No rush to become a Republic, lots to sort out regarding the “Crown” and enduring colonial fall out affecting this country’s working class–Māori and Tauiwi alike.
For some time Charles acted for the Queen as the GG does here.
Given the GG acts on behalf of the Crown and performs the same role as Charles will in the UK, why not give them the title Crown Governor?
PS Charles 111 will be defender of faith, whereas his mother was defender of the faith – a subtle change (there is already a ministry of faith in the UK and a minster of faith to recognise the multi-cultural nation they are today).
I was replying to a post with the use of Charles “111” and so typed those numbers in – OK I could have borrowed the Latin numeral form from online for King Charles III.
Using the Latin numerals is common – eg Queen Elizabeth II. And no one presumes she has her own cricket team.
Technically that would mean directly electing the PM/President as in France and USA (and the person choosing their cabinet), which can separate the head of state (and cabinet appointees) from having a majority in parliament.
Nations such as Ireland have separate elections for President as head of state and the PM as head of government comes from the parliamentary election result.
That is a constitional convention in those countries.
Not set in concrete.
In fact, should a "Democracy" have a head of State?
Surely in an actual Democracy, not our pretend one, "The people are Soveriegn"?
Or. Should we bow to reality, and just appoint whoever is the Chairman of the Aussie bank that currently makes the most profit in NZ, and stop pretending?
The point of the head of state, separate from government. is to represent the interests of the peoples sovereignty – as to constitutional practice, so as to be a check on authoritarianism.
The pertinent thing is to define the role in those terms, the UK is somewhat constrained by the Crown tradition of calling the people subjects (of the authority).
''Everyone six months of bickering later: "Let's stick with Charles III"
If we are lucky, most New Zealanders will come to that conclusion.` If we are unlucky, most New Zealanders will believe we are mature enough to become a republic. The Queens death couldn't have come at a more inopportune time for the affairs of both Britain and New Zealand.
Yep – so many other problems on our plate that nobody has any appetite for wrangling over constitutional arrangements. It'd make 3 Waters look like a love-fest.
Yes, can't speak for Shanreagh … but I certainly started drinking heavily after reading Robert's outrageous “zee” comment. Two shandys down & now on to my third sarsaparilla.
Would love to know what you are on about. But never mind.
Zee is a US abomination Zeds unite! Long live the Zeds
Could even go Charge of the Light brigade crazy like
Zeds to the left of them
zeds to the right of them
Zeds in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Written at with shot and shell,
Boldly they wrote and well,
Into the jaws of spell
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six zeddred.
No one under 80 can remember another monarch. All sorts of stuff will change, letterheads, money, all sorts of stuff.
A chap on the radio just made the mindblowing observation that the Queen’s first PM (Winston Churchill) was born in 1874. Her last, Liz Truss, was born 101 years later in 1975. She really spanned the era from the age of Empire to Brexit Britain.
Elizabeth II was an exemplar of another age – a person who put service above her individuality. It was a sense of service informed by her deep religiousity and patriotism and good on her for that.
Elizabeth II was Queen, and the Queen was her, there was no seperation. A superhuman effort of repression of the id in the service of a role and of an institution in the service of her country.
Imagine the panic in the drug dealing world if you said all cash notes must be changed over to one with Charlie's head on it in 6 months or it's rendered obsolete!!
I scrolled down the Herald to see 'Mike Hosking sobs on air' as the news broke.
At a symbolic moment a totally symbolic reaction. A person without an iota of empathy, a person who leads a horde representative of no empathy and understanding of the human condition and the lives and struggles of ordinary people, wallowing.
That is quite revolting. A evil man devoid of compassion who makes his living by denigrating those below him and making the lives of others a misery. To elevate and employ his own emotion for further gain while spending his entire life abusing people for showing theirs is obscene.
Wouldn't Liz Truss have to resign the prime ministership and be re-appointed by King Charles, albeit that it would probably be a mere formality? And what about our own GG and PM?
Presumably when they met it was noted that there was an Elizabeth to carry on, but that the new/next monarch would be expected to be on the throne for longer than her own time at No 10.
I guess the Queen knew what women are, and thus decided that Liz Truss was better then the alternative. In the meantime Keir Starmer is about as exiting as warmed up omlette from yesterday. Sadly so.
however dear Liz Truss is going to work and thanks to Boris signing of on fracking licenses on his last day i guess Britain is going to invest in their own energy creation. After all, those electronic gadgets and items driven by electricity need to be charged with something and compost is not doing it.
Energy bills will be frozen at £2,500 for TWO YEARS: Liz Truss unveils 'extraordinary' £150bn plan to counter Putin and subsidise household costs while businesses get 'equivalent' support for six months – as she backs fracking and using North Sea reserves
Liz Truss is set to ease the pain of energy bills for households by freezing them at a typical level of £2,500
New PM insisted that failing to take action on the scale of the Covid response would damage the economy
But Ms Truss also warned that major changes are needed to shore up Britain's long-term energy supplies
The freezing of the prices is not gonna do much for the very poor and poor, but for a first day announcement this is not bad for a tory. Lets see what Keir Starmer proposes.
In saying that Englands issue is not the R/U war, it is the fact that they sell electricity to Europe for profit and thus shorten the supply to their citizens.
don't know about funny, but the Brits have some hard reckoning coming and the symbolism of the death of the Queen, committed to public service, and the rise of the PM, committed to the death cult, is poignant and timely.
It was more likely that even though she was the highest paid beneficiary in the UK, if not the world, the daunting prospect of the cost of having to warm the Royal Apartments at Buck House over the coming winter, or moving to the granny flat in California with Harry and Meghan.
He's been the butt of endless derision and jokes yet he's a very intelligent and thoughtful person.
He was made the scapegoat over the Diana fiasco yet he had been just as wronged as Diana was. And now the ugly side of the English personna are doing it again to Meghan Markle and Harry.
I don't know if you ever read any of the so-called 'black spider memos', letters he wrote to ministers as a concerned and well-informed citizen. They were poorly received, but were anything but an abuse of sovereign power. Ministers really don't like suggestions of what to do, perhaps because what they choose to do is often poorly thought out.
I hope that the Queen finds peace in what ever is after life. That she be united with her late husband, her parents, her ancestor. That she rests in peace and that peace be with her family.
It was the Virgin Mary's presumed birthday on September 8 (double edged born into the world then years later leaving this world for another place).
Background
The date was chosen because it was of Virgo and before the Jewish time of Tabernacles (harvest gatherings at David's city). A 20 year old women leaving Egypt was counted in that census (in Egyptian the name means beloved, in Hebrew bitter herbs – used to flavour lamb) and a 20 year old women would go the place of her family origin for the harvest gathering. This to honour the Qum (means to to raise up – the tent set up on exodus journey).
The detail is that the Jewish calendar begins Oct 7 3761BCE and in 7BCE Oct 7 was the 14th day of the month – the harvest festival began on Oct 8th.
Also, a big victory for the Ukraine is in the offing.
They telegraphed an offensive in Kherson, drew all Russia's remaining reserves west of the Dniepr then cut them off by destroying the bridges and launching an offensive there before delivering the surpise blow at Kharkiv. Maskirovka indeed. If this is indeed what happens, it will be a studied and storied victory.
The Russian army has been routed near Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 100km and are currently fighting outside Kupiansk. This is big deal since it cuts off the main supply route to the Russian army concentration in the Izyum salient and traps them on the wrong side of the Oskil river. They'll almost certainly have to retreat across the Oskil river all the way back east to the next supply hub at Svatove – and they'll most likely have to leave all their heavy equipment behind. Basically, it potentially signals the end of the Russian army in the Ukraine.
In the Kherson salient 20,000 Russians are effectively cut off – again, they'll be forced to retreat or surrender in the next few weeks leaving all their equipment behind.
If this turns into a complete Russia rout then even the re-conquest of the Crimea by the Ukraine comes into play.
Russia is now at an inflexion point. Either they consider ending the war or face total defeat or they use nuclear weapons to try and restore the situation.
Typical misplaced sympathy from the fake left. The guys that bought over the last three years still own a house, something which an increasing number of people were never going to be able to do.
look i bought a house real cheap – very cheap as essentially uninhabitalbe at the time – we fixed a lot. that house is now double in value. On the counts of nothing actually for what its worth.
However i do not 'own' the house, the bank does. I own the mortgage. 🙂 And hte poor saps who bought at inflated rates over the last few years for all the wrong reasons are going to be stuck in mortgages that are not worth the paper they are printed on. Even if they manage to sell they are still on the hook for the rest of hte mortgage.
But then, i guess its their own fault for believing government – all will be well, banks – here have a cheap entry rate, the estate agents – houses will never loose value, etc. Sucks to be them, right?
A the kindness of the real left towards its young and old in this country is just always astonishing. So kind, so very very kind.
Btw, did you know that many people can lose houses that they paid for because they can no longer serve the rates that are based on GV? Did you know that the government collects a huge amount of GST on these inflated rates? LOL. How secure are you my dear in your house or rental?
It's your jaw-dropping lack of self-awareness that gets me every single bloody time.
But then, this does appear to be very much the Woke modus operandi … accuse others of your own core, defining characteristic. Not surprising that recent research in psychology has emphasised machiavellianism (along with the other Dark Triad traits) as core components of the authoritarian Woke personality.
If the super wealthy have any social utility at all, it is to push the envelope and exploring the limits of what is possible. With all the latest and best of medical science at her disposal. I was expecting HRH to live to at least 100.
A broken heart and loneliness can not be cured by any medicine. Never mind what her bout with covid did to her body. But it was clear for anyone to see that the joy of life left her when she buried her husband.
She is going in her role as NZ's PM. NZ is a member of the Commonwealth and there would be n expectation she would be there. She's not going over to gate crash the event.
Does this mean, in your view, she should pay for her official cars and pay rent for her office and for living in Premier House?
‘More than minor’: Planned dairy farm complex faces strong opposition
Southland District Council resource management planner Alexandra Smith has recommended the application for the proposed development near Lake Te Anau be declined and submissions have been made public ahead of a hearing on the matter at the end of this month.
The Department of Conservation and mana whenua are among those who have opposed the application.
"Environment Southland has defended its consent to the dairy development as an environmental improvement.
Integrated catchment management general manager Paul Hulse said the site had been used for "a number of years" to graze stock over winter on crop or pasture.
"It was assessed that the addition of a wintering barn will mitigate the potential for nutrient and sediment losses to water, as compared to the stock wintering outside.
"The consent they now have restricts the discharge of effluent to a maximum area of 150ha and depth of discharge to 5mm in order to mitigate the potential for leaching or run-off of contaminants to freshwater."
Mr Hulse said the location had a mix of soil types, some of which were free draining.
However, Environment Southland determined the effects on the environment did not meet that threshold for public notification.'
(From above link)
That is, as maybe…However this was also in my Link…
In recommending the proposal be declined, Ms Smith said the dairy-barn complex would have the "largest footprint proposed in the Southland region".
The scale of the proposed winter barn complex — more than 14 times greater than what the rules permit — meant it could not integrate with the landscape.
It would add to existing effects of the business already adversely affecting the landscape, and earthworks from the proposed construction could also contaminate waterways and harm the nearby Waiau River ecosystem.
"I am of the view that the proposal will result in adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor," Ms Smith said.
I know some are a wee bit sad Queenie's carked it but as a descendant of people who suffered because of the British aristocracy's penchant for violence, subjugation and theft, I couldn't give a rats.
The first Charles lost his head (deservedly so), the second presided over the most licentious court in British history (and that's saying something) – so how will the third f*wit go?
I think he will go quite well. He will never be as popular as the Queen, but he was way ahead of his time. We laughed at him for his weird beliefs regarding organics and regenerative agriculture and environmental issues. Now those issues are mainstream. We even have a political party based on those issues and the use of pronouns. Although I think the latter is something the new king will have to be brought up to speed on.
she was an interesting women and lived an interesting life. Fwiw, i know few people who two days before they die still work a full day of work. She did.
''Fwiw, i know few people who two days before they die still work a full day of work. She did.''
I know none. In the NZ context, Dr Golan Haami, the first Maori to graduate from the Otago Medical School, was helping his patients while on his death bed in hospital. Pity this guy was a Maori, otherwise he would've been a well known Kiwi.
Leader of the Labour Party since 1965 and prime minister since late 1972, ‘Big Norm’ died suddenly at the age of 51. He was the fifth New Zealand prime minister to die in office.
Kirk had faced a number of health issues during 1974 but maintained a punishing work schedule.
I remember his death well. I was watching Steve Rickards, 'On The Mat', wrestling programme when that programme was interrupted to announce Kirk's death. That would have been on a Saturday if I remember correctly. A nurse who was on duty later recounted she had a funny intuition all was not right with Kirk, so she went to his room, but he had passed on.
Speaking to Open Justice, the girls – who have automatic name suppression – have described the lasting impact of the rapes and sexual violation they suffered at the hands of Jayden Meyer, who was 16 at the time of the offending.
"Life doesn't prepare you for the horrors others' actions can inflict. Nor does it prepare you for the mental strain 16 months through the courts can cause," said one of the girls on behalf of the five victims. "This boy's actions have caused a lifetime of trauma and hurt."
"Many have expressed that nine months isn't a suitable punishment against the 10 charges he's been convicted of. Considering, in our view, a lack of acknowledgement shown by both the offender and his family, justice doesn't feel as though it has been served in this case."
snip
yesterday afternoon more than 100 people gathered in Hamilton and at least 500 at Mt Maunganui's Mount Drury reserve in support of the victims – and to voice their concerns at the sentence.
Students Amy Griffiths and Grace Hunt said they believed the sentence was a "slap in the face".
"It's truly terrifying how you can rape underage children and get … a nine-month home detention sentence," Hunt said.
"It's scary, it's really terrifying.
"Rape culture is pretty prominent among young people, you hear people's experiences all the time. It's time to take a stand."
snip
According to district court documents recently obtained by Open Justice, all five victims were aged 15 at the time of the offending.
In one instance the sex was initially consensual but Meyer raped the girl when she refused to be with him for a second time that night. On another occasion, he filmed the rape of another unconsenting girl. A third rape happened while his victim was asleep in bed.
In the most graphic of the attacks, Meyer raped a teen in a bush after they had been at a party. The fifth girl was sexually violated.
I hope that these young ones will be better adults then the one that sentenced that guy to the trauma of 9 month Home D.
Yes I find it unbelievable that sentence of home D. As has been pointed out to me, we do not know all the details, but IMO that judge needs a rocket up her (unless judges have been ordered to reduce prison numbers).
I hope due to the public outcry, they at least release more details and justify to the public why the home D was allowed.
What would you do with Meyer? Put him in an adult prison for 10 years, or 20? Would you want to live next door to him when he gets out after that? Maybe shut him up for life – happy to pay the taxes to fund all the extra prisons and staff are you? So maybe it's best (i.e. cheaper and final) to take him behind a bush and shoot him then – are you up for that?
You offer no answers and you have no answers. Your sympathy for the young women concerned appears to be entirely bogus and opportunistic. You are sh*t-stirring and using the 'soft on crime' slogan in order to help get the Nats elected. Contemptible.
in fact i would lock him up for five life sentences. One for each girl.
But he will be allowed out in 9 month, and chances are he will continue to rape.
BTW, What would you do with a serial rapist that at 16 years of age has already raped 4 girls and assaulted a fifth girl? Give him 9 month home D or even less? maybe a pat on the shoulder? Give him a candy bar? Tell the girls to shut up?
And have a good look at the youngsters protesting this injustice. And ask yourself if these young ones are going to be national voters or what ever party is still valid when they come of age because of that injustice?
Think. Seriously Think.
Yes I'm happy to pay more taxes to keep him in a juvenile prison and keep him off the streets else we get the re-offending like in the story of Mohamed in Stockburn in 18.1 above. He cant re-offend while behind bars.
I guess in your view my thinking is flawed as I believe in a justice system for the victims (not what's best for the offenders).
Just like this dude here should have not been released on parole.
While on parole he had 14 special conditions including remaining at his property between 9pm and 6am daily, to attend psychological, alcohol and drug assessments as well as not possessing, using or consuming alcohol or other drugs unless prescribed by a health professional.
The conditions were to last six months following this release.
In releasing Brider, the board assessed him as a high risk of violent offending and a moderately high risk of sexual offending.
“It is trite that most offenders pose a risk,” The board decision said. “The test is whether that risk is undue…” “While there is risk, it is the board’s view that the risk is not undue.”
His statutory release date for the rape was February 4, 2022.
he got out, bought his tools of the trade and killed.
Brider broke in after midnight.
Bonilla-Herrera had an app on her phone that recorded noise made during night. It recorded the start of her attack.
She says, “excuse me” before Brider told her to “shut up” and threatened to cut her throat.
A struggle ensued.
During the next 10 minutes, Brider continued to threaten to kill her, and bound her using a bedsheet and masking tape. Several punches could be heard.
She begged him not to kill her.
Brider then took her into the lounge, where the struggle continued.
She tried to run from him, but was stabbed several times, including in the chest.
She suffered 51 separate injuries. She died by the door. Brider returned home, showered and disposed of items used in murder.
i am all for prisons being emptied of non violent people who did some stupid shit in their life and chances are will never re-offend. But violent men and women should be treated differently.
Jimmy, it seems both of us would like the same thing. We both want a suitable sentence for a serious crime.
The difference is that I am willing to trust that the judge has ruled according to the evidence and the principles of sentencing that judges follow whereas you condemn the judge (who you say is a woman which would in my eyes more predispose towards a tougher sentence for a crime like multiple rape) and demand to see the justification after proferring your condemnation.
… (unless judges have been ordered to reduce prison numbers).
Again, you show your profound ignorance of the NZ judicial system and the independence of the judiciary even though others have already explained this to you.
Enlighten us who could, would and should order the judges to reduce prison numbers. How does this work in NZ?
Robertson releases response to Infrastructure recommendations and says government will spend 61.5 billion$ on infrastructure, over the next 5 years.
The foremost problem to a large tome full of words,is that we have no money.The second part of the problem is we are in a high interest rate regime,with significant constraints on supply (as Europe closes industry that will be needed for infrastructure)
Finance is the problem,along with using european energy models to provide capital guidance for say pumped hydro (wait to consumers get a big hit to provide capital servicing charges)
The news that next Tuesday Parliament will adjourn for a whole week has just made me a little more republican. A day of tributes, fine. Pay respect, make the speeches, then adjourn for the day.
But putting everything on hold for a week is excessive. Most people got up and went to work this morning.
I think we would be charged by our off-shore friends and allies as showing disrespect to the late Queen. I think its is just the debating chamber shenanigans is it not?
Well, it's not a hereditary position to hold until death, at least in a democratic republic. So it doesn't happen often, they are usually ex-heads in retirement and when they die – yes, it is mostly BAU.
Presidents overseas are basically in two categories: majorly political, like USA and France) and minor (more ceremonial, like Germany and Ireland).
If NZ became a republic I'm pretty certain we'd choose the latter, leaving real power in Parliament. We'd still have a Gov-Gen in all but name. Nobody's advocating the American system, AFAIK.
No, I don't have examples from overseas because when the German/Irish Presidents die we don't notice, which is kind of the point.
Not British/NZ monarchs, obviously. But that's the thing – we don't notice what we don't notice. Many European monarchies are more low key than the Windsor soap opera, and better for it.
Hume argued quite succinctly for the strengths of a constitutional monarchy,and the stability that it provided during the change of governments.
"It is well known, that every government must come to a period, and that death is unavoidable to the political, as well as to the animal body. But, as one kind of death may be preferable to another, it may be inquired, whether it be more desirable for the British constitution to terminate in a popular government, or in an absolute monarchy? Here, I would frankly declare, that though liberty be preferable to slavery, in almost every case; yet I should rather wish to see an absolute monarch than a republic in this island. For let us consider what kind of republic we have reason to expect. The question is not concerning any fine imaginary republic of which a man forms a plan in his closet. There is no doubt but a popular government may be imagined more perfect than an absolute monarchy, or even than our present constitution. But what reason have we to expect that any such government will ever be established in Great Britain, upon the dissolution of our monarchy? If any single person acquire power enough to take our constitution to pieces, and put it up anew, he is really an absolute monarch; and we have already had an instance of this kind, sufficient to convince us, that such a person will never resign his power, or establish any free government. Matters, therefore, must be trusted to their natural progress and operation; and the House of Commons, according to its present constitution, must be the only legislature in such a popular government. The inconveniences attending such a situation of affairs present themselves by thousands. If the House of Commons, in such a case, ever dissolve itself, which is not to be expected, we may look for a civil war every election. If it continue itself, we shall suffer all the tyranny of a faction subdivided into new factions. And, as such a violent government cannot long subsist, we shall at last, after many convulsions and civil wars, find repose in absolute monarchy, which it would have been happier for us to have established peaceably from the beginning. Absolute monarchy, therefore, is the easiest death, the true Euthanasia of the British constitution.
"Thus if we have more reason to be jealous of monarchy, because the danger is more imminent from that quarter; we have also reason to be more jealous of popular government, because that danger is more terrible. This may teach us a lesson of moderation in all our political controversies."
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The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
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Well it will be odd hearing the English crowd at Twickenham singing "God save the King" in November.
Irish eyes smiling
https://twitter.com/dublincelticfan/status/1567967099368411137
Damn those Fenians and their infernal machines!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqrAPOZxgzU
Raise you a Lemmy Kilmister…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa1wdUkeuvE
No rush to become a Republic, lots to sort out regarding the “Crown” and enduring colonial fall out affecting this country’s working class–Māori and Tauiwi alike.
I will restrain myself from linking to "Royalty" by The Exploited
Trump you all with this one…perfect…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PSdxFccfgNI
A majority of New Zealanders: "Let us become a republic"
Grey Lynn socialists: "Great idea! Let's elect president Helen Clark!"
National Party members: "If we must, appointing Sir Graeme Hart is the way to go!"
Rural NZ: "Screw you all, let’s annoint Richie McCaw by popular proclaimation as president!"
Maori: "Bloody Pakeha, surely the Maori King is the logical choice!"
Everyone six months of bickering later: "Let's stick with Charles III"
For some time Charles acted for the Queen as the GG does here.
Given the GG acts on behalf of the Crown and performs the same role as Charles will in the UK, why not give them the title Crown Governor?
PS Charles 111 will be defender of faith, whereas his mother was defender of the faith – a subtle change (there is already a ministry of faith in the UK and a minster of faith to recognise the multi-cultural nation they are today).
Charles, the one hundred and eleventh?
I was replying to a post with the use of Charles “111” and so typed those numbers in – OK I could have borrowed the Latin numeral form from online for King Charles III.
Using the Latin numerals is common – eg Queen Elizabeth II. And no one presumes she has her own cricket team.
Roman numerals. Elizabeth II Regina.
An emergency callout waiting to happen..
Why have anyone?
After all our "Head of State is a strictly ceremonial position with no legal power"!
Or as the Aussies found out, the residual power to overturn an elected Government, is an undemocratic colonial relic.
Technically that would mean directly electing the PM/President as in France and USA (and the person choosing their cabinet), which can separate the head of state (and cabinet appointees) from having a majority in parliament.
Nations such as Ireland have separate elections for President as head of state and the PM as head of government comes from the parliamentary election result.
That is a constitional convention in those countries.
Not set in concrete.
In fact, should a "Democracy" have a head of State?
Surely in an actual Democracy, not our pretend one, "The people are Soveriegn"?
Or. Should we bow to reality, and just appoint whoever is the Chairman of the Aussie bank that currently makes the most profit in NZ, and stop pretending?
The point of the head of state, separate from government. is to represent the interests of the peoples sovereignty – as to constitutional practice, so as to be a check on authoritarianism.
The pertinent thing is to define the role in those terms, the UK is somewhat constrained by the Crown tradition of calling the people subjects (of the authority).
Q. Why have anyone?
A. Sanctuary @ 3.
''Everyone six months of bickering later: "Let's stick with Charles III"
If we are lucky, most New Zealanders will come to that conclusion.` If we are unlucky, most New Zealanders will believe we are mature enough to become a republic. The Queens death couldn't have come at a more inopportune time for the affairs of both Britain and New Zealand.
Beautifully said Sanctuary @ 3
Yep – so many other problems on our plate that nobody has any appetite for wrangling over constitutional arrangements. It'd make 3 Waters look like a love-fest.
Are eye pee el eye zee
Are eye pee el eye zed
fify
But you broke the rhyme, Brigid…
Shanreagh and Swordy will be pissed to read that. Hard. 🤙🤘🤙
Yes, can't speak for Shanreagh … but I certainly started drinking heavily after reading Robert's outrageous “zee” comment. Two shandys down & now on to my third sarsaparilla.
?????
Would love to know what you are on about. But never mind.
Zee is a US abomination Zeds unite! Long live the Zeds
Could even go Charge of the Light brigade crazy like
Zeds to the left of them
zeds to the right of them
Zeds in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Written at with shot and shell,
Boldly they wrote and well,
Into the jaws of spell
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six zeddred.
Woah, chill out duuuuudes. That would be totally awesome.
Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lL1ypndnWA
Mr Guyton ripping out a brain teaser
Looking forward to a UK royal cabal cut down to about the same size as that of Sweden.
A slimmed down team of King and Consort, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plus kids, Princess Royal Anne. Say 5.
And no taxpayer subsidy at all, apart from maybe Met security.
Baby steps to abolition.
What about the corgis? Will they be taken out and shot?
Whoa, does this mean all our money will change?
It is pretty strange.
No one under 80 can remember another monarch. All sorts of stuff will change, letterheads, money, all sorts of stuff.
A chap on the radio just made the mindblowing observation that the Queen’s first PM (Winston Churchill) was born in 1874. Her last, Liz Truss, was born 101 years later in 1975. She really spanned the era from the age of Empire to Brexit Britain.
Elizabeth II was an exemplar of another age – a person who put service above her individuality. It was a sense of service informed by her deep religiousity and patriotism and good on her for that.
Elizabeth II was Queen, and the Queen was her, there was no seperation. A superhuman effort of repression of the id in the service of a role and of an institution in the service of her country.
Imagine the panic in the drug dealing world if you said all cash notes must be changed over to one with Charlie's head on it in 6 months or it's rendered obsolete!!
https://www.interest.co.nz/currencies/117555/rbnz-says-itll-be-several-years-money-featuring-king-charles-iii-will-be
I scrolled down the Herald to see 'Mike Hosking sobs on air' as the news broke.
At a symbolic moment a totally symbolic reaction. A person without an iota of empathy, a person who leads a horde representative of no empathy and understanding of the human condition and the lives and struggles of ordinary people, wallowing.
I thought the same thing, what a fucking idiot.
That is quite revolting. A evil man devoid of compassion who makes his living by denigrating those below him and making the lives of others a misery. To elevate and employ his own emotion for further gain while spending his entire life abusing people for showing theirs is obscene.
Shows how emotionally insecure he really is. Hosking = pratt!
"Mike Hosking sob,,,"
FIFY
I think he might have sobbed with more true emotion…when sir Key quit : )
Bereft and benighted.
Funniest headline?
"Queen loses will to live after meeting Liz Truss".
Truss already wreaking havoc on her first day. Didn’t muck about, the journey to President Truss begins.
Wouldn't Liz Truss have to resign the prime ministership and be re-appointed by King Charles, albeit that it would probably be a mere formality? And what about our own GG and PM?
Presumably when they met it was noted that there was an Elizabeth to carry on, but that the new/next monarch would be expected to be on the throne for longer than her own time at No 10.
Womans Weekly staff suspended for not wearing mourning colours.
Anointing her finished the Queen off.
In the fullness of time the cartoonists……
I guess the Queen knew what women are, and thus decided that Liz Truss was better then the alternative. In the meantime Keir Starmer is about as exiting as warmed up omlette from yesterday. Sadly so.
however dear Liz Truss is going to work and thanks to Boris signing of on fracking licenses on his last day i guess Britain is going to invest in their own energy creation. After all, those electronic gadgets and items driven by electricity need to be charged with something and compost is not doing it.
Trigger alert, this is from the Daily Fail.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11193045/Energy-bills-frozen-2-500-TWO-YEARS-says-Truss.html
The freezing of the prices is not gonna do much for the very poor and poor, but for a first day announcement this is not bad for a tory. Lets see what Keir Starmer proposes.
In saying that Englands issue is not the R/U war, it is the fact that they sell electricity to Europe for profit and thus shorten the supply to their citizens.
don't know about funny, but the Brits have some hard reckoning coming and the symbolism of the death of the Queen, committed to public service, and the rise of the PM, committed to the death cult, is poignant and timely.
That was my first thought this morning too Robert but I wasn't game enough to say it.
It was more likely that even though she was the highest paid beneficiary in the UK, if not the world, the daunting prospect of the cost of having to warm the Royal Apartments at Buck House over the coming winter, or moving to the granny flat in California with Harry and Meghan.
To soon, even for a loather of the royal system
What an extraordinary life of service.
RIP Queen Elizabeth.
Thank you higherstandard.
There are occasions where dignity should supersede politics.
The Queen was a remarkable woman.
King Charles at 73 will find the role a burden.
Other issues will have their time.
I like Charles – hope he does well.
He's been the butt of endless derision and jokes yet he's a very intelligent and thoughtful person.
He was made the scapegoat over the Diana fiasco yet he had been just as wronged as Diana was. And now the ugly side of the English personna are doing it again to Meghan Markle and Harry.
It must have broken the late Queen’s heart.
I don't know if you ever read any of the so-called 'black spider memos', letters he wrote to ministers as a concerned and well-informed citizen. They were poorly received, but were anything but an abuse of sovereign power. Ministers really don't like suggestions of what to do, perhaps because what they choose to do is often poorly thought out.
True Stuart.
I hope that the Queen finds peace in what ever is after life. That she be united with her late husband, her parents, her ancestor. That she rests in peace and that peace be with her family.
beautifully said Sabine.
Sad to hear the news. She was an incredible women.
RIP Elizabeth 11
It was the Virgin Mary's presumed birthday on September 8 (double edged born into the world then years later leaving this world for another place).
Background
The date was chosen because it was of Virgo and before the Jewish time of Tabernacles (harvest gatherings at David's city). A 20 year old women leaving Egypt was counted in that census (in Egyptian the name means beloved, in Hebrew bitter herbs – used to flavour lamb) and a 20 year old women would go the place of her family origin for the harvest gathering. This to honour the Qum (means to to raise up – the tent set up on exodus journey).
The detail is that the Jewish calendar begins Oct 7 3761BCE and in 7BCE Oct 7 was the 14th day of the month – the harvest festival began on Oct 8th.
The Queen and a life of observed service.
That was really nice story telling there. Thanks for that!
Also, a big victory for the Ukraine is in the offing.
They telegraphed an offensive in Kherson, drew all Russia's remaining reserves west of the Dniepr then cut them off by destroying the bridges and launching an offensive there before delivering the surpise blow at Kharkiv. Maskirovka indeed. If this is indeed what happens, it will be a studied and storied victory.
The Russian army has been routed near Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 100km and are currently fighting outside Kupiansk. This is big deal since it cuts off the main supply route to the Russian army concentration in the Izyum salient and traps them on the wrong side of the Oskil river. They'll almost certainly have to retreat across the Oskil river all the way back east to the next supply hub at Svatove – and they'll most likely have to leave all their heavy equipment behind. Basically, it potentially signals the end of the Russian army in the Ukraine.
In the Kherson salient 20,000 Russians are effectively cut off – again, they'll be forced to retreat or surrender in the next few weeks leaving all their equipment behind.
If this turns into a complete Russia rout then even the re-conquest of the Crimea by the Ukraine comes into play.
Russia is now at an inflexion point. Either they consider ending the war or face total defeat or they use nuclear weapons to try and restore the situation.
If this turns into a complete Russia rout then even the re-conquest of the Crimea by the Ukraine comes into play.
If the Russians lose Crimea the oil regions around the Caspian Sea will be in danger. Would another 'barbarossa' be launched, this time by NATO?
The Ukrainians have never indicated any desire to seize Russian territory.
It is hard to see Putin surviving a major rout of his army, his successor will be able to negotiate a ceasefire that satisfies the Americans.
He will just send generals into involuntary internal exile if he continues to follow the Russian Imperial tradition.
Otherwise there is always the Stalin model…
Blaming the performance of generals is usually the default behaviour for the strategic failures of the despots.
The Ukrainians have never indicated any desire to seize Russian territory.
The Ukranians have made no secret of their desire to win back Crimea, which course is Russian territory.
A rout may be the fastest way to end the war.
If Russian morale breaks, and it is not stellar, further casualties will be greatly reduced.
Ukraine have consistently outplayed their notional strength. Perhaps some of them would like to coach the ABs.
"Either they consider ending the war or face total defeat or they use nuclear weapons to try and restore the situation."
The exact same situation Nixon faced in Vietnam.
Luckily for us the US chose the former not the latter.
After the liberation of Kherson, the liberation of Mariupol could not be far behind.
https://www.facebook.com/events/760369788582157/760369801915489/?active_tab=about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaPMr4urwDE
Here's what is wrong with NZ and other Western countries, the headline:
Surely it should read, "it'll get better before it gets worse".
This is what we voted for in 2017. Celebrate it, nitwits.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/09/national-house-prices-plunge-expert-warns-it-ll-get-worse-before-it-gets-better.html
Yeah National…party.
Considering that many houses doubled in GV in the last two years the prices can fall quite a bit and not make any dent.
I feel for the guys that bought over the last three years. They are stuffed.
Typical misplaced sympathy from the fake left. The guys that bought over the last three years still own a house, something which an increasing number of people were never going to be able to do.
Where is your sympathy for them?
look i bought a house real cheap – very cheap as essentially uninhabitalbe at the time – we fixed a lot. that house is now double in value. On the counts of nothing actually for what its worth.
However i do not 'own' the house, the bank does. I own the mortgage. 🙂 And hte poor saps who bought at inflated rates over the last few years for all the wrong reasons are going to be stuck in mortgages that are not worth the paper they are printed on. Even if they manage to sell they are still on the hook for the rest of hte mortgage.
But then, i guess its their own fault for believing government – all will be well, banks – here have a cheap entry rate, the estate agents – houses will never loose value, etc. Sucks to be them, right?
A the kindness of the real left towards its young and old in this country is just always astonishing. So kind, so very very kind.
Btw, did you know that many people can lose houses that they paid for because they can no longer serve the rates that are based on GV? Did you know that the government collects a huge amount of GST on these inflated rates? LOL. How secure are you my dear in your house or rental?
.
It's your jaw-dropping lack of self-awareness that gets me every single bloody time.
But then, this does appear to be very much the Woke modus operandi … accuse others of your own core, defining characteristic. Not surprising that recent research in psychology has emphasised machiavellianism (along with the other Dark Triad traits) as core components of the authoritarian Woke personality.
Read this in a Jordan Peterson book, did you?
This is what we voted for in 2017. Celebrate it, nitwits.
I don't think any of us voted for 'faulty headlines' in 2017.
Agreed Mutton….but a 5.5% drop in house prices is hardly a "plunge". Prices need to come down at least 30%, and that would be good news.
If you buy a home to live in, it has more than monetary value.
Those who see houses as a stepping stone to wealth are half the problem.
Those who buy rentals and turn them into Air B&B are lowering long term rentals available. Those who build for that purpose… ok.
Those who spruik to the young with a sprat (money back) to catch a mackerel (expensive mortgage) are todays Highway Robbers. imo.
Time to seriously consider what we'll call out head of state when we renounce the monarchy.
President is undeniably (and as it happens) deliberately dull.
Naturally governor, chancellor, premiere, chairman, etc and all the monarchic titles are too loaded.
A Māori title is the natural next step to further our unique identity, but what?
oooh, yes, good idea! Public needs a good definition of head of state and the role. A conversation about Te Tiriti.
Rawiri from TMP called the Queen "Ariki" this morning on RNZ. That's as good as any, so far, even if it's a bit broad.
not sure the connotations of chief are right though.
Ariki-nui, perhaps?
A Māori title is the natural next step to further our unique identity, but what?
Rangatira?
Rangitira, oh fuck yes please do .
The added bonus of how crazy it would drive rednecks.
(RBNZ) Governor
Exposing the far limits of medical science.
If the super wealthy have any social utility at all, it is to push the envelope and exploring the limits of what is possible. With all the latest and best of medical science at her disposal. I was expecting HRH to live to at least 100.
Disappointing.
A broken heart and loneliness can not be cured by any medicine. Never mind what her bout with covid did to her body. But it was clear for anyone to see that the joy of life left her when she buried her husband.
As John Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, said, "Money doesn't buy happiness, it buys you a comfortable standard of misery".
May the death of this sad autocrat be the death of autocracy around the world, including here.
May our government not waste one cent of public money commemorating the death of HRH.
I hear the PM is off to to the UK for the HRHQEII funeral
I hope she is paying her own air fare.
Why?
She is going in her role as NZ's PM. NZ is a member of the Commonwealth and there would be n expectation she would be there. She's not going over to gate crash the event.
Does this mean, in your view, she should pay for her official cars and pay rent for her office and for living in Premier House?
Well, thats certainly changed the situation somewhat !
"Environment Southland has defended its consent to the dairy development as an environmental improvement.
Integrated catchment management general manager Paul Hulse said the site had been used for "a number of years" to graze stock over winter on crop or pasture.
"It was assessed that the addition of a wintering barn will mitigate the potential for nutrient and sediment losses to water, as compared to the stock wintering outside.
"The consent they now have restricts the discharge of effluent to a maximum area of 150ha and depth of discharge to 5mm in order to mitigate the potential for leaching or run-off of contaminants to freshwater."
Mr Hulse said the location had a mix of soil types, some of which were free draining.
However, Environment Southland determined the effects on the environment did not meet that threshold for public notification.'
(From above link)
That is, as maybe…However this was also in my Link…
I know some are a wee bit sad Queenie's carked it but as a descendant of people who suffered because of the British aristocracy's penchant for violence, subjugation and theft, I couldn't give a rats.
Good on ya.
And spare us King Charles III.
The first Charles lost his head (deservedly so), the second presided over the most licentious court in British history (and that's saying something) – so how will the third f*wit go?
Time we became a republic!
The bar is low.
duplicitous and delusional
– Samuel Gardiner
Restless he rolls from whore to whore
A merry monarch, scandalous and poor
– John Wilmot
Oh, God. I'll just live inside your trousers or something. It would be much easier!
– Himself
I think he will go quite well. He will never be as popular as the Queen, but he was way ahead of his time. We laughed at him for his weird beliefs regarding organics and regenerative agriculture and environmental issues. Now those issues are mainstream. We even have a political party based on those issues and the use of pronouns. Although I think the latter is something the new king will have to be brought up to speed on.
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1567995443401101312
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1568002561067876352
My favority story is when she drove some Saudi dude around in the car herself. lol
https://www.vox.com/2015/1/23/7877243/king-abdullah-queen-drive
and being a mechanic during ww2
https://www.insider.com/photos-queen-elizabeth-mechanic-world-war-ii-2020-4
she was an interesting women and lived an interesting life. Fwiw, i know few people who two days before they die still work a full day of work. She did.
Not to mention hosting Syrian dictator Basha Assad the only Middle East ruler to ever to overnight at Buckingham Palace.
You know this guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQni3qn6GIU&t=3s
I get your drift. Just as we have close economic ties with China.
''Fwiw, i know few people who two days before they die still work a full day of work. She did.''
I know none. In the NZ context, Dr Golan Haami, the first Maori to graduate from the Otago Medical School, was helping his patients while on his death bed in hospital. Pity this guy was a Maori, otherwise he would've been a well known Kiwi.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/death-of-norman-kirk
I remember his death well. I was watching Steve Rickards, 'On The Mat', wrestling programme when that programme was interrupted to announce Kirk's death. That would have been on a Saturday if I remember correctly. A nurse who was on duty later recounted she had a funny intuition all was not right with Kirk, so she went to his room, but he had passed on.
Yup, it was a Saturday.
Good on the young ones.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/victims-of-rapist-jayden-meyer-speak-as-hundreds-take-to-the-street-in-protest/M5USSVGFB2SUPUGHFZBTTA5DX4/
I hope that these young ones will be better adults then the one that sentenced that guy to the trauma of 9 month Home D.
Yes I find it unbelievable that sentence of home D. As has been pointed out to me, we do not know all the details, but IMO that judge needs a rocket up her (unless judges have been ordered to reduce prison numbers).
I hope due to the public outcry, they at least release more details and justify to the public why the home D was allowed.
What next? this bloke gets home D?
Sockburn fatal stabbing: Zakariye Mohamed Hussein admits street murder; shocking past revealed – NZ Herald
Everyone gets home d.
What would you do with Meyer? Put him in an adult prison for 10 years, or 20? Would you want to live next door to him when he gets out after that? Maybe shut him up for life – happy to pay the taxes to fund all the extra prisons and staff are you? So maybe it's best (i.e. cheaper and final) to take him behind a bush and shoot him then – are you up for that?
You offer no answers and you have no answers. Your sympathy for the young women concerned appears to be entirely bogus and opportunistic. You are sh*t-stirring and using the 'soft on crime' slogan in order to help get the Nats elected. Contemptible.
Yes, i would lock him up for life.
in fact i would lock him up for five life sentences. One for each girl.
But he will be allowed out in 9 month, and chances are he will continue to rape.
BTW, What would you do with a serial rapist that at 16 years of age has already raped 4 girls and assaulted a fifth girl? Give him 9 month home D or even less? maybe a pat on the shoulder? Give him a candy bar? Tell the girls to shut up?
And have a good look at the youngsters protesting this injustice. And ask yourself if these young ones are going to be national voters or what ever party is still valid when they come of age because of that injustice?
Think. Seriously Think.
AB will be happy that Meyer will vote for his team.
Yes I'm happy to pay more taxes to keep him in a juvenile prison and keep him off the streets else we get the re-offending like in the story of Mohamed in Stockburn in 18.1 above. He cant re-offend while behind bars.
I guess in your view my thinking is flawed as I believe in a justice system for the victims (not what's best for the offenders).
Just like this dude here should have not been released on parole.
he got out, bought his tools of the trade and killed.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129806897/man-who-murdered-christchurch-neighbour-was-on-parole-for-brutal-rape
i am all for prisons being emptied of non violent people who did some stupid shit in their life and chances are will never re-offend. But violent men and women should be treated differently.
Yep 9 months home D is fine with me as long as it is accompanied with castration
Jimmy, it seems both of us would like the same thing. We both want a suitable sentence for a serious crime.
The difference is that I am willing to trust that the judge has ruled according to the evidence and the principles of sentencing that judges follow whereas you condemn the judge (who you say is a woman which would in my eyes more predispose towards a tougher sentence for a crime like multiple rape) and demand to see the justification after proferring your condemnation.
I just found this as a guide to why judges sentence as they do. https://www.lawteacher.net/lecture-notes/principles-of-sentencing.php
Again, you show your profound ignorance of the NZ judicial system and the independence of the judiciary even though others have already explained this to you.
Enlighten us who could, would and should order the judges to reduce prison numbers. How does this work in NZ?
Luxon's broken promise …
He said the report on Sam Uffindell would be done by a QC. It's taken so long that it is now impossible for that to happen. Resign!
Now to be completed by a KFC, and kept secret like the colonel's spices. Take away justice, indeed….. a salt and sauce and taste that won''t go away.
Hmm that bloke Sharma seems to have gone quiet – has reality caught up with the press on that one?
Its just the news cycle.
Like every scandal it lasts a week or 2 at most
Another one in the series of the Greens were right all along.
”The climate crisis has driven the world to the brink of multiple “disastrous” tipping points, according to a major study.
It shows five dangerous tipping points may already have been passed due to the 1.1C of global heating caused by humanity to date.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/08/world-on-brink-five-climate-tipping-points-study-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Mindboggling that we are not acting.
How New Zealanders greet each other
'I am not a royalist. But….'
Friday dump.
Robertson releases response to Infrastructure recommendations and says government will spend 61.5 billion$ on infrastructure, over the next 5 years.
The foremost problem to a large tome full of words,is that we have no money.The second part of the problem is we are in a high interest rate regime,with significant constraints on supply (as Europe closes industry that will be needed for infrastructure)
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2022-09/govt-response-nz-infrastructure-strategy-sep22.pdf
I'll have a look over the weekend.
They don't have the ability to reconcile:
– 8 years to the 100% renewables goal
– New RMA that doesn't accelerate major energy projects
– Too few skilled workers
– Very very thin capital base
– Few Tier 1 companies prepared to take a punt on NZ
They are writing cheques with their mouth that their ass can't cash.
About right.
Finance is the problem,along with using european energy models to provide capital guidance for say pumped hydro (wait to consumers get a big hit to provide capital servicing charges)
I wonder if there was the traditional call of "The Queen is dead – long live the King!".
But seriously, I was no particular lover of the British monarchy but did respect her late majesty – she kept working and doing her duty to the end.
However I think that republican aspirations, which have been on hold out of respect for her majesty, will now gather momentum now that she has passed.
The news that next Tuesday Parliament will adjourn for a whole week has just made me a little more republican. A day of tributes, fine. Pay respect, make the speeches, then adjourn for the day.
But putting everything on hold for a week is excessive. Most people got up and went to work this morning.
I think we would be charged by our off-shore friends and allies as showing disrespect to the late Queen. I think its is just the debating chamber shenanigans is it not?
Also PM, and other MPs, will be out of country attending the funeral and other proceedings.
What do you think happens when a Head of a Republic dies? BAU?
Usually the tanks surround the TV station.
I assume you mean drones Zooming in on YouTube HQ.
Well, it's not a hereditary position to hold until death, at least in a democratic republic. So it doesn't happen often, they are usually ex-heads in retirement and when they die – yes, it is mostly BAU.
Really? Have you got any examples, from overseas, obviously?
Monarchs don’t die very often either, do they?
Presidents overseas are basically in two categories: majorly political, like USA and France) and minor (more ceremonial, like Germany and Ireland).
If NZ became a republic I'm pretty certain we'd choose the latter, leaving real power in Parliament. We'd still have a Gov-Gen in all but name. Nobody's advocating the American system, AFAIK.
No, I don't have examples from overseas because when the German/Irish Presidents die we don't notice, which is kind of the point.
Your right, when Hindenburg died we barely noticed
Monarchs don’t die very often either, do they?
Not British/NZ monarchs, obviously. But that's the thing – we don't notice what we don't notice. Many European monarchies are more low key than the Windsor soap opera, and better for it.
Hume argued quite succinctly for the strengths of a constitutional monarchy,and the stability that it provided during the change of governments.
From Huxley (1879)
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18819/18819-h/18819-h.htm
I am saddened and torn my lawnmower died today too.
Hair and scalp clinics around the world are overwhelmed with patients suffering hair damage after a severe outbreak of forelock tugging sweeps the globe.