Off the topic of comment marvellosity, that same IP address thing from the other day has been background nagging at me. I've come across some info that talks about IPv4 running out of addresses, so some ISPs can implement ways of some users sharing the same public IP address. So unless lprent enlightens us to an alternate explanation, I'll go with that.
Superb brief comment. Many people are jealous, and for any number of reasons, but no one should be envious of your command of the English language.
"Methinks means “It seems to me.” Originally, it was spelled as two words. The me is an indirect object: “It seems to me.” Now it is spelled as one word, although some modern speakers, imagining that it means, “I think” spell it as two words."
"Note: Using methinks as if it meant, “I think” equates to such baby talk as “Me wants a cookie.”"
I always used to think that me thinks meant I seem to think to indicate that one wasn’t too sure of oneself, i.e. whether one was thinking something or whether one was in fact assuming that somebody else was thinking something that could be consistent and in fact quite similar to what one was thinking being that might be the case, in actual fact, presumably. In these situations, I usually praise the other for their sublime reasoning and clarity of communication, which is a precious rarity nowadays that I seldom encounter but highly value, nonetheless.
The main thing now is that the situation is contained, that it is established how it was and is transmitted and the resources required to test, contact trace and support on every level are available.
The options for the school need to be carefully considered. School holidays start on 28 September.
And how many people from Auckland meant to be at 2.5 left town and swanned about other parts of New Zealand and awarded themselves a level 2 to possibly spread it around. 2.5 should mean very limited inter regional travel.
Probably the next super spreader will be an MP or a candidate or their election support staff. I was for continuation of no regional travel into or out of Auckland at 2.5. I understand the reason for allowing regional travel at 2.5 was that it was too hard to enforce. People are not coming back into central Auckland and this is contributing to the final blow to businesses reliant on foot traffic. The rest of the country needs to return to 10 in a group and sport needs to be rethought.
Many sleepless nights are ahead for the government and a reset needs to take place after the weekend.
Nation wide transmission was always any day at anytime. The backstop is another level 4 lockdown and this might not be sustainable.
Certainly another 14 days at level 3 would have prevented this but I'm not sure it was an option given the pressure from business. I hope this isn't our Melbourne. As for the case and contacts, you canna help stupid. I'm reminded of Einstein – "Two things are infinite, the universe and stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe"
the pressure from business came simple from having no income and the government not allowing the wage subsidy for the full duration of level 3.
If the government wants to impose a lock down at the restriction set at Level 3 and up, then the government must provide legally binding rules that would allow for a rent break/bill break + food rations (yes, i can see rationing in our future) for the duration of the lock down at a bare minimum. Essentially it puts us in Home D with all the restrictions that come with it and sadly we still live in a capitalistic world and people thus must pay rent/ bills in order to survive really – and that will never work, not for the workers not for the businesses. I personally would have loved to see AKL go to L4 for 4 weeks on full pay, the rest of the country on 2 with access to aid for those that need it.
But here we are at 2.5 and we all wait for it to explode.
Duration of lockdown in Melbourne has been 6 weeks and another 2 week extention. Then a further review. Were Brisbane and Sydney to have a lockdown like in Melbourne Australia would take a big hit. The problem with Auckland is the size of the population and the hit to the economy.
Evidence is starting to come through that mask-wearing also reduces severity of infection as well as reducing likelihood of transmission.
For example, on an Argentinian cruise ship with an outbreak where masks were issued to everyone as soon as infection was detected, 81% of infections were asymptomatic. Compared to less than 20% asymptomatic on other plague ships where masks were not used.
Then there's a study on hamsters showing that masking reduced the likelihood of transmission, and reduced the severity of disease when it did happen.
Of course, increasing the proportion of asymptomatic cases has the minor downside of making it likelier an infection will pass through several generations undetected. Which makes contact tracing more difficult, so it increases the importance of the Covid app or some other means of movement tracking.
Couldn't anyone be the next super spreader based on the lack of mask wearing ?
Basics not being followed everywhere and Europes going off again with positive cases from elite sport, holiday making, gatherings in their many forms etc
Nice to be here but we've still got a lot of work to do. Did we ever trace that cluster origin ?
Matariki I’ve no issue with. It could replace Queens Birthday
Drop the anniversary day. Most anniversary day holidays are too close to another public holiday. Having an event in late June or in July during the coldest months of the year is ideal. From early June to late October there is no public holiday.
Yes, the concept of a Sabbath day that is sacrosanct to the extent possible from worldly concerns is an old one I'd like to see revived. It's meant to be a day of rest, not just physically, but mentally as well. A chance to restore and reconnect with what's important, family, community and one's own inner life.
Interestingly the Muslims do theirs on a Friday, the Jews on a Saturday, and the Christians of course on a Sunday. Therefore a truly multi denominational society could achieve a 3 day weekend no trouble .
It's meant to be a day of rest, not just physically, but mentally as well.
I always found working six days a week mentally and physically exhausting. 70 hours I could do – just so long as I had a full weekend to rest over and it wasn't every week.
Therefore a truly multi denominational society could achieve a 3 day weekend no trouble .
We only have one religion now – neo-liberal economics.
Christians don’t “of course” celebrate Sabbath on a Sunday. Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-day Baptists celebrate Sabbath on a Saturday. Just FYI 🙂
Its starting to look like this evangelical church in Mt.Roskill, Auckland is one of the nut-job churches. If that is the case, then no doubt they're into conspiracy theories and denial.
I see Hipkins has put the police on the job. Good for him. I'm not one of the… we must treat these people gently mob. If they're dangerous and putting other people's lives at risk then come down hard on them. Make an example of them so that other nut-jobs think twice before behaving in the same way.
My first thought on reading the article was that it might have been the kind of behind-the-bike-shed close contact that wouldn't have received parental approval. Hence the failure to disclose.
Mt Roskill was always known as the Bible Belt in my youthful days. I have no quarrel with the main-stream churches. Indeed I was brought up in one of them. But I do have problems with the Johnny Come Lately bible bashing crowd who latch on to every bizarre theory they can lay their hands on. They're ignorant and dangerous and I'm not surprised the cluster numbers continue to increase.
Yeah, a bit more is coming out suggesting the church is kinda out there. But that doesn't negate the idea that the contact wasn't disclosed because of family dynamics, rather than, ahem, unorthodox views of the church group as a whole.
[Hipkins] said this sub-cluster has been a challenge to work with as some members do not understand the seriousness of the situation.
"There are certainly some within the cluster that perhaps don't accept or haven't previously accepted the science involved here."
They are now being educated on the gravity of the situation, he said.
"It would certainly appear that they were sceptical at the beginning," Hipkins said. "I think that a lot of work has been done with them since then."
are not ALL religions 'nut jobs', ignorant and dangerous?
The main stream churches, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish are little different, praying to an invisible man who knows all and created all. And as for those holier than thou Buddhists, check out their prayer request pricelests. The ChCh Buddhist Temple in Riccarton Road charges from $50 to $300 for a mention in a prayer, as an example, exploiting peoples vulnerabilities.
political parties, organised religions, gangs. three sides of the same bad egg(does an egg have sides?answer ,yes, your either with us in the shell or against us out in the pan)..
And I will not be kind and accepting of those whose beliefs put the health of others at risk. In doing so they burden unwitting rate/tax payers. I do not feel kind to speeding drivers whose self belief of invincibility puts others at risk.
'Someone' needs to explain to this group about real Christianity ie New Testament stuff not doing to others rather than the hardline Old Testament stuff that many of these churches believe in (the church that Israel Folau attended has similar people hating views).
So we have to be kind and accepting of idiots and crack-pots who are denying reality and putting others at risk?
These people are selfish and self-centred. Anyone who disregards the rules as laid down during the pandemic crisis for whatever reason deserve punishment.
The reason for not disclosing the contact could be not thinking children can get Covid-19 or that they cannot transmit it. The student is not to blame in any way, the adult responsible needs educating. The contact tracing system needs to have a process for eliminating another undisclosed contact to reduce a positive case.
Chris Hipkins: "It’s been a challenging cluster …There are certainly some within the cluster that perhaps don’t accept, haven’t previously accepted, the science involved here …”
So there are some who don't believe stuff like social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks and so on is likely to help stop the spread of the virus. The science.
They need educating because they're dumb. All the while we hear complaints about Ardern speaking to us as if we were kids, we were dumb. Some are.
Then again there are those who think they're not dumb who rubbish advice around the safety measures. Smart arses, they know best. Those two groups put everyone at risk, put all the hardship and effort at risk and are prepared to flush it all down the toilet.
Of course there are religious nutters here like in some places in the USA too who think God will protect them. All in the three groups should have to sign "Don't waste medical attention on me if I get Covid-19" waivers. Trouble is they'd happily infect innocent others along the way.
It's the result of Individualism and the idea hat all opinions are valid.. Both have been spread and encouraged over the last few decades across the globe and now we're seeing the result as stupid people act as if they know better than the scientists.
I plan to start with myself first when it comes to being educated about Covid – 19. How to avoid it and how to not transmit it.
Even the school does not allow people in the grounds to collect children. I have a marker for collecting gran kids and supervise hand washing after school.
Single biggest thing – get everyone to wear masks. Not only does it protect you and your whanau, the more mask-wearing gets normalised the better protection for everyone and the less risk we'll have to go back into lockdowns.
I really don't get why the government is so shy about introducing a mask mandate for all public places, especially indoors.
What will it take for a person to wear a mask when they leave their home?
Well, the government could get really brave (or suicidal) and mandate it like they have for masks on public transport.
Or if enough people start doing it, it will just get normalised as the right thing to do. Education and official encouragement could certainly help.
When I was a teenager, nobody wore helmets when skiing or biking. Helmet wearing kinda got normalised over the 90s and noughties, so now it's rare to not see them. Masks were quite normalised in a lot of Asian cities before the pandemic, because of pollution, but that almost certainly gave them a head start on controlling it at lower levels of coercion.
I would like to know how much it costs to produce a disposable mask?
I do not expect you to know the answer.
Some people might not like soaking and washing a material mask.
Distribution of material, elastic and cotton thread would help people with a sewing machine and some people would be prepared to sew for community groups.
Efeso Collins was on the radio addressing this issue this afternoon. He had the point that while some congregations may hold beliefs that are not mainstream, we still need to take them along with us.
When engaging with them, the messenger is more important than the message. So if the police are used with these people, then hopefully they are able to speak Samoan or Tongan.
I accept all of that gsays but it doesn't alter the fact that people who allow themselves to be sucked into following disinformation and so-called alternative belief systems which deny realities… have to be brought into line one way or another.
Climate change deniers were some such group and one of the reasons we have not addressed this increasingly deadly problem is because of them – aided and abetted by an idiotic media equivalence notion which saw them have too much influence on ignorant and naive peoples.
Seems to me that National has limited room for movement during this campaign. They are occupying a thin slice of ground:
They have fallen into line with the elimination strategy on Covid – the mumblings back in March-May about an alternative of 'living with the virus' are pretty much gone. They are left with insinuating that they would somehow do elimination 'better' and allow a greater degree of opening. This has little credibility – their flailing around on things like getting foreign students back in earlier, suggests they lack commitment to the elimination task, and in any case they would be working with the same health bureaucracy
They agree with Government borrowing to get through the crisis. Again the dubious insinuation is that they would borrow more effectively by directing money to the 'job creators' in business. This ignores the obvious – that if demand has tanked, then no business is going to create jobs to produce more goods and services. Borrowing has to be directed (as it has been) to support incomes at the bottom end of the economy – this money then trickles up – or in government-funded infrastructure.
They insist that the borrowing must be paid pack more quickly than can be achieved by letting economic growth wash it away over an extended period. They are setting an arbitrary 30% of GDP as the ceiling for Government debt. We know they are ideologically opposed to CGT, wealth tax, inheritance tax, higher top marginal income tax, and financial transaction tax. With those off the table – what tools are they left with? GST increases (which they prefer as it is regressive) or reductions in Government spending/services – the English/Joyce slow strangulation.
The reasons for voting National are now to do with culture/culture wars – or a matter of brand loyalty. The question is how big this bloc is – can it break through 35 or 40%?
good post. think brand loyalty in todays electorate is around 30%. its the swingers that decide elections, and expecting them to swing in behind a party that has swung in the wind over policies and leaders recently is a big ask.
September 17 has the NZ GDP 2quarter release. I thought it was already out, but that was an artifact of misreading the OECD chart. lol, my bad (we still look pretty good compared to the rest of the OECD in the march quarter).
So if we've got like a 20% hit to the economy, the planBleaters will make hay with their fortunate tragedy, and this might help the nats.
Otherwise, a couple of random clusters moght do it for JuCo, otherwise the nats are screwed.
The bigger problem for Natinal is that they have shown through this Covid episode that they are profoundly unfit to govern.
Their former health spokesperson making shit up about homeless in isolation and his toilet seat bullying, the then and current leaders refusing to ask hard questions of their senior MPs and, as you point out, their many and varied approaches to dealing with the crisis.
That is without looking at the likes of Brownlee, leading CERA and failing to dupe earthquake victims and a former defence minister who can 'forget' the murder of children by our elite forces.
If they only hold an nz passport then yes we take them . If they have a passport to another country that they had before their nz residency then na they can stay where they are
but what about kiwis? there are quite a few dual pass port holders that are actually born and bred kiwis? They too get a place on the boat to where ever they came from ? 🙂
The dial has literally gone back to zero in terms of immigration, in sharp contrast to the previous year when the overall numbers and net gain were New Zealand’s highest ever. What is unclear is what the country’s immigration management system or migrant flows will look like as we emerge from a pandemic. Will there be a major reset or will the old normal return?
Equilibrium, I hope. In nature, ecosystems attain that via the cancelling effect of negative feedback. Here, collusion by govts of the left & right has produced people pollution due to cramming them into Auckland without providing infrastructure to ameliorate negative consequences.
Enhancing cultural diversity is good, but I'm glad the pandemic pulled the plug on left/right mass insanity.
In March 2020, the immigration tap was all but turned off as New Zealand, and many other countries, closed their borders. But few countries have experienced quite the immigration arrival and net gain story that New Zealand has over the last two decades.
At this point, the drop in arrivals, apart from returning New Zealanders, is of such a magnitude it raises some fundamental questions: when will international mobility, both temporary and permanent migration, restart? And what will – or should – the new normal look like?
Sustainable, I hope! Wanting to present as a conventional academic, Spoonley carefully avoids answering his own questions. Must get readers thinking for themselves! Not to suggest he lacks credibility, mind you:
Spoonley is the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University… a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand… and a Research Fellow of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity… a Board member of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and is the current Chair of the TEC PBRF Panel for Social Sciences and Other Cultural/Social Studies.
An inverted population pyramid and a smaller prime working age population are going to provide us with significant challenges. Immigration is one of the options to address these major demographic shifts. It will be interesting to see whether our politicians and policy communities see it this way and construct an appropriate immigration model for a future New Zealand.
The politicians have been aware of those challenges for some time. It's pretty much why we've had almost unrestricted immigration for three decades as well as why we have short term workers being abused.
The law places responsibility on the gatekeeping/refereeing of our democracy to our independent Electoral Commission. They decide which parties meet the criteria to be registered and legal, and which are legitimate enough to receive significant public funding. The purpose of the Electoral Commission is to administer our electoral system “to provide an effective and impartial electoral system that New Zealanders understand and trust”.
Part of that role requires the Electoral Commission to determine how much funding different parties should receive to broadcast their message to the public. This independent assessment carried out by the country’s actual electoral referee should carry far more weight – and the media have a duty to respect that assessment.
In this case, the commission ranked TOP in Category 4. That is the same category as ACT and the Māori Party. There is no justification for treating us differently to them, and thereby giving more broadcast time to other parties in the same category. The TVNZ and TV3 decision undermines the intention of the law -–that is, to give the commission oversight over broadcast time – not the media.
The TVNZ and TV3 criteria mean that they are providing a significantly louder voice to two parties who were given the same level of broadcast funding as TOP – even though that classification signals that the Electoral Commission has determined we should be treated equally. It also means that TVNZ and TV3 are giving a far greater platform to one party that was ranked at Category 5 – below TOP – by the independent Electoral Commission process.
Simmons seems to have made a robust case. Both msm media corps have adopted arbitrary rules that defy the spirit of democracy exemplified by the EC decisions.
Good point. ACT shouldn't be on at all, the Maori Party has a position as part of our bi-cultural status, and if ACT is allowed on then TOP should be too. It seems a decision of grace and favour with these television luvvies at the top of the tree.
"The The, Pro-truth, pledge.incorporates 12 countermeasures to the psychological factors that foster misinformation. Signers pledge their earnest efforts to make it a practice to:
Share truth
Verify: fact-check information to confirm it is true before accepting and sharing it
Balance: share the whole truth, even if some aspects do not support my opinion
Cite: share my sources so that others can verify my information
NEW DELHI — India and China accused each other Tuesday of firing warning shots during a confrontation the day before at their disputed border in a marked escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Yeah, just the final turd garnish this shit sandwich of a 2020 needs. A third of the world's population, armed with nukes, to start shooting at each other.
Looks like China is pushing for an actual war there:
Such protocols did not prevent the two countries from engaging in their deadliest violence in more than 50 years in June, when Chinese soldiers armed with clubs studded with nails and metal rods clashed with Indian troops in a remote area of the western Himalayas.
More of their aggressive territorial grabbing similar to what they're doing in the South China Sea.
“These are serious military provocations of a terrible nature,” Zhang said. China demanded that India restrain its troops and punish the soldiers who fired their weapons.
Looks to me like its China doing the provoking.
Xi has said that the country will never give up an inch of territory, and Beijing has become more strident in asserting such claims in recent years, Glaser said, whether in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait.
And China has extended that to areas that were never under its control.
All indications are that China is making a massive land grab.
So disappointed that the Children commissioner is using old folks pension as an excuse for child neglect and poverty.
So we now will just have the old folks die of cold/hunger as we take their earned money (most have paid taxes all their lives) from them Its like taking from Peter to pay Paul.
And lets not forget that the Government gets millions of overseas pensions paid into the coffers.
To play one vulnerable group against the other is disgusting.
FFS Robertson is displaying lack of understanding tax. Increase the top rate whilst keeping other rates e.g. Coy and trusts at the same level. Just watch those at the very top end manipulate their affairs to reduce the tax. We deserve better, and Labour SHOULD be deliver better than this.🤬But to divert attention lets talk about National.
"Labour will not implement any new taxes or make any further increases to income tax next term," Robertson promised this morning."
Fairly shrewd. Targets the 1%. Then also targets the 1% below that. Can't say that's not socialist, eh?
Labour’s Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson has unveiled the party’s long-awaited tax policy, announcing a return of the 39 per cent tax bracket. But Robertson sweetened what would otherwise be a bitter pill by saying the top rate would only apply to income earned above $180,000 – meaning that only 2 per cent of taxpayers would actually pay it.
"The proposed new tax rate would cost $23 a week for someone earning $200,000 a year, but would make it easier for the Government to help the economy “bounce back” from Covid-10, while leaving income tax levels unchanged for about 98 percent of people."
No kidding! A pittance. Still, the `victims' will feel it as a tiny prick, as of a gnat, and will decide neoliberal Grant ain't so bad after all. Win/win all around?
The tax is on an individual's income so as he points out a couple earning $120,000 each have no change.
Compare that kind and fair attitude to the beneficiary who is friendly with a male, earning or not, and is dubbed in a relationship 'in the nature of marriage' and has her already straitened benefit and allowances cut back.
Has Robertson got any children? How close can he be to the basic circumstances of an ordinary person in a relationship?
I think for it to be described as 'shrewd' it would have to have a good chance of convincing enough voters that it will have a positive impact…..so no win in that respect IMO
And if you belief this will achieve its Headline Stealing aims will be, then you are far too innocent to be blogging on a political site. 😉.
Those at the very top that have the ability to "Manage" their affairs 0.1% will not be inconvenience at all they will reintroduce what was in place when the top rate was well out of step with the coy and trust rates or income splitting with family members.
"If you want a fairer New Zealand, you need to vote for people who actually support one. And based on current policy, the only party who fits that criteria is the Greens. As for Labour, they are the problem, not the solution – a complete waste of politicla space. Don't vote for them."
Pricing is flexible but conforms to market demand.
It's more a question of if BMW will forgo selling those cars and getting the profit or not. Personally, I think that they'll still want the profit.
And then there's the questions:
Are all of the doctors going to leave or will enough stay?
How many doctors is India training up?
An article I read a few years back was about the established lawyers in the US complaining that the universities were producing too many lawyers and they were thus having to drop their fees. We could probably do the same here with doctors.
Just watch those at the very top end manipulate their affairs to reduce the tax.
Yep, Watch as the highest net wealth individuals have their declared incomes stay at 70,000 while having actual incomes significantly higher than that. That estimated $7 billion in tax fraud isn't about to get any lower.
And this is why i would rather see a an untaxed income of say first 25.000 NZD a year (based on average rent) as that would actually benefit society. (even the rich would benefit)
They will never pay the tax increase because they are already not paying taxes currently levied at them. This is just a load of hogwash.
And this is why i would rather see a an untaxed income of say first 25.000 NZD a year (based on average rent) as that would actually benefit society. (even the rich would benefit)
Although I agree with the sentiment all it would do is have the rich put prices up so that they catch the all the extra money that the poor would have available.
well they already do that anyways, so no harm done.
secondly, if we ever get a government with guts (and no the centrist greens of today i don't think have what is needed) we might actually get some legislation as to when and how much a rental can be increased, we might get a rent mirror, etc etc all legal and binding.
But this charade is just mind numbing dumb and uninspired.
That is is for the election 2020 – the year of the global pandemic, we try even less then we did last election. Here have a token tax increase that non of the rich will ever pay, now shut up peasants…you see we are all in the boat that you poor suckers get to row while we the rich get to set the speed banging on the drums.
After watching "The Salisbury Poisoning" and how washout Tracy Daszkiewicz the( Director of Public Health and Safety for the county of Wiltshire) was portrayed, it just reinforces to me what our skilled medical and government officials are going thru currently. The pressure they are under. I hope that there are means for the country to display our gratitude to many of them. As the toll on these people and their families are huge, perhaps many of the high end Titular Honours are appropriate?
Well Tracy had to cope with disinformation coming from her own prime minister
‘Three children fell ill after feeding ducks there’, she is quoted saying, referring to the hospitalisation of children who had been in the park where Mr Skripal was found. ‘Yes, it’s horrible and disgusting’, Mr Trump agreed. ‘The US and the UK must stand together on this’, Mrs May said, according to the notes.”
April last year Tracy corrected this
Asked by the Guardian to comment on the New York Times report, Tracy Daszkiewicz, the director of public health at Wiltshire council, said: “There were no other casualties other than those previously stated. No wildlife were impacted by the incident and no children were exposed to or became ill as a result of either incident.”
Which when you consider was pretty remarkable considering the bread came straight from the freshly contaminated hand of Sergei, and one of the boys ate a piece
Later vast portions of Salisbury that the Skripals had passed through post the duck feeding ,were shut down and deep decontaminated ,such was the lethality of the nerve agent on the Skripal's hands, fresh from the doorknob
This duck feeding incident is fondly known as the Salisbury miracle, whereby God(Salisbury after all being a cathedral town )protected the innocent children and ducks from the most lethal nerve agent known to mankind
Hmm. Interesting! So half the Green voters of yore are rabid leftists willing to stab the others in the back, and opposed to teaching sustainability. I suspected they were that flaky, but this proof is provisional. I will await the next msm poll…
"UMR polls are private polls (paid for by Labour and corporate clients) but have been more often leaked when they have been favourable to Labour and bad for National"
The practice may not be legal, but that hasn't stopped seven Wellington electoral candidates, including a minister, a deputy and a co-leader, admitting to smoking weed
Refreshing honesty from the Nat contender. When high, did she see the big picture? Did she later forget that? Counter-culture gnosis accepted marijuana as the truth drug half a century ago. Doug Sahm did a cool song about that at the time.
I remember back to the early days in California,
When everybody spent their days in Golden Gate Park,
And I look for that smile on my friends today,
And I wonder, I wonder how it has slipped away.
Stoned faces don't lie, baby when you're high,
Stoned faces don't lie, baby when you're high.
Kim Dotcom (KDC) back on the Twitter wire again (last 24 hours) on Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and D J Trump.
A fail in relation to reliance on the NZ court system to permit disclosure of security and intelligence material in a (seemingly, but perhaps not) "fishing expedition", but I am sure that KDC would have considered this to almost be a foregone conclusion ahead of the decision in any case, even by a New Zealand court, perhaps more especially by a New Zealand court.
The nation and it's system infrastructure aren't THAT "open and friendly" when it comes to such matters as the material he sought, nor many "commercially sensitive" matters pertaining to assets and even land property holdings.
Many believed that whatever material he had accrued might have been likened to an "Aucktoberfest" of disclosure. Hope still springs eternal for him and his, I guess.
However, (or in any case), Hollywood certainly sounds like an interesting path to follow in relation to various enterprises and pathways leading to "enlightenment".
Just reflect, (for a few minutes even) and it will be worth your while.
Hollywood and what it produces has a massive influence on people all around the globe, and has done for around a century.
Do not discard the power of mainstream media, and both the film and entertainment industry and the impact they can have on political decision making and decisions made by certain facets of industry and commerce.
Look at the power or radio alone as it was prior to television sets being a standard domestic living room item.
Orson Welles and the fictionalized "invasion by Martians" (1938) as a piece leading to mass hysteria. On the other side of the coin, real time reporting by by foreign correspondents not just in a war zone, but actually reporting as the bullets whizzed past their heads.
Maybe he (KDC) is or was onto something here in relation to power base utilization of Hollywood to serve their own and various personal agenda as opposed to the simple and generally accepted national interest ramifications historically evidenced throughout the decades.
Yes Hanna Barbera had an affect on our politics with their cartoon "Reds under the Beds" Dancing Cossacks… anyone remember those? In Bill Rollings time.
In short, the notion that the War of the Worlds program sent untold thousands of people into the streets in panic is a media-driven myth that offers a deceptive message about the power radio wielded over listeners in its early days and, more broadly, about the media’s potential to sow fright, panic, and alarm.
Misinformation is a serious issue and. as I say, needs to be made illegal.
Ríu Ríu ChíuRíu Ríu Chíu is a Spanish Christmas song from the 16th Century. The traditional carol would likely have passed unnoticed by the English-speaking world had the made-for-television American band The Monkees not performed the song as part of their special Christmas show back in 1967. The show's ...
Dunedin’s summer thus far has been warm and humid… and it looks like we’re in for a grey Christmas. But it is now officially Christmas Day in this time zone, so never mind. This year, I’ve stumbled across an Old English version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: It has a population of just under 3.5 million inhabitants, produces nearly 550,000 tons of beef per year, and boasts a glorious soccer reputation with two World ...
Morena all,In my paywalled newsletter yesterday, I signed off for Christmas and wished readers well, but I thought I’d send everyone a quick note this morning.This hasn’t been a good year for our small country. The divisions caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, the cuts to our public sector, increased ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30 am include:Kāinga Ora is quietly planning to sell over $1 billion worth of state-owned land under 300 state homes in Auckland’s wealthiest suburbs, including around Bastion Point, to give the Government more fiscal room to pay for tax cuts and reduce borrowing.A ...
Hi,It’s my birthday on Christmas Day, and I have a favour to ask.A birthday wish.I would love you to share one Webworm story you’ve liked this year.The simple fact is: apart from paying for a Webworm membership (thank you!), sharing and telling others about this place is the most important ...
The last few days have been a bit too much of a whirl for me to manage a fresh edition each day. It's been that kind of year. Hope you don't mind.I’ve been coming around to thinking that it doesn't really matter if you don't have something to say every ...
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Summer resissue: Has the country changed all that much in three decades? Loveni Enari compares his two New Zealands. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...
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This would appear to be a serious concern.
A school in west Auckland has closed because a student tested positive for COVID 19.
I saw Treetop expressed the same feeling late yesterday evening on Open Mike.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/425568/auckland-school-closed-after-student-tests-positive-for-covid-19
Thank you Ed, another superb comment.
An interesting/informative comment, possibly even a good comment, but "superb"?
Wonderful, wonderful comment.
Sublime comment!
Off the topic of comment marvellosity, that same IP address thing from the other day has been background nagging at me. I've come across some info that talks about IPv4 running out of addresses, so some ISPs can implement ways of some users sharing the same public IP address. So unless lprent enlightens us to an alternate explanation, I'll go with that.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2017/10/europol-calls-internet-providers-end-cgnat-ip-address-sharing.html
Haven’t heard back from Lprent but he’s been busy.
Someone is jealous me thinks…
Superb brief comment. Many people are jealous, and for any number of reasons, but no one should be envious of your command of the English language.
I always used to think that me thinks meant I seem to think to indicate that one wasn’t too sure of oneself, i.e. whether one was thinking something or whether one was in fact assuming that somebody else was thinking something that could be consistent and in fact quite similar to what one was thinking being that might be the case, in actual fact, presumably. In these situations, I usually praise the other for their sublime reasoning and clarity of communication, which is a precious rarity nowadays that I seldom encounter but highly value, nonetheless.
But me does want a cookie !
Least ways, that's how I sees it, says I.
As me does, but their bad for I.
The main thing now is that the situation is contained, that it is established how it was and is transmitted and the resources required to test, contact trace and support on every level are available.
The options for the school need to be carefully considered. School holidays start on 28 September.
No school on Saturday 26 September. Holidays don't start the next Monday in reality.
And how many people from Auckland meant to be at 2.5 left town and swanned about other parts of New Zealand and awarded themselves a level 2 to possibly spread it around. 2.5 should mean very limited inter regional travel.
then you need to leave it at level 3.
Probably the next super spreader will be an MP or a candidate or their election support staff. I was for continuation of no regional travel into or out of Auckland at 2.5. I understand the reason for allowing regional travel at 2.5 was that it was too hard to enforce. People are not coming back into central Auckland and this is contributing to the final blow to businesses reliant on foot traffic. The rest of the country needs to return to 10 in a group and sport needs to be rethought.
Many sleepless nights are ahead for the government and a reset needs to take place after the weekend.
Nation wide transmission was always any day at anytime. The backstop is another level 4 lockdown and this might not be sustainable.
Certainly another 14 days at level 3 would have prevented this but I'm not sure it was an option given the pressure from business. I hope this isn't our Melbourne. As for the case and contacts, you canna help stupid. I'm reminded of Einstein – "Two things are infinite, the universe and stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe"
the pressure from business came simple from having no income and the government not allowing the wage subsidy for the full duration of level 3.
If the government wants to impose a lock down at the restriction set at Level 3 and up, then the government must provide legally binding rules that would allow for a rent break/bill break + food rations (yes, i can see rationing in our future) for the duration of the lock down at a bare minimum. Essentially it puts us in Home D with all the restrictions that come with it and sadly we still live in a capitalistic world and people thus must pay rent/ bills in order to survive really – and that will never work, not for the workers not for the businesses. I personally would have loved to see AKL go to L4 for 4 weeks on full pay, the rest of the country on 2 with access to aid for those that need it.
But here we are at 2.5 and we all wait for it to explode.
Duration of lockdown in Melbourne has been 6 weeks and another 2 week extention. Then a further review. Were Brisbane and Sydney to have a lockdown like in Melbourne Australia would take a big hit. The problem with Auckland is the size of the population and the hit to the economy.
Wear your masks, people.
Evidence is starting to come through that mask-wearing also reduces severity of infection as well as reducing likelihood of transmission.
For example, on an Argentinian cruise ship with an outbreak where masks were issued to everyone as soon as infection was detected, 81% of infections were asymptomatic. Compared to less than 20% asymptomatic on other plague ships where masks were not used.
Then there's a study on hamsters showing that masking reduced the likelihood of transmission, and reduced the severity of disease when it did happen.
Of course, increasing the proportion of asymptomatic cases has the minor downside of making it likelier an infection will pass through several generations undetected. Which makes contact tracing more difficult, so it increases the importance of the Covid app or some other means of movement tracking.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2026913
The evidence has been there for a long time.
Couldn't anyone be the next super spreader based on the lack of mask wearing ?
Basics not being followed everywhere and Europes going off again with positive cases from elite sport, holiday making, gatherings in their many forms etc
Nice to be here but we've still got a lot of work to do. Did we ever trace that cluster origin ?
Matariki I’ve no issue with. It could replace Queens Birthday
Drop the anniversary day. Most anniversary day holidays are too close to another public holiday. Having an event in late June or in July during the coldest months of the year is ideal. From early June to late October there is no public holiday.
On Matiriki.
As retail employers have already turned weekends into working days, they can hardly complain about holidays.
Yes, the concept of a Sabbath day that is sacrosanct to the extent possible from worldly concerns is an old one I'd like to see revived. It's meant to be a day of rest, not just physically, but mentally as well. A chance to restore and reconnect with what's important, family, community and one's own inner life.
Interestingly the Muslims do theirs on a Friday, the Jews on a Saturday, and the Christians of course on a Sunday. Therefore a truly multi denominational society could achieve a 3 day weekend no trouble .
I always found working six days a week mentally and physically exhausting. 70 hours I could do – just so long as I had a full weekend to rest over and it wasn't every week.
We only have one religion now – neo-liberal economics.
Christians don’t “of course” celebrate Sabbath on a Sunday. Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-day Baptists celebrate Sabbath on a Saturday. Just FYI 🙂
Its starting to look like this evangelical church in Mt.Roskill, Auckland is one of the nut-job churches. If that is the case, then no doubt they're into conspiracy theories and denial.
I see Hipkins has put the police on the job. Good for him. I'm not one of the… we must treat these people gently mob. If they're dangerous and putting other people's lives at risk then come down hard on them. Make an example of them so that other nut-jobs think twice before behaving in the same way.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/425580/covid-19-student-who-tested-positive-an-undisclosed-contact-hipkins-says
My first thought on reading the article was that it might have been the kind of behind-the-bike-shed close contact that wouldn't have received parental approval. Hence the failure to disclose.
Mt Roskill was always known as the Bible Belt in my youthful days. I have no quarrel with the main-stream churches. Indeed I was brought up in one of them. But I do have problems with the Johnny Come Lately bible bashing crowd who latch on to every bizarre theory they can lay their hands on. They're ignorant and dangerous and I'm not surprised the cluster numbers continue to increase.
Yeah, a bit more is coming out suggesting the church is kinda out there. But that doesn't negate the idea that the contact wasn't disclosed because of family dynamics, rather than, ahem, unorthodox views of the church group as a whole.
A couple of deaths probably helped bring the matter into perspective, sadly.
are not ALL religions 'nut jobs', ignorant and dangerous?
The main stream churches, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish are little different, praying to an invisible man who knows all and created all. And as for those holier than thou Buddhists, check out their prayer request pricelests. The ChCh Buddhist Temple in Riccarton Road charges from $50 to $300 for a mention in a prayer, as an example, exploiting peoples vulnerabilities.
political parties, organised religions, gangs. three sides of the same bad egg(does an egg have sides?answer ,yes, your either with us in the shell or against us out in the pan)..
Well, yes, any faith system that requires belief without evidence is nutjob, ignorant and dangerous.
Some are worse than others, though, sometimes also requiring belief in the face of very conclusive evidence contradicting that belief.
That is WHAT faith is . Thanks for being so kind and accepting of others. Your comment is so telling.
I'm certainly not going to be kind and accepting of people who continue to believe things that are contradicted by evidence. Why should I?
And I will not be kind and accepting of those whose beliefs put the health of others at risk. In doing so they burden unwitting rate/tax payers. I do not feel kind to speeding drivers whose self belief of invincibility puts others at risk.
'Someone' needs to explain to this group about real Christianity ie New Testament stuff not doing to others rather than the hardline Old Testament stuff that many of these churches believe in (the church that Israel Folau attended has similar people hating views).
So we have to be kind and accepting of idiots and crack-pots who are denying reality and putting others at risk?
These people are selfish and self-centred. Anyone who disregards the rules as laid down during the pandemic crisis for whatever reason deserve punishment.
The reason for not disclosing the contact could be not thinking children can get Covid-19 or that they cannot transmit it. The student is not to blame in any way, the adult responsible needs educating. The contact tracing system needs to have a process for eliminating another undisclosed contact to reduce a positive case.
I'm talking about the adults not the children.
I knew you were raising adults.
The adult(s) needs educating?
Chris Hipkins: "It’s been a challenging cluster …There are certainly some within the cluster that perhaps don’t accept, haven’t previously accepted, the science involved here …”
So there are some who don't believe stuff like social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks and so on is likely to help stop the spread of the virus. The science.
They need educating because they're dumb. All the while we hear complaints about Ardern speaking to us as if we were kids, we were dumb. Some are.
Then again there are those who think they're not dumb who rubbish advice around the safety measures. Smart arses, they know best. Those two groups put everyone at risk, put all the hardship and effort at risk and are prepared to flush it all down the toilet.
Of course there are religious nutters here like in some places in the USA too who think God will protect them. All in the three groups should have to sign "Don't waste medical attention on me if I get Covid-19" waivers. Trouble is they'd happily infect innocent others along the way.
It's the result of Individualism and the idea hat all opinions are valid.. Both have been spread and encouraged over the last few decades across the globe and now we're seeing the result as stupid people act as if they know better than the scientists.
And now that BS is coming back to bite.
I plan to start with myself first when it comes to being educated about Covid – 19. How to avoid it and how to not transmit it.
Even the school does not allow people in the grounds to collect children. I have a marker for collecting gran kids and supervise hand washing after school.
Single biggest thing – get everyone to wear masks. Not only does it protect you and your whanau, the more mask-wearing gets normalised the better protection for everyone and the less risk we'll have to go back into lockdowns.
I really don't get why the government is so shy about introducing a mask mandate for all public places, especially indoors.
Masks are important. I have both disposable and material ones.
What will it take for a person to wear a mask when they leave their home?
What will it take for a person to wear a mask when they leave their home?
Well, the government could get really brave (or suicidal) and mandate it like they have for masks on public transport.
Or if enough people start doing it, it will just get normalised as the right thing to do. Education and official encouragement could certainly help.
When I was a teenager, nobody wore helmets when skiing or biking. Helmet wearing kinda got normalised over the 90s and noughties, so now it's rare to not see them. Masks were quite normalised in a lot of Asian cities before the pandemic, because of pollution, but that almost certainly gave them a head start on controlling it at lower levels of coercion.
Cost is a factor as well.
I would like to know how much it costs to produce a disposable mask?
I do not expect you to know the answer.
Some people might not like soaking and washing a material mask.
Distribution of material, elastic and cotton thread would help people with a sewing machine and some people would be prepared to sew for community groups.
I have been sewing material masks.
Efeso Collins was on the radio addressing this issue this afternoon. He had the point that while some congregations may hold beliefs that are not mainstream, we still need to take them along with us.
When engaging with them, the messenger is more important than the message. So if the police are used with these people, then hopefully they are able to speak Samoan or Tongan.
I accept all of that gsays but it doesn't alter the fact that people who allow themselves to be sucked into following disinformation and so-called alternative belief systems which deny realities… have to be brought into line one way or another.
Climate change deniers were some such group and one of the reasons we have not addressed this increasingly deadly problem is because of them – aided and abetted by an idiotic media equivalence notion which saw them have too much influence on ignorant and naive peoples.
Seems to me that National has limited room for movement during this campaign. They are occupying a thin slice of ground:
The reasons for voting National are now to do with culture/culture wars – or a matter of brand loyalty. The question is how big this bloc is – can it break through 35 or 40%?
good post. think brand loyalty in todays electorate is around 30%. its the swingers that decide elections, and expecting them to swing in behind a party that has swung in the wind over policies and leaders recently is a big ask.
September 17 has the NZ GDP 2quarter release. I thought it was already out, but that was an artifact of misreading the OECD chart. lol, my bad (we still look pretty good compared to the rest of the OECD in the march quarter).
So if we've got like a 20% hit to the economy, the planBleaters will make hay with their fortunate tragedy, and this might help the nats.
Otherwise, a couple of random clusters moght do it for JuCo, otherwise the nats are screwed.
The bigger problem for Natinal is that they have shown through this Covid episode that they are profoundly unfit to govern.
Their former health spokesperson making shit up about homeless in isolation and his toilet seat bullying, the then and current leaders refusing to ask hard questions of their senior MPs and, as you point out, their many and varied approaches to dealing with the crisis.
That is without looking at the likes of Brownlee, leading CERA and failing to dupe earthquake victims and a former defence minister who can 'forget' the murder of children by our elite forces.
Time for a heavy prune and rebuild for nats.
I think it would also be wise , and economic , to not allow people to come in from countries where covid is out of control. Like India right now.
Racist Much
And Brasil.
No commonsense, would probably still include USA right now too.
Only probably? America has had 50% more cases then India while only having 11% more recovered cases.
Anyway, we can't close out boarders to NZ citizens and their dependents.
And Pommyrania.
No, just cautious.
I'd include the USA as well and probably England.
It's not that great anywhere. Some countries are at least going in the right direction again.
http://shorturl.at/pyJPZ
Your URL doesn't work.
try this
http://shorturl.at/dhjKQ
(I'm not sure why it didn't work. I did test it before posting. Now I've tested it in chrome, opera and firefox.)
If they only hold an nz passport then yes we take them . If they have a passport to another country that they had before their nz residency then na they can stay where they are
hard to enforce.
Do you want their families to be exiled as well? And on what grounds?
If they are have been living oversea then yip.
Why should some have the luxury of dual citizenship?? When for most it's not possible.
I bet alot of double passport holders had no intention of living here till covid.
could be very well true,
but what about kiwis? there are quite a few dual pass port holders that are actually born and bred kiwis? They too get a place on the boat to where ever they came from ? 🙂
Pretty much every other country on the planet right now, especially if we include transit hubs.
And frankly, fair enough.
It's not just us – we're a gateway to the pacific. We slaughtered Samoans with the Spanish flu, we mustn't repeat that crime.
Prof Spoonley examines the dramatic halt to immigration: https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/07-09-2020/when-nzs-great-immigration-tap-suddenly-turned-off/
Equilibrium, I hope. In nature, ecosystems attain that via the cancelling effect of negative feedback. Here, collusion by govts of the left & right has produced people pollution due to cramming them into Auckland without providing infrastructure to ameliorate negative consequences.
Enhancing cultural diversity is good, but I'm glad the pandemic pulled the plug on left/right mass insanity.
Sustainable, I hope! Wanting to present as a conventional academic, Spoonley carefully avoids answering his own questions. Must get readers thinking for themselves! Not to suggest he lacks credibility, mind you:
The politicians have been aware of those challenges for some time. It's pretty much why we've had almost unrestricted immigration for three decades as well as why we have short term workers being abused.
The TOP leader seems to have a valid complaint:
Simmons seems to have made a robust case. Both msm media corps have adopted arbitrary rules that defy the spirit of democracy exemplified by the EC decisions.
Good point. ACT shouldn't be on at all, the Maori Party has a position as part of our bi-cultural status, and if ACT is allowed on then TOP should be too. It seems a decision of grace and favour with these television luvvies at the top of the tree.
"The The, Pro-truth, pledge.incorporates 12 countermeasures to the psychological factors that foster misinformation. Signers pledge their earnest efforts to make it a practice to:
Share truth
Honor truth
Encourage truth
Wonder if any one in the MSM would be willing to sign on to that.
And one of the signers is the Guardian and yet they spent a hell of a lot of time spreading misinformation about Corbyn.
why not.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/shots-fired-on-the-india-china-border-for-the-first-time-in-decades-as-tensions-flare/2020/09/08/d8c5a020-f195-11ea-8025-5d3489768ac8_story.html.
Yeah, just the final turd garnish this shit sandwich of a 2020 needs. A third of the world's population, armed with nukes, to start shooting at each other.
i hear we live in interesting times?
Looks like China is pushing for an actual war there:
More of their aggressive territorial grabbing similar to what they're doing in the South China Sea.
Looks to me like its China doing the provoking.
And China has extended that to areas that were never under its control.
All indications are that China is making a massive land grab.
Meanwhile, these tools are whining because their decision to ditch the JPCOA is a spectacular failure
https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1303367064892116998
Is that where it all went from Killary's Uranium One deal? I'm soooooo confused …
So disappointed that the Children commissioner is using old folks pension as an excuse for child neglect and poverty.
So we now will just have the old folks die of cold/hunger as we take their earned money (most have paid taxes all their lives) from them Its like taking from Peter to pay Paul.
And lets not forget that the Government gets millions of overseas pensions paid into the coffers.
To play one vulnerable group against the other is disgusting.
whodunwotnow?
I'd be very surprised if that was what he said. Seems quite out of the usual line.
FFS Robertson is displaying lack of understanding tax. Increase the top rate whilst keeping other rates e.g. Coy and trusts at the same level. Just watch those at the very top end manipulate their affairs to reduce the tax. We deserve better, and Labour SHOULD be deliver better than this.🤬But to divert attention lets talk about National.
"Labour will not implement any new taxes or make any further increases to income tax next term," Robertson promised this morning."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12363383
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300102796/election-2020-labour-to-bring-back-top-39-per-cent-income-tax-rate
Fairly shrewd. Targets the 1%. Then also targets the 1% below that. Can't say that's not socialist, eh?
Shrewd…or tokenism?
"The proposed new tax rate would cost $23 a week for someone earning $200,000 a year, but would make it easier for the Government to help the economy “bounce back” from Covid-10, while leaving income tax levels unchanged for about 98 percent of people."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/labour-proposes-new-tax-rate-for-top-two-percent
No kidding! A pittance. Still, the `victims' will feel it as a tiny prick, as of a gnat, and will decide neoliberal Grant ain't so bad after all. Win/win all around?
The tax is on an individual's income so as he points out a couple earning $120,000 each have no change.
Compare that kind and fair attitude to the beneficiary who is friendly with a male, earning or not, and is dubbed in a relationship 'in the nature of marriage' and has her already straitened benefit and allowances cut back.
Has Robertson got any children? How close can he be to the basic circumstances of an ordinary person in a relationship?
I think for it to be described as 'shrewd' it would have to have a good chance of convincing enough voters that it will have a positive impact…..so no win in that respect IMO
And if you belief this will achieve its Headline Stealing aims will be, then you are far too innocent to be blogging on a political site. 😉.
Those at the very top that have the ability to "Manage" their affairs 0.1% will not be inconvenience at all they will reintroduce what was in place when the top rate was well out of step with the coy and trust rates or income splitting with family members.
Yeah, excuse my momentary naivety – this too shall pass. Could be an effective headline stealer tonight tho eh?
"If you want a fairer New Zealand, you need to vote for people who actually support one. And based on current policy, the only party who fits that criteria is the Greens. As for Labour, they are the problem, not the solution – a complete waste of politicla space. Don't vote for them."
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/
QFT
We need a change, a massive change. One that's needed is a maximum income set at, as a good discussion starter, that $180,000.
We cannot afford for people to have too much.
" One that's needed is a maximum income set at, as a good discussion starter, that $180,000. "
Practicality – As a highly skilled surgeon, I stay in NZ I can only top out at 180K but can make 300K in Aus or the US…
I see a flaw in your argument.
What would the Purchasing Power Parity be though?
Remember that the market will adjust so you should still be able to buy a BMW. It'd just have half the nominal value that it would be in Aus.
Think of it this way: You could go to Zimbabwe and have an income in the multiple millions every week.
So BMW are just going to drop their pricing?
You could go to Zimbabwe and have an income in the multiple millions every week.
Yet still be unable to buy bread.
Fact remains… As a highly skilled surgeon, I stay in NZ I can only top out at 180K but can make 300K in Aus or the US…
I don't think you have thought this through.
Pricing is flexible but conforms to market demand.
It's more a question of if BMW will forgo selling those cars and getting the profit or not. Personally, I think that they'll still want the profit.
And then there's the questions:
An article I read a few years back was about the established lawyers in the US complaining that the universities were producing too many lawyers and they were thus having to drop their fees. We could probably do the same here with doctors.
Why on earth would Grant Robertson increase HIS tax burden?
The nobility of spirit evident in his martyrdom? Just guessing – don't quote me…
Yep, Watch as the highest net wealth individuals have their declared incomes stay at 70,000 while having actual incomes significantly higher than that. That estimated $7 billion in tax fraud isn't about to get any lower.
And this is why i would rather see a an untaxed income of say first 25.000 NZD a year (based on average rent) as that would actually benefit society. (even the rich would benefit)
They will never pay the tax increase because they are already not paying taxes currently levied at them. This is just a load of hogwash.
Although I agree with the sentiment all it would do is have the rich put prices up so that they catch the all the extra money that the poor would have available.
well they already do that anyways, so no harm done.
secondly, if we ever get a government with guts (and no the centrist greens of today i don't think have what is needed) we might actually get some legislation as to when and how much a rental can be increased, we might get a rent mirror, etc etc all legal and binding.
But this charade is just mind numbing dumb and uninspired.
That is is for the election 2020 – the year of the global pandemic, we try even less then we did last election. Here have a token tax increase that non of the rich will ever pay, now shut up peasants…you see we are all in the boat that you poor suckers get to row while we the rich get to set the speed banging on the drums.
After watching "The Salisbury Poisoning" and how washout Tracy Daszkiewicz the( Director of Public Health and Safety for the county of Wiltshire) was portrayed, it just reinforces to me what our skilled medical and government officials are going thru currently. The pressure they are under. I hope that there are means for the country to display our gratitude to many of them. As the toll on these people and their families are huge, perhaps many of the high end Titular Honours are appropriate?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Daszkiewicz
Herodotus
Well Tracy had to cope with disinformation coming from her own prime minister
Hmm. Interesting! So half the Green voters of yore are rabid leftists willing to stab the others in the back, and opposed to teaching sustainability. I suspected they were that flaky, but this proof is provisional. I will await the next msm poll…
nah, they're the teal crowd who jumped over to act lol.
Or maybe a point observation is often vulnerable to systemic issues within the polling organisation's methodology.
What does 'corporate poll' figures mean? Is this a business response?
no idea.
But it seems to be a bit skewed, much toward the lower end of the spread for the greens.
"UMR polls are private polls (paid for by Labour and corporate clients) but have been more often leaked when they have been favourable to Labour and bad for National"
Pete George
lol but does that mean Labour's leaking them or is it some disgruntled nat supporters who want another leadership change 😉
Outlaws, competing, speaking truth to power, score 7 out of 7 in consensus politics! https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cannabis-referendum/122703050/cannabis-referendum-election-debate-sees-leaders-minister-confess-to-smoking-weed
Refreshing honesty from the Nat contender. When high, did she see the big picture? Did she later forget that? Counter-culture gnosis accepted marijuana as the truth drug half a century ago. Doug Sahm did a cool song about that at the time.
2020 getting weirder by the day.
https://twitter.com/36th_Parallel/status/1303251240378195968
https://twitter.com/Te_Taipo/status/1303282069418590210
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhYmsWkUMAArwQB?format=jpg&name=900×900
Fuck it, I'm all in.
We'd probably end up with good government simply because, apparently, the most evil thing he could do is eliminate capitalism.
Back in February the largest wildfires in the southern hemisphere and the deaths of millions of animals was going to be 2020's worst story.
Now …..
One of the funny bits in the legal letter is the bit about stopping Te Kahika getting into Parliament.
The Oxford vaccine has hit a wee stumble. It's why safety trials take place. Hopefully it's unrelated, and the trial can restart.
Kim Dotcom (KDC) back on the Twitter wire again (last 24 hours) on Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and D J Trump.
A fail in relation to reliance on the NZ court system to permit disclosure of security and intelligence material in a (seemingly, but perhaps not) "fishing expedition", but I am sure that KDC would have considered this to almost be a foregone conclusion ahead of the decision in any case, even by a New Zealand court, perhaps more especially by a New Zealand court.
The nation and it's system infrastructure aren't THAT "open and friendly" when it comes to such matters as the material he sought, nor many "commercially sensitive" matters pertaining to assets and even land property holdings.
Many believed that whatever material he had accrued might have been likened to an "Aucktoberfest" of disclosure. Hope still springs eternal for him and his, I guess.
However, (or in any case), Hollywood certainly sounds like an interesting path to follow in relation to various enterprises and pathways leading to "enlightenment".
Just reflect, (for a few minutes even) and it will be worth your while.
Hollywood and what it produces has a massive influence on people all around the globe, and has done for around a century.
Do not discard the power of mainstream media, and both the film and entertainment industry and the impact they can have on political decision making and decisions made by certain facets of industry and commerce.
Look at the power or radio alone as it was prior to television sets being a standard domestic living room item.
Orson Welles and the fictionalized "invasion by Martians" (1938) as a piece leading to mass hysteria. On the other side of the coin, real time reporting by by foreign correspondents not just in a war zone, but actually reporting as the bullets whizzed past their heads.
Maybe he (KDC) is or was onto something here in relation to power base utilization of Hollywood to serve their own and various personal agenda as opposed to the simple and generally accepted national interest ramifications historically evidenced throughout the decades.
Yes Hanna Barbera had an affect on our politics with their cartoon "Reds under the Beds" Dancing Cossacks… anyone remember those? In Bill Rollings time.
Yeah, Ok, I'll look:
Misinformation is a serious issue and. as I say, needs to be made illegal.