And finally, a way to get those 'vaccine hesitant' types racing in to get jabbed: free dope.
Washington State's Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) on Monday announced licensed marijuana dealers are now allowed to give one free pre-rolled joint to customers 21 years or older who receive their first or second dose of COVID19 vaccine at an on-site vaccination clinic.
Great new initiative for my hydrochoroquine believer relatives in the Far North.
Thousands of nurses to walk off the job today in strike action nationwide
1 NEWS
About 30,000 nurses at all public hospitals and DHB facilities will be walking off the job from 11am to 7pm today, warning that it could be the first of many strikes if an agreement with their employers isn’t reached…..
……“Burnout, exhaustion, considering working overseas. All of those things are very real and I see myself and my colleagues going through [that] on a daily basis.” Deena Cardon, a surgical nurse at North Shore Hospital
“At the moment, their [NZNO’s] ask is 17 per cent [annualised increases]; we're just not in the position to be able to fund that at this point in time,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
The Prime MInister claims that the government is able to fund the nurses claims.
$785 million for a cycleway says otherwise
As part of their protest Nurses will march up Queen Street.
Nurses know a lot about blocked arteries, if they are serious they should continue their march down Fanshaw Street and block the motorway entrance, until Michael Wood or Grant Robertson agree to negotiate.
Let us refresh the memory of those that have forgotten what the two dudes named above do in government
Woods:
Transport – Minister
Workplace Relations and Safety
Deputy Leader of the House
Robertson
Minister of Finance
Minister for Infrastructure
Minister for Racing
Minister of Sport and Recreation
edit: but then we can see why cycling bridges are the winner when one is also transport minister and the other is minister of racing and sport and recreation. Priorities this government has them, and they are outdoing John Key on his cycleway of historic importance.
As for the nurse vs the bridge, lol. Yeah, that is making the rounds in all places that are not labour loyalists by hook n crook.
But then some rather have solidarity with cycling bridges for the 10% then the wellbeing for nurses and other medical frontline staff. So very 'labour' of them. So very 'kind' so very 'gentle'.
nurses being offered ' 4000 NZD backpay!!!! – as part of their wage agreement
nurses being offered 1.38% (under inflation)
Nurses Striking today.
and just for clarity : “At the moment, their [NZNO’s] ask is 17 per cent [annualised increases]; we're just not in the position to be able to fund that at this point in time,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
As i suggested yesterday, all he white nurses (only the white ones please it would be to dangerous for people of color) should loan some 2 – 4 grand bikes and run over a police barricade, illegally enter a motorway, cause traffic issues and then …..then the PM would say, lols, sure here have your 870 million.
well there is the much vaunted new tax rate from the Finance Minsiter
that will raise about 500 million per year, so would pay in its first year for one half of a bridge for cyclists. And then would need probaly another three years of that to account for the 'overspending' on the bridge for the very well looked after very rich Aucklanders.
Maybe someone should tell the Prime Minister that she could use these 500 millions raised by the 'rich tax' on the Nurses, and the very white lawbreaking cyclists of rich Auckland can hold a bake sale for the bridge? I mean that is what we do for Ambulances, Firestations and schools in this country.
the foreigner don't get cookies from the get go – its called Kiwi experience and thus they can work real cheap,
the worker only gets cookie when he does as he is told,
and the suits- Jacinda, Grant, Andrew etc and the white well to do people from Herne Bay and Ponsnobby – who can break laws without consequeses- are in the meantime eating all the cookies,
And then they turn around and tell the nurses there ain't any money left in the kitty, and that if they expect a decent pay for a decent day of work, and if the Nurses expect toilet breaks and lunch breaks and enough collegues to cover these breaks they need to move to OZ, the US, or England or elsewhere, cause here in NZ they are not valued neither by the government nor the public.
‘ “Pray tell, what do Michael Wood or Grant Robertson have to do with the negotiations?” Incognito
I thought it would be a bit presumptious to ask the Prime Minister to take part in the negotiations. Though if you think that is better. Sure, why not.
After all it is the Prime Minister who has said that the government hasn't got the money. Maybe the Prime Minister coulc convince the nurses of that.
Why I chose Grant Robertson; Grant Robertson is the Deputy PM and also the Minister of Finance, an obvious choice. He holds the purse strings.
Why I chose Michael Wood, for several reasons; Michael Wood is an Auckland based MP, it wouldn;t be too far out of his comfort zone.
I have met with Michael several times and am convinced of his basic decency and humanitarianism.
Because of this, I toyed with the idea of just asking Michael to come and negotiate with the nurses on behalf of the government.
The other and more obvious reason is Michael could agree to forgo the $785 million he got for the cycleway and ask the Minister of Finance to give it to the nurses instead.
I would expect the negotiations to last 30 minutes. Auckland motorists could then get back on their way.
“You seem to spend a lot of effort not understanding how government works, nor even how it could in an ideal world.”Sacha
Hi Sacha,
We live in a far from ideal world. Sometimes you just have to cut through the Gordian Knot.
Government steps into Ihumātao land dispute, halts building activity
JUL 26, 2019 • SOURCE: 1 NEWS
…Police this week have made a number of arrests and have maintained a heavy presence after an eviction notice had been served against occupiers.
But tonight the Prime Minister stepped into the debate, following a meeting today between Government representatives, mana whenua, Fletchers, Auckland mayor Phil Goff and other members of Auckland council…..
Ihumātao: Deal struck between government and Fletcher Building to buy disputed land
Jane Patterson 16/12/2020
A deal has been struck between the government and Fletcher Building to buy the disputed Ihumātao land for just under $30 million, the first step in breaking the long-running deadlock…..
Judith Collins hits out at Jacinda Ardern's 'foolish' involvement in Ihumātao
Zane Small 20/07/2020
National leader Judith Collins has hit out at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's involvement in the Ihumātao land dispute, describing it as "foolish" and "a total nonsense"…..
……Collins, who became the National Party's new leader last week following the resignation of Todd Muller, said Ardern should never have got involved, and that if she becomes Prime Minister, Fletcher Building will be allowed to continue with its plans.
"It's their land, they can do what they like within the rules," she told Magic Talk. "The Government, under me will never put a cent into Ihumātao. This is private land. This is a total nonsense and the Prime Minister was foolish to go and get herself involved in it in the first place."
Collins' predecessor Muller has also said Ardern should not have got involved.
"Our position with Ihumātao has been consistent all the way through: this was an issue, from our perspective, between the iwi owners and Fletchers," he said in June.
If Grant can't make it at short notice. Michael could take a smart phone and Bring in Grant Robertson by skype, or facebook messenger, or zoom or whatever platform suits best.
The PM could even cut in for 5 minutes if she wanted to. To berate the nurses for being wrong headed, ‘There is no money, you should call off your strike’.
Good faith, and actually wanting to resolve the dispute. I can't see non of that happening at the moment;.
I mean offering an advance to owed backpay as part of a wage negotiation is not good faith, nor does it show a will to resolve a pay dispute, but it is very much an insult to injury.
"I mean offering an advance to owed backpay as part of a wage negotiation is not good faith, nor does it show a will to resolve a pay dispute, but it is very much an insult to injury."
Too true. A bit like criticism of Vance's article, the $4000 is there for lazy minds to cling to.
The chosen ones will be delighted and over Mars the Moon with their elevation, which comes as a revelation. Will you make them knights or just anoint them?
You toying with ideas is like Donald Trump playing with the two red buttons on his desk, one was for the Diet Coke Button the other one was for frying the world.
Nurses are sure going to have to campaign smarter than a boring old strike (which the system is coping with easily) if they are going to be out-competed by a few old lycra-waddling duffers.
You can pop over to the Nurses Union and tell them how their industrial relations efforts are so weak and then show them HowToGetThere.
ah, but then you are ok with foreign workers, and then it should be ok for the horticulturist, the Orchadists, the farmers, the booze shops, the universities and all the others that don't want to pay a decent wage in NZ, lead by the government. i
As always with government in NZ, Labour as well as National it is a case of do as we say not as we do. Non of them want 'living wages' or 'decent wages'.
hahahahaha, i am so gonna enjoy the next National / Act government and their 'surplus' tax cuts, for the rich, of whom Robertson, Ardern, and the rest of the dull knights and dames are members of. hahahahahahahah
The inference we're getting here is that Judith lied to Nick Smith about the breaking scandal to get him to resign. Knowing full well there was no breaking story. So she could get Harete Hipango into the House.
Well no…as soon as the first cases appeared in court the light bulb would have gone on and phones would be heading for the skip smartly.
"ANoM could only be found on phones bought through the black market, which had been stripped of the capability to make calls or send emails, according to the AFP. The phones could only send messages to another device that had the app and criminals needed to know another criminal to get a device.
"The devices organically circulated and grew in popularity among criminals, who were confident of the legitimacy of the app because high-profile organized crime figures vouched for its integrity," the AFP statement said."
If this was a one of, and it was known (or suspicion arose among those targeted) …..then yes pull the plug and only to see if the news would make some more crawl out from under the rocks in order to hide under another.
But the cover appeared to be blown in March 2021 when a blogger detailed ANOM security flaws and claimed it was a scam linked to Australia, the United States and other members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network. The post was later deleted.
I'm surprised the internet policing app was used for as long as it got used and no one discovered they were being monitored. Possibly the cops cover would have been blowen as the app would be used as evidence.
seriously for this alone they should stay on strike for the rest of the week.
The DHBs revised their offer with changes to sick leave entitlement and there was a $4,000 lump sum in advance on the anticipated Pay Equity settlement.
that 4 grand has nothing to do with the current wage dispute. Here really the government and DHB are saying that we owe you back pay, but we could advance that for you now, so please dear Nurses *(male/female/others as some seem to think that nursing is a 'female' profession ) stay on strike until the Managarial Goons learn some shame, humility and grow a brain.
For what its worth all of us have needed nurses and medical staff in our lifes, non of us has needed any of the overpaid goons that pretend that 1.38% (below inflation) is a 'pay increase'.
Why? She still in politics? or is there just something in the waters of some left leaning people that they rather discuss the National wanabes of yesteryears rather tehn just the regular businesses of strikes, homelessness, violence and crime?
She was always only an attack dog, she knew her role and she fulfilled it to the finest. And now she sells real estate for big bucks, laughing all the way to the bank.
i did not answer to someone writing a post, i answered to someone who should have posted a link. So nah, i missed nothing. And i don't waste my time with has beens such as the like of Paula Benefit.
in the early days of the internet..when everybody had shit/expensive internet-coverage..providing links was crucial…
it was one of the reasons I started/did my proto-aggregation website whoar.co.nz..to provide that service…and I always included the link to every story I posted..
that was then…this is now…when everyone has fast/efficient internet..and in the above case of my made-up tabloid headline..typing bennett into google will bring up all coverage of 'what I am talking about'..namely bennetts' vomiting all over her tory party..and how they dun her wrong…
and I would contend that just providing one link (as you continue to demand) is/can be a negative..is an involuntary controlling of the message..by only giving the reader one perspective..whereby they have to Google to find out more ..(!)
It is for these reasons I feel the arc of importance of 'the link'..has reached it's natural conclusion..
and is increasingly irrelevant/a block on the full picture..
largely..the link is yesterday's imperative..
and should be left just to wither..
and certainly not be demanded of anyone posting anything..
[I did not demand, I asked, nicely and politely. You must have attended the same school as Jenny for not understanding the difference between these two verbs.
Indeed, this is here and now, you’re commenting on TS, not on your proto-site. You take heed of Moderation notes, here and now.
It is good manners to post a link. Don’t expect others to do the digging and Googling; they’re not mind readers.
When I Google “bennett”, I get all sorts of results, including Naftali Bennett, the next PM of Israel.
Please don’t act like an obstinate pillock and include links in your comments, especially when asked by a Moderator, thanks. This is your final warning – Incognito]
in the above case of my made-up tabloid headline..typing bennett into google will bring up all coverage of 'what I am talking about'
You must have an awful lot of time on your hands if that seems like a viable tactic. If you google the word 'tactic' you will find what I'm talking about..
So you totally dismiss the case I made re arc of link…?
and choose to again threaten to ban ..?
After the several days of my being back here you following me around sneering insults/trolling at virtually everything I say..?
go read them..!
your abuses of power/harassment of me is over the top..
other people..including yrslf..regularly say things without linking..I read whole threads like that..while I was'nt commenting here..and not a word from you..or any other moderator..
I repeat…why do you single me out for such special treatment..
Reform for retirees has been a long time coming. It would be a popular move if the government follows the advice and takes the rights of older folk as seriously as younger tenants.
Her [Retirement Com.] report said submissions revealed 99 per cent support for a complete review of the legislative framework and that included support from organisations like the Law Society, and professionals in the sector like trustees and statutory supervisors, as well as hundreds of residents’ submissions.
Wrightson told said the only group that thought a full review was a bad idea was the operators.
Village residents did not have many of the consumer protections provided to tenants here. A review should eliminate unfair terms in contracts and better protect the rights of consumers.
also from the link as to why nothing will change until this government is shamed into action – from Poto Williams herself
"Asked what plans, if any, she has to move on the commission and Consumer reports to strengthen the Retirement Villages Act, Williams said: "At this stage there are no immediate plans to review the Act, although I acknowledge that the Act is due for review and will work towards this when we can."
Over their four years at the Auckland hospital, the Kiwi nurse dealt with an "under-resourced, understaffed department", and sometimes experienced unsafe situations.
"Over my time working at the hospital I can’t count the number of verbal and physical assaults that have happened to health care workers," they say.
"I’ve seen co-workers punched in the face, oxygen cylinders thrown through medication rooms, people pulling out knives, family members getting up in our faces."
The nurse told Newshub of a particular incident when two nurses were attacked with a baseball bat when leaving the hospital after a night shift.
"One ended up with a head injury and the other a broken clavicle. It can sometimes be scary to think about," they say.
The Auckland hospital where the Kiwi nurse worked confirmed the incident to Newshub, stating that emergency departments are "emotionally charged, stressful environments".
"Nurses can sometimes be subjected to verbal abuse, they can experience people encroaching on their personal space, and occasionally experience low-levels of physical abuse," the hospital said in a statement.
Back in the day, last century, long service was acknowledged at 25 years and the good old gold watch was the gift.
Nowadays it occurs at 10 years.
Also since the rise of DHB CEOs, carparks were privatized. A fairly significant change in working conditions for many hospital staff.
Not a skerrick of renumeration and often decreased safety as the person in the booth wasn't paid to provide security or folk would park off hospital grounds.
At the same time, the number of complex complaints about commercial building structural design is rising, according to the Structural Engineering Society. It says the problem with substandard designs is "unacceptable".
"We've been campaigning for change to prevent quality issues," Structural Engineering Society president, Michelle Grant said. "We've … strongly voiced our recommendations for greater scrutiny and tighter assessment of structural engineers."
Such is the increase in complex investigations landing at Engineering New Zealand (ENZ) that it has had to hire more engineers and lawyers to tackle the backlog. The body receives between 45-50 complaints each year.
Give over the bridge discussion. Get behind this one now, about buildings which affects us all every day of the week.
In Australia the rule about agreement to sex or whether it was rape would be laughable if it was in a satirical performance. If it said that previous agreed sex within the period the participants were together should be considered in exoneration, (which I believe was the case for Julian Assange) that would fit the Oz idea of rationality, but not just the sheer force of the man's lust or want.)
However, the court also cited the “high hurdle” it faced on the issue of consent. Under the archaic legal definition of “consent” in place in Australia at the time the incidents had occurred, any belief by the perpetrator that the complainant was consenting – not matter how irrational that belief was – had to be counted as grounds for acquittal. The court cited McLachlan’s “egocentric” personality as an exonerating factor, in that he simply may not have been able to comprehend that his advances would not be reciprocated
Meanwhile in NZ, we seem terrified of taxing wealth but are happy to go hammer and tongs with nurses to suppress their pay. To me, these two things are linked.
Why would the wealthy people in government raise taxes on the wealthy or the wealthy companies? heck, we give millions of dollars to come here and make some dumb arse movies.
Please try and limit the number of short sharp irrationalities that you put up Sabine.
Dumb arse movies are common, and watched by many similar people. If made here they provide jobs and a change of business, a bit of diversity from dairy and housing and building war tech for the USA. It will be a good change from selling our stock of houses from under the feet of the NZs who we hope will make some wages from the movie-making.
In the agreement with the New Zealand Government, obtained by Stuff under the Official Information Act, the company committed to partnering with local firms to invest in research and development in sectors as diverse as drones, costume design and healthcare.
The deal could also see the company establishing offshoots of its other businesses here.
It is unconfirmed whether Amazon will open a local distribution centre for its famous online shop, which would likely upend the local retail sector. The company isn't obliged to start new businesses in New Zealand, but as a minimum it is required to partner with local research houses
MSD cannot do this. Help with emergency accommodation is governed by legislation which means if a person is entitled to the help they must receive it. Nobody can stop anyone applying for help under the Act, but when it comes to emergency accommodation MSD do it all the time.
When challenged MSD will of course agree they cannot blacklist anyone, but the fact is that very few people do challenge their decisions so what has become a widespread problem is left to continue because it suits MSD for it to continue even though they know it's wrong.
The money you are trying to raise to pay for the nurses would have to come from …the nurses. They are well paid ,but not as well paid as the Aussies. I’m not being a smart are’s, my wife is a nurse and she is currently on the street protesting, and I agree with her but there aren’t enough rich to tax to get enough money to pay the nurses without taxing the nurses. The point being missed by most is not the 17% increase to the nurses, almost certainly affordable, but the ongoing parity that would then be required for all other govt employees, a huge sum no doubt, well beyond my capacity to calculate and the governments to afford in the short term.. That huge sum can only come from bankrupting the so-called rich which would include ..the nurses.
Adrian, I am minded of the parable that Christ taught about the farmer who got a problem with weeds in his crops. Of course, his listeners were the poor farmers high up the hills whose land was too poor to grow the particular weeds and who never knew the threat to their huge crops complained of by the wealthy farmers on the valley floor.
A bit like a poorly paid worker being told that they would have to pay more tax if they got paid a decent wage commensurate with their hours, skills and social worth.
What is the average pay for a nurse? The start at about 55 before tax and after a few years should be at about mid 70? that is not rich, not before tax not after tax. And certainly not when one factors in GST. And certainly not when we consider that these women and men are the ones that will intubate us should we need it, and in case of Covid might be the last people to actually care about the patient more then them just being a dying bag of bones and flesh.
They could however establish a Capital Gains Tax to finance these fancy people called Nurses. Maybe a Land tax? Maybe a luxury tax on certain cars for the very rich? Maybe an 'empty room' tax for those that own houses but keep them empty? I am sure if these people were to put that thinking hat on they would come up with something.
Anyway, i hope she and her collegues will achieve and receive not only bread but also Roses, and maybe some respect. So she has my support.
The wealth of NZ's richest person, Graeme Hart, increased (!) by $3.4b since the covid pandemic started. So a 10% pay rise for every nurse in NZ is only 12% of this wealth increase (ignoring his existing enormous wealth). So this single person could easily pay for a 10% increase for every nurse in NZ, for the next 8 years, without losing a cent of his underlying wealth, just his recent increase.
There’s no bottom to the depths these fuckers will sink to.
Three groups opposed to Covid restrictions, masks, and vaccines are hosting conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf for a fundraiser entitled "Liberate Our Five Freedoms."
The event is going to be held on Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of chattel slavery in the US. Event organizer Kathryn Levin told me that in her view, it's appropriate.
"The 19th is a day of emancipation, and it's a day when we claim our freedom," said Levin. "It's when we see that we are not slaves to mandate. It's when we take our power back."
I asked Levin how she analogized American chattel slavery—where slaves were whipped, beaten, raped, and murdered by their white masters for centuries—to the temporary restrictions over the last 15 months due to the pandemic.
"We have been enslaved by our government," she replied.
Ironically, these people are perfectly fine with a police state as long as it is them not being policed. They all would have thought George Floyd deserved to die.
Like these 3 people who I used to work with, all through COVID was a plot to impose a police state, but supported Trump.
2035 – 14 years away. So what are we doing in the meantime?
The Climate Change Commission has released its final report laying out the roadmap for the country to slash emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050…
By end of 2022 set targets to get more people walking, cycling and using public transport
Renewable energy target of 50 by the end of 2035
(Plus a lot more. Doesn't say anything about hybrid vehicles in the meantime, which would be helpful while we up the electricity supply.)
Climate Change Minister James Shaw said this government had done more to fight the climate crisis in the last three-and-a-half years than the combined efforts of governments over the last three-and-a-half decades.
"However, we are yet to see a sustained decline in the pollution we put into the atmosphere," Shaw said.
You know what, that was said consistently under John Key too, and i bet you a dollar that no one asked those that can't afford rent, are on a benefit in a town that costs per week (without utilities, food, and all other jazz of nice things)
Market rent in Avondale (Auckland) 01 Nov 2020 – 30 Apr 2021
BONDS 2160
LOWER ($)490
MEDIAN ($)580
UPPER ($)650
If however you are one of the really lucky ones that live in a nice part of town, with a nice wage, and an affordable mortgage, or inherited housing then truly Auckland is a very livable city.
That's an extremely limited alibi and exoneration.
Those articles only provide evidence for an argument against the idea that a jump to humans from bats or pangolins occurred at that specific market. It in no way excludes the possibility that patient zero got it from bats or pangolins (or any other species for that matter) somewhere else, then spread it to other humans at the market. Nor does it even exclude the possibility that the jump to humans happened from some other species at the market.
Never mind the myriad other possibilities for zoonotic transfer some other place and time, and that Wuhan maybe just happened to be where the first superspreading event occurred.
Bats and pangolins just happened to have drawn suspicion because they are known to host viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, to the extent that they commonly have antibodies already circulating that neutralise SARS-CoV-2.. That doesn't mean there aren't other species also hosting similar coronaviruses that we aren't aware of. The original SARS intermediary was likely palm civets, for example, or camels for MERS.
One of the stranger things about moderating TS is seeing how many people make comments and then don't check to see who has replied to them next time the come back. Mods see this when someone's comments are held in the back end until someone responds to a moderation request.
I'd like to know how many people either don't use the Replies list function, or can't see it on their device. What are you all doing?
Tricledrown, if you are reading this, you need to go back to my last reply to you. All your other comments are landing in Trash until this gets sorted out.
Gelberger's body was found the next day, missing his lower left leg, and entire right leg.
Ports of Auckland was fined more than $420,000 in the Auckland District Court following Gelberger's death.
It admitted it had put people's lives at risk because its pilot boats consistently breached speed limits because, it said, they believed they were exempt.
The limits dictate vessels should not exceed five knots when closer than 200m to shore, and must keep to a 12-knot limit between the Harbour Bridge and North Head.
There is an exemption for Ports of Auckland vessels to breach limits if they are unable to carry out duties, but this applies only in limited circumstances.
In court, the company was found to have breached the rules on about 99 percent of its trips.
This seems the way things are in NZ. Power tends to corrupt etc. Why does someone have to be killed before the value of the precautionary policy is recognised? It was too fast, and not allowed at that time anyway.
As reported the proposed pay rates by DHBs for the nursing sector
Healthcare Assistants $40,382 a year, through to $48,003. This will range of $45,310 to $53,359. That is a total pay increase of between 4.6 per cent for those on step two of the pay scale, and 11.7 per cent for those at the top.
Enrolled nurses are currently paid between $48,632 and $57,047. The new agreement would take that to $53,998 to $59,447, or a total increase of 11 per cent for the step one nurses through to 4.2 per cent for step four
Senior midwives would see their pay increase from $79,760 for grade two through to $130,653 for grade eight, to $83,157 to $133,486.
Registered Nurses total pay increase between 3.1 per cent and 4.4 per cent, to reach a band of $56,434 to $79,786.
Most NZNO members are in the RN category and on the top scale ( after 7 years) of $80 k per year
My neighbour was on top scale and I would see her each morning waiting for Uber instead of the bus just around the corner
Up to 30 people are in handcuffs and being questioned by police after a hit-and-run crash which left one person dead in Auckland this morning.
A witness at the scene in Māngere said 20-30 people had been restrained across two scenes, while they were questioned amid a heavy police presence of about 15-20 officers.
"The vehicle involved fled the area immediately afterwards. Emergency services attended the scene but sadly the man died shortly after."
Early reports suggested a firearm may have been involved in the incident and as a precaution, armed staff responded to the area.
Police had not located a firearm.
Or is that selective over policing in certain areas of town? Have a good look at this picture and ask yourself if that is a normal action to a 'hit and run'. Also who suggested firearms had been involved and when that weapon failed to materialized why was the present police force not told to put their weapons away?
It wasnt a hit and run ! First reports arent always accurate
Why does this concern you now , Im sure you can wait till tomorrow when more will be released. A person is dead after an some sort of violence in a house , a car was attacked in the street and some masked people drove off … and thats what neighbors have said at around 5 PM reports
Is that your alter ego , a TV reporter for those real life crime shows ?
I just asked because i read the article and i could not quite get it sorted. It seems there were at least two if not three incidents. And having the cops stand there with what look like assault weapons in suburbia should concern all of us, unless of course we think that cops with assault weapons in the street is Kiwi as.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
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Great new initiative for my hydrochoroquine believer relatives in the Far North.
The new age hippy fascists will be queueing around the block.
https://gen.medium.com/nazi-hippies-when-the-new-age-and-far-right-overlap-d1a6ddcd7be4
that link is an interesting read..
kinda unsure tho' of the validity/connection of yr 'queueing around the block' sneer…
and thereby surely setting a new benchmark in lateral thinking..?
Lateral comment directed @ ad..
Don't know how effective that would be in Northland ATM. The harvest is in, the curing has happened and should be plentiful.
Lol ova here it,d have to be at least an oz
The Prime MInister claims that the government is able to fund the nurses claims.
$785 million for a cycleway says otherwise
As part of their protest Nurses will march up Queen Street.
Nurses know a lot about blocked arteries, if they are serious they should continue their march down Fanshaw Street and block the motorway entrance, until Michael Wood or Grant Robertson agree to negotiate.
Oops typo.
Should read:
The Prime MInister claims that the government is not able to fund the nurses claims.
$785 million for a cycleway says otherwise
A textbook example of a Freudian slip
mummy?
The smell of custard pudding.
I see, you’re still tilting at the cycling & walking bridge, which doesn’t surprise me.
And you’re still barking up the wrong tree, it seems.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444225/nurse-fears-for-exhausted-profession-as-colleagues-gear-up-for-strike [from yesterday, i.e. before the strike]
Pray tell, what do Michael Wood or Grant Robertson have to do with the negotiations?
One trick pony.
Let us refresh the memory of those that have forgotten what the two dudes named above do in government
Woods:
Transport – Minister
Workplace Relations and Safety
Deputy Leader of the House
Robertson
Minister of Finance
Minister for Infrastructure
Minister for Racing
Minister of Sport and Recreation
edit: but then we can see why cycling bridges are the winner when one is also transport minister and the other is minister of racing and sport and recreation. Priorities this government has them, and they are outdoing John Key on his cycleway of historic importance.
As for the nurse vs the bridge, lol. Yeah, that is making the rounds in all places that are not labour loyalists by hook n crook.
But then some rather have solidarity with cycling bridges for the 10% then the wellbeing for nurses and other medical frontline staff. So very 'labour' of them. So very 'kind' so very 'gentle'.
Who persuaded you it's one or the other?
https://twitter.com/roydanroy/status/1218197470695641098
dear leader yesterday saying
"There is NO money"
nurses striking today
nurses being offered ' 4000 NZD backpay!!!! – as part of their wage agreement
nurses being offered 1.38% (under inflation)
Nurses Striking today.
and just for clarity : “At the moment, their [NZNO’s] ask is 17 per cent [annualised increases]; we're just not in the position to be able to fund that at this point in time,”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
As i suggested yesterday, all he white nurses (only the white ones please it would be to dangerous for people of color) should loan some 2 – 4 grand bikes and run over a police barricade, illegally enter a motorway, cause traffic issues and then …..then the PM would say, lols, sure here have your 870 million.
In whose interests is it for you to believe that?
I don't believe anything,
I take them at their word.
And she said what she said, and she can't unsay it, and today the nurses are striking.
So in whose interest is it for her to say that kind of stuff?
Not that you're aware of, perhaps then. Must make life tricky.
It's a wonder we have any nurses left in this country.
Could say the same about teachers, cleaners, and any support staff in general.
verily
https://twitter.com/rg_jones/status/1402371259757826052
The problem is that 3 letter word is political poison
Used to be. Now would be a great time to push it, when other countries are.
tax the rich?
well there is the much vaunted new tax rate from the Finance Minsiter
that will raise about 500 million per year, so would pay in its first year for one half of a bridge for cyclists. And then would need probaly another three years of that to account for the 'overspending' on the bridge for the very well looked after very rich Aucklanders.
Lol. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2020-labour-ups-top-tax-rate-for-high-earners-grant-robertson/2Y4FYWV5GKIAEPPCI4J7PTREPY/
Maybe someone should tell the Prime Minister that she could use these 500 millions raised by the 'rich tax' on the Nurses, and the very white lawbreaking cyclists of rich Auckland can hold a bake sale for the bridge? I mean that is what we do for Ambulances, Firestations and schools in this country.
nah, that image is wrong,
the foreigner don't get cookies from the get go – its called Kiwi experience and thus they can work real cheap,
the worker only gets cookie when he does as he is told,
and the suits- Jacinda, Grant, Andrew etc and the white well to do people from Herne Bay and Ponsnobby – who can break laws without consequeses- are in the meantime eating all the cookies,
And then they turn around and tell the nurses there ain't any money left in the kitty, and that if they expect a decent pay for a decent day of work, and if the Nurses expect toilet breaks and lunch breaks and enough collegues to cover these breaks they need to move to OZ, the US, or England or elsewhere, cause here in NZ they are not valued neither by the government nor the public.
One step forward @ 8:22 am, two steps backward @ 8:41 am. It’s windy outside.
‘
“Pray tell, what do Michael Wood or Grant Robertson have to do with the negotiations?”
Incognito
I thought it would be a bit presumptious to ask the Prime Minister to take part in the negotiations. Though if you think that is better. Sure, why not.
After all it is the Prime Minister who has said that the government hasn't got the money. Maybe the Prime Minister coulc convince the nurses of that.
Why I chose Grant Robertson; Grant Robertson is the Deputy PM and also the Minister of Finance, an obvious choice. He holds the purse strings.
Why I chose Michael Wood, for several reasons; Michael Wood is an Auckland based MP, it wouldn;t be too far out of his comfort zone.
I have met with Michael several times and am convinced of his basic decency and humanitarianism.
Because of this, I toyed with the idea of just asking Michael to come and negotiate with the nurses on behalf of the government.
The other and more obvious reason is Michael could agree to forgo the $785 million he got for the cycleway and ask the Minister of Finance to give it to the nurses instead.
I would expect the negotiations to last 30 minutes. Auckland motorists could then get back on their way.
You seem to spend a lot of effort not understanding how government works, nor even how it could in an ideal world. Stuck in the middle somehow.
“You seem to spend a lot of effort not understanding how government works, nor even how it could in an ideal world.” Sacha
Hi Sacha,
We live in a far from ideal world. Sometimes you just have to cut through the Gordian Knot.
And;
The lesson is obvious.
It is a lesson not missed by the Right.
You seem to spend a lot of effort not understanding how government works, nor even how it could in an ideal world. Stuck in the middle somehow.
Or perhaps, bogged down. That quicksand is diabolically slow sometimes.
The other reason I chose Michael Wood, he is probably in town already and could get there without much delay.
If Grant can't make it at short notice. Michael could take a smart phone and Bring in Grant Robertson by skype, or facebook messenger, or zoom or whatever platform suits best.
The PM could even cut in for 5 minutes if she wanted to. To berate the nurses for being wrong headed, ‘There is no money, you should call off your strike’.
And all of that hinges on two things,
Good faith, and actually wanting to resolve the dispute. I can't see non of that happening at the moment;.
I mean offering an advance to owed backpay as part of a wage negotiation is not good faith, nor does it show a will to resolve a pay dispute, but it is very much an insult to injury.
"I mean offering an advance to owed backpay as part of a wage negotiation is not good faith, nor does it show a will to resolve a pay dispute, but it is very much an insult to injury."
Too true. A bit like criticism of Vance's article, the $4000 is there for lazy minds to cling to.
The chosen ones will be delighted and over
Marsthe Moon with their elevation, which comes as a revelation. Will you make them knights or just anoint them?You toying with ideas is like Donald Trump playing with the two red buttons on his desk, one was for the Diet Coke Button the other one was for frying the world.
Acutally we could choose the worlds governments, inclusive ours and ship them all to Mars to colonize the rock.
No one would be missed here on earth, and chances are life would go on as if these useless eaters had never existed.
Robertson popped his beak in a couple of days ago.
As Finance Minister, he controls the purse strings and gas been able to find monies for various reasons/projects
Like all things the amount is largely irrelevant, it is a will that is lacking.
Freudian slip there? (gas/has)
Nurses are sure going to have to campaign smarter than a boring old strike (which the system is coping with easily) if they are going to be out-competed by a few old lycra-waddling duffers.
You can pop over to the Nurses Union and tell them how their industrial relations efforts are so weak and then show them HowToGetThere.
nope they don't actually, they could just choose to move overseas to a government that pays them better.
It's a free country. Go for it. We'll just keep importing replacements.
ah, but then you are ok with foreign workers, and then it should be ok for the horticulturist, the Orchadists, the farmers, the booze shops, the universities and all the others that don't want to pay a decent wage in NZ, lead by the government. i
As always with government in NZ, Labour as well as National it is a case of do as we say not as we do. Non of them want 'living wages' or 'decent wages'.
hahahahaha, i am so gonna enjoy the next National / Act government and their 'surplus' tax cuts, for the rich, of whom Robertson, Ardern, and the rest of the dull knights and dames are members of. hahahahahahahah
Nope we should only import who we need. Each has their own category. As you are aware.
will this mean you will stop your endless incessant whingeing?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300327417/judith-collins-refuses-to-discuss-conversation-with-nick-smith-ahead-of-his-resignation
The inference we're getting here is that Judith lied to Nick Smith about the breaking scandal to get him to resign. Knowing full well there was no breaking story. So she could get Harete Hipango into the House.
Or am I reading this all wrong?
Kinda stoopid of those cops telling the world how they got their busts..
instead of hauling their informant out into the sunlight and pointing at them ..
you'd think it would have made more sense to just keep that gold mine of information ticking over ..
and occaisonally/selectively harvesting..?
and of course it will not make the slightest difference in the supply of meth etc..
to claim otherwise is a folly..
and of course it is a given…that the war on drugs is an ineffectual keystone cops farce…
and that all drugs should be decriminalised..and treatment etc. moved under the aegis of the health department..
that is the only solution that will work..
Careful where you get your phone.
The legal basis they used worldwide expired.
??..
See Eric Garland's thread of tweets below.
Well no…as soon as the first cases appeared in court the light bulb would have gone on and phones would be heading for the skip smartly.
"ANoM could only be found on phones bought through the black market, which had been stripped of the capability to make calls or send emails, according to the AFP. The phones could only send messages to another device that had the app and criminals needed to know another criminal to get a device.
"The devices organically circulated and grew in popularity among criminals, who were confident of the legitimacy of the app because high-profile organized crime figures vouched for its integrity," the AFP statement said."
well no…if you read the story you will see they have been doing that…using info gained to bust imports…back to 2019..
so I still don't understand why they blew the gaff..
and didn't just continue to milk it..
maybe it was already blewn and thus they explained what they did.
or they wanted the kudos/positive p.r..
I still can't see any 'policing' reason to pull the plug…
If this was a one of, and it was known (or suspicion arose among those targeted) …..then yes pull the plug and only to see if the news would make some more crawl out from under the rocks in order to hide under another.
Let me put it another way. All the arrests around the world were coordinated,
and the point you are trying to make..is..?
The gig was up.
But the cover appeared to be blown in March 2021 when a blogger detailed ANOM security flaws and claimed it was a scam linked to Australia, the United States and other members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network. The post was later deleted.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/anom-operation-trojan-shield-over-800-arrested-worldwide-in-staggering-global-crime-sting-2459534
Certainly showed the problem of networked crime,and its expansive reach.
https://twitter.com/FBISanDiego/status/1402350093781680138
As a psyop,the enhancement of paranoia,within acute paranoid gangsters will bring fear,and error.
Make what you will of the author but he certainly tells a ripping yarn.
https://twitter.com/ericgarland/status/1402100449013125123
Two for one.
"The erosion of trust in these networks was a primary goal, along with gathering invaluable investigative information."
I'm surprised the internet policing app was used for as long as it got used and no one discovered they were being monitored. Possibly the cops cover would have been blowen as the app would be used as evidence.
for anyone at all interested in hip-hop..the guardian website has a very tidy piece on the history/arc of hip-hop lyrics..
with the appropriate vid-links…
All I need is here:
https://www.thetempleofhiphop.org/
this one is my current favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFU0PTsykeU
very clever people.
Good on them. Hope they strike until the DHB (and Government) pull their heads in.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125372284/nurses-speak-out-before-nationwide-strike
seriously for this alone they should stay on strike for the rest of the week.
that 4 grand has nothing to do with the current wage dispute. Here really the government and DHB are saying that we owe you back pay, but we could advance that for you now, so please dear Nurses *(male/female/others as some seem to think that nursing is a 'female' profession ) stay on strike until the Managarial Goons learn some shame, humility and grow a brain.
For what its worth all of us have needed nurses and medical staff in our lifes, non of us has needed any of the overpaid goons that pretend that 1.38% (below inflation) is a 'pay increase'.
Strike!
Strike!
Strike!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94mSln34ZwA
(should have been headline ..)
'bennett blacklisted by tories..!'..)
[time to flex my (blue-pencil) muscles 😀
Please add a link to your comments so that others may get a clue what you’re on about, thanks – Incognito]
Why? She still in politics? or is there just something in the waters of some left leaning people that they rather discuss the National wanabes of yesteryears rather tehn just the regular businesses of strikes, homelessness, violence and crime?
She was always only an attack dog, she knew her role and she fulfilled it to the finest. And now she sells real estate for big bucks, laughing all the way to the bank.
lol
You seem to have missed the post by Mike Smith: https://thestandard.org.nz/nz-nuclear-free-day/.
i did not answer to someone writing a post, i answered to someone who should have posted a link. So nah, i missed nothing. And i don't waste my time with has beens such as the like of Paula Benefit.
heh..!….luv yr long reason why you wouldn't link to the link you demanded from me…
tho' there is anti-tory schadenfreude to burn there..
I'm sure you would find something to please you there ..
(hint:. just Google bennett..and it will all be @ yr fingertips..wallow away..!..)
i just think it is polite to link. Nothing more nothing less. And no i see no reason to google anything National, I have no care for them.
Links are even more important than ever.
So called Journalists should provide them for one.
Helps stop the all to common practice of interviewing their own empty heads.
As shown by Vance’s recent, unsupported by evidence fluff piece.
See my Moderation note @ 8:35 am.
(a short history/arc of the link..)
in the early days of the internet..when everybody had shit/expensive internet-coverage..providing links was crucial…
it was one of the reasons I started/did my proto-aggregation website whoar.co.nz..to provide that service…and I always included the link to every story I posted..
that was then…this is now…when everyone has fast/efficient internet..and in the above case of my made-up tabloid headline..typing bennett into google will bring up all coverage of 'what I am talking about'..namely bennetts' vomiting all over her tory party..and how they dun her wrong…
and I would contend that just providing one link (as you continue to demand) is/can be a negative..is an involuntary controlling of the message..by only giving the reader one perspective..whereby they have to Google to find out more ..(!)
It is for these reasons I feel the arc of importance of 'the link'..has reached it's natural conclusion..
and is increasingly irrelevant/a block on the full picture..
largely..the link is yesterday's imperative..
and should be left just to wither..
and certainly not be demanded of anyone posting anything..
[I did not demand, I asked, nicely and politely. You must have attended the same school as Jenny for not understanding the difference between these two verbs.
Indeed, this is here and now, you’re commenting on TS, not on your proto-site. You take heed of Moderation notes, here and now.
It is good manners to post a link. Don’t expect others to do the digging and Googling; they’re not mind readers.
When I Google “bennett”, I get all sorts of results, including Naftali Bennett, the next PM of Israel.
Please don’t act like an obstinate pillock and include links in your comments, especially when asked by a Moderator, thanks. This is your final warning – Incognito]
You must have an awful lot of time on your hands if that seems like a viable tactic. If you google the word 'tactic' you will find what I'm talking about..
See my Moderation note @ 9:54 am.
So you totally dismiss the case I made re arc of link…?
and choose to again threaten to ban ..?
After the several days of my being back here you following me around sneering insults/trolling at virtually everything I say..?
go read them..!
your abuses of power/harassment of me is over the top..
other people..including yrslf..regularly say things without linking..I read whole threads like that..while I was'nt commenting here..and not a word from you..or any other moderator..
I repeat…why do you single me out for such special treatment..
So you don't like my arguments…esp re animal flesh..eh..?..
So you cancel me…?
'final warning'..?
not very over the top…eh..?
injustice does my fucken head in..
how about telling me what I got wrong in my depiction of the arc/increasing irrelevance/need of the link…
I thought I made quite a relevant case..
would be interested to hear your dismissal…
all I have heard so far is 'polite'..and 'because I said so'
lol
my screen/font settings gave a convenient word wrap:
For me, that's filed under "don't ask questions you don't wanna know the answer to".
Reform for retirees has been a long time coming. It would be a popular move if the government follows the advice and takes the rights of older folk as seriously as younger tenants.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125371030/retirement-village-residents-have-less-protection-than-tenants–retirement-commissioner-calls-for-urgent-law-reform
From the link above
also from the link as to why nothing will change until this government is shamed into action – from Poto Williams herself
"Asked what plans, if any, she has to move on the commission and Consumer reports to strengthen the Retirement Villages Act, Williams said: "At this stage there are no immediate plans to review the Act, although I acknowledge that the Act is due for review and will work towards this when we can."
Lol. This fucking government.
Seriously the government should be ashamed of itself. All of the goons.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/06/kiwi-nurse-exposes-hospital-conditions-that-prompted-her-move-to-australia.html
as the nurse who know lives and work in OZ says: "We want to be recognised for all we do, and unfortunately a pen on international nurses’ day doesn’t cut it."
Back in the day, last century, long service was acknowledged at 25 years and the good old gold watch was the gift.
Nowadays it occurs at 10 years.
Also since the rise of DHB CEOs, carparks were privatized. A fairly significant change in working conditions for many hospital staff.
Not a skerrick of renumeration and often decreased safety as the person in the booth wasn't paid to provide security or folk would park off hospital grounds.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444325/inquiries-into-unsafe-building-designs-not-published-as-complaints-rise
Two crucial initiatives to clamp down on unsafe building designs are yet to see the light of day, five years after the Kaikōura earthquake.
At the same time, the number of complex complaints about commercial building structural design is rising, according to the Structural Engineering Society.
It says the problem with substandard designs is "unacceptable".
"We've been campaigning for change to prevent quality issues," Structural Engineering Society president, Michelle Grant said.
"We've … strongly voiced our recommendations for greater scrutiny and tighter assessment of structural engineers."
Such is the increase in complex investigations landing at Engineering New Zealand (ENZ) that it has had to hire more engineers and lawyers to tackle the backlog. The body receives between 45-50 complaints each year.
Give over the bridge discussion. Get behind this one now, about buildings which affects us all every day of the week.
but are there votes in that?
Here is something to bite into.
In Australia the rule about agreement to sex or whether it was rape would be laughable if it was in a satirical performance. If it said that previous agreed sex within the period the participants were together should be considered in exoneration, (which I believe was the case for Julian Assange) that would fit the Oz idea of rationality, but not just the sheer force of the man's lust or want.)
However, the court also cited the “high hurdle” it faced on the issue of consent. Under the archaic legal definition of “consent” in place in Australia at the time the incidents had occurred, any belief by the perpetrator that the complainant was consenting – not matter how irrational that belief was – had to be counted as grounds for acquittal. The court cited McLachlan’s “egocentric” personality as an exonerating factor, in that he simply may not have been able to comprehend that his advances would not be reciprocated
Gordon Campbell in Scoop – https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2106/S00022/on-the-mclachlan-interview-and-the-g-7-global-corporate-tax.htm
Not a surprise, but leaked info from the US IRS confirms billionaires pay very low tax rates compared to ordinary people
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax
Meanwhile in NZ, we seem terrified of taxing wealth but are happy to go hammer and tongs with nurses to suppress their pay. To me, these two things are linked.
Why would the wealthy people in government raise taxes on the wealthy or the wealthy companies? heck, we give millions of dollars to come here and make some dumb arse movies.
Please try and limit the number of short sharp irrationalities that you put up Sabine.
Dumb arse movies are common, and watched by many similar people. If made here they provide jobs and a change of business, a bit of diversity from dairy and housing and building war tech for the USA. It will be a good change from selling our stock of houses from under the feet of the NZs who we hope will make some wages from the movie-making.
so the Amazon dude did not get some hundered million and a bit for a movie? 🙂 lol.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300278243/amazon-may-be-on-the-way-to-new-zealand-as-government-signs-subsidy-deal
but but but
Says here MSD has "blacklisted" the person from receiving help with emergency accommodation.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/125336479/eco-lodge-owner-taken-to-tenancy-tribunal-over-bond-money
MSD cannot do this. Help with emergency accommodation is governed by legislation which means if a person is entitled to the help they must receive it. Nobody can stop anyone applying for help under the Act, but when it comes to emergency accommodation MSD do it all the time.
When challenged MSD will of course agree they cannot blacklist anyone, but the fact is that very few people do challenge their decisions so what has become a widespread problem is left to continue because it suits MSD for it to continue even though they know it's wrong.
The money you are trying to raise to pay for the nurses would have to come from …the nurses. They are well paid ,but not as well paid as the Aussies. I’m not being a smart are’s, my wife is a nurse and she is currently on the street protesting, and I agree with her but there aren’t enough rich to tax to get enough money to pay the nurses without taxing the nurses. The point being missed by most is not the 17% increase to the nurses, almost certainly affordable, but the ongoing parity that would then be required for all other govt employees, a huge sum no doubt, well beyond my capacity to calculate and the governments to afford in the short term.. That huge sum can only come from bankrupting the so-called rich which would include ..the nurses.
Adrian, I am minded of the parable that Christ taught about the farmer who got a problem with weeds in his crops. Of course, his listeners were the poor farmers high up the hills whose land was too poor to grow the particular weeds and who never knew the threat to their huge crops complained of by the wealthy farmers on the valley floor.
A bit like a poorly paid worker being told that they would have to pay more tax if they got paid a decent wage commensurate with their hours, skills and social worth.
If only……….
What is the average pay for a nurse? The start at about 55 before tax and after a few years should be at about mid 70? that is not rich, not before tax not after tax. And certainly not when one factors in GST. And certainly not when we consider that these women and men are the ones that will intubate us should we need it, and in case of Covid might be the last people to actually care about the patient more then them just being a dying bag of bones and flesh.
They could however establish a Capital Gains Tax to finance these fancy people called Nurses. Maybe a Land tax? Maybe a luxury tax on certain cars for the very rich? Maybe an 'empty room' tax for those that own houses but keep them empty? I am sure if these people were to put that thinking hat on they would come up with something.
Anyway, i hope she and her collegues will achieve and receive not only bread but also Roses, and maybe some respect. So she has my support.
" The money you are trying to raise to pay for the nurses would have to come from …the nurses. "
Yeah right.
There are about 60,000 nurses working in NZ. Average pay is very roughly $70k. a 10% pay rise (compared to the 1.38% on offer) would cost roughly $420m p.a.
The wealth of NZ's richest person, Graeme Hart, increased (!) by $3.4b since the covid pandemic started. So a 10% pay rise for every nurse in NZ is only 12% of this wealth increase (ignoring his existing enormous wealth). So this single person could easily pay for a 10% increase for every nurse in NZ, for the next 8 years, without losing a cent of his underlying wealth, just his recent increase.
There’s no bottom to the depths these fuckers will sink to.
Three groups opposed to Covid restrictions, masks, and vaccines are hosting conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf for a fundraiser entitled "Liberate Our Five Freedoms."
The event is going to be held on Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of chattel slavery in the US. Event organizer Kathryn Levin told me that in her view, it's appropriate.
"The 19th is a day of emancipation, and it's a day when we claim our freedom," said Levin. "It's when we see that we are not slaves to mandate. It's when we take our power back."
I asked Levin how she analogized American chattel slavery—where slaves were whipped, beaten, raped, and murdered by their white masters for centuries—to the temporary restrictions over the last 15 months due to the pandemic.
"We have been enslaved by our government," she replied.
https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/p/fresh-off-twitter-ban-naomi-wolf
They think 'It's all about me, precious me, my inviolable rights. Others serve my purpose, and might get some advantage eventually.'
Ironically, these people are perfectly fine with a police state as long as it is them not being policed. They all would have thought George Floyd deserved to die.
Like these 3 people who I used to work with, all through COVID was a plot to impose a police state, but supported Trump.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/444341/climate-change-commission-releases-final-report-says-nearly-all-cars-imported-by-2035-must-be-electric
2035 – 14 years away. So what are we doing in the meantime?
The Climate Change Commission has released its final report laying out the roadmap for the country to slash emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050…
(Plus a lot more. Doesn't say anything about hybrid vehicles in the meantime, which would be helpful while we up the electricity supply.)
Climate Change Minister James Shaw said this government had done more to fight the climate crisis in the last three-and-a-half years than the combined efforts of governments over the last three-and-a-half decades.
"However, we are yet to see a sustained decline in the pollution we put into the atmosphere," Shaw said.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444345/auckland-named-most-liveable-city-in-the-world
Well. It's time for The Hollies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmzi0Rc3P8Q
'What more could I ask, There's nothing left to desire!'
Auckland the most liveable city in the world?
You know what, that was said consistently under John Key too, and i bet you a dollar that no one asked those that can't afford rent, are on a benefit in a town that costs per week (without utilities, food, and all other jazz of nice things)
https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/rent-bond-and-bills/market-rent/
Market rent in Avondale (Auckland) 01 Nov 2020 – 30 Apr 2021
If however you are one of the really lucky ones that live in a nice part of town, with a nice wage, and an affordable mortgage, or inherited housing then truly Auckland is a very livable city.
But then…….who was asked and who did the asking?
The wet markets of Wuhan,suspects exonerated Bats and Pangolin's have an alibi.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/wet-market-sources-covid-19-bats-and-pangolins-have-alibi.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91470-2
That's a damned useful bit of research.
That's an extremely limited alibi and exoneration.
Those articles only provide evidence for an argument against the idea that a jump to humans from bats or pangolins occurred at that specific market. It in no way excludes the possibility that patient zero got it from bats or pangolins (or any other species for that matter) somewhere else, then spread it to other humans at the market. Nor does it even exclude the possibility that the jump to humans happened from some other species at the market.
Never mind the myriad other possibilities for zoonotic transfer some other place and time, and that Wuhan maybe just happened to be where the first superspreading event occurred.
Bats and pangolins just happened to have drawn suspicion because they are known to host viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, to the extent that they commonly have antibodies already circulating that neutralise SARS-CoV-2.. That doesn't mean there aren't other species also hosting similar coronaviruses that we aren't aware of. The original SARS intermediary was likely palm civets, for example, or camels for MERS.
The natural evolution theory gets stronger by the day!
One of the stranger things about moderating TS is seeing how many people make comments and then don't check to see who has replied to them next time the come back. Mods see this when someone's comments are held in the back end until someone responds to a moderation request.
I'd like to know how many people either don't use the Replies list function, or can't see it on their device. What are you all doing?
Tricledrown, if you are reading this, you need to go back to my last reply to you. All your other comments are landing in Trash until this gets sorted out.
I've been doing (tedious) "Find in This Page" searches of the (default) "Comments" tab, so thanks weka for highlighting the "Replies" tab – brilliant!
👍😎what device are you using?
I'm a slow adopter, tethered to my desktop and Firefox – no tablet or smartphone.
Hardly ever look at replies , maybe later in day or next day.
never heard of Replies list function, just found it now
It’s very handy
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444364/coroner-calls-for-ocean-swimming-advice-after-swimmer-hit-by-boat
Gelberger's body was found the next day, missing his lower left leg, and entire right leg.
Ports of Auckland was fined more than $420,000 in the Auckland District Court following Gelberger's death.
It admitted it had put people's lives at risk because its pilot boats consistently breached speed limits because, it said, they believed they were exempt.
The limits dictate vessels should not exceed five knots when closer than 200m to shore, and must keep to a 12-knot limit between the Harbour Bridge and North Head.
There is an exemption for Ports of Auckland vessels to breach limits if they are unable to carry out duties, but this applies only in limited circumstances.
In court, the company was found to have breached the rules on about 99 percent of its trips.
This seems the way things are in NZ. Power tends to corrupt etc. Why does someone have to be killed before the value of the precautionary policy is recognised? It was too fast, and not allowed at that time anyway.
As reported the proposed pay rates by DHBs for the nursing sector
Healthcare Assistants $40,382 a year, through to $48,003. This will range of $45,310 to $53,359. That is a total pay increase of between 4.6 per cent for those on step two of the pay scale, and 11.7 per cent for those at the top.
Enrolled nurses are currently paid between $48,632 and $57,047. The new agreement would take that to $53,998 to $59,447, or a total increase of 11 per cent for the step one nurses through to 4.2 per cent for step four
Senior midwives would see their pay increase from $79,760 for grade two through to $130,653 for grade eight, to $83,157 to $133,486.
Registered Nurses total pay increase between 3.1 per cent and 4.4 per cent, to reach a band of $56,434 to $79,786.
Most NZNO members are in the RN category and on the top scale ( after 7 years) of $80 k per year
My neighbour was on top scale and I would see her each morning waiting for Uber instead of the bus just around the corner
she.took.an.uber!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g
Can someone explain to me why 30 people would be in handcuffs for 'questioning' after a hit and run in Auckland?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/south-auckland-fatal-hit-and-run-crash-up-to-30-people-handcuffed-in-mangere-heavy-police-presence/JDAHZGDRQRBKCVSCSIVTEXX3KY/
Or is that selective over policing in certain areas of town? Have a good look at this picture and ask yourself if that is a normal action to a 'hit and run'. Also who suggested firearms had been involved and when that weapon failed to materialized why was the present police force not told to put their weapons away?
It wasnt a hit and run ! First reports arent always accurate
Why does this concern you now , Im sure you can wait till tomorrow when more will be released. A person is dead after an some sort of violence in a house , a car was attacked in the street and some masked people drove off … and thats what neighbors have said at around 5 PM reports
Is that your alter ego , a TV reporter for those real life crime shows ?
I just asked because i read the article and i could not quite get it sorted. It seems there were at least two if not three incidents. And having the cops stand there with what look like assault weapons in suburbia should concern all of us, unless of course we think that cops with assault weapons in the street is Kiwi as.
Never mind, you were not answering. 🙂
If you want to take on a gang-related fatal street fight with a cheery smile and a whistle, be our guest.