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 sub makers are no different from any business, looking for new uses for their out of date products, but are looking more and more like yesterdays men.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.
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This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
I was born in the back of my grandfather’s ute, by an overgrown windbreak in a remote place called Wahi-Rakauyou can’t find on a map. I was born a girl but given the man’s name Harvey, as my dad always wanted a violent-minded boy to one day help him ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cecelia Cmielewski, Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University To be selected as the artist and curator team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale is considered the ultimate exhibition for an artistic team. To have your selection rescinded, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
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 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
A new poem by Freya Turnbull. Hunger Song – After Kaveh Akbar (Untitled With Hunger And Matcheads) I hold my age in ripped fishnet hold an empty vessel oldyoung body cracks like gunshot like killa i was a father ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University View of the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station.NASA Earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found ...
Troy Rawhiti-Connell reviews Kia Tupu Te Ara, a documentary chronicling the meteoric rise of Aotearoa’s groundbreaking metal band. “Two brothers attempt to storm the world of thrash metal with the Māori language, despite the fact they’re both still teenagers,” reads the synopsis of Kent Belcher’s documentary, Kia Tupu Te Ara. ...
Three freelance writers have been awarded grants to work on their ambitious journalism projects. In January, The Spinoff announced the Vince Geddes In-Depth Journalism Fund, supported by the Auckland Radio Trust (ART). The fund was established to provide much-needed financial and editorial support to talented freelance journalists, empowering them to ...
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.