USA, which were seriously affected by the GFC and devastated the following decade plus long great recession NZ barely noticed the collapse of neoliberalism. Our primary centre-left party has escaped the fate of it’s third way colleagues in Europe simply because the economic collapse that laid the path for the collapse of the centre-left, third way liberal democratic parties in Europe never happened here.

    But in the USA, and Europe it is the populists of the right who have (or at least pretended to have) picked up the cudgels on behalf of the workers and led the attack on the neoliberal establishment. The very serious people of the centre left, the establishment media, the professional and technocratic elites all still love neoliberalism. And the US and European centre-left who threw in it’s lot with neoliberalism in the 1990s, with the exception of the UK Labour party which saw the danger and elected Jeremy Corbyn (in the face of hysterical and fanatical opposition from the liberal-democrats of the nominal centre) to cleanse the party of it’s Blairist past, have been utterly routed by the hard right in the last 20 years.

    So yeah – one of the main reasons Trump won was he said he was prepared to erect tariffs to protect the US working class, something that is still utter anathema to the nominal left wing parties of the US and European and NZ centre-left.

    • Ad 4.1
      9 March 2018 at 9:28 am

      How does erecting tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports protect the working class?

      • Sanctuary 4.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 10:08 am

        The power of Ronald Reagan is strong in this one…

        • Ad 4.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 10:51 am

          Whenever you’re ready to answer the question.

          • David Mac 4.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 11:11 am

            It sounds like you have a zinger in the breech for the typical answer to that question Ad. Which is of course ‘If it’s tougher for international competitors to get their product into the domestic US market, prices and working conditions for the domestic suppliers will rise.’…I feel like I’ve just pitched the obvious answer on an episode of QI and the klaxon is about to sound off.

            • Ad 4.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 11:30 am

              Nope, just seeking something substantial beyond the rhetorical arm waving.

              No one – not workers, not consumers, not small states like ours – will win in a likely trade war. But now that the rock is thrown in the pool, we are about to get a reminder that we are a small boat on a very tall sea.

              • David Mac …
                9 March 2018 at 11:51 am

                Yes, it was a great everyman response from Europe. “Ok you want to play that game, looks like Bourbon, Levis and Harleys just took a price hike over here.’

                Dumbing it right down to a base level seems to be a prerequisite for getting a message into Trump’s head.

              • Molly …
                9 March 2018 at 3:41 pm

                “How does erecting tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports protect the working class?”
                It protects the working class in the US.

                • Ad …
                  9 March 2018 at 3:53 pm

                  Go right ahead and demonstrate that.

                  • Molly …
                    9 March 2018 at 5:51 pm

                    I don’t like Donald Trump. I think his tariffs on steel is a reaction against Chinese steel coming in, and a sop thrown out to his voters, that won’t cost him personally. And if he discovers it does, he won’t hesitate in removing them.

                    But I don’t disagree with a country putting tariffs on – if that is what they want to do. They will have to deal with the knock on effect, whatever it may be.

                    This constant demand for unfettered access to lower and lower priced materials and goods, does have an effect, in multiple nations, on workers and environment. And we should be, if we were truly ethical consumers, aware of that when we are looking to purchase and transport goods across the world, just because they are lower in price.

                • Graeme …
                  9 March 2018 at 4:02 pm

                  “How does erecting tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports protect the working class?”
                  It protects a few un-compeditive industrialists in the US.

                  FIFY

                  Companies can profitably produce aluminium and steel in New Zealand, at competitive prices and quality with New Zealand costs and tariff protection, or lack of. Why can’t companies in USA do the same with what should be lower costs from a larger and closer market?

                  • mikes …
                    9 March 2018 at 6:23 pm

                    “Companies can profitably produce aluminium and steel in New Zealand, at competitive prices…”

                    Things have changed a bit recently.

                    “in the past most most steel from China was unprocessed but now manufactured steel beams were being imported into New Zealand and local companies were struggling to compete on price.”

                    Quote taken from the following:

                    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/82805464/chinese-steel-imports-blamed-for-img-job-losses

                    • Graeme …
                      9 March 2018 at 7:08 pm

                      20% cheaper for fabricated steel all comes to nothing, or worse if the steel either doesn’t fit, or is to the wrong spec. Think you’ll find that trade has sort of dried up now, or only on the biggest jobs. And we’re talking fabricated steel here, there’s always been an imported component in the heavy fabrication industry, previously from UK, Japan and Aussie, now from China and Korea, and going a bit further down the market than previously.

            • Johan 4.1.1.1.1.2
              10 March 2018 at 7:17 am

              Ad is playing his clown game again. He knows very well that no one will win in a trade war. Trump is and always has been about himself and gaining popularity, even if he has to place one citizen against another to gain this. Major political figures throughout history have used this tactic to gain notoriety and support by brain-washing fellow citizens.

      • mikes 4.1.2
        9 March 2018 at 6:17 pm

        For a start it might mean that steel and aluminum workers in the states wont have to compete with workers in countries where they are paid $3 an hour? If developers in the US face a level playing field price wise they are likely to purchase from US companies (quicker delivery, possibly better quality) rather than foreign ones so better for working class jobs in the US?

    • savenz 4.2
      9 March 2018 at 11:02 am

      Disagree Sanctuary

      “Now, the Liberal-democratic NZ Labour led coalition government will get away with signing the (CP)TPPA because neoliberalism is yet to be repudiated by the vast majority of the professional middle class.”

      I think the middle class are against TPPA – 11 and all the polls show it, but times are a changing, people have not been listened to in this country for years now, so they give up protesting and signing petitions, because they have already done that for years, instead many remove themselves from media and political parties and this allows the conservatives to thrive.

      Similar to Tony Blair in UK Labour, people marched in their millions against the illegal invasion of Iraq, but were not listened to and were told plenty of lies, officials spoke out and one even lost their life over it.

      But the legacy for the UK Labour Party is that people stop believing in the party and therefore a decade of conservatives come into force. (Similar to Rogernomics in NZ which has seriously eroded the Labour brand) which now struggles.

      Similar to the democrats in the USA. People who live in the country expect a bit more focus and care from a centre left government! If they fail, they stop voting.

      Jacinda looked like change, but sadly it has not happened the Labour Party is very set in it’s ways and refuses to listen.

      Parker can not even hold an electoral seat, that is how unpopular the guy is, (he’s like the Nick Smith of the National party, but at least Nick can win a seat) but Labour give him free reign and a high list position to do something they must know is wrong. (It’s now predicted to cost MORE than it earns in compliance alone).

      There is dozens of free trade agreements out there, it’s not like this is the only one!

      But no, they have to go for the dog! Too lazy to remove conditions and put in climate change, proper land and asset restrictions to foreigners (at least put in no more than 50% foreign owned), or environmental protection. Nope nothing as usual – easier to lie, than actually do their jobs and think the public will lap it up. Nope. D- FAIL for Labour and NZ First.

      • cleangreen 4.2.1
        9 March 2018 at 2:18 pm

        1000% savenz.

        Spot on there.

        Stuart Nash Napier MP and Minister of Police, has just made labour look very foolish up in Napier by saying “reopening of the Wairoa to Gisborne rail would be a “hard ask:”.

        So just two years ago 2016; he was in the press here aggressively fighting against the National Government saying it must be restored as” it is a vital link to our safety and prosperity!!!!!!

        So Stuart Nash has pissed many off today with his “flip-flops” and this may be why they will loose the next election also because of broken promises they made – the bloody idiots they are.

        Wake up labour before we are all doomed.!!!!!!

        Labour are now setting us up to all suffer massive damages and deaths from radical climate changes now happening.

        The MoT Fuels and Energy Management group report shows how fuel-efficient and low-pollution rail transport really is. # 363.73926 RAI # 4037.

        The report confirmed that rail freight per tonne per kilometre travelled had extremely low NOx levels compared with trucking’s freight per tonne per km higher levels (four times) of all harmful pollution emissions.

        Quote from page 34 of “Impacts of Rail Transport on Local Air Quality” report: 5.5: Locomotive Emissions; Opportunities for Reduction.

        “Based on these inventory results, there does not appear to be a specific need to target the emissions from the rail sector in managing local air quality.

        The only emission of any significance from locomotives is of NOx but the output relative to other combustion sources is still minimal in terms of total activity measures.”

        Why the Government needs to support rail for public urban residential health & safety:

        -Evidence of much higher diesel air emissions emerging, thanks to the Volkswagen diesel scandal.

        -Doubts are emerging about our urban air quality, public health and safety and emissions of truck freight 24/7 through our urban residential zones as New Zealand has set no standards.

        -Since the VW diesel scandal, similar diesel truck emissions cheating was uncovered.

        -No safeguards for communities near truck routes.

        -We need the protection of public health agencies along with MoT oversight.

        Government, please heed our call for the reinstatement of provincial rail services, to protect the health and well-being of all our regional communities, as overseas governments are doing.

      • mikes 4.2.2
        9 March 2018 at 6:28 pm

        “instead many remove themselves from media and political parties and this allows the conservatives to thrive. ”

        Hang on a sec there! I think you’ll find that conservatives on the whole wouldn’t be supportive of the TPP. Don’t confuse conservative and right wing, the working class are mostly conservative and they are why the Labour Party was created.

    • Antoine 5.1
      9 March 2018 at 9:58 am

      I remember reading this and wondering to what extent insurance would cover the damage. Any guesses?

      • David Mac 5.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 11:00 am

        Even if the owner had Landlord Insurance cover for the property a pay-out would be unlikely. All policies require regular property inspections usually with a frequency of every 3 months. The first question the insurer would ask is: “Please provide us with the property inspection reports.” The tenants have been in there for years, I suspect zero property inspections.

        The key to being a good landlord is either appointing a quality property manager or doing all they would yourself. The most important work is done before the keys are handed over. There are many ways to check what sort of experience an owner or property manager can anticipate. Every prospective tenant does the best they can to appear to be a great tenant. The most important task a property manager/landlord has is sorting the illusion from the fact.

        I suspect this owner decided that the 8% of the rent that a ‘Give a damn’ property manager would charge was better off in his/her pocket. How wrong they were.

        • savenz 5.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 11:13 am

          You have way too much faith in property managers David Mac! They are not even regulated! Know someone who this happened to (not quite so much a bad state) but it was managed by a so called reputable property management firm for an elderly guy, and still happened. If people are evicted, or people get ‘friends in’ living there who are scum bags this happens more than you might think.

          Nowadays the tenants are supposed to have insurance too.

          I thought I’d post it and see what renter’s thought of it and how to solve the problem.

          My guess is, that will be another Landlord who calls it a day adding to the shortage in Christchurch.

          Should the renters be responsible for the mess, (made to clean it up as part of a sentence from courts for example, does anyone think the tenants are ruining it for other people renting, increasing the insurance premiums (many insurance policies don’t pay the full cost anyway or refuse to pay out , if it was intentional damage) which increases rents?)

          Also we have an underclass living in NZ, what are the solutions? These people still need somewhere to live and apparently 2 delinquent children in the mix!

          “An advocate for the homeowner, who also did not want to be named, said the children who lived there were responsible for smashing more than 100 windows in the area, stealing a cash register, shoplifting from nearby shops, vandalism, harassing elderly people, assault and setting fires.

          He believed the police and Oranga Tamariki – which is working with the family – were doing what they could”.

          • David Mac 5.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 11:31 am

            I have the utmost faith in some property managers savenz. Yes, they are not regulated beyond the tenancy tribunal dragging them over the coals when they get it wrong and a tenant takes them to task.

            Generally they are paid poorly, hence the relatively recent application of ‘Letting Fees’. If working for one of the popular franchises the income they generate for the office is generally split 50/50 and to get anywhere near a reasonable income requires managing more properties than they can effectively manage.

            Appointing a quality property manager requires similar efforts as appointing a decent tenant. I’d look at trademe history and ask for the names and numbers of the last 5 properties they let and ring those owners for a reference. A private property manager is often a good place to start, 100% of the income they generate is theirs and the buck stops with them, not some faceless corporate Ray White identity.

            Due to the slack management of that property, the people responsible for the damage/mess will probably walk away scotfree. The legal recourse is with the person named on the legally binding tenancy agreement (If there was one)

            Yes, how do we house people capable of living like that, a tough question. A probationary period in a bullet-proof metal container house with perspex windows, stainless steel toilet/sink etc is a possible solution.

            • savenz 5.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 12:57 pm

              I think you are looking at it a bit one sided David Mac, the landlord/property manager evicted them and presumably gave them the correct amount of notice by law and they trashed the place in the 40 days or so they had left. What more could the landlord or a property manager have legally done?

              The problem does not go away because it sounds like the 4 people who used to be housed there (including 2 children) now need to find a new place and will they do the same to the next place and what is to stop them?

              No doubt they would do the same whether state or privately owned but the sad thing is that it will probably take weeks or months or in the case of P years and there is no longer a rental available for some other tenant.

              What happens to the People like these who do have tenancy orders against them and in this case it looks like their own fault, nobody will rent to them and so where do they go?

              On the plus side, apparently either Natz or Labour have invested ACC money in prisons…. what an irony when a government does this..

              The perspex solution will cost the taxpayer approx $100,000 each per year, so at a cost of $400,000 per annum for the whole family – and the likely result is that they will go on to do much greater damage for society when released.

              • David Mac …
                9 March 2018 at 1:13 pm

                That house did not go from ‘well looked after rental’ to the state it is in now in 40 days. Foliage growing up through the rubbish, faded print on the cartons taped over windows etc. I’m confident periodic property inspections were not done and acted upon, for this, the owner is to blame.

                Yes, what to do with people that defecate on the carpets throughout their home etc?

                I’m not suggesting they be jailed, I’m suggesting they be provided with bullet proof state housing for a probationary period. Prove they are capable of being trustworthy tenants before being offered regular state housing.

                Any capable property manager or landlord would not be letting to the culprits for quite some time. Taxpayers must house them. I’m suggesting they earn the right to again be trusted with a conventional half million dollar asset. If not, they stay in the housing that can be hosed out.

                • savenz …
                  9 March 2018 at 1:49 pm

                  So are you saying new state housing with ‘wash proof’, fire proof and smashproof glass be added for the worst tenants, with cleaners, glaziers, pest control and gardeners going around weekly to clean up the damage, until they ‘earn the right’ to be trusted again.

                  But is that not prioritising the worst tenants over the more deserving state tenants?

                  And what about their neighbours, do they put up with the 100 broken windows in their community and thefts and fires from the kids and have their lives made hell and their community turn to shit, until people learn how to behave.

                  I’m just wondering because in my view a lot of things going on, such as TPPA-11 are going to make this type of underclass more common.

                  The reason so many are turning to P (and in my view it’s probably more likely the culprit than the landlord did not do inspections which does not turn a place into a pigsty with 4 tonnes of rubbish, and delinquent kids) is because it’s a cheap high, and makes people forget all their problems and feel a million dollars for a time.

                  If you struggle to work, or you do work full time on minimum wages but can’t afford the cost of living, plus could lose your job/hours at any time, then drugs start looking more attractive and drug dealers seem to have such good direct marketing and well run businesses too. No taxes!

                  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/13/making-meth-how-new-zealands-knack-for-p-turned-into-a-homebaked-disaster

                  • David Mac …
                    9 March 2018 at 5:54 pm

                    Geez mate, you seem so far removed from reality…

                    The P thing in rentals was a beat-up. People tooting on a few pipes does not render a house inhabitable. It made Mike Sabin a millionaire via his propaganda machine Methcon and gave meth testers a platform to establish businesses peddling BS.

                    I suggest temporary perspex windows for those that who have proven that they can’t be trusted with glass windows.

                    If the occupants choose to smash windows and set fires around their neighbourhoods, this has nothing to do with where they live and they should be arrested and charged accordingly. They’re robbing local dairys and reeking havoc because they haven’t got anything better to do and grew up with parents that didn’t give a damn.

                    The TPPA is not generating P addicts, ask most of them their thoughts re: the TPPA and they’d respond ‘What’s that?’

                    People are addicted to P for the same reasons alcoholics can’t put the bottle down, they are seeking an escape. Canning the TPPA is not going to see these people become overnight contributing members of their society.

                    P isn’t cheap, that’s why addicts rack up rent arrears and disappear into the night when responsibility comes knocking.

              • savenz …
                9 March 2018 at 1:15 pm

                If a landlord suspects P for example under law you are not allowed to do any monitoring without tenants permission and you are supposed to do a P check between tenancies which will cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Most agencies don’t do it though, because of course most of the houses will show P at some level (because the war on P was never won, surprise, surprise) and then they can’t rent it.

                I know two tenants (one upmarket house, one downmarket house so it’s right across the board) who have had to move out or lost a rental when P levels were found in the property, which is adding to the shortage.

                The P levels is a scam anyway by the sound of it because money has been shown to have more P on it that the average house because the levels were set too low for the amount of P users we seem to have handling the NZ currency.

                • Carolyn_Nth …
                  9 March 2018 at 4:21 pm

                  I have talked to my property manager and agents about the P issue. They say that there’s not much of a problem with P in my area.

                  They also said their agents did training on tell tale signs of P. They said the media beat up the issue too much, that it was also stirred up by the same companies that did testing also doing the clean up. Basically, they seemed sympathetic to tenants, and thought the regulations were still too vague.

                  The property managers who do inspection of the unit I live in seem fair people. The property is in a good state, and any minor maintenance is attended to quickly.

                  The policies of the top management of the real estate chain are more into being authoritarian.

                  • David Mac …
                    9 March 2018 at 6:05 pm

                    Hallelujah, yes Carolyn, you’ve nailed it.

                    Cooking P in a house is a whole different matter and there are many ways of determining if that is going on.

                    If you think your neighbours are cooking the things to look out for are things like: When you wonder, ‘Why on earth are those people always going outside to smoke, they don’t seem the types to be concerned about such a thing.’

                    Fan shaped dead patches in the lawn where containers of chemicals have been tossed out.

                    Frequent short term visitors at all hours of the night.

    • Puckish Rogue 5.2
      9 March 2018 at 10:15 am

      Rich pricks deserve it for being rich, they should have given the property to the renters as its only fair

      • andrew murray 5.2.1
        9 March 2018 at 3:16 pm

        Rich pricks do deserve the consequences of the type of society that now exists.

        In neoliberal parlance, there are no free lunches…the cost of the destruction of social cohesion is what this represents more than any alternative explanations.

        And rich pricks wrought that destruction

        • David Mac 5.2.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 6:19 pm

          No they didn’t, crap parents did. It starts the day a child starts school and doesn’t have a clue what the alphabet is and those about them have been read a 1000 books before their first day.

          • Molly 5.2.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 6:48 pm

            We are a family that has books all around the house, and my last child is severely dyslexic. Won’t sit down and listen to books for too long, and visibly struggles to read, despite encouragement from all family members and time spent on attempting to master the basics. He has exceptional 3D awareness, and is very practical and forward thinking in terms of tasks and activities.

            I picked up a hitchiker a couple of days ago, who was looking to attend a job interview to pick pumpkins. I ended up driving him there, and chatting on the way. He was twenty, and had been working in various jobs since he was sixteen. He said he’d just had his car impounded, ‘Speeding?’ I asked. “No, driving without a licence, but I’m a good driver”. It transpired that he was also severely dyslexic, and just the idea of opening the road code book was completely out of his comfort zone. And I thought about how this young man was completely unsupported in his schooling years, and how unaware he was of the assistance that was available to him to help with the literacy requirements of adult life.

            If you think that all children that have difficulty with academics are there because the family don’t value education, that idea needs to be revisited.

            People have a lot to offer, who have difficulty with academic work, and we currently have designed our workplaces, apprenticeships and practical trades to exclude them. It’s not good enough.

            • David Mac 5.2.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 7:04 pm

              Hi Molly, yes there are exceptions to the rule and I think you’re splitting hairs in a bid to discredit my thoughts with such an exception or two.

              It’s been my experience that those that are dyslexic possess what it takes to be astounding in other areas.

              You have obviously latched onto this aspect with your son and his natural gift for 3D awareness. I’m sure you are developing your son’s gift and steering him in that direction. It’s what parents that give a damn do. Crap parents enlist the child to a lifetime of feeling handicapped and prepare him for a lifetime of offering excuses. A lifelong victim.

              With your help, attitude and support, your boy will learn to turn a blind eye to his shortcomings and flourish.

              • Molly …
                9 March 2018 at 7:13 pm

                “your boy will learn to turn a blind eye to his shortcomings”
                I don’t think it is a shortcoming. It is a challenge. In the same way that many academic children may have challenges understanding how non-academic children do not have the same thinking processes. Or how explaining to a self-declared rational person, that excluding the emotional responses in people is irrational in itself.

                And, I’m not just concerned about my son. I want an education system that meets the requirements of all our students, particularly those that struggle with reading challenges. Because they often have a lot to offer in other ways, but we don’t value those in our education system or allow for delays in reaching literacy milestones.

                We then ignore other gifts, and concentrate on reading/writing, and while they may achieve competence at a basic level, we may have effectively taken out any joy in reading for a long period – if not for life. Our apprenticeships are now offered to those who get achievement credits, not unit standards. Knocking our practical students out of practical professions.

                My point is really, these general statements don’t hold up well in reality. And can often lead to discrimination, where understanding will be more productive.

                • David Mac …
                  9 March 2018 at 7:25 pm

                  Short of a teacher for every child a near free education system has to be close to a ‘one size fits all’ curriculum. Teachers are not social workers, nor should they be.

                  The diversity you speak of needs to come from parents, the most important component in any child’s education.

                  Crap and lazy parents are quick to trot out ‘the school has failed my child’. A position too often discredited with the question ‘What is the problem and what are you doing about it?’

                  I know you’d be all over your situation Molly, you don’t need to be shown how to suck eggs, too many do.

                  • Molly …
                    9 March 2018 at 8:15 pm

                    “Short of a teacher for every child a near free education system has to be close to a ‘one size fits all’ curriculum. Teachers are not social workers, nor should they be.”
                    Why not demand an education system that is able to provide? Or alternatively, if you are obsessed with the one system, create one for the students with difficulties – after all, the others will be able to learn ‘with just a little help from their parents’.

                    And no, teachers don’t need to be social workers. They are already educators, and they only can be great educators if they educate all that come before them.

                    “Crap and lazy parents are quick to trot out ‘the school has failed my child’. “
                    And sometimes they are wrong, but sometimes they are right. The school is limited by resources and direction from the MoE. We need to invest in education for it to deliver.

          • greywarshark 5.2.1.1.2
            9 March 2018 at 6:52 pm

            David Mac
            You don’t realise that you have contradicted your argument within your own comment. Basically you say that people pass on their learned approach to anything including education. So that parents who themselves have never learned to read, or ever read for imagination rather than to get a driving licence or read supermarket labels, have children who suffer the same disadvantage. And those with superior reading skills, or who know the importance of reading, books, ideas and imagination, pass those skills on.

            They both are following the same pattern, so don’t blame the unlearned ones.

            Don’t dump on the poor and unknowing. They aren’t very articulate probably to explain how they have been brought up. They may have had little engagement with others who have had no books in the home, whose parents haven’t even read newspapers, they have lacked the advantages of interest, encouragement to read.

            ou can blame television if you want to ‘blame’ any factor in life. It encourages passive minds that only know the pictures and advertising gimmick characters that dominate children’s television. Instead things that spring from real experiences would stimulate learning with lots of interchange with parents, reading at bedtime and ‘what if’ imaginative thoughts and creative writing, drawing etc.

            Also the obsession with teaching computer use in schools is going to limit their personal growth, and the likelihood that they will be used to having and using pencil, pen and paper to put down ideas, draw pictures as a habit
            will be absent.

            • David Mac 5.2.1.1.2.1
              9 March 2018 at 7:07 pm

              The healthy child that hasn’t been read 1000 books before they start school has been set up to fail.

              • David Mac …
                9 March 2018 at 7:10 pm

                An understanding of the alphabet, sentence structure etc is not what really matters. It’s the lubrication and igniting of the child’s imagination that does the business.

                • greywarshark …
                  9 March 2018 at 7:43 pm

                  David Mac
                  Hear hear. And you sound as if you know about these ’empty’ children who may be short on the basics of education and empty of food for fuel. I have a teacher in my family and know a bit about it. A local school provides lunches for everybody, but probably I’m thinking of breakfasts.

                  We have been sliding down ever since 1984 and nearly everyone has thought problems would only be temporary or instead have looked for individual fault. It’s a systemic fault and it would be better if we all remembered that truth.

                  The ability of a struggling individual to overcome all barriers has lessened, it can still be done but lately as we know from unstoppable news items it has mushroomed. Thank god we have got rid of National for a while and I hope for a long time.

                  We have a chance to repair some of the neglect to the services and the neglect that the marginalised people have suffered. And while they have been struggling they have adopted coping mechanisms that they have passed on to their children – most of which will have to be unlearned if they are to be able to hold their heads up in society and get on with a reasonably happy life good for them and for the country. So we have to look out for them a bit longer, and
                  not just look down on them as no-hopers.

                  • Molly …
                    9 March 2018 at 8:47 pm

                    “We have a chance to repair some of the neglect to the services and the neglect that the marginalised people have suffered. And while they have been struggling they have adopted coping mechanisms that they have passed on to their children – most of which will have to be unlearned if they are to be able to hold their heads up in society and get on with a reasonably happy life good for them and for the country. So we have to look out for them a bit longer, and not just look down on them as no-hopers.”
                    Nicely written.

              • Molly …
                9 March 2018 at 7:16 pm

                “The healthy child that hasn’t been read 1000 books before they start school has been set up to fail.”
                There are many children who just will not sit down to listen to books. To then dismiss them for this, is to ignore their contribution to family, friends and themselves.

                My tendency for pronouncements like this, dropped off considerably after my first child. And thankfully, completely disappeared after the third, who through trial and fire, increased my empathy, reduced my judgement and vastly improved my parenting skills.

                • David Mac …
                  9 March 2018 at 7:32 pm

                  Really? Isn’t that how every parent that gives a damn ends their child’s day and gets them off to sleep?

                  That’s all it takes, a Dr Seuss or 2 before a hug, chat and lights out.

                  Of course an active child doesn’t want to take in a book while the birds are singing and the other kids are kicking balls.

                  • greywarshark …
                    9 March 2018 at 7:48 pm

                    David Mac
                    This is what I said at 6.52pm. which seems to have completely been ignored. I didn’t realise what sort of person you are, prating on about reading to kids at bedtime. You don’t understand people with difficulties and don’t want to.

                    This is what I said and it is a good point.
                    You don’t realise that you have contradicted your argument within your own comment. Basically you say that people [parents] pass on their learned approach to anything including education. So that parents who themselves have never learned to read, or ever read for imagination rather than to get a driving licence or read supermarket labels, have children who suffer the same disadvantage. And those with superior reading skills, or who know the importance of reading, books, ideas and imagination, pass those skills on.

                    • David Mac …
                      10 March 2018 at 10:23 am

                      Hi grey, the parent that has never learned to read and write has double motivation to be sharing books with their child. Dr Seuss’s ‘Sam I Am’ includes just 50 simple words, Cat in the Hat, 250 basic words. If the illiterate parent struggles with that, they need to listen to spoken versions on their phones a few times as their finger follows the words.

                      Yes, there are exceptions, a blind parent etc. I acknowledge your point but continue to feel that in the vast majority of cases those parents that have the most time available to prepare their children for life are making the worst jobs of doing so.

                  • Molly …
                    9 March 2018 at 8:09 pm

                    “Really? Isn’t that how every parent that gives a damn ends their child’s day and gets them off to sleep?”
                    I had children that enjoyed that. I have also thankfully, had a child that actively hated it. I say thankfully, because the smugness that accompanied my parental advice was completely smashed out of existence.

                    There are children – both active and non-active – that don’t enjoy being read to. There are households where the parents are not at home when the children are being put to bed, or they themselves are unable to read. If you are able to, and your child enjoys it, the habit of putting a child to bed by reading a story is a lovely experience. But it is not the only way a child is shown love.

      • adam 5.2.2
        9 March 2018 at 3:35 pm

        No wonder the right wing is full of amoral types, with sentiment like this.

        • savenz 5.2.2.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:22 pm

          I suspect this issue is more to do with drugs than rich pricks.

          Also I suspect the landlord is not really a rich prick.

          True rich pricks don’t rent out their houses, they can afford to leave them with housekeepers and the like aka Peter Thiel style or import a few family members to live here and get a NZ education and super.

          Judging from he botch up census this year (probably by design) where they didn’t want to employ people to actually check that everyone filled it in (how many bothered to fill it out online, I didn’t even know it was on, so that’s one less person who apparently doesn’t live here, then there are the many others who are homeless, without computers, the underclass like the people who trashed the above house, the people who don’t speak English, the illegal immigrants etc etc).

          One things for sure, we sure as shit don’t know (or want to know) what the heck is happening in our own country judging by the census, as it’s probably disturbing reading for the neoliberals and economists out there to find out what is really going on and how people really live these days.

          • David Mac 5.2.2.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 6:23 pm

            People are addicted to drugs because they seek an escape. They aren’t escaping rich people. They’re escaping their sober selves.

          • mikes 5.2.2.1.2
            9 March 2018 at 6:40 pm

            “I suspect the landlord is not really a rich prick”

            Maybe not a prick. But the rich part is relative. There’s a large number of people who will never be able to afford to buy a house. They would say that if you are a landlord then you own at least two houses. In Auckland that means you’re quite likely a millionaire, which definitely makes you rich in the eyes of someone who has no wealth.

        • David Mac 5.2.2.2
          10 March 2018 at 10:26 am

          A parent preparing a child for life has nothing to do with who they vote for.

          • Incognito 5.2.2.2.1
            10 March 2018 at 11:21 am

            A very suitable topic for a debate. You’ll find that as soon as you start to build an argument you’ll enter into areas that have everything to do with whom you vote for … Your statement can only be and remain true and defended as such in a purely abstract manner, which begs the question: what’s your point?

            • David Mac 5.2.2.2.1.1
              10 March 2018 at 2:31 pm

              Hi incognito, not sure I agree. Swing voters doing the best they can to equip their child with the tools to pursuit their dreams don’t change what they’re doing because they voted left last election.

              My general point is the lifelong importance of helping our children feel engaged, capable, proud and included from the very start of their social interaction with their peers.

      • Keepcalmcarryon 5.2.3
        9 March 2018 at 10:40 pm

        2008-2017
        1) Establish a two tier society’- haves and have nots, owners and renters.
        2) observe the have nots lose respect for the tier of society they are denied
        3) complain when the have nots don’t care about their betters property.
        4) vote national
        Are you a neutral observer on this Puckish Rogue or part of the cause?

  6. greywarshark 6
    9 March 2018 at 10:47 am

    Someone said recently that we don’t seem to be saying much about disabled and welfare. And I thought of the discussions that we have here touching on everything that is happening and needs to happen. And I felt that I should just give a brief cover of all that we seem to want to happen. And much of this is, but not all is in welfare, for the disabled, and others who are vulnerable and particularly needy.

    There is interest for sure in welfare, but this blog is not just an advocate for welfare or to recount people’s miseries, we also think about how to stop the misery, how to improve and change, how to get a better system, where the money is going to come from. We try to think around the problems, not just dwell on them and record them for posterity. Because we fear that if we don’t think about change and work out a practical way of achieving it, posterity will show that nothing changed.

    For myself I am interested in getting more housing provided by government that is basic, satisfactory standard and affordable. That will help people’s welfare.
    And that there is respect for people with difficulties of any sort, disabled particularly instead of this prison commandant type of approach that
    an apparently people-hating authoritarian government has instituted and which has become embedded, though still masked under the previous expectation and understanding that we are a caring democracy.

    And there are improved health concessions etc

    And there is education, I want a type of holistic thing that if there are single parents will bring them to school along with their children, so they are learning together and then there is part-time work for the parent that is suitable, at suitable times and pays something that doesn’t affect their benefit. That would be good for welfare.

    And there are employment opportunities for everyone so that they can do at least a few hours at least per week and better themselves so this would be on top of any pension/benefit instead of reducing grants and benefits for each gross dollar, before tax, that people earn.

    And there is a stop to secondary employment tax charging and for incremental checking of benefits, perhaps once every six months to check how someone is going.

    And letting people make their own beneficial living arrangements so there is no prying and finger pointing about being ‘in a relationship in the nature of marriage’, because of rigid rules. And perhaps paying each person a separate individual tax instead of having married rates which would cut out surveillance
    that is destructive to human rights and relationships.

    And then looking at transport concessions for single parents etc

    Then I would like to see an obligation for all on pensions including old age pension (superannuation) to do some service to the community of a few hours per week.

    And it goes on, with each of us. So don’t think we don’t care about the disabled. We are looking at how things can be made better, done better, and why this isn’t happening when it would be right, would serve people better and can be cheaper in the long run, and is affordable if done in the right way. And why there are people at the top being paid huge salaries whose job seems to be to prevent any improvement in conditions.

    • weka 6.1
      9 March 2018 at 2:06 pm

      Anyone who voted for any party apart from the Greens voted for a party that is refusing to lift the SLP. That’s the main benefit that those with long term and permanent disabilities are on. NZ basically says if you have a disability and can’t work you have to live in poverty. That’s the bottom line around everything else. We can be more creative and caring with how we treat people within that system and others, but the reality is still that NZ wants disabled people to live in poverty.

      (and no, social housing won’t solve that for many people).

      • beatie 6.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 3:04 pm

        Thank you Weka for stating it how it is and thank you Greywarshark for your comment and useful ideas.

        Certainly more money would help immensely, also an overhaul of Winz, (which looks unlikely under this government).

        My reason for stating my personal circumstances was to illustrate how many in the disabled community in NZ have to live.

        Also I know for a fact that the reality is that many NZ’ers have no idea of the poverty that often accompanies a disability. Poverty which, along with dealing with with Winz, usually exacerbates that disability.

      • cleangreen 6.1.2
        9 March 2018 at 3:48 pm

        weka,

        As a once Green Party member 1999- -2002 I have to agree that my view of any other political Party is now becoming jaded as time goes on because all others have actually broken many promises since the last election.

        Come 2020 our family will have to re-assess our voting preference currently of labour/NZ First; – so we will keep your advise in our minds till then.

        “Zero Carbon Act” needs to consider adaptation alongside mitigation – Local Government NZ

        By The Daily Blog / March 8, 2018

        I liked Russel Normans suggestion here in this article in TDB today; – criticising the present government policy on our ‘Zero Carbon Act’ Emission policy as he says it needs to be strengthened.

        He is very correct as the current policy is setup to be taken over by lobbyists from the right wing big oil interests.

  7. Ad 7
    9 March 2018 at 10:51 am

    Minister Shane Jones, supporting both the Rotorua region and Minister Twyford’s Kiwibuild plan, and a New Zealand-owned sawmill that happens to be the largest in Australasia.

    Not a bad day’s work.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12008847

    • David Mac 7.1
      9 March 2018 at 11:38 am

      Yes, great news. A story like that every week will have the opposition struggling for popular support.

    • veutoviper 7.2
      9 March 2018 at 11:52 am

      Really good to see.

      I really feel Jones has found his niche as Minister of Regional Development and Minister of Forestry.

    • Pete 7.3
      9 March 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Bets on how long it takes for the story to be featured item on Kiwiblog? Anyone?

    • AB 7.4
      9 March 2018 at 2:29 pm

      Yes good – I’m hoping the volume of trees planted exceeds the volume harvested by a sufficient quantity to offset the carbon emissions from the processing.
      That may be a bridge too far for Shane though.

  8. esoteric pineapples 8
    9 March 2018 at 10:52 am

    A Green Party candidate has a good chance of being the first Green to make it into the United States Congress.

    From US Green Party leader Jill Stein:

    “Last year Kenneth Mejia, a 27 year-old Green dynamo, for ran for Congress in California’s 34th Congressional District. Kenneth fell less than 400 votes short of 4th place, placing him 7th out of 24 candidates – a remarkable result for a first run, small donor campaign with a shoestring budget.

    Now Kenneth is running again in the same district – but this time, he won’t be up against 24 candidates. In fact, as you’re reading this, he is the only candidate registered to run against the incumbent!

    Kenneth has a good chance at winning and only needs to place in the top 2 slots to advance in the upcoming primary. This would land him in the final round, where he has a real shot at winning this district hungry for more radical, progressive representation.

    Kenneth is an outspoken champion for the causes we believe in, from a Green New Deal to a $15/hour minimum wage, single-payer health care, a welcoming path to citizenship for immigrants, ending mass incarceration, ranked choice voting, ending the wars and much more.”

    https://www.mejia4congress.com/

    • savenz 8.1
      9 March 2018 at 11:15 am

      +1 esoteric pineapples

    • alwyn 8.2
      9 March 2018 at 2:11 pm

      I fear that you, like Ms Stein, are putting a much to rosy glow on the chap’s chances.
      He got 1,276 votes in the Primary. The top two candidates, both Democrats, got 8,156 and 5,504 votes and went on the ballot in the General election.
      There were about 20 Democrats in the Primary and their total number of votes was about 26,000. Thus the Green candidate got about 5% of the number the Democratic Party got in total.

      If by some miracle, and it really would be a miracle, he got about 6 times as many votes as he did, and got up to second, he would face in the run-off a Democrat who would sweep all the Democrat votes.
      He really doesn’t have a chance.

      He is about as likely to win as one of the Green Party candidates in our own election who got 5% of the candidate votes in the 2017 New Zealand election getting into first place in the Electorate in 2020 in the next General Election.
      Anyone you would be willing to put your money on?
      Is there a prospective Green winner in Hunua, Rodney, Tauranga or New Plymouth perhaps?

    • cleangreen 9.1
      9 March 2018 at 3:57 pm

      Puckish Rogue,

      Nah; TPP11 is still being polished wildly by labour spin but is still another big turd that will perimeate every corner and home in NZ eventually just wait and see.

      A re=packing doesn’t change the dead rat formula that it is a cover for now “Just another bus pass for global carpetbaggers.”

    • Johnr 9.2
      9 March 2018 at 4:15 pm

      This is not a trade deal, it doesn’t even have the word trade in its title.

      It’s another step towards a one world government. This will not be a government as we know it, but more a corporate governance model controlled by the 0.01%.

      Sure there are a few financial crumbs on the table, to settle the peasants down but the end goal is total control of the masses and the signs of their success are increasing. Data control in the hands of the few, banks too big to fail, governments following the whims of lobby groups, NRA, pharmaceuticals, our liquor and dairy industries here etc.

      • Puckish Rogue 9.2.1
        9 March 2018 at 4:18 pm

        Its ok though because its got progressive in the title so its all right

        • Incognito 9.2.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 9:55 pm

          You should call yourself Progressive Rogue because you’re all right 😉

  10. Fireblade 10
    9 March 2018 at 1:04 pm

    CPTTP is signed. Maybe not ideal, but it’s a much better deal than what the National Party negotiated. Staying relentlessly positive.

    • Puckish Rogue 10.1
      9 March 2018 at 1:12 pm

      Ah the good old days

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11498201

      ‘Mr Nash was one of at least six Labour MPs who took part in nationwide marches on Saturday, as was Labour’s trade spokesman, David Parker, who spoke at the Dunedin rally. Others were Phil Twyford, Ruth Dyson, Megan Woods, and Clare Curran, while Jacinda Ardern apologised for her absence.’

      • Fireblade 10.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 1:31 pm

        No point in dwelling on the past puckered one, but since you have, why didn’t National negotiate a better deal? Too lazy?, incompetent? or just didnt give a shit.

        • alwyn 10.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 2:17 pm

          Apart from some clauses that have been suspended until the US comes to its senses and signs up it is of course the same agreement that National negotiated.
          Labour is relying on the ignorance of their lumpenproletariat when they lie about what they “changed”.
          It’ll probably work of course. Most Labour voters like yourself are pretty thick and are easily fooled.
          Why didn’t Labour negotiate a better deal?. “Too lazy?, incompetent? or just didn’t give a shit.”

          • Fireblade 10.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 3:54 pm

            Hi alwyn. Great to see your balanced and well-rounded comments here. Your mates on Kiwiblog must be missing you. I understand that’s where you like to comment most frequently. Stay positive and have a lovely day.

            • cleangreen 10.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 4:06 pm

              Fireblade; 100% grateful for that.
              Gee thanks for tipping me off Fireblade as I thought Alwyn always put on a face that was meant to be balanced and ‘un- biased” and to be the face of reason,

              But all the time he/she was a bloody right wing troll (kiwiblog) so thanks for the enlightenment.

            • alwyn 10.1.1.1.1.2
              9 March 2018 at 4:16 pm

              ” I understand that’s where you like to comment most frequently”.
              Really? I’m afraid that comment is on about the same level of understanding as most of your views.
              Wrong, quite wrong.

        • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1.2
          9 March 2018 at 3:18 pm

          No dwelling indeed and instead of worrying about the TPP heres Clarke and a Whale shark

          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12009281

          • veutoviper 10.1.1.2.1
            9 March 2018 at 3:37 pm

            And did you enjoy the first episode of Clarke’s series Fish of the Day on Prime at 8pm on Weds night, PR? Fabulous travel log on Vanuatu as well as the fishing.

            But while Clarke was having an encounter with that whale shark in the Cook Islands yesterday, Jacinda and her other man, The Deputy Prime Minister, were playing dress ups.

            Lloyd Burr, Newshub is good for something – wonderful photos of Winston and Jacinda on his Twitter account. LOL.

            https://twitter.com/LloydBurr/status/971512286656385024

            https://twitter.com/LloydBurr/status/971577853450973184

            • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1.2.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 3:48 pm

              I don’t watch commercial tv so I missed it but by the looks of it Winnie didn’t seem to be enjoying it much

              • patricia bremner …
                9 March 2018 at 4:25 pm

                Rubbish!! Look at the next photo. Smiles all round.

                • veutoviper …
                  9 March 2018 at 4:51 pm

                  Exactly! I want to see them turn up for Question Time in their Cook Island outfits and hats!

                  Got to have a bit of fun now and then.

    • Carolyn_Nth 10.2
      9 March 2018 at 2:16 pm

      And here is info on the ISDS side letters signed by NZ with other countries.

      New Zealand has signed agreements to exclude compulsory investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) between them with five countries in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
      …New Zealand has signed additional side letters with Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Peru and Viet Nam. New Zealand has also signed a side letter to exclude ISDS with Australia, the source of 80% of investment from the CPTPP nations into New Zealand.
      …
      A further two countries, Canada and Chile, have joined New Zealand in a declaration that they will use investor-state dispute settlement responsibly.
      …
      The side letters and declaration add to work that had already narrowed the scope for investors to make ISDS claims under the CPTPP. For example, private companies cannot make ISDS claims under the CPTPP relating to investment contracts they have entered into with governments.

      …The terms of the side letters vary. Some exclude the use of ISDS between New Zealand and other countries entirely, while other side letters allow for arbitration to proceed only if the relevant Government agrees.

      So, no protection against companies re-locating to Canada or another country to launch and ISDS against NZ.

      Tweet from Barry Coates

      Wait for it. NZ’s much-anticipated side letters curbing investor-state dispute settlement have been signed with Brunei, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam. Their corporations have made 5 past claims. But no side letter with Canada at 45 claims.

      • savenz 10.2.1
        9 March 2018 at 2:21 pm

        And so easy to just have removed the IDSD clauses altogether! They countries kept them, because they mean to use them and they suspended them, because they mean to un suspend them later on.

        • cleangreen 10.2.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:09 pm

          savenz,

          Labour’s David Parker = “double speech expert”.

        • mikes 10.2.1.2
          9 March 2018 at 6:47 pm

          It’s not the countries that will be ‘using them’ it’s the corporations. (Whom the politicians are beholden too anyway)

      • Carolyn_Nth 10.2.2
        9 March 2018 at 2:22 pm

        From Stuff today:

        But Ghahraman says it’s disappointing the side letters are with “relatively small nations” while the likes of Japan and Chile are “still free to sue our government for access”.

        • savenz 10.2.2.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:26 pm

          We’ll have whale meat on the table before lunch time.

          At the end of the day, we all are friends and respect each other’s choices.

  11. phantom snowflake 11
    9 March 2018 at 1:42 pm

    Finally our news media notice that Auckland Transport have gone rogue with their placement of CCTV cameras. I’m not sure how it came about that AT, who don’t answer to the ratepayers whose money they spend, are now in practice a division of the NZ Police. Apparently if the Police ask, Auckland Transport will provide them with CCTV cameras, and guess who pays for them?? We come closer to being a police/surveillance state every day.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/101884182/big-brother-is-watching-cctv-numbers-up-40-per-cent-in-auckland

    • savenz 11.1
      9 March 2018 at 2:03 pm

      @phantom snowflake, sure do, guess what, police don’t seem to be solving the main crimes either, more like being used by government and business to intimidate Earthquake victims or people like Hager and Bradbury and Dotcom.

      Auckland transport just spent 11 million on upgrading their premises for managers.

      Those well heeled people living in central areas get cycle lanes, 2 carparks for their house, buses, trains and curb upgrades and now they need congestion charges to keep the riff raft out.

      What do people in places like Kaukapakapa get, transport wise, unsealed roads, industry raping them like James Hardie, constant road works and detours for all the infrastructure highways, and potential petrol taxes and commuter charges while having no reliable public transport to turn too even if they wanted it.

      It’s a tale of two cities (but being forcibly combined within one fucked up city).

      Tax payer money now seems all about keeping the .01% safe and secure and the Kiwi bureaucrat enablers living in their bubble.

      P.S. My prediction within 10 years, the police force will be ‘added to’ by cheaper foreign police in outsourcing agreements to save money.

      Likewise all government contracts. We are on our way already. They start with the easier people to screw over, hospital cooks and cleaners now spotless. Nurses and Doctors being individually bought in from overseas, soon it will be teachers, police etc, then defence .

      Then like bulk school funding, they will be encouraged to turn to business to tender for blocks of work and overseas tenders will undercut local workers on mass.

      • phantom snowflake 11.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 2:47 pm

        “What do people in places like Kaukapakapa get?” Dust and a plague of trucks. (Oh and probably some cameras too…)

        https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/nor-west-news/100629196/auckland-family-fear-breathing-and-drinking-proposed-quarrys-silica-dust

        • savenz 11.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:57 pm

          and it’s all to help such a wonderful corporate citizen James Hardie, from Wiki

          “James Hardie was one of a number of companies involved in the mining of asbestos, and by the middle of the twentieth century had become the largest manufacturer and distributor of building products, insulation, pipes and brake linings containing it. In Australia, it ran asbestos plants in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Working with the products containing asbestos – including the building material known as “Fibro” – caused people to develop various pleural abnormalities such as asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma.[3]

          In December 2001, the company shareholders unanimously voted to restructure and relocate the company in the Netherlands as a parent company. This was part of a strategy to separate the company from the stigma of its asbestos liabilities.[8]”

      • cleangreen 11.1.2
        9 March 2018 at 4:16 pm

        savenz, 100%

        Same happend in Gisborne too.

        Council under now ‘unpopular’ renegade “national party member’ ” Mayor Meng Foon has said two years ago that his council (Gisboorne District Council) has no money to support the rail restoration.

        But then he goes against many citizens there and orders the destruction of their Council Building, and builds a new one costing a whopping $13 Million!!!!!!!

        They are demented.

        • savenz 11.1.2.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:47 pm

          It’s part of the zombie disease.

          With hoarders apparently they substitute human emotions onto objects which is why they can’t bear to throw anything out and their houses become full of rubbish and decay but they still can not part with it as it is so important to them.

          Likewide neoliberals feel the same way, they substitute human emotions onto physical assets like property or shares and feel that is of superior importance to society which is just full of people who are easily replaceable burdens.

          Schools are valuable assets due to the land and buildings that you can sell or build, but the children and teachers in them are liabilities that cost money.

          Therefore schools become not about education but about managing assets such as upgrading buildings or selling off land, while they think of new ways to cut costs on education.

          Even the investment in rail through the investment fund shows the disease, apparently the new rail investment sounds like it is mostly to ship logs around rather than people. (Because logs are valuable and people are worthless, even thought we have a massive transport problem in this country for people!).

          You are right, we have a bunch at the helm who are demented.

          • savenz 11.1.2.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 4:55 pm

            Auckland council wasted a billion on IT but can’t afford rail. They have millions for America’s cup and new premise upgrades for all (I think it was about 15 million+ for their own premises upgrades + all the COO’s, increasing costs of lawyers at the teat so incompetent, then telling all the rate payers they can’t afford, sewerage, transport, libraries, mowing berms, closing service centres etc etc… They need to constantly put up rates to pay for all their good ideas.

            How about moving all the COO’s and council to cheaper areas for a start! Getting the America’s cup to fund raise their own village!
            Cutting wages to under $400k for any COO managers.
            Getting rid of the corporate structures that are leaching money constantly!

            • Sacha 11.1.2.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 8:29 pm

              “Auckland council wasted a billion on IT”.
              Please provide any evidence of this.

              • One Two …
                9 March 2018 at 9:10 pm

                The wastage in dollar terms is ‘unknown’, Sacha….

                What is known are the public records of the dollars spent on IT since formation of the supercity…

                The precentage of budget spend which could be termed ‘wasted’, is higher than 50%….

                Significantly…

                The CFO resigned, in large part because he had lost control…

                • Sacha …
                  9 March 2018 at 9:21 pm

                  That old allegation planted by righties mashes together ongoing standard operational expenses with the one-off project to combine systems (which was appalling). Recycling lies undermines opposition.

      • mikes 11.1.3
        9 March 2018 at 6:50 pm

        “P.S. My prediction within 10 years, the police force will be ‘added to’ by cheaper foreign police in outsourcing agreements to save money. ”

        Maybe not in 10 years time, but at some stage in the not too distant future we will no doubt have a Trans Pacific Union or Pacific Union police force throughout all of the signed up countries (members of the union)

  12. savenz 12
    9 March 2018 at 2:17 pm

    If you can get Vietnamese teachers and Police at $1 p/h and they don’t complain, why the hell would you pay $70,000 pa? Think of the cost savings!

    • mauī 12.1
      9 March 2018 at 2:44 pm

      The tide has hopefully turned on globalism now though save. We don’t have the incomes, jobs or the houses for it.

      • savenz 12.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 4:31 pm

        Maui, we still have over paid doctors, teachers and police officers, there are plenty of savings by the state to be made by a government that prides itself on trickle down theory.

        Don’t worry the taxpayers can pay more taxes so we can subsidise the wages so that multinationals like power companies can still turn a dollar. Better still invest in prisons it’s clearly a growth stock like ACC.

        It’s much better to invest in prisons for ACC than to pay out claimants for injuries, all their accountants tell us so and we can pay the board members to be on other boards to spread the ideology like a virus.

    • Keepcalmcarryon 12.2
      9 March 2018 at 2:44 pm

      Can they milk cows?

      • savenz 12.2.1
        9 March 2018 at 4:35 pm

        I think people from China and Philippines have milking covered.

        My guess is Canada will go for forestry. They pay them too much in Canada so those jobs are safe, phew Shane Jones.

        I guess that leaves Kiwis free to get high on P, trash houses, and wait for their last pay check.

  13. Puckish Rogue 13
    9 March 2018 at 3:38 pm

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/102131292/trump-says-south-korea-is-to-make-major-statement-on-north-korea

    ‘North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has asked US President Donald Trump for talks and Trump has agreed to meet him “by May,” South Korea’s national security adviser said at the White House on Friday (NZ time) after delivering the invitation to the American president.’

    ‘Kim has also committed to stopping nuclear and missile testing, even during joint military drills in South Korea last month, Chung Eui-yong told reporters in Washington.’

    Hopefully something positive will come of this

    • Stuart Munro 13.1
      9 March 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Better hope Trump isn’t a fan of The Interview.

      • Puckish Rogue 13.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 3:54 pm

        I just hope it isn’t just another “lets throw some aid at North Korea” exercise again

        • Graeme 13.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 4:12 pm

          I wonder what Korea’s former colonial powers, Japan, China and Russia, think of the prospect of a united Korea. Maybe with nuclear arms.

          Seems to be a “Make Korea great again” theme running here.

          • Puckish Rogue 13.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2018 at 4:15 pm

            Hopefully a united Korea will lead to an end to this:

            http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17774210

            Professor Daniel Schwekendiek from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul has studied the heights of North Korean refugees measured when they crossed the border into South Korea.

            He says North Korean men are, on average, between 3 – 8cm (1.2 – 3.1in) shorter than their South Korean counterparts.

            A difference is also obvious between North and South Korean children.

            “The height gap is approximately 4cm (1.6in) among pre-school boys and 3cm (1.2in) among pre-school girls, and again the South Koreans would be taller.”

            Schwekendiek points out that the height difference cannot be attributed to genetics, because the two populations are the same.

            • Graeme 13.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2018 at 6:13 pm

              The current situation is unfortunately the cumulation of a turbulent history. And very sad and scary for those trapped in the midst of it. But Korea wasn’t the flashest of places for a Korean from 1910 to 1945 either.

              I’m hopeful of a resolution, but there’s a lot of vested interests and fears in this one.

          • Anne 13.1.1.1.2
            9 March 2018 at 9:56 pm

            Seems to be a “Make Korea great again” theme running here.

            Since we now have a pretty good idea how Trump’s vacuous mind operates, I think that hypothesis sounds about right.

            Kind of… lets pool our nuclear toys eh? Oh what fun we’re gonna have. We’ll be the two most powerful people in the whole wide world. No-one will dare touch us.

            • joe90 13.1.1.1.2.1
              9 March 2018 at 10:19 pm

              China, Japan and Russia were all brutal occupiers of Korea so I think Graeme is alluding to the possibility of the two Koreas having the nuclear boot on their foot.

  14. Puckish Rogue 14
    9 March 2018 at 4:10 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12009102

    ‘The election returns show Labour spent $2.58 million on election advertising during the 2017 election campaign while National spent $30,000 less at $2.55 million.’

    Damn those big spending Labours types, always with the chequebook out buying elections 😉

    • cleangreen 14.1
      9 March 2018 at 4:22 pm

      yes PR

      labour wont agree to the green party bill to declare all details of their lobbyists and donations, so we need to ask now why?

      What have they got to hide?

      • alwyn 14.1.1
        9 March 2018 at 4:36 pm

        Is it true that Shaw received donations from a foreign political party?
        That should be a total no-no as a source of party funds I would have thought.
        It would be just as bad as the money Trump was supposed to have received from the Russians.

        • cleangreen 14.1.1.1
          9 March 2018 at 8:26 pm

          Alwyn,

          I am more interested in what Lobbyists and donors all donated to national every election.

          That would be a sizzling read of Global eite and corporations I bet.

          • alwyn 14.1.1.1.1
            10 March 2018 at 5:27 pm

            So the donation to Shaw from a foreign political party is true.
            Thanks for the confirmation. I wonder if we have laws like the US where you have to register as an agent of a foreign power?

    • McFlock 14.2
      9 March 2018 at 4:24 pm

      Does that include belated license fees for stolen music?

    • alwyn 14.3
      9 March 2018 at 4:30 pm

      There was one sentence in the article that started of alright but the went astray.
      It started
      “It had to scrap $114,000 worth of hoardings with little on them”.
      It should of course have continued with
      “and replace them with Ardern’s hoardings which had even less on them”

      Where, oh where did they get the money from?
      Surely they wouldn’t have borrowed it and are planning to repay it by raiding the taxpayers’ coffers?

    • Ad 14.4
      9 March 2018 at 5:38 pm

      Weep into your jocks😁

      • cleangreen 14.4.1
        9 March 2018 at 8:28 pm

        Our Family donated minimum amounts to the labour campaign this election.

        They got lots of small donors I heard.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.