the billions wasted all round the world, on toys for the boys, is outrageous. the cold war is well over, but many of the old cold warriors are still hanging on, fighting old battles that never happened in the first place. drone technology has bypassed the need for many expensive, manned toys(much to the annoyance of weapons manufacturers), and this tech is now going underwater. sub makers are no different from any business, looking for new uses for their out of date products, but are looking more and more like yesterdays men. the last generation of aussie subs had a reputation for being noisy and leaky and prone to rusting, not exactly what you want to be in if the shooting starts..
the billions wasted all round the world, on toys for the boys, is outrageous. the cold war is well over, but many of the old cold warriors are still hanging on…
There are plenty of commentators who think we should be arming ourselves like those rogue regimes in Canberra and Washington. One of the more obnoxious statements in support of this was delivered on Jim Mora's light chat show in 2018. Mike Rehu, who mouthed this nonsense, is, I am sorry to say, an increasingly regular presence on RNZ National….
JIM MORA:[inhales loudly to indicate moral seriousness] What do YOU think?
MIKE REHU: Yeah, I, I, I’m the SAME actually. I, I do feel as though we, [baffled sigh] y’know, the industryyyy, y’know in EVERY industry they HAVE these conferences, they HAVE these exhibitions, this is, and ironically in SOME countries yooouu, you SAY “defense” and it’s not defense, it’s OFFENSE, but I think New Zealand HAS to have a DE-fense, and I, I personally worry that, that we-e-e-e, we don’t. I mean, I was just looking at some numbers earlier today, we spend four hundred and twenty-six dollars a PERSON on our DE-fense compared to Australia’s fifteen HUNDRED, which is over four times, and the U.S.has three point one per cent of their G.D.P. spent on defense, ours is like one point one—
MORA: Yeah.
MIKE REHU: So we spend a MINUSCULE amount, and you can TELL in the quality of aircraft, boats, and blah-blah-blah that we have. But in these days of, y’know, what they’re calling the sharp POWER where we saw, y’know, ahhmm, the Saudi Arabian fella get, ahhh, get assassinated pretty much, allegedly, in Turkey, ahhh, we’ve seen the North Koreans come down and hit somebody. We’ve seen the Russian spies come in. Now, w-w-we’re pretty harmless down here but we’ve got a lotta things that people WANT in the world, especially our natural resources like water. And we’ve seen, we’ve played NICELY with people, we’ve almost GIVEN [snickers] away some of our resources. But when, now that we’re wising UP a little bit, what if people WAN’ our resources and things down here and, and what’re we gonna do—
MORA: Is that—
MIKE REHU: —if somebody comes in?
MORA: Is that push ever gonna come to shove though?
MIKE REHU: Well. I mean, surely we should have some sort of sturdy defense anyway, at least SOME capability, I mean, otherwise we WILL have to turn to bigger powers and, and then we’d, we have to, obviously, sign some kind of compromise deals with people and—-
MORA: Which is what we do now, don’t we. We, we lend them a frigate, or we lend them a, a batch of the S.A.S. and we play our part among a group of nations.
MIKE REHU:[inhales loudly to indicate how serious he is] Yeah, and, but even with AUSTRALIA, y’know, the relationship we have with Australia, apparently, y’know, a lot of our kit is massively inFERIOR, and we get by with our good soft skills, our good people skills when we’re overseas representing our country in part of these United Nations, ahhhm, combinations. So, y’know, again, coming back to your first question about the expo, ahhhmm, it IS a worry that there MAY be some weapons of OFFense, ahhhm, being shown at this exhibition, but I think if it’s about DE-fense then we should play a part.
I mean, it's a lot of cash, but long term planning is good.
Skipped the audio, read the slides – there didn't seem to be anything in the presentation to say why the design is flawed or the process was fatally compromised, so I'm not sure they've bought a lemon on the order of the US F35 (particularly the abject failure of its ALIS) or LCS (a good idea that got bloated and lost its main unique advantages).
Right wing seam to be upset over PM dumping her regular interview with Hoskings.
I say good riddance.
The guy has always been a right wing boot licker. With a lot of his so called thoughts that are supposedly his opinion (Right Wing Talking Points Regurgitated) the PM should not have been giving him a lifeline for his show so long.
To all of the Moaning Minnie’s of “ where’s the plan, there is no road map “ detractors the Government has shut them down with a vengeance with the announcement of a further 8.5 million doses of the most effective Covid vaccine having been bought for NZ.
There has been a plan all along right from the initial 40 million bucks or so of investment in a number of producers and many statements of the intent to make sure we get the most effective one, that is what the elimination tactic was all about, keeping the powder dry and waiting to see the whites of their eyes.
Brilliant politics and superbly played by the Government and aided hugely by us by behaving ourselves, with the obvious exception of a few arseholes and the notable actions of the chief arsehole, the Apostle of Doom who wanted to shoot a few Bambis.
Let’s all breathe easier and give ourselves a pat on the back. Well done.
P.s, I may well be in one of the initial cohorts by right of age but I for one will gladly wait and shuffle in behind Kane and Rossco, Guppy and Ish , Trent and Kyle and the rest of the BCs so they can see to India in June, and also tucked in behind our Olympians, among whom is a young cyclist I know who has been on a personal quest for 16 years. Go all you good things!
Here is an interesting clip with Aaron Mate' unpacking the common knowledge and complicity within the US government that they were directly supporting ISIS and Al-Qaeda in their proxy war in Syria, and even though these statements by various US officials admitting this complicity have been public knowledge throughout the war, US and western media have rarely reported on these US connections with terrorist groups in Syria..instead as usual they only ever seem to encourage western more wars and more western interventions…ask yourself this question, when was the last time you can remember a western MSM source coming out against a western military operation or intervention?
Well, considering the general question of who is the bigger idiot, the belligerent ranter or the one vainly attempting to reason with it, I'm sure I'm making a mistake taking the bait, but anyhoo:
ask yourself this question, when was the last time you can remember a western MSM source coming out against a western military operation or intervention?
Errm, just over a week ago, there was quite a lot of criticism of Biden's airstrike in Syria, with a lot of questioning of Biden's authority to order it.
Going not much further back, there's been plenty of criticism of US involvement with what's going on in Yemen and the US support for the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia. Even including Congress voting to block arms sales, which the tangelo turdgoblin ignored.
Then there was plenty of criticism of Papaya Palpatine's provocations of Iran, from missile strikes to outright murder of one of Iran's top military leaders.
and on and on the list goes …
It's a pretty long list of mainstream media criticisms of US military adventurism that you seem to have completely missed in your obsession with fringe kooks like Mate and Gabbard. Let alone that the primary function of media is to report facts, with criticism being very much a secondary function of communicating opinions.
" Let alone that the primary function of media is to report facts, with criticism being very much a secondary function of communicating opinions." …are you serious or taking the piss? or are you really actually saying that you actually believe media has no agenda or political position? …name us one media outlet that is unbiased and neutral.
When you do a google search up under news, 'Biden strike in Syria', the whole first page just reports it as if it business as usual (which I guess it is), except The Washington Post….it seems any and all US war is good for them..
'just a few weeks into his term, President Biden has dealt with a heavy burden that comes with office;when and how to use military force.."
Can't see much push back there, I am know there is some dissent if you search for it, but of course that is not the point, because as I am sure you know, probably more than 80% of people only read the headline of the first news item they see about a subject..that is a fact, and that is what we are talking about…btw did you hear in any NZ news piece any kind of dissent or push back?
I guess it depends on your definition of 'quite a bit"…and how strongly worded criticism needs to actually be to meet any sort of threshhold. Looking through the Guardian (which I know is considered quite the legitimate news source round these parts) and I shan't bore you all with cutting and pasting the headlines ..but I assure you ..they were all spectacularly neutral ..the only criticism being one opinion piece by Tita Parsi.
Google and follow the links for 'Biden Airstikes' and really its all pointedly neutral. Google and follow the links for 'Biden Airstrike Legality"…note the lack of your usual news sources…its just not really a thing…
For most people who are half engaged with politics and do not have the time to dig deep, there was no criticism or contextualistion to Bidens actions.
Though to be fair that pretty much sums up all News these days.
You had to search pretty long and hard to get your mainstream media criticism Andre
The first 2 pages of Google were very matter of fact and had no criticism of Biden's strikes on Syria
It's a matter of the preponderance of positive or neutral articles on US actions abroad versus the same for its enemies and rivals
How much media attention has there been to the Swiss ditching the Browder case in comparison with the positive attention Browder has enjoyed in the western media for years?
Did you hear about it on RNZ? or CNN?
We endured weeks if not months of the Russian doping scandal, but very scant attention paid when the majority of the 39 Russian athletes had their doping bans overturned by the CAS and medals reinstated
And this from the Nation concerning the credibility of MacLaren and Radchenko and the whole case was not picked up by any of the mass media, who pretty much all dance to the same tune these days
Andre it's obvious you didn't watch the video Adrian offered so I'll fill you in some of whathave you missed.
Aaron Mate relayed quotes or statements from:
James F Jeffrey bragging that "United State…crushed the country's (Syria) economy"
New York Times referring to the Syrian war as "one of the costliest covert action programs in the history of the CIA"
Washington Post describing it as "a CIA program …. with a budget approaching $1 billion a year" "One knowledgeable official estimates that CIA back fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies over the past four years"
Robert F Worth New York Time "In the summer of 2015 rebels were closing in on the Latakia city limits and mortars were falling downtown. If the rebels had captured the area, where Alawites are the majority, a result would most certainly have been sectarian mass murder. Many people in the area would have blamed the United States which armed some of the rebels operating in the area"
In 2014 during an address Biden said
"Our biggest problem is our allies. Our allies in the region were our biggest problem in Syria. The Turks were great friends..The Saudis, the Emirates etc . And what were they doing? They were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war. What did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and ten thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad except that the people who were being supplied were El Nusra and Al Aqueda and the extremest elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world" He later apologised, not because he'd make a false statement, or because he'd omitted the US's equal involvement, but because the Turks Saudis et al were offended by this revelation.
In a leaked email in 2012 from Biden's current National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Hiliary Clinton "Al Qaeda is on our side in Syria"
Brett McGurt, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, in 2017 "Idlib province is the largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 9/11"
Rob Malley, lead negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in 2018 told Aaron "We were part of what fueled the conflict rather than stopped it"
etc etc
I trust you'll be able to view the rest of the video without my assistance Andre.
Aaron Mate shows Obama massively intervened in Syria primarily through a covert giant CIA program that's led to the chaos that Syria is still recovering from today. And that it is so cynical that the US was willing to use ISIS and Al Qaeda to advance their goals of regime change
Tulsi Gabbard is the lone voice in the US government in voicing her disgust in the regime change war that the US continues to wage in Syria using Al Qaeda, El Nusra, HTS terrorists as their proxy ground force and who now occupy and control the city of Idlib imposing Sharia law.
I don't understand why it's necessary to refer to Aaron Mate and Tulsi Gaggard as finge kooks. It is just silly name calling. It's what 10 year olds do.
"Multiple Ministry and DHB failures, from the unavailability of PPE, to failings at the border, and serious deficiencies in communicating clear and accurate information to the public, have all contributed to the feeling that New Zealand’s indisputable success at beating the virus has, all-too-often, been more a matter of good luck than good management."
What a load of proverbial. Has he forgotten the marvellous communication and management skills the government, in conjunction the Ministry of Health, have exhibited in relation to Covid starting a year ago? Has he not noticed that Britain, an island similar in size to NZ, has had 124,000 covid deaths where NZ has had 26?
Trotter says:
"The instinct of the Ministry of Health (as well as the DHBs it relied upon to deliver on the ground) was to hold onto power at all costs. Certainly, it seemed extraordinarily reluctant to allow any outside players into the game. Nowhere was this dog-in-the-manger attitude more evident than in the Ministry’s refusal to allow the roll-out of the “smart” Covid Card developed by Trade Me founder, Sam Morgan, and the talented team of digital wizards he had assembled. Obstacle after bureaucratic obstacle was placed in front of these experts from the private sector until Morgan, his patience exhausted, simply threw up his hands in frustration and walked away."
Has Trotter not noticed that the UK has wasted NZ$74 billion(yes seventy four billion dollars) on a private sector driven track and trace system that has failed miserably-see article below. Trotter seems to be in thrall to Sam Morgan simply because he has made a lot of money. Meanwhile the NZ government's simple and easy to use cellphone-based tracer ap works well.
trotter is sounding more and more like yet another sad old git, desperately trying to remain slightly relevant . perhaps he should start a club with don brash.. oh wait, he already has….
The whole magical thinking around Sam Morgan's COVID card is emblematic of the lack of sophistication that certain boomers have when it comes to discussing IT.
Chris Trotter doesn't understand that we've moved on from IT versions of Magnus Pike who are impossibly smarter than the rest of us and peculiar men in Hawaiian shirts who use the command line in UNIX.
He thinks we should rely on a bunch of business leaders who grabbed every subsidy going and only paid it back after public shaming in many cases and who continued to haul down multi million salaries at the same time? Spare me.
Most are simply generic managers with superior backstabbing skills to get to where they are. Beaverbrook they are not.
2.7 million people are using the track and trace ap according to the last figure I heard….probably 3 million by now. That must be a high proportion of cell-phone users in NZ given the population is 5 million and many of them are children.
The source of those pamphlets discussed yesterday appears to be an overseas based religious group?
Are the deliverers being asked to carry too heavy a load? They look like reasonably big booklets.
And all those people who have a letterbox sign about unwanted deliveries? Keep a stock of large envelopes- put the excess material in it – address to Ovato (companies office site will have addresses and directors addresses) – never a post shop when you need one?- maybe skip that step then- put in mail.
The pre-covid levels of international travel weren't only trashing the planet.
Going by how the New Zealand economy is currently preforming, it was a large brake on our economy due to all the money spent on outbound, and a very large proportion of inbound spend leaving the economy.
Hopefully this government will follow Simon Upton's advice and institute a stiff departure tax to cover the carbon emissions of travel and put New Zealand tourism on a sounder environmental and fiscal footing.
Time for reviewing something a bit different. Move over Tolkien adaptations, hello Japanese splatter movie. Specifically, a certain 2009 movie called Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl. I watched this one a few days ago with some acquaintances, never having seen it before, and not being familiar with the manga ...
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Red, red whines.That’s all you’ll hear.Not like those glory daysWhen we would cheer. Red, red whines.If it were up to us,We'd make a proper jobOf transforming the world. We would beMore than kind.Offer so much more than spin.Makes us sadWhen we findThere’s so much you won’t begin. Red, red whines.Now ...
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Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 28, 2021 through Sat, Apr 3, 2021 The three apparently most popular posts on our Facebook page this week were John Cook's 23 Ways to Mislead (and how to spot them), Stanton Glantz' blog post ...
The Inward Journey: Indeed, this would appear to constitute the essence of the Gospel of Mary. That the teachings of the Christ are not to be read as a promise of victory over Death; but as an invitation to explore ever more fearlessly the manifold mysteries of Life.THE EASTER STORY is ...
It has never ceased to surprise me that those who profit at the expense of others are so unaware of the harm suffered by those they exploit, and are so convinced that they have a right to do the exploiting and that their profit is a proper and justifiable reward ...
The government’s recent housing package may work; will it do enough?Trick Question: Does New Zealand have a capital gains tax on housing? If you ask the Prime Minister she will say not. It is true that her government is increasing the scope of the ‘bright-line test’ on non-family homes to ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope Trees and other plants have been critical in helping to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. But newly published scientific findings suggest the clock may be running on vegetation’s forever continuing at the same carbon sink efficiency rate currently ...
Today is the goodest of Fridays. What better way to celebrate a day off work when everything is closed to honour one of the greatest minds ever to nestle his parliamentary buttocks one of those gigantic green seats in the debating chamber. Ladies and gentlement I give you… Mr David ...
Below, for those interested, I copy my submission on the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill.This is the government bill aiming to create a mandatory Internet filter. The bill is largely unnecessary, but in parts not as bad as people ...
The Green Party supports the open letter released today by a cross-sector coalition calling for the Government to treat all drug use as a health issue, to repeal and replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. ...
Small businesses are not only the heart of our economy – they’re also the heart of our communities. They provide important goods and services, as well as great employment opportunities. They know and love their locals. And after a tough year, they need our support! ...
Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono MP, supports the demand from Pasifika communities fighting for climate action as their homelands are more at risk in the Pacific region. ...
The Green Party supports the six demands for climate action put forward by School Strike for Climate NZ, who are striking across the country today. ...
The Ministry of Justice Māori victimisation report, released today, reinforces what we already know about the impact of systemic racism in Aotearoa and that urgent action is needed. ...
Ricardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog was today pulled from the biscuit tin to be debated in Parliament. ...
More than one million people will be better off from today, thanks to our Government’s changes to the minimum wage, main benefits and superannuation. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to do more for New Zealanders who continue to miss out, as main benefits are set to rise by less than $8 a week tomorrow, Thursday 1 April (at the start of the financial year). ...
Sunday 28th March 70 Rongomaiwahine descendants welcomed members of the Green Party’s Māori Caucus, Te Mātāwaka, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and Teanau Tuiono, to discuss concerns about RocketLab’s operations on the Mahia Peninsula. ...
The Government has introduced the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill, designed to boost New Zealand's ability to respond to a wider range of terrorist activities. The Bill strengthens New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm. “This is the Government’s first ...
Coal boiler replacements at a further ten schools, saving an estimated 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next ten years Fossil fuel boiler replacements at Southern Institute of Technology and Taranaki DHB, saving nearly 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next ten years Projects to achieve a total ...
Attorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of Cassie Nicholson as Chief Parliamentary Counsel for a term of five years. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel is the principal advisor and Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO). She is responsible for ensuring PCO, which drafts most of New Zealand’s legislation, provides ...
Every part of Government will need to take urgent action to bring down emissions, the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw said today in response to the recent rise in New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions. The latest annual inventory of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions shows that both gross and net ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark says Aotearoa New Zealand has become the first country in the world to introduce a law that requires the financial sector to disclose the impacts of climate change on their business and explain how they will manage climate-related risks and opportunities. The Financial ...
Exceptional employment practices in the primary industries have been celebrated at the Good Employer Awards, held this evening at Parliament. “Tonight’s awards provided the opportunity to celebrate and thank those employers in the food and fibres sector who have gone beyond business-as-usual in creating productive, safe, supportive, and healthy work ...
Applications are now invited from all councils for a slice of government funding aimed at improving tourism infrastructure, especially in areas under pressure given the size of their rating bases. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has already signalled that five South Island regions will be given priority to reflect that jobs ...
The Construction Skills Action Plan has delivered early on its overall target of supporting an additional 4,000 people into construction-related education and employment, says Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams. Since the Plan was launched in 2018, more than 9,300 people have taken up education or employment opportunities in ...
An innovative new Youth Justice residence designed in partnership with Māori will provide prevention, healing, and rehabilitation services for both young people and their whānau, Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Whakatakapokai is located in South Auckland and will provide care and support for up to 15 rangatahi remanded or ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today expressed New Zealand’s sorrow at the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “Our thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen at this profoundly sad time. On behalf of the New Zealand people and the Government, I would like to express ...
We, the Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (the ‘Five Countries’) met via video conference on 7/8 April 2021, just over a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Guided by our shared ...
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni has today announced the opening of the first round of Ngā Puninga Toi ā-Ahurea me ngā Kaupapa Cultural Installations and Events. “Creating jobs and helping the arts sector rebuild and recover continues to be a key part of the Government’s COVID-19 response,” Carmel ...
Interim legislation that is already proving to keep people safer from drugs will be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew Little says. Research by Victoria University, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, shows that the Government’s decision in December to make it legal for drug-checking services to operate at festivals ...
Public consultation launched on ways to improve behaviour and reduce damage Tighter rules proposed for either camping vehicles or camping locations Increased penalties proposed, such as $1,000 fines or vehicle confiscation Rental companies may be required to collect fines from campers who hire vehicles Public feedback is sought on proposals ...
The Government is continuing to support Air New Zealand while aviation markets stabilise and the world moves towards more normal border operations. The Crown loan facility made available to Air New Zealand in March 2020 has been extended to a debt facility of up to $1.5 billion (an additional $600 ...
Christchurch’s Richmond suburb will soon have a new community hub, following the gifting of a red-zoned property by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to the Richmond Community Gardens Trust. The Minister for Land Information, Damien O’Connor said that LINZ, on behalf of the Crown, will gift a Vogel Street house ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the reopening of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ (MPP) Languages Funding in 2021 will make sure there is a future for Pacific languages. “Language is the key to the wellbeing for Pacific people. It affirms our identity as Pasifika and ...
It is a pleasure to be here tonight. Thank you Cameron for the introduction and thank you for ERANZ for also hosting this event. Last week in fact, we had one of the largest gatherings in our sector, Downstream 2021. I have heard from my officials that the discussion on ...
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods has today announced the 16 projects that will together get $3.9 million through the 2021 round of Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund, further strengthening the Government’s commitment to Māori knowledge in science and innovation. “We received 78 proposals - the highest ...
The Government is delivering on a key election commitment to tackle climate change, by banning new low and medium temperature coal-fired boilers and partnering with the private sector to help it transition away from fossil fuels. This is the first major announcement to follow the release of the Climate Commission’s ...
Six projects, collectively valued at over $70 million are delivering new schools, classrooms and refurbished buildings across Central Otago and are helping to ease the pressure of growing rolls in the area, says Education Minister Chris Hipkins. The National Education Growth Plan is making sure that sufficient capacity in the ...
Two more schools are now complete as part of the Christchurch Schools Rebuild Programme, with work about to get under way on another, says Education Minister Chris Hipkins. Te Ara Koropiko – West Spreydon School will welcome students to their new buildings for the start of Term 2. The newly ...
The Government is acting to ensure decisions on responding to the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic are informed by the best available scientific evidence and strategic public health advice. “New Zealand has worked towards an elimination strategy which has been successful in keeping our people safe and our economy ...
Six Māori scholars have been awarded Ngārimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial scholarships for 2021, Associate Education Minister and Ngārimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The prestigious Manakura Award was also presented for the first time since 2018. “These awards are a tribute to the heroes of the 28th ...
New Zealand’s aerospace industry is getting a boost through the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), to grow the capability of the sector and potentially lead to joint space missions, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods has announced. 12 New Zealand organisations have been chosen to work with world-leading experts at ...
The Government is backing more initiatives to boost New Zealand’s food and fibre sector workforce, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “The Government and the food and fibres sector have been working hard to fill critical workforce needs. We've committed to getting 10,000 more Kiwis into the sector over the ...
Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the Social Security (Subsequent Child Policy Removal) Amendment Bill in the House this evening. “Tonight’s first reading is another step on the way to removing excessive sanctions and obligations for people receiving a Main Benefit,” says ...
The Government has taken a significant step towards delivering on its commitment to improve the legislation around mental health as recommended by He Ara Oranga – the report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Amendment ...
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has welcomed the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill passing its third reading today. “After nearly 100 years of a system that was not fit for Māori and did not reflect the partnership we have come to expect between Māori and the Crown, ...
New Zealand’s successful management of COVID means quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will start on Monday 19 April, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the conditions for starting to open up quarantine free travel with Australia have ...
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little welcomed ngā uri o Ngāti Hinerangi to Parliament today to witness the third reading of their Treaty settlement legislation, the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. “I want to acknowledge ngā uri o Ngāti Hinerangi and the Crown negotiations teams for working tirelessly ...
Minister of Police Poto Williams has announced the members of the Ministers Arms Advisory Group, established to ensure balanced advice to Government on firearms that is independent of Police. “The Ministers Arms Advisory Group is an important part of delivering on the Government’s commitment to ensure we maintain the balance ...
Kiri Allan, Minister of Conservation and Emergency Management will undertake a leave of absence while she undergoes medical treatment for cervical cancer, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “I consider Kiri not just a colleague, but a friend. This news has been devastating. But I also know that Kiri is ...
Excellent progress has been made at the new prison development at Waikeria, which will boost mental health services and improve rehabilitation opportunities for people in prison, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. Kelvin Davis was onsite at the new build to meet with staff and see the construction first-hand, following a ...
To reduce the trauma of road crashes caused by drug impaired drivers, an Independent Expert Panel on Drug Driving has proposed criminal limits and blood infringement thresholds for 25 impairing drugs, Minister of Police Poto Williams and Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill ...
Temporary COVID-19 immigration powers will be extended to May 2023, providing continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Over the past year, we have had to make rapid decisions to vary visa conditions, extend expiry dates, and ...
Temporary COVID-19 immigration powers will be extended to May 2023, providing continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Over the past year, we have had to make rapid decisions to vary visa conditions, extend expiry dates, and ...
The Government is expanding its Pregnancy and Parenting Programme so more women and whānau can access specialist support to minimise harm from alcohol and other drugs, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “We know these supports help improve wellbeing and have helped to reduce addiction, reduced risk for children, and helped ...
*** Please check against delivery *** It’s an honour to be here in Rūātoki today, a rohe with such a proud and dynamic history of resilience, excellence and mana. Tūhoe moumou kai, moumou taonga, moumou tangata ki te pō. The Ahuwhenua Trophy competition is the legacy of a seed planted ...
The economic recovery from COVID-19 continues to be reflected in the Government’s books, which are again better than expected. The Crown accounts for the eight months to the end of February 2021 showed both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison will hold twice-weekly meetings of the national cabinet for the “foreseeable future”, as the government battles to get its slow and problem-laden vaccine rollout back on course. The Prime Minister says he has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A wronged woman with a razor-sharp mind and meticulous records is a dangerous creature. Especially when delivering a counter punch to a prime minister who’d denounced her in the bully pit of parliament when he ...
Analysis by Bryce Edwards Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. How seriously does the Māori Party take issues of corruption and the untoward influence of big money in politics? Not very, based on how it’s handling a political finance scandal in which three large donations were kept hidden from the public. ...
Government ministers are confident no taxpayer money was caught up in donations to the Māori Party that have been referred to police for not being declared in time. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamie Triccas, Professor of Medical Microbiology, University of Sydney As AstraZeneca is no longer the preferred vaccine for Australian adults under 50, attention is turning to what other COVID-19 vaccine options are in our arsenal. The federal government has ordered 40 million ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Scully, Senior Meteorologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Across most of Australia this week, people have woken up and thought “Goodness, it’s cold.” Summer doonas are being changed to winter doonas. Heaters are being switched on. Ugg boots are being dug out ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Scully, Senior Meteorologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Across most of Australia this week, people have woken up and thought “Goodness, it’s cold.” Summer doonas are being changed to winter doonas. Heaters are being switched on. Ugg boots are being dug out ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Palmer, Professor, RMIT University Review: Small Business, published by M.33, Melbourne, 2021 David Wadelton understands that photography is a form of time travel. Small Business, his new book of photographs, transports us to Melbourne’s vanishing architecture of interior workplaces created by ...
The Council of Trade Unions wants the government to do more to improve working lives for New Zealanders. CTU President Richard Wagstaff will tonight address Minister of Workplace Relations Michael Wood, other Labour and Green Party Members of Parliament, ...
Comedian Janaye Henry is on a theatre tour of Aotearoa teaching teens about sex, and is writing us a non-Tourism NZ-approved diary of her travels. This week she’s in Ōtepoti Dunedin.I arrived in Ōtepoti Dunedin wide-eyed and itching to explore. My roommate was itchy too, although it wasn’t until the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University It’s tempting to think home prices are soaring because there aren’t enough homes. But that can’t explain the sudden takeoff from about the year 2000, the sudden takeoff from about ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael O’Neil, Executive Director, SA Centre for Economic Studies, University of Adelaide Wiping off Whyalla has become something of a macabre sport. All manner of things have been said to be about to destroy the steelworks town, including (briefly) the 2012-2014 carbon ...
Jonthan Cotton speaks to the people behind a programme teaching modern authentic leadership about what makes a great leader in 2021. When it comes to making change, humankind has historically looked to its most exceptional and extroverted people to lead us through its most challenging problems. Plato had a few opinions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Quigley, Associate Professor of Earthquake Science, The University of Melbourne Timor-Leste is reeling after heavy rain caused severe floods and landslides over the Easter weekend, killing at least 42 people. Rates of COVID-19 in Timor-Leste are also on the rise. Together, ...
Whoopee – another first for our nation. According to the headline on a Beehive press statement, NZ becomes first in world for climate reporting. This drew attention to the announcement that New Zealand has become the first country in the world to introduce a law that requires the financial sector ...
Everyone has their own take on the best era for culture. Some think music was better in the ’70s, or theatre was better in the ’90s – but when did gaming peak? Exactly 20 years ago, argues Sam Brooks.Gaming is bigger than it’s ever been right now. Through the device ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Vice-chancellor’s fellow, La Trobe University When China’s ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, summoned journalists to the Chinese embassy last week, this was not an occasion for polite exchanges on a troubled relationship between Beijing and Canberra. Cheng was intent on ...
“The Speaker’s attempt to pitch a new Parliamentary palace as a ‘ wooden office block ’ will not fly with taxpayers,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke. “Fundamentally, you can’t trust politicians with property projects. ...
Does New Zealand have a contemporary foreign policy, let alone a defence policy? Some of our nearest and dearest are beginning to wonder. Ambassadors in Wellington are among the world’s most discreet but word is beginning to trickle out. What is the government up to? Why does it move at ...
Six dogs have suffered broken legs at New Zealand greyhound races in the past two weeks. On Sunday, in a video broadcast by the TAB, in Race 3 at Auckland, greyhound All Day Long suffered a harrowing fall and broken leg. On the same day, at the same ...
The latest inventory of New Zealand's climate pollution shows, yet again, that the Government must take urgent action to make farming part of the climate solution, says Greenpeace. The Ministry for the Environment today released its 2019 inventory ...
Māori activist Mike Smith’s chainsaw attack on the lone pine tree atop Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill was one of the most memorable New Zealand news stories of the 1990s. In this episode of The Single Object, he explains why he did it.Late one October night in 1994, nearby residents ...
The latest cohort of school students took to the streets last week to demand climate change action. In Wellington, several thousand strikers marched to Parliament.Izzy Cook, one of the organisers, said they had their own list of demands.“Investing in a just transition to a sustainable future, reducing agricultural ...
In the latest episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive is joined by broadcasting and media minister Kris Fa’afoi to talk about the media transition and what a ‘sexy’ new public media entity might look like. Kris Faafoi is one of those rare ministers who has actually ...
Despite Aotearoa gaining international praise for its COVID-19 response, two independent reports commissioned by Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust have found that Māori vulnerability and resilience to these large-scale crises remain largely unchanged for the past ...
The health minister’s stonewalling of any attempt to fix our woeful drug laws doesn’t only fly in the face of overseas trends, but what’s currently happening in and around our own parliament.Yesterday, more than two dozen health and social service organisations, including the NZMA, the Public Health Association and the ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s contentMaori Party referred to Police over donations Henry Cooke (Stuff): Māori Party referred to police over ...
Covid-19 lockdowns resulted in a rise in online gambling. Kiwibank has given customers the option to block gambling transactions if they need help. A year ago, when an entire country went home and stayed home for lockdown, most of us were grappling with some kind of anxiety: about health, money, or ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage Laura IesueFrom Miami, Florida On March 29, 2020, Guatemala’s President Giammattei implemented an eight-day, country-wide curfew to stop the spread of COVID-19.[1] Ultimately, this lockdown would continue until October 1, 2020, as the virus continued to travel across communities.[2] While ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for April 13, bringing you the latest news throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nzThe Spinoff can’t exist without our members. If you want to help us stay curious and keep our team across New Zealand’s breaking stories, please donate today. 7.50am: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor in Public Health, La Trobe University COVAX, the global initiative to coordinate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in an equitable way, is crucial for bringing the pandemic under control. But COVAX’s aim of delivering 2 billion doses to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luise Kazda, PhD candidate, University of Sydney During my daughter’s challenging first year of school, we discovered how much effort it took her to sit and learn. She was the youngest in her class, placing her at higher risk of being diagnosed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cheryl Durrant, Adjunct Associate Professor, UNSW Climate change is a hot topic in Australian security circles, as it poses an emerging threat to our national resilience and way of life. As a new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) last ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work, Australia Institute; Honorary Professor of Political Economy, University of Sydney Fewer than 2% of Australian employees work for the minimum wage (now $19.84 an hour). But the federal Fair Work Commission’s annual decision ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Waling, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow in Sex & Sexuality, La Trobe University The Netflix drama The One centres around a geneticist who invents a new matchmaking service. It uses DNA to help people find their romantic and sexual match: their ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Parties under pressure over undeclared donations, more emerges on exports to murderous militaries, and National refusing to back Climate Commission draft plans.Both the Māori Party and National are in trouble over donations that weren’t declared in time, but one of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Duffy, Lecturer in Applied Geoscience, The University of Melbourne Most people know that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain but I want to know for how long it has been the tallest, and for how long in the future it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Recent media coverage of women not being able to get treatment for birth injuries highlights yet another example of gender bias in healthcare in New Zealand. Following a policy review, the Accident Compensation Corporation ...
News highlights: Majority of experts expect rents to increase due to higher investor costs 57% disagree with extending the bright-line test All experts predict the OCR to hold at 0.25% in April Experts are concerned that tenants will cop higher rents ...
When local authorities tighten gambling regulations, player losses at the pokie machines are reduced. Around 10 percent of the New Zealand population is impacted by problem gambling. Those impacts include poor health, psychological distress, financial ...
From humble beginnings in Siberia, Taupo teenager Annabel Francis has taken the New Zealand showjumping world by storm and is on the verge of her first Olympics. There’s a couple of things which make Annabel Francis stand out in her world of showjumping. The first is physical. As her coach, ...
The government's move to make it mandatory for all testing of border workers to be recorded in a central register is being derided as months too late. ...
Eden Park thanks Auckland councillors for their supposed 'support' for concerts at the venue, offering them free hospitality to watch the first concert. But the invite hasn't gone down well with some, as Matthew Scott reports.An offer of a free ticket for councillors to the first concert at Eden ...
We resume our series on Charlotte Grimshaw's memoir. Today: ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias on navigating a friendship The fact that I'm friends with Charlotte Grimshaw as well as her parents Karl and Kay Stead, who she lovingly, persistently and ferociously hauls over the coals in her new memoir The ...
WATCH: Silver Ferns manager Esther Molloy talks about the stem cell transplant that saved her young daughter's life. Esther Molloy's dedication to the Silver Ferns is second only to her devotion to her family. And she knows the Silver Ferns always have Team Molloy's back, especially through the very tough times. ...
As QAnon adherents and Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, officials in New Zealand kept a close eye on how our alt-right community was responding and sharing content Government officials closely monitored the online activity of New Zealand's alt-right community as their American counterparts stormed the US Capitol building, as ...
Basic information on is missing, our screening programmes aren't up to scratch, and people are dying unnecessarily. Dr Peter Saxton lays out the problems with sexual health in this country. Sexual health has been making headlines. The spotlight has been on human papillomavirus (HPV), our most common sexually transmitted infection ...
The future of Samoa’s next government remains in the balance as the final election votes are counted, with a weeks-long wait for a definitive result - or a legal challenge - among the possible outcomes After 39 years of one-party rule, Samoan voters may - just - have finally looked ...
Vaccinations are up and running, but are they happening fast enough, why haven’t all frontline workers had their first shot, and what about the stats? Justin Giovannetti outlines the concerns being aired.While New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccination programme is under way, it’s already hitting some bumps on the road to July ...
News of the travel suspension on flights from India resurrects uncomfortable memories for Melanie Sharma-Barrow – and other women of Indian descent like her, she writes.Twenty-two years ago, at university, I studied “citizenship and ideology”, a course exploring how ideology feeds the principles underpinning citizenship. When I learned about the ...
No one would argue against a Child Protection Act - but is a register for child sex abusers actually protecting children? Urgent changes to the law on the child sex offender register mean that hundreds of convicted offenders are back on the list. But one justice rights advocate says it doesn't ...
COMMENT: The Royals have repeatedly indicated NZ’s constitutional future is a matter for NZ to decide. They are not afraid of the conversation – but we are. The Public Trust Office constantly reminds us of the importance of leaving our affairs in order. Can the same be said of New Zealand, as ...
While some Green MPs are enjoying their newfound political freedom, co-leader Marama Davidson is fighting the restraints that come with holding ministerial office. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Nott, Professor of Physical Geography, James Cook University Tropical Cyclone Seroja battered parts of Western Australia’s coast on Sunday night, badly damaging buildings and leaving thousands of people without power. While the full extent of the damage caused by the Category ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamasailau Suaalii Sauni, Associate Professor in Criminology Programme, University of Auckland Samoan politics is on a knife edge. After the country voted in general elections on April 9, counting so far has resulted in a dead heat between the two major parties. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Wellington, Senior Lecturer, Art History and Visual Culture, Australian National University In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. If you are a country house fanatic ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane E Frawley, NHMRC Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney The federal government’s recommendation last week that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now the preferred vaccine for adults under 50 has shaken public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The Australian Technical ...
Health Minister Andrew Little has shot down calls for a swift overhaul of drug laws, saying any major change would first have to go back to a referendum. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bela Stantic, Professor, Director of Big data and smart analytics lab – IIIS, Griffith University Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout has hit yet another crossroads. Public confidence has wavered following the federal government’s announcement last week that the Pfizer vaccine was the preferred ...
“It’s unacceptable the Government won’t play hardball with unions and force those employees unwilling to get a COVID vaccine to vacate MIQ premises for another 18 days,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Stop pussyfooting about and take the ...
A year after MIQ was established, 86 percent of workers there have been vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, while also signalling a state memorial service for Prince Philip. ...
New Zealand’s Ministerial engagement in the Trans Tasman GE Food Standards approval process has been silenced. The Conran review of the Council of Australian Governments COAG fora has recommended the dismantling of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is about to give an update following a Cabinet meeting this afternoon as more cases emerge from an Auckland managed isolation facility. ...
Our Beehive bulletin Has anyone been keeping tabs on the number of race-based “partnerships” established by the Ardern government? Another one popped up today, proudly announced by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. It’s an “innovative’ as well as new Youth Justice residence “designed in partnership with Māori” to provide “prevention, healing, ...
This Youtube post this morning should explode in Australia. The billions gambled in Aussies next submarine program scandal is beyond belief.
the billions wasted all round the world, on toys for the boys, is outrageous. the cold war is well over, but many of the old cold warriors are still hanging on, fighting old battles that never happened in the first place. drone technology has bypassed the need for many expensive, manned toys(much to the annoyance of weapons manufacturers), and this tech is now going underwater. sub makers are no different from any business, looking for new uses for their out of date products, but are looking more and more like yesterdays men. the last generation of aussie subs had a reputation for being noisy and leaky and prone to rusting, not exactly what you want to be in if the shooting starts..
the billions wasted all round the world, on toys for the boys, is outrageous. the cold war is well over, but many of the old cold warriors are still hanging on…
There are plenty of commentators who think we should be arming ourselves like those rogue regimes in Canberra and Washington. One of the more obnoxious statements in support of this was delivered on Jim Mora's light chat show in 2018. Mike Rehu, who mouthed this nonsense, is, I am sorry to say, an increasingly regular presence on RNZ National….
thanks. kind of validates my post.
I mean, it's a lot of cash, but long term planning is good.
Skipped the audio, read the slides – there didn't seem to be anything in the presentation to say why the design is flawed or the process was fatally compromised, so I'm not sure they've bought a lemon on the order of the US F35 (particularly the abject failure of its ALIS) or LCS (a good idea that got bloated and lost its main unique advantages).
The presentation seemed more knowledgable than Hanson's idiotic questioning of the same project, though. The admiral is a study in patience.
Right wing seam to be upset over PM dumping her regular interview with Hoskings.
I say good riddance.
The guy has always been a right wing boot licker. With a lot of his so called thoughts that are supposedly his opinion (Right Wing Talking Points Regurgitated) the PM should not have been giving him a lifeline for his show so long.
To all of the Moaning Minnie’s of “ where’s the plan, there is no road map “ detractors the Government has shut them down with a vengeance with the announcement of a further 8.5 million doses of the most effective Covid vaccine having been bought for NZ.
There has been a plan all along right from the initial 40 million bucks or so of investment in a number of producers and many statements of the intent to make sure we get the most effective one, that is what the elimination tactic was all about, keeping the powder dry and waiting to see the whites of their eyes.
Brilliant politics and superbly played by the Government and aided hugely by us by behaving ourselves, with the obvious exception of a few arseholes and the notable actions of the chief arsehole, the Apostle of Doom who wanted to shoot a few Bambis.
Let’s all breathe easier and give ourselves a pat on the back. Well done.
P.s, I may well be in one of the initial cohorts by right of age but I for one will gladly wait and shuffle in behind Kane and Rossco, Guppy and Ish , Trent and Kyle and the rest of the BCs so they can see to India in June, and also tucked in behind our Olympians, among whom is a young cyclist I know who has been on a personal quest for 16 years. Go all you good things!
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/pro/pumped-hydro-already-delayed-a-year
Headline is concern causing….more can kicking?
Unfortunately it is paywalled, would be interested if anyone has some detail
Here is an interesting clip with Aaron Mate' unpacking the common knowledge and complicity within the US government that they were directly supporting ISIS and Al-Qaeda in their proxy war in Syria, and even though these statements by various US officials admitting this complicity have been public knowledge throughout the war, US and western media have rarely reported on these US connections with terrorist groups in Syria..instead as usual they only ever seem to encourage western more wars and more western interventions…ask yourself this question, when was the last time you can remember a western MSM source coming out against a western military operation or intervention?
Well, considering the general question of who is the bigger idiot, the belligerent ranter or the one vainly attempting to reason with it, I'm sure I'm making a mistake taking the bait, but anyhoo:
Errm, just over a week ago, there was quite a lot of criticism of Biden's airstrike in Syria, with a lot of questioning of Biden's authority to order it.
Going not much further back, there's been plenty of criticism of US involvement with what's going on in Yemen and the US support for the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia. Even including Congress voting to block arms sales, which the tangelo turdgoblin ignored.
Then there was plenty of criticism of Papaya Palpatine's provocations of Iran, from missile strikes to outright murder of one of Iran's top military leaders.
and on and on the list goes …
It's a pretty long list of mainstream media criticisms of US military adventurism that you seem to have completely missed in your obsession with fringe kooks like Mate and Gabbard. Let alone that the primary function of media is to report facts, with criticism being very much a secondary function of communicating opinions.
" Let alone that the primary function of media is to report facts, with criticism being very much a secondary function of communicating opinions." …are you serious or taking the piss? or are you really actually saying that you actually believe media has no agenda or political position? …name us one media outlet that is unbiased and neutral.
When you do a google search up under news, 'Biden strike in Syria', the whole first page just reports it as if it business as usual (which I guess it is), except The Washington Post….it seems any and all US war is good for them..
'just a few weeks into his term, President Biden has dealt with a heavy burden that comes with office;when and how to use military force.."
Can't see much push back there, I am know there is some dissent if you search for it, but of course that is not the point, because as I am sure you know, probably more than 80% of people only read the headline of the first news item they see about a subject..that is a fact, and that is what we are talking about…btw did you hear in any NZ news piece any kind of dissent or push back?
I guess it depends on your definition of 'quite a bit"…and how strongly worded criticism needs to actually be to meet any sort of threshhold. Looking through the Guardian (which I know is considered quite the legitimate news source round these parts) and I shan't bore you all with cutting and pasting the headlines ..but I assure you ..they were all spectacularly neutral ..the only criticism being one opinion piece by Tita Parsi.
Google and follow the links for 'Biden Airstikes' and really its all pointedly neutral. Google and follow the links for 'Biden Airstrike Legality"…note the lack of your usual news sources…its just not really a thing…
For most people who are half engaged with politics and do not have the time to dig deep, there was no criticism or contextualistion to Bidens actions.
Though to be fair that pretty much sums up all News these days.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/26/biden-iran-deal-diplomacy-syria
On and on the list goes??
You had to search pretty long and hard to get your mainstream media criticism Andre
The first 2 pages of Google were very matter of fact and had no criticism of Biden's strikes on Syria
It's a matter of the preponderance of positive or neutral articles on US actions abroad versus the same for its enemies and rivals
How much media attention has there been to the Swiss ditching the Browder case in comparison with the positive attention Browder has enjoyed in the western media for years?
Did you hear about it on RNZ? or CNN?
We endured weeks if not months of the Russian doping scandal, but very scant attention paid when the majority of the 39 Russian athletes had their doping bans overturned by the CAS and medals reinstated
I wonder why
And this from the Nation concerning the credibility of MacLaren and Radchenko and the whole case was not picked up by any of the mass media, who pretty much all dance to the same tune these days
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/congress-not-honor-one-notorious-doping-cheats-time/
Andre it's obvious you didn't watch the video Adrian offered so I'll fill you in some of whathave you missed.
Aaron Mate relayed quotes or statements from:
James F Jeffrey bragging that "United State…crushed the country's (Syria) economy"
New York Times referring to the Syrian war as "one of the costliest covert action programs in the history of the CIA"
Washington Post describing it as "a CIA program …. with a budget approaching $1 billion a year" "One knowledgeable official estimates that CIA back fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies over the past four years"
Robert F Worth New York Time "In the summer of 2015 rebels were closing in on the Latakia city limits and mortars were falling downtown. If the rebels had captured the area, where Alawites are the majority, a result would most certainly have been sectarian mass murder. Many people in the area would have blamed the United States which armed some of the rebels operating in the area"
In 2014 during an address Biden said
"Our biggest problem is our allies. Our allies in the region were our biggest problem in Syria. The Turks were great friends..The Saudis, the Emirates etc . And what were they doing? They were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war. What did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and ten thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad except that the people who were being supplied were El Nusra and Al Aqueda and the extremest elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world" He later apologised, not because he'd make a false statement, or because he'd omitted the US's equal involvement, but because the Turks Saudis et al were offended by this revelation.
In a leaked email in 2012 from Biden's current National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Hiliary Clinton "Al Qaeda is on our side in Syria"
Brett McGurt, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, in 2017 "Idlib province is the largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 9/11"
Rob Malley, lead negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in 2018 told Aaron "We were part of what fueled the conflict rather than stopped it"
etc etc
I trust you'll be able to view the rest of the video without my assistance Andre.
Aaron Mate shows Obama massively intervened in Syria primarily through a covert giant CIA program that's led to the chaos that Syria is still recovering from today. And that it is so cynical that the US was willing to use ISIS and Al Qaeda to advance their goals of regime change
Tulsi Gabbard is the lone voice in the US government in voicing her disgust in the regime change war that the US continues to wage in Syria using Al Qaeda, El Nusra, HTS terrorists as their proxy ground force and who now occupy and control the city of Idlib imposing Sharia law.
I don't understand why it's necessary to refer to Aaron Mate and Tulsi Gaggard as finge kooks. It is just silly name calling. It's what 10 year olds do.
Why are you so threatened by these people?
Yes Adrian,,,,me too, happy to wait so the BCs are vacinated for trip to India.
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/109393/whether-it-be-defeating-fascist-disease-or-eliminating-coronavirus-history-teaches-us
In the above article Chris Trotter says:
"Multiple Ministry and DHB failures, from the unavailability of PPE, to failings at the border, and serious deficiencies in communicating clear and accurate information to the public, have all contributed to the feeling that New Zealand’s indisputable success at beating the virus has, all-too-often, been more a matter of good luck than good management."
What a load of proverbial. Has he forgotten the marvellous communication and management skills the government, in conjunction the Ministry of Health, have exhibited in relation to Covid starting a year ago? Has he not noticed that Britain, an island similar in size to NZ, has had 124,000 covid deaths where NZ has had 26?
Trotter says:
"The instinct of the Ministry of Health (as well as the DHBs it relied upon to deliver on the ground) was to hold onto power at all costs. Certainly, it seemed extraordinarily reluctant to allow any outside players into the game. Nowhere was this dog-in-the-manger attitude more evident than in the Ministry’s refusal to allow the roll-out of the “smart” Covid Card developed by Trade Me founder, Sam Morgan, and the talented team of digital wizards he had assembled. Obstacle after bureaucratic obstacle was placed in front of these experts from the private sector until Morgan, his patience exhausted, simply threw up his hands in frustration and walked away."
Has Trotter not noticed that the UK has wasted NZ$74 billion (yes seventy four billion dollars) on a private sector driven track and trace system that has failed miserably-see article below. Trotter seems to be in thrall to Sam Morgan simply because he has made a lot of money. Meanwhile the NZ government's simple and easy to use cellphone-based tracer ap works well.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1406035/how-much-has-test-and-trace-cost-budget-nhs-contact-tracing-cost-evg
trotter is sounding more and more like yet another sad old git, desperately trying to remain slightly relevant . perhaps he should start a club with don brash.. oh wait, he already has….
The whole magical thinking around Sam Morgan's COVID card is emblematic of the lack of sophistication that certain boomers have when it comes to discussing IT.
Chris Trotter doesn't understand that we've moved on from IT versions of Magnus Pike who are impossibly smarter than the rest of us and peculiar men in Hawaiian shirts who use the command line in UNIX.
He thinks we should rely on a bunch of business leaders who grabbed every subsidy going and only paid it back after public shaming in many cases and who continued to haul down multi million salaries at the same time? Spare me.
Most are simply generic managers with superior backstabbing skills to get to where they are. Beaverbrook they are not.
Only if you have a cellphone it works on.
2.7 million people are using the track and trace ap according to the last figure I heard….probably 3 million by now. That must be a high proportion of cell-phone users in NZ given the population is 5 million and many of them are children.
The source of those pamphlets discussed yesterday appears to be an overseas based religious group?
Are the deliverers being asked to carry too heavy a load? They look like reasonably big booklets.
And all those people who have a letterbox sign about unwanted deliveries? Keep a stock of large envelopes- put the excess material in it – address to Ovato (companies office site will have addresses and directors addresses) – never a post shop when you need one?- maybe skip that step then- put in mail.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124465378/mother-disgusted-11yearold-daughter-being-asked-to-deliver-extreme-religious-publication-on-paper-round
First day of America's Cup 36 finals tomorrow.
Breathless techno-sporting nationalism awaits.
A suitably restrained event this year though.
Good to hear:
Charge more for flights to deter tourists and help the planet, says Air New Zealand adviser
The pre-covid levels of international travel weren't only trashing the planet.
Going by how the New Zealand economy is currently preforming, it was a large brake on our economy due to all the money spent on outbound, and a very large proportion of inbound spend leaving the economy.
Hopefully this government will follow Simon Upton's advice and institute a stiff departure tax to cover the carbon emissions of travel and put New Zealand tourism on a sounder environmental and fiscal footing.