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
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
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
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
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
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.
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..
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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?
“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.”
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.
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.
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?
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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?
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.”
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.
‘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.’
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.
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.”
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.
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.
” 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
@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.
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]”
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!!!!!!!
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.
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!
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.
“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)
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.
‘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.’
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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 😉
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.
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?
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?
Of course they didn’t borrow it – and stop making insinuations.
Labour was flooded with donations following the change of leadership to Ardern on 1 August. In the first few hours alone, they received over $110,000 and 600 new volunteers.
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, 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. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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
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
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
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
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
I will Watch Prime News I say they will be more honourable than the other channels Ka pai Ka kite ano
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
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.
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..
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.
How does erecting tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports protect the working class?
The power of Ronald Reagan is strong in this one…
Whenever you’re ready to answer the question.
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.
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.
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.
“How does erecting tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports protect the working class?”
It protects the working class in the US.
Go right ahead and demonstrate that.
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.
Free trade deals are always bad when there isn’t a level playing field.
“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?
“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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
+1 cleangreen
Wake up labour before we are all doomed.!!!!!!
“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.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/101975725/renters-trash-christchurch-property-costing-owner-potentially-hundreds-of-thousands?
I remember reading this and wondering to what extent insurance would cover the damage. Any guesses?
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rich pricks deserve it for being rich, they should have given the property to the renters as its only fair
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
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
The healthy child that hasn’t been read 1000 books before they start school has been set up to fail.
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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
No wonder the right wing is full of amoral types, with sentiment like this.
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.
People are addicted to drugs because they seek an escape. They aren’t escaping rich people. They’re escaping their sober selves.
True, regardless of income level.
“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.
A parent preparing a child for life has nothing to do with who they vote for.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
Yes, great news. A story like that every week will have the opposition struggling for popular support.
Really good to see.
I really feel Jones has found his niche as Minister of Regional Development and Minister of Forestry.
Bets on how long it takes for the story to be featured item on Kiwiblog? Anyone?
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.
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/
+1 esoteric pineapples
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?
So anything interesting happen today?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/102120559/a-fair-deal-for-nz-cptpp-signed-by-trade-minister-david-parker
Anything at all?
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.”
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.
Its ok though because its got progressive in the title so its all right
You should call yourself Progressive Rogue because you’re all right 😉
CPTTP is signed. Maybe not ideal, but it’s a much better deal than what the National Party negotiated. Staying relentlessly positive.
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.’
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.
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.”
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.
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.
” 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.
I’m sorry you can’t understand alwyn.
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
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
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
Rubbish!! Look at the next photo. Smiles all round.
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.
And here is info on the ISDS side letters signed by NZ with other countries.
So, no protection against companies re-locating to Canada or another country to launch and ISDS against NZ.
Tweet from Barry Coates
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.
savenz,
Labour’s David Parker = “double speech expert”.
It’s not the countries that will be ‘using them’ it’s the corporations. (Whom the politicians are beholden too anyway)
From Stuff today:
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.
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
@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.
“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
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]”
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.
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.
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!
“Auckland council wasted a billion on IT”.
Please provide any evidence of this.
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…
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.
“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)
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!
The tide has hopefully turned on globalism now though save. We don’t have the incomes, jobs or the houses for it.
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.
Can they milk cows?
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.
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
Better hope Trump isn’t a fan of The Interview.
I just hope it isn’t just another “lets throw some aid at North Korea” exercise again
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 😉
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?
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.
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.
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?
Does that include belated license fees for stolen music?
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?
Of course they didn’t borrow it – and stop making insinuations.
Labour was flooded with donations following the change of leadership to Ardern on 1 August. In the first few hours alone, they received over $110,000 and 600 new volunteers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/95350937/Jacinda-Ardern-brings-in-110-000-and-600-new-volunteers-for-Labour
This apparently rose to $250,000 and 1000 volunteers within 24 hours and kept coming.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97077506/new-labour-leader-changed-election-campaign
Political donations tend to flow to the winners, and desert the losers. Looks like the donor class predicted and predicated the outcome.
Weep into your jocks😁
Our Family donated minimum amounts to the labour campaign this election.
They got lots of small donors I heard.