once more DC is made to look a fool because of certain donations….mr pressland has made a cluster …. of this and nobody seems to notice…to say u can,t believe msn as an excuse is very very weak…at least change yr name poor old Mickey Savage will be rolling in his grave
the right fm
Your message is coming over rather messily… some static, disjointed. Try joined up sentences next time and full spelling, try using predictive function if yu’re calling from your phone. Yr comment comes over half baked.
[lprent: It was. I nearly ditched it as spam. But there was a teeny bit of logic in there. They’re on probation. ]
xox
Oh dear Our police have brokenthe law. Police bully boy and racers and passengers. Its not the poor folk and children of Operation 7, victimised now. Who is next? Heads within police should roll on this shocking episode of unveiled,unbridled exercise of power. The police minister and commissioner should be fronting the media and interrogated. I have lost a lot of respect for the ‘force’ in recent years. I fear for poor and the rich. But hey… it’s not Queensland yet…is it?
6 hours at a police road block for some young drivers in Christchurch who planned, they said, to have a procession to commemorate the earthquake. Kept waiting by riot police under some sort of arrest for so long that one woman had to pee in a bottle. While police went through checking procedures. Harrassment that increases ill will.
Police are setting up road blocks round the country checking up on citizens who may have done something that police check for on their computers, and to fund this invasive, intrusive hold-up by highway men and women, they also check if citizens have done the dastardly deed of not renewing something by the set time, or have some defect to pounce on. Nothing has happened, nothing bad has been done, but you receive police scrutiny for some minor infraction. And wofs and registration for instance, are just safety routines that are set and should be kept to but can be forgotten or temporarily unaffordable. People shouldn’t be treated like hardened criminals and precious policing money and time shouldn’t be spent on this project of preventing crime by having Dragnet and showing police are ‘on the job’.
Watch out all, in the USA a mother was taken from her vehicle and two young children and jailed overnight for not wearing seat belts, and worse, additionally she objected to the overbearing manner of the police ‘officiouser’. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atwater_v._Lago_Vista
Similar could happen in NZ if it hasn’t already – I heard someone, probably on Jim Mora, say in a satisfied tone that it is good that police are being pro-active to prevent crime. That sort of smug attitude goes with a willingness to deny respect and human rights to all except those who have got to a ‘top’ bracket and then sneer at the rest.
It is quite scary the tightening of the screws by government and its minions on ordinary citizens as if the lords and ladies above are ruling the peasants. It is not collaborative government for a well organised and run happy society, it is a mean-minded hostile punitive approach by people who hold themselves in charge of the country over, not beside, their fellow citizens.
Agree that the police have learnt nothing about detaining people unlawfully (Urewera raid). The cop who is incharge of the operation/incident needs to make sure that the police are not breaking the law.
Parliament this week has been a disgrace. Our supposed House of Representatives has been more of a melee of mongrel misfits in a house of reprehensible behaviour.
If the sort of behaviour we frequently witness in Parliament and in the political arena was practised in councils, boardrooms, committees, bars and school playgrounds they would be seen as dysfunctional and it would be condemned.
It’s bullying, dirty destructive behaviour that wouldn’t be acceptable in most parts of our society. New Zealand’s leaders should be setting a good example but they are doing the opposite.
I agree Carter is a terrible speaker whose partial judgements allow National MPs to get away with appalling behaviour – not least the Prime Minister.
Compare for just a second Mr George the actions of the Green Party with those of your beloved National Party.
Your comment would have had some credibility if you left out the nonsensical accusation.
I’ve always supported the usually much better example Greens set in Parliament and in general political behaviour. Maori Party are also excluded from appalling behaviour too, as are some MPs from other parties.
Most of the responsibility for turning voters off politics and off voting by setting appalling examples are the two big parties, National and Labour. It makes a nonsense of supposedly trying to appeal to the 800,000 non-voters.
Hey PB, please explain how the two biggest parties are going to increase their vote when they keep pissing voters off with poor behaviour. Especially getting votes from people who are already pissed off and don’t vote any more or never voted.
That’s Labour’s election results so far this century. The problem isn’t relative to small parties, which should be obvious. It’s relative to previous results. Will the same old negative politics and vague policies suddenly be liked by the increasing number of non-voters?
A. You are currently banned. I’d really prefer not to double the ban up again. So I have added you to spam.
B. The results for the previous decades for Labour were
1978 40.4%
1981 39.0%
1984 43.0%
1987 48.0%
1990 35.1%
1993 34.7%
1996 28.16%
1999 38.74%
So what are you trying to prove?
That you didn’t take much notice of politics prior to 2002?
That political parties major or otherwise tend to have a cycle?
That if you cherry pick your start and end periods in a statistical trend you can make the results look like anything you want to prove (a fact beloved of the nutter fringe)?
That Labour parties get better votes after they have gone on to the parliamentary benches? And worse after they leave them?
You have problems thinking things through when it falls outside your prejudices?
Actually don’t bother answering those. You’d be unlikely to be coherent.
” when they keep pissing voters off with poor behaviour ”
cite?
What makes you think it is the ‘poor behaviour’ that is pissing off voters?
Given there are parties that don’t engage in this behaviour, if that behaviour was really the problem then those parties would be picking up those votes.
Again, behaviour is far from the only reason, you have to also generally agree with the party’s policy mix, but it’s a significant factor. Many people vote based on personality and trust.
Yes, Carter yesterday abandoned his usual practice around points of order and sat back and allowed Gerry Fuck Brownlee to have the floor, who under the guise of a point of order, gave a short political attack speech against Labour and the Greens.
And Carter just let it happen. And when Gerry was finished, Carter woke up and mumbled ‘Order, where was I? Hmm, I’m a bit hungry’
And when Winston raised a point of order to complain about this disgrace, Carter lied and said he had stood Gerry down as soon as he strayed from making a valid point of order.
Just blatantly, openly lied. About something that had just happened.
Now if you don’t usually watch/listen to parliament, it might not seem like a big deal. But anyone familiar with Speaker Carter’s usual practice – of cutting off points of order as soon as he thinks he has the gist of them – will have recognised this for what it was.
Yeah. Pretty much how it went down. Key’s government have made a mockery of parliament in the way they abuse question time: avoiding asking questions, constantly attacking the opposition as a diversion from the questions, Key playing stand-up comedian rather than show some statesmanship…..
Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We are not going to oppose the leave, but I would point out that yesterday the House gave the opportunity to Mr Robertson to table some documents. Upon inspection, those documents were not as he described. It would only be reasonable that he—
I think poor Mr. Speaker was too busy thinking very hard indeed to remember to shut Brownlee up, thinking so hard, in fact, that time stood still while Brownlee yammered on and the cogs started turning…
Moral outrage. Pete George will clean up. Commonsense will prevail with his guidance.
From Michael Marien’s 1970 Handy Guide Pete I think, would be a Rabid Rightist with view of Domination by pointy-headed pseudo-intellectuals and Proposal – to throw briefcases into [Wellington Harbour], Restore common sense.
There were some official visitors from Australia in the gallery on Wednesday.
I actually watched question time on Wednesday and noticed a change in Key when the Collins topic was not part of a question; Key behaved closer to his chronological age. Key saw the over stepping with Collins, he needs to take a good hard look at himself.
Would sending the PM a dummy/infant pacifier to use during question time help?
Fairfax report a stoush between Damien O’Connor and Nick Smith over irrigation.
Labour policy would replace the Crown Irrigation Fund with a yet-to-be-calculated resource rental on fresh water to contribute to water management, science and investment in water schemes…
Labour still had to work through the details, but he [O’Connor] felt there was growing acceptance that a levy for research, monitoring, management and investment in water storage was a fair approach to a public resource being made available to the private sector.
South Island irrigation: a festering offal heap of National Party croneyism and corruption due to be flushed away in September.
Still, if only we could all just learn to get along, eh?
except it aint flushing away is it… it is seeping, rotting and steadily compromising most all drinking water supplies.
this entire issue just confounds me in the way in which …
one, the farmers simply continue to drop the rubbish from their business in the public estate and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
two, the farmers simply continue to drop cow shit into other people’s water supplies and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
three, the farmers simply continue to take everything they can (it is like a greedy gold rush) from the public, and even when other people are already using those resources, to add to their wallets and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
the farmers need to wake up to reality and stop exhibiting the ugly greedy side of human beings.
may sound like farmer-bashing but it is deserved imo. someone prove me wrong – please.
The simple policy would be – to restart the Rural Bank.
Refinance your farm’s debt at much lower interest rates and costs than the Aussie banks BUT you have to sign up to far stricter environmental and operational standards.
IMO 10%-20% of dairy farms are causing almost the majority of the problems, along with Regional Council enforcement that’s who you target and how.
ASB has rural banking with a floating base rate of 4.50%. You can only borrow $200,000 though and it’s meant to be used to fund environmental compliance initiatives.
However I digress…why give the farmers cheaper loans just because they’re doing nothing about reducing their pollution? The solution would be to limit the number of cows allowed per hectare, control the amount of irrigation, ensure there is riparian planting through various farmer funded initiatives, implement proper independent testing of waterways, enforce a strict penalty system with larger fines for non-compliance and require all farms to have a waste reducing facility in place before they’re allowed to operate.
Giving farmers even more handouts won’t fix the problem Colonial Viper.
The entire approach is arse-about. It should be such that the onus is on the farmer to prove that they will not be dumping the rubbish from their business n the public estate (I cannot dump the rubbish from my business in the public estate), and that they will not be affecting certain absolute base-lines around the environment.
Why do they resist this and try doing the opposite?
If all those things I mentioned were “already being done” Colonial Viper there wouldn’t be an issue with most of our waterways being polluted.
Your so-called solution would just give farmers more money, which might help slightly in some instances for farmers who are cash strapped and environmentally aware. Being that these types of farmers are few and far between, it isn’t really a workable solution is it? All you’re really saying is; “here’s some more money for polluting our water”.
You might not be aware that farmers keep their incomes low for tax purposes. If the compliance costs for stricter environmental and operational standards are more than the savings from lower interest rates, then farmers simply won’t bother. Because of the amount of pollution and the size of the problem, compliance costs will in most cases be higher than any savings from lower interest rates.
So I’m afraid you’re wrong Colonial Viper. Giving the farmers even more of a handout without proper oversight is not the answer. Instead, farmers should fund their own businesses so they comply with bona fide environmental standards. That’s how most businesses operate and I see no reason why farming should be different.
The farmers have made themselves the dominant business in NZ at the expense of all NZs except those supplying them, their peripheral businesses.
Therefore we have to work on making them do what they should, and offer them cheap science innovations that will help solve their other problems so carrot and stick, ie better fodder, grass types. Measurements of nutrients in different strains, and suitable soils for them. Advice on measures used by farmers in dry-prone areas of the world that have to be incorporated into our farming methods. Allowance for growing trees on or suitable vegetation on slip prone land. Just really active work getting alongside farmers both dairy, restricting, and other encouraging suitable crops animals in appropriate sites.
Controls on stocking are needed, making sure that water is not tradeable also. Making sure they pay more for water when there is plenty naturally, so building a fund to assist during droughts, and this will help balance the overstocking. Some ideas.
And Jackal is making good points. Income – that business of minimising it. The way to go smart to keep tax low, but not a good measure if one wants to understand monetary benefit to the farmers for their hard work. Some of them say their whole family lives on the same as a townie on a benefit, when more is being asked for. They don’t tell their whole story of tax advantages and side benefits from personal use of land and farm machinery and vehicles.
Did you see the one about the government choosing which subjects to report on in the new environmental reporting legislation?
We need this legislation because – oh noes – NZ is one of the few developed countries that doesn’t have mandatory reporting on the state of the environment. We haven’t reported since, like… 2008.
Yes miravox I did. This governments approach to the environment when it comes to irrigation is simply colonial.
It is bad for our children and their children and thereafter.
That is kind of what I was referring to above re being confounded over these attitudes and approaches to their neighbours, the environment, and our children. It is simply baffling. What is it? What brings them to act in these ways?
Ha ha I’ve never been banned luv – now you with you’re bizarre paedo fixation have been canned by the mods although knowing you canning is probably one of your less foul peccadilloes
Politically Gelded
Healthy Democracy where light is shone on ShonKey dealings is far better than any other system.
Ie Dunnys pathetic sythetic cannibis corruption his son taking taxpayer funds to make a career out of destroying young ones lives!
Simon Buckingham over at TDB has an interesting addition to the Nit-bashing stunt by Paula Bennett shown on TV last night.
Apparently a disabled toilet was removed and a hairdressers sink plumbed in so that the PR event could take place. (Of course, it can be justified that the sink is now available for nit-removal of students – but one sink is scarcely going to deliver for hundreds of students. And it is the continual combing rather than the washing that is effective)
Cynic in me saw this as unspoken “poor bashing” again.
Implication: They need the unspent $1 million (WTF?) from the Food for Schools programme because they are unwilling or unable to effectively address nits in their children. Our local decile 10 school has regular outbreaks – all those parents who spend hundreds on products at the local chemist may be easily aggrieved that “no-one” is helping them out. (And adding in that reference to the Food for Schools programme (unnecessarily) just reinforces that reminder that they can’t even feed their own children.)
I always think of the phrase with malice aforethought when I see pictures of Paula Bennett and read accompanying articles.
National: when in trouble Distract’, the deeper the hole around Collins/Williamson is dug the more outlandish the ”announcements” from Paula Benefit have become,
Last week it was ”crumbs off the table” in the form of added spending on budget advice for beneficiaries, along with ”a plan” to involve the BNZ in the provision of no interest loans to beneficiaries,
This week its kutu treatment in one of the poorest schools in the country, Paula has taken ”on-board” the criticism that She has been wheeled out continually every time National are in trouble with yet another piece of ”Bash a Bene” knee-jerking and has changed tack in an attempt to portray the face of National as ”Pash a Bene”,
The underlying message probably missed by most is that Benefit rates are so low that even the basic health issues of kids reliant upon benefits cannot be met…
Yeah, ffloyd and Molly. I was also rather frowny brow when TV3 mentioned the nit programme was being funded via the unspent one mil left over from the food in schools programme. Um, pretty sure we still have lots of very hungry kids whose circumstances haven’t changed.
So hungry that now days we need sponsors for children in our own “first world” country:
Always inwardly cringe when I see KidsCan involved with something.
I remember looking them up on the Charities register when they first started to see how the money was spent. A lot of the charity spending seemed to be on a private KidsCan Promotional company, which took away transparency, and seemed to deliver very little considering the income. But I must admit, I haven’t checked back since.
I’m also a bit wary of charities that decide a specific “fix” for all to solve endemic problems. Raincoats and shoes. Don’t know if it is a generational thing, but most students seem to get wet rather than use raincoats nowadays – be they decile one or ten. But what if you already have a raincoat and shoes – do you get another and then have an embarassment of riches – or do you not qualify as worth assistance?
Was watching the Rusty Radiator awards yesterday, and this musing about external agencies finding a simple fix reminds me of one of their links Blending Out Poverty
And yeah, a single sink isn’t going to do squat, dealing with nits requires a lot of stuff at home as well, better off having schools provide a nit kit for families with top ups on nit cream when it’s needed. But why go with a solution that actually works when you can go with a half-arsed PR friendly one?
At our local decile 9 school the mothers of some charming 8year old girls complained bitterly about their little dears getting re-infected with nits. They went to the paper. Caused a storm when they blamed the Maori kids in the school. The answer on careful investigation? All the little girls in question went to the same ballet class at which their lessons required them getting close and personal. They were reinfecting each other. Hard luck Mums.
I do hope the outcome was discussed with said Mums and a recommendation they apologise for blaming “the Maori kids” was forthcoming. I boil up with anger every time I hear of this type of behaviour from racist pakeha parents.
Yes, because gods forbid anyone point out power imbalances and how some of the least powerful groups are systematically stigmatised and marginalised, while others benefit from resulting privilege.
Which was the disadvantaged group in this case, and how was the disadvantaged group stigmatised and marginalised by the system? Because officials clearly ignored the prejudiced noise from some pakeha parents and went on to track down the real source of cross-infection (the ballet class).
The system in this case was the wider social system – the discourse by and for the better off that stigmastise (low income, or assumed low income) Maori. The legal system is a more discrete system that connects with the wider social discourse. In this case, following the rule of law, contradicted the cultural assumptions of the ballet club parents.
Point out cultural problems in the discourse of wider society by all means, but IMO the only way to effect change in a lasting and meaningful way is through the goal of economic liberation of the oppressed classes.
And to me it seems like the part of the system related to officialdom performed perfectly equitably in this case.
karol “Yes, because gods forbid anyone point out power imbalances and how some of the least powerful groups are systematically stigmatised and marginalised, while others benefit from resulting privilege.”
Is that what Anne was doing in said assumption ?
Prior to ianmac kindly providing further details below (together with attendant blondphobia, which I personally resent), there was no way of knowing whether the ballet classes included her assumptees, or possibly other balleters such as these people …. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/10026723/North-Korea-sinks-to-a-new-low
vto, you know perfectly well there is a section of out society – mainly pakeha – who are deeply prejudiced against Maori. That’s all ianmac and I were pointing out with our comments.
I don’t like it and nor do a very large section of NZ society.
Anne, just a bit further if you don’t mind. This mini-thread may be a very picky-nits point but it actually highlights human’s actions and reactions in this area. People do not like being pigeon-holed due to their physical make-up such as race, gender, hair colour or car they drive (I like red fords). It goes to simple bigotry. This is what has happened here though isn’t it? Haven’t you jumped the gun and exposed the very human condition that most all of us exhibit form time to time?
Bill Jeffries, despite being convicted by 3 Courts?, will not apologize to investors who got taken for 100’s of millions of dollars ”because He doesn’t believe He did anything wrong”,
Source: RadioNZ National News,
These people are the exemplar of what is wrong with our society, the ”thieving rich” get the kid glove treatment form the Courts while the ”unwashed poor” occupy the jail cells for crimes 1% of the monetary value of the privileged,
Mandatory minimum jail time needs be the sentence option for financial criminals of Jeffries stature…
Bill Jeffries and his ilk would be probably speaking the truth when they say “I didn’t do anything wrong” either because they don’t know the difference between right and wrong, or they are constitutionally incapable of seeing anything clearly in reality and not with some self-advantaging gloss on it. Or they were incompetent and truly didn’t know, or they were lazy and thought it was a sweet deal using their names and faces to give the finance firm some gravitas and took the money but not the time to check if everything was right, because that would have shown lack of belief in their compatriots in the business, or because none of the other directors did and they didn’t want to be party poppers.
A good number of reasons to look at the bloodlines of directors, check their teeth and their fetlocks, their trainers and their connections before betting on them.
Happy to take the fee for being a director, but not sure what the job entailed and not willing to take responsibility for the part they played in ruining a person’s investment.
Jeffries raised there being a risk with finance companies, a good directror would have managed the company to minimise the risk and have acted when the company was in financial trouble.
If this man could not access money then he would have received a harsher sentence, jail. Poor people get treated differently than rich people. Disgusting.
Yeah, because cannabis growers use EFTPOS for payment and have a regular habit of stashing their earnings in traceable, IRD visible bank accounts instead of multiple hidden cash stashes. Pfffft.
Most successful drug dealers would use a legitimate business to wash some of their money. Police estimate that Macdonald made $98,000 from the operation, but they’re notorious at overestimating to justify their funding. With electricity of approximately $629 per cycle, Macdonald was a pretty small time grower.
In my experience from the distance past, police figures would be anything from 3 to 10 times the real ones. They love to take the retail price for a gram of something and multiply it by 1000 to get the wholesale price per kilo. I remember several cases where lawyers advised against disputing the amount at sentencing, on the basis that “You don’t want to make it look like you’re heavily involved in the business”.
VTO, lets correct that slightly
Money buys a legal result.
You are not dealing with a Justice system. You are dealing with the Law system.
Justice is an absent concept.
I’m not sure whether anyone else reads the once-august political newsletter “transtasman”. I seem to remember it being quite good around 2002, but it appears to have descended to base partisanship (and beyond).
They’ve outdone themselves today. In an article entitled Tweets, Trolls And Partisanship, they complain that political players have too much of a role in influencing Ministers. I agree in principle, but would have chosen a different target. From the column:
“Voices of unreason are now more prominent in politics. Not for the first or last time, the online world has much to do with this. “Trolls and bottom feeders” is how John Key described Twitter this week, presumably not long before having another chat with Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.
Over on the Left, the Standard blog is mostly written – pseudonymously – by Labour and Green Party staffers. This is also one of the blogs Key looks at, he revealed, and it must be a comfort to know the folk who spew out the kind of ignorance and bitter bile found there are advising his political opponents.”
Perhaps the editor should visit Mr Slater’s blog if he/she (I suspect he) is interested in ignorance and bitter bile…
But they aren’t finished there. They also weigh in on Maurice Williamson and Judith Collins, but not in the way you’d expect:
“What has surprised the Govt has been not so much the intensity of the Opposition parties’ attacks but how feral the mainstream media turned in pillorying the errant Ministers.”
I’d agree that the mainstream media has taken umbrage at being attacked and has chosen to retaliate (perhaps with too much glee), but if you’re seeing feral in the actions of the media, but not elsewhere, you might want to check your myopia.
Perhaps I shouldn’t read these things on a Monday morning… if nothing else, it gets the juices flowing.
“Over on the Left, the Standard blog is mostly written – pseudonymously – by Labour and Green Party staffers”
In order for the whole article to be taken seriously, that needs some backing up. Going by the people that have written here lately, there is micky savage (who is up front about his Labour involvement) and karol (who has no party affiliations at all). Lynn is a Labour party member, but as far as I can tell has no current official involvement. Stephanie Rogers likewise appears to have no official involvement with either party. Nor does Bill. Mike Smith’s involvement with Labour is upfront. I don’t know about Bunji or Geoff. Ben Clark is a Labour man, but doesn’t write here enough to be considered “most”.
That leaves the Notices and Features login, which are predominantly reprints of posts from offsite. If there are GP staffers with access to that I’d like to know why more GP focussed posts aren’t being published 😉
So to say that the standard is written mostly “by Labour and Green Party staffers” strikes me as odd. Looks like the person writing that doesn’t actually read here that much. Or is relying on beltway perspectives that don’t match the rest of the world.
Beyond that, I have no idea what ‘transtasman’ is, or who writes it, so am missing the context of your points sorry.
It just seems weird that a broadcaster got the boot because of what he asked an anonymous caller, while the soft-porn bus ad is there for all to see.
WTF??!!
John Drinnan @NZHerald can’t tell the difference between grossly inappropriate questions to a victim of an orchestrated rape group and a gratuitous TV show ad featuring a paid member of the cast.
Jerry Brownlie is calling for no more about Cabinet Clubs (National Radio) because it is getting out of hand. Really? The whole question of party funding should be in the arena and Cabinet Club should be exposed.
There is a perception that the National CC is a means of buying access and the potential for corruption. Trevor did not accuse Woodhouse of receiving money. He asked if money was paid (to the Nat Party) for the 1 on 1 meeting. Well. Was there?
“Former Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson lobbied Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse about rule changes for wealthy foreign investors sought by businessman and National Party donor Donghua Liu, Mr Woodhouse has confirmed……..
Mr Key has denied offering support for the the new investor category, and, when asked about the letters in March, said: “Interest groups can interpret the Prime Minister’s interest in a conversation as having shown support for an idea, but that is a matter of interpretation.”
And Mr Liu is not in Williamson’s Electorate. Funny that.
Interest groups can interpret the Prime Minister’s interest in a conversation as having shown support for an idea, but that is a matter of interpretation.”
Only if you want to seem to be giving support while being able to claim the opposite.
Yes DTB. Remember how Mr Key says what his audience want to hear? Interest groups can interpret the Prime Minister’s interest in a conversation as having shown support for an idea, but that is a matter of interpretation.”
He may have a problem when cosmetic testing on animals come up for discussion. To animal lovers he says only tests on animals can used for people/medical research. Oops. To the women who use makeup he will say…?
Just heard this on Radio Live but I can’t find a link for it anywhere on the net – NZ deficit has risen and the net debt now is $67B – and the tax intake is again lower than expected.
Sheesh, these tax cuts for the rich have really worked, eh?
The next Canada? Rich mainland Chinese push New Zealand migration to 11-year high
The top draw for Chinese families was the “beautiful environment, good weather and living standard”, he said.
New Zealand has been wooing wealthy Chinese after Canada, a top destination, restricted its immigrant visa scheme after it was overloaded by mainlanders seeking citizenship. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key recently said he wanted mainland and Hong Kong investors to spend money not on land, but on fixed assets, manufacturing or real estate projects like hotels.
New Zealand’s “Investor Plus” policy allows those who invest NZ$10 million (HK$53.1 million) over a three-year period to gain residency. Applicants are not required to have English- language skills or business experience.
A less expensive option, the “Investor” category, allows residency for those who invest NZ$1.5 million over four years, but who must also speak English.
Lobbyists for a relaxation in policy say New Zealand is missing out on a large pool of investors: those who have between NZ$1.5 million and NZ$10 million, but who have no English skills. “New Zealand’s investor immigration programme is relatively difficult as it sets a high bar,” said Victor Lum, vice-president of the Beijing-based immigration consultancy Well Trend United Consulting.
One of the biggest obstacles for Chinese investors was how to get money out of the mainland given strict rules on capital outflows, Lum said. “Previously, applicants would contact friends and relatives to help,” he said.
Lum cited a new Bank of China service that allowed citizens to transfer more than the annual limit of 50,000 yuan (HK$62,700). Under one option, clients can transfer between 2 million yuan and 10 million yuan, Lum said. Under another, the amounts are from HK$2.4 million to HK$50 million. The bank does some vetting to ensure the money was legally earned.
On corruption and the National Party NACT….Louisa Wall in support of Penny Bright’s dogged anti- corruption campaign :
“In December last year we rated in the top ten of the least corrupt countries according to Transparency International, in its Global Corruption Barometer. At the time the lead researcher, Finn Heinrich stated “Corruption hurts the poor most”.
What a difference a year makes! During this year the extent of the practices of this Government have come to light in a way that raises serious questions about the level of corruption our Government has reached.”
Hope that doesn’t mean that programs like Morning Report gets shunted into a commercial radio type approach. After all it is Election Year and Mr Thompson was appointed by National man Chairman Richard Griffin.
John Drinnan wrote: More changes are likely at Radio New Zealand this month, with chief executive Paul Thompson expected to target the news operation……
Thompson’s revamp is expected to include a shake-up of the Auckland newsroom and studios. Staff have been told management wants the news operation to be more proactive and break more stories. It is understood the board of governors blames a tired culture at the broadcaster.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11251996
Herald heading spinning as ever for the government.
“Budget surplus on track as tax-take improves”
Hidden details
We are more in debt as a country.
Personal tax is not raising enough because the government reduced tax ion the wealthy.
“Core tax revenue was 1.8 percent below forecast at $44.49 billion,
Personal income tax was 1.8 percent below forecast at $20.93 billion
That led to more net debt than forecast at $61.18 billion, or 27.6 percent of gross domestic product,”
The Granny also has right now as top headline “LVR rules may be scrapped” when in fact they are to be kept in place till later in the year and and economist on RNZ just said “clearly they [Reserve Bank] are happy with how things are going.”
The Radionz news said that the tax take was less than expected by the Gummint. Again.
What’s the Herald like for loo paper for the long drop? Does the ink run so they can’t be held to account for their fabrications. Perhaps they should cut out the middleman and print it directly on to the unbleached stuff and sell it as environmentally sound seeing as none of their news is.
Not one who personally indulges in criminal activity – but it doesn’t take a criminal mind to work out that the Herald publishing this story about the return of $90,000 unclaimed cash to the cleaner that discovered it – has very helpfully provided the full name and photo of said cleaner.
Now if that was “my money” which for some reason (perhaps criminal?) – I did not want to retrieve from the police, – I now know who to go to for a delayed retrieval AND what he looks like. They already know where he works – Channel Nine building in Sydney.
The first beehive crumbled and Cunliffe made a dig about it being a National-led government.
The second beehive was more successful – almost perfect – and Cunliffe said it was a Labour-led government but one 4-year-old quickly crushed that dream, jumping all over it.
Even the kids know Labour in power are a bad idea 🙂
why doesnt puckish roog speak for himself instead of adding links all the time? It shows a very weak intellect using other peoples words all the time and not being able to frame a cogent comment in person.
Where does he wear his Judith fetish and what form does that take? The mind boggles. Is it a lock of blonde hair tied ceremoniously with a loveknot? onto a neck collar with golden studs or perhaps on a long choke chain so that it hangs near his heart?
Are we going to have a Friday slot for the weekend doings? Like Judith Collins I feel the need for some gardening time, a change of scene and subject. (Ooh that change of subject isn’t going well.)
Te Notional Party takes some hits and Petty Georgeous comes over all sanctimonious and pearl clutching about ‘standards’. Like he gives a fuck. Disingenuous prattler !
Things are still quietly moving toward a Mana/Internet Party alliance, with Mana Party Prez, Annette Sykes hosting Kim Dotcom at the Te Arawa Kapa Haka festival on the weekend,
Hone has also given a ‘heads up’ that Annette will be making an announcement of some import on the weekend,
Source: Online Herald,
i am sure both Hone and Dotcom will be well pleased with the results of the last two Roy Morgan polls which have the Mana Party polling 1% and Internet 1.5%, so talk of an alliance between the two seems to have upset a few ‘activists’ while lifting electoral support for both Parties,
Labour and the Green Parties will also be pleased that at the same time as Mana/Internet gained more traction their respective share of the vote also rose in the Roy Morgan,
Internet have also released their initial enviroment policy, the most notable part of this being a 100% renewable’s supply of the countries electricity by 2025,
Up my tree and out on a limb could i see a Mana/Internet alliance pulling 5% of the Party vote off of the fence in September, yep!!!, with the ensuing media speculation and some savvy advertising,(the kapa haka at Rotorua this weekend might give both a great idea in the vein of both leaders appearing through a parting haka to say their piece), i think a Mana/Internet alliance will go really close to crossing 5% which would provide the iwituararo to a left leaning Labour/Green Government…
…not by taking votes from committed Greens or Labour or Winnie …but by attracting the non voters and the undecided voters as well as young waivering Nacts
You knows what? Human beings are so incredibly prejudicial. And consistent. Posted some stuff up-thread re that. But today I experienced it again and in a common and strong manner. It goes like this…. I have some height. My height I have used to further various causes from time to time. Today at an important interaction it was used again. People like height in people. They react to it positively. Which is to the detriment to those of lesser height. It is a very solid and dependable factor used in daily business and personal interactions.
I can follow your dogmatic statements, but also apparent is your inability to listen – hell – even consider what is being said. You seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to any suggestion of privilege.
A few months ago I watched A Class Divided, the documentary from years ago in the US where the 3rd grade teacher divided the class strictly by eye colour. And prejudice – as you say – developed over something intrinsically unimportant.
But it did exist – because of associated privilege. And failure to recognise privilege means that spoken or not, it tends to continue. Follow up reading included Peggy McIntoshes <a href=”http://www.isr.umich.edu/home/diversity/resources/white-privilege.pdf>White Privilege:
Unpacking the Invisible Backpack.
Only five pages and worth a read – particular the checklist.
No. That was the title of the document I linked to. The checklist on privilege from recollection, just refers to it from the perspective of the privileged (in whatever capacity) person.
If you are that pedantic – I was talking about eye colour.
But once again – you are proving impossible to converse with on this matter.
Aw c’mon VTO. You know damned fine that ‘height’ isn’t the problem, it’s the fact that ‘height’ becomes the measure of normality to the extent that wee short fuckers then get socially, systemically and personally harangued, stygmatised and discriminated against. And then, sometimes, along comes some blithely and blissfully ignorant person of ‘height’ compounding it by complaining that nasty wee fuckers are biting his ankles and how he’s a victim, yes?
University of Canterbury Geographer Dr Heather Purdie said she has been monitoring Fox Glacier since 2005 and was increasingly concerned about the impact that climate-driven glacier retreat would have on glacier tourism and regions reliant on glacier-related products.
…
“The termini of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are drawing increasingly close to their previous minimum which, coupled with thinning, indicates that retreat will continue for the near future.”
I suppose that you techies out there will be up with the latest moves in the USA on this net neutrality but this woman Vi Hart is passionate about it and explains it well – here’s a choice –
I think about whether the Minister for Tourism has any sentiment on this:
NZ’s glacial mass tourism industry possibly under danger
College of Canterbury Geographer Dr Heather Purdie said she has been observing Fox Glacier since 2005 and was progressively worried about the effect that atmosphere driven ice sheet retreat might have on icy mass tourism and districts dependent on ice sheet related items.
…
“The ends of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are attracting progressively near their past least which, coupled with diminishing, demonstrates that withdraw will proceed for the not so distant future
College of Canterbury Geographer Dr Heather Purdie said she has been observing Fox Glacier since 2005 and was progressively worried about the effect that atmosphere driven ice sheet retreat might have on icy mass tourism and districts dependent on ice sheet related items.
Assessing the systemic destruction of our environment in terms of detriment to the profitability of capitalist industries is a sad and narrow way of looking at things.
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Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
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“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
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The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
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While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
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The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
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Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
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We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
once more DC is made to look a fool because of certain donations….mr pressland has made a cluster …. of this and nobody seems to notice…to say u can,t believe msn as an excuse is very very weak…at least change yr name poor old Mickey Savage will be rolling in his grave
🙄
The right demonstrate their fear with applause.
🙄
Person leaves comment on the internet, yet can’t leave a link that explains just wtf they’re talking about [insert $irony here].
And you need more caffeine, for incoherent you art.
the right fm
Your message is coming over rather messily… some static, disjointed. Try joined up sentences next time and full spelling, try using predictive function if yu’re calling from your phone. Yr comment comes over half baked.
[lprent: It was. I nearly ditched it as spam. But there was a teeny bit of logic in there. They’re on probation. ]
xox
Oh dear Our police have brokenthe law. Police bully boy and racers and passengers. Its not the poor folk and children of Operation 7, victimised now. Who is next? Heads within police should roll on this shocking episode of unveiled,unbridled exercise of power. The police minister and commissioner should be fronting the media and interrogated. I have lost a lot of respect for the ‘force’ in recent years. I fear for poor and the rich. But hey… it’s not Queensland yet…is it?
6 hours at a police road block for some young drivers in Christchurch who planned, they said, to have a procession to commemorate the earthquake. Kept waiting by riot police under some sort of arrest for so long that one woman had to pee in a bottle. While police went through checking procedures. Harrassment that increases ill will.
Police are setting up road blocks round the country checking up on citizens who may have done something that police check for on their computers, and to fund this invasive, intrusive hold-up by highway men and women, they also check if citizens have done the dastardly deed of not renewing something by the set time, or have some defect to pounce on. Nothing has happened, nothing bad has been done, but you receive police scrutiny for some minor infraction. And wofs and registration for instance, are just safety routines that are set and should be kept to but can be forgotten or temporarily unaffordable. People shouldn’t be treated like hardened criminals and precious policing money and time shouldn’t be spent on this project of preventing crime by having Dragnet and showing police are ‘on the job’.
Watch out all, in the USA a mother was taken from her vehicle and two young children and jailed overnight for not wearing seat belts, and worse, additionally she objected to the overbearing manner of the police ‘officiouser’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atwater_v._Lago_Vista
Similar could happen in NZ if it hasn’t already – I heard someone, probably on Jim Mora, say in a satisfied tone that it is good that police are being pro-active to prevent crime. That sort of smug attitude goes with a willingness to deny respect and human rights to all except those who have got to a ‘top’ bracket and then sneer at the rest.
It is quite scary the tightening of the screws by government and its minions on ordinary citizens as if the lords and ladies above are ruling the peasants. It is not collaborative government for a well organised and run happy society, it is a mean-minded hostile punitive approach by people who hold themselves in charge of the country over, not beside, their fellow citizens.
Agree that the police have learnt nothing about detaining people unlawfully (Urewera raid). The cop who is incharge of the operation/incident needs to make sure that the police are not breaking the law.
“Police do not up hold the law by breaking it.”
Parliament this week has been a disgrace. Our supposed House of Representatives has been more of a melee of mongrel misfits in a house of reprehensible behaviour.
If the sort of behaviour we frequently witness in Parliament and in the political arena was practised in councils, boardrooms, committees, bars and school playgrounds they would be seen as dysfunctional and it would be condemned.
It’s bullying, dirty destructive behaviour that wouldn’t be acceptable in most parts of our society. New Zealand’s leaders should be setting a good example but they are doing the opposite.
It’s a Parliamentary disgrace.
🙄
🙄 🙄 is Petty talking of our Prime Minister being told to pull His head in or be ejected from the House, what a disgrace…
I agree Carter is a terrible speaker whose partial judgements allow National MPs to get away with appalling behaviour – not least the Prime Minister.
Compare for just a second Mr George the actions of the Green Party with those of your beloved National Party.
Your comment would have had some credibility if you left out the nonsensical accusation.
I’ve always supported the usually much better example Greens set in Parliament and in general political behaviour. Maori Party are also excluded from appalling behaviour too, as are some MPs from other parties.
Most of the responsibility for turning voters off politics and off voting by setting appalling examples are the two big parties, National and Labour. It makes a nonsense of supposedly trying to appeal to the 800,000 non-voters.
🙄 🙄 ,Yes Petty we note you making a nonsense of yourself every day here at the Standard…
the daily ‘fret’..?
..and you still haven’t told us.. ‘
..if you have a photocopier in yr office..
😆
DNFTT, he just wants links to his blog.
PG’s got to get his google rank up somehow.
ha ha, it is probably a xerox
Definitely a xerox 🙂
” It makes a nonsense of supposedly trying to appeal to the 800,000 non-voters.”
Hey Pete, please to be explaining how the two biggest parties have less appeal than the better behaved small parties.
Silly question, presumably deliberate.
Hey PB, please explain how the two biggest parties are going to increase their vote when they keep pissing voters off with poor behaviour. Especially getting votes from people who are already pissed off and don’t vote any more or never voted.
PB just neatly exposed your shite “thinking”. Everyone can see you wriggling, unelectable. Sad. 😆
I’m not trying to be elected. Stupid suggestion. And as usual an empty diss.
2002 838,219 41.26%
2005 935,319 41.10%
2008 796,880 33.99%
2011 614,937 27.48%
That’s Labour’s election results so far this century. The problem isn’t relative to small parties, which should be obvious. It’s relative to previous results. Will the same old negative politics and vague policies suddenly be liked by the increasing number of non-voters?
🙄
PB’s point stands – you know nothing 😀
PS: I’m a Green voter. What have their results been this century, moran?
A. You are currently banned. I’d really prefer not to double the ban up again. So I have added you to spam.
B. The results for the previous decades for Labour were
1978 40.4%
1981 39.0%
1984 43.0%
1987 48.0%
1990 35.1%
1993 34.7%
1996 28.16%
1999 38.74%
So what are you trying to prove?
Actually don’t bother answering those. You’d be unlikely to be coherent.
” when they keep pissing voters off with poor behaviour ”
cite?
What makes you think it is the ‘poor behaviour’ that is pissing off voters?
Given there are parties that don’t engage in this behaviour, if that behaviour was really the problem then those parties would be picking up those votes.
You know nothing Pete.
There’s a variety of reasons why different people choose twho to vote for or not to vote.
“if that behaviour was really the problem then those parties would be picking up those votes”
Greens are regarded as much better behaved than the major parties.
2002 142,250 7.00%
2005 120,521 5.30%
2008 157,613 6.72%
2011 247,372 11.06%
Again, behaviour is far from the only reason, you have to also generally agree with the party’s policy mix, but it’s a significant factor. Many people vote based on personality and trust.
Jesus wept man.
“There’s a variety of reasons why different people choose twho to vote for or not to vote.
”
Correct. So there goes your argument.
Now show us UF’s votes. They are all about your whatever the hell it is you keep going on about it.
Best fit for whatever it is, is UF. How they doin?
“the nonsensical accusation.”
which is what exactly pete?
🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄
Dontcha know people, robust, vocal debate around a serious issue is a totes bad thing.
Yes, Carter yesterday abandoned his usual practice around points of order and sat back and allowed Gerry Fuck Brownlee to have the floor, who under the guise of a point of order, gave a short political attack speech against Labour and the Greens.
And Carter just let it happen. And when Gerry was finished, Carter woke up and mumbled ‘Order, where was I? Hmm, I’m a bit hungry’
And when Winston raised a point of order to complain about this disgrace, Carter lied and said he had stood Gerry down as soon as he strayed from making a valid point of order.
Just blatantly, openly lied. About something that had just happened.
Now if you don’t usually watch/listen to parliament, it might not seem like a big deal. But anyone familiar with Speaker Carter’s usual practice – of cutting off points of order as soon as he thinks he has the gist of them – will have recognised this for what it was.
A disgrace.
Yeah. Pretty much how it went down. Key’s government have made a mockery of parliament in the way they abuse question time: avoiding asking questions, constantly attacking the opposition as a diversion from the questions, Key playing stand-up comedian rather than show some statesmanship…..
Why doesn’t parliament have a neutral ref?
Because the public haven’t forced them to get one yet.
Until then, how about a Green ref?
Pretty much everyone agrees they’re the only party that takes parliament seriously and doesn’t play games with process.
“The conscience of Parliament”, they call them.
So why not let let them run it?
If the will existed to let the Greens run it, the proposal that a neutral body do the job would get a lot more traction.
If there’s going top be a change why not make it a change to neutral?
I don’t know if the Greens would be keen on losing one of their MPs to the role. I don’t see any suitable candidates there either.
“Why doesn’t parliament have a neutral ref?”
I think this should be seriously pushed. Even the best of Speakers (past) have problems with their association with one side of the House.
How would it work?
How could a non-mp chair parliament?
Who would be suitable?
How would they be accountable?
felix + 1..
..i couldn’t believe that brownlee speech..
..i’m surprised the speaker didn’t have his hands tucked under his chin..
..as he watched on..
when hes not smiling and suppressing a laugh.
lockwood proved you could rise above party allegiance and do the right thing, like exercise highest ethical standards even
Yes. Carter does smirk at the NAct barbs and jokes at the opposition expense.
Felix, are you referring to:
I can’t find the point of order from Winston…
More likely here.
And here
Thanks Karol.
Ah, found it.
I think poor Mr. Speaker was too busy thinking very hard indeed to remember to shut Brownlee up, thinking so hard, in fact, that time stood still while Brownlee yammered on and the cogs started turning…
??? 😕
Moral outrage. Pete George will clean up. Commonsense will prevail with his guidance.
From Michael Marien’s 1970 Handy Guide Pete I think, would be a Rabid Rightist with view of Domination by pointy-headed pseudo-intellectuals and Proposal – to throw briefcases into [Wellington Harbour], Restore common sense.
🙄 PG
There were some official visitors from Australia in the gallery on Wednesday.
I actually watched question time on Wednesday and noticed a change in Key when the Collins topic was not part of a question; Key behaved closer to his chronological age. Key saw the over stepping with Collins, he needs to take a good hard look at himself.
Would sending the PM a dummy/infant pacifier to use during question time help?
Fairfax report a stoush between Damien O’Connor and Nick Smith over irrigation.
South Island irrigation: a festering offal heap of National Party croneyism and corruption due to be flushed away in September.
Still, if only we could all just learn to get along, eh?
except it aint flushing away is it… it is seeping, rotting and steadily compromising most all drinking water supplies.
this entire issue just confounds me in the way in which …
one, the farmers simply continue to drop the rubbish from their business in the public estate and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
two, the farmers simply continue to drop cow shit into other people’s water supplies and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
three, the farmers simply continue to take everything they can (it is like a greedy gold rush) from the public, and even when other people are already using those resources, to add to their wallets and think it is somehow ok, if not laudable.
the farmers need to wake up to reality and stop exhibiting the ugly greedy side of human beings.
may sound like farmer-bashing but it is deserved imo. someone prove me wrong – please.
The simple policy would be – to restart the Rural Bank.
Refinance your farm’s debt at much lower interest rates and costs than the Aussie banks BUT you have to sign up to far stricter environmental and operational standards.
IMO 10%-20% of dairy farms are causing almost the majority of the problems, along with Regional Council enforcement that’s who you target and how.
ASB has rural banking with a floating base rate of 4.50%. You can only borrow $200,000 though and it’s meant to be used to fund environmental compliance initiatives.
However I digress…why give the farmers cheaper loans just because they’re doing nothing about reducing their pollution? The solution would be to limit the number of cows allowed per hectare, control the amount of irrigation, ensure there is riparian planting through various farmer funded initiatives, implement proper independent testing of waterways, enforce a strict penalty system with larger fines for non-compliance and require all farms to have a waste reducing facility in place before they’re allowed to operate.
Giving farmers even more handouts won’t fix the problem Colonial Viper.
I agree.
The entire approach is arse-about. It should be such that the onus is on the farmer to prove that they will not be dumping the rubbish from their business n the public estate (I cannot dump the rubbish from my business in the public estate), and that they will not be affecting certain absolute base-lines around the environment.
Why do they resist this and try doing the opposite?
I proposed a politically viable solution, you proposed one which is already being done and but is no where enough.
So be it.
If all those things I mentioned were “already being done” Colonial Viper there wouldn’t be an issue with most of our waterways being polluted.
Your so-called solution would just give farmers more money, which might help slightly in some instances for farmers who are cash strapped and environmentally aware. Being that these types of farmers are few and far between, it isn’t really a workable solution is it? All you’re really saying is; “here’s some more money for polluting our water”.
You might not be aware that farmers keep their incomes low for tax purposes. If the compliance costs for stricter environmental and operational standards are more than the savings from lower interest rates, then farmers simply won’t bother. Because of the amount of pollution and the size of the problem, compliance costs will in most cases be higher than any savings from lower interest rates.
So I’m afraid you’re wrong Colonial Viper. Giving the farmers even more of a handout without proper oversight is not the answer. Instead, farmers should fund their own businesses so they comply with bona fide environmental standards. That’s how most businesses operate and I see no reason why farming should be different.
+1
The farmers have made themselves the dominant business in NZ at the expense of all NZs except those supplying them, their peripheral businesses.
Therefore we have to work on making them do what they should, and offer them cheap science innovations that will help solve their other problems so carrot and stick, ie better fodder, grass types. Measurements of nutrients in different strains, and suitable soils for them. Advice on measures used by farmers in dry-prone areas of the world that have to be incorporated into our farming methods. Allowance for growing trees on or suitable vegetation on slip prone land. Just really active work getting alongside farmers both dairy, restricting, and other encouraging suitable crops animals in appropriate sites.
Controls on stocking are needed, making sure that water is not tradeable also. Making sure they pay more for water when there is plenty naturally, so building a fund to assist during droughts, and this will help balance the overstocking. Some ideas.
And Jackal is making good points. Income – that business of minimising it. The way to go smart to keep tax low, but not a good measure if one wants to understand monetary benefit to the farmers for their hard work. Some of them say their whole family lives on the same as a townie on a benefit, when more is being asked for. They don’t tell their whole story of tax advantages and side benefits from personal use of land and farm machinery and vehicles.
Nationalise fresh water?
Did you see the one about the government choosing which subjects to report on in the new environmental reporting legislation?
We need this legislation because – oh noes – NZ is one of the few developed countries that doesn’t have mandatory reporting on the state of the environment. We haven’t reported since, like… 2008.
Yes miravox I did. This governments approach to the environment when it comes to irrigation is simply colonial.
It is bad for our children and their children and thereafter.
That is kind of what I was referring to above re being confounded over these attitudes and approaches to their neighbours, the environment, and our children. It is simply baffling. What is it? What brings them to act in these ways?
“It is simply baffling. What is it? What brings them to act in these ways?”
Simple really. It’s they way they value everything.
+1111
Over on The Daily Blog: the horror photograph of the year!
( WARNING : obscene content. )
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/05/09/the-first-rule-of-cabinet-club-is-trolls-and-bottom-feeders-get-in-free/
Oh noes an old photo of the PM and the two most popular political bloggers in NZ
Oh no. All three bottom feeders in one place!
How are DPF and the PM bottom feeders ?
The PM isn’t a bottom feeder. He’s a tr*ll.
Whale and Penguin feed off the stuff even the tr*ll is ashamed to say in public.
🙄 🙄 please oh please send us a better class of ”wing-nut”…
Yeah. The tr0ll above is the lowest of the low. As I recall he was banned for some really really creepy disgusting shit last time.
Ha ha I’ve never been banned luv – now you with you’re bizarre paedo fixation have been canned by the mods although knowing you canning is probably one of your less foul peccadilloes
how is it that you can spell “paedo” but “caning” is beyond you?
Now I have Watties in my brain…
You’ll never know, doc.
You’ll never know.
Politically Gelded
Healthy Democracy where light is shone on ShonKey dealings is far better than any other system.
Ie Dunnys pathetic sythetic cannibis corruption his son taking taxpayer funds to make a career out of destroying young ones lives!
Simon Buckingham over at TDB has an interesting addition to the Nit-bashing stunt by Paula Bennett shown on TV last night.
Apparently a disabled toilet was removed and a hairdressers sink plumbed in so that the PR event could take place. (Of course, it can be justified that the sink is now available for nit-removal of students – but one sink is scarcely going to deliver for hundreds of students. And it is the continual combing rather than the washing that is effective)
Cynic in me saw this as unspoken “poor bashing” again.
Implication: They need the unspent $1 million (WTF?) from the Food for Schools programme because they are unwilling or unable to effectively address nits in their children. Our local decile 10 school has regular outbreaks – all those parents who spend hundreds on products at the local chemist may be easily aggrieved that “no-one” is helping them out. (And adding in that reference to the Food for Schools programme (unnecessarily) just reinforces that reminder that they can’t even feed their own children.)
I always think of the phrase with malice aforethought when I see pictures of Paula Bennett and read accompanying articles.
National: when in trouble Distract’, the deeper the hole around Collins/Williamson is dug the more outlandish the ”announcements” from Paula Benefit have become,
Last week it was ”crumbs off the table” in the form of added spending on budget advice for beneficiaries, along with ”a plan” to involve the BNZ in the provision of no interest loans to beneficiaries,
This week its kutu treatment in one of the poorest schools in the country, Paula has taken ”on-board” the criticism that She has been wheeled out continually every time National are in trouble with yet another piece of ”Bash a Bene” knee-jerking and has changed tack in an attempt to portray the face of National as ”Pash a Bene”,
The underlying message probably missed by most is that Benefit rates are so low that even the basic health issues of kids reliant upon benefits cannot be met…
Pretty sure she said that the million dollars to be used was “LEFT OVER” from Food for Schools! Leftovers? Have the children all stopped eating?
Yeah, ffloyd and Molly. I was also rather frowny brow when TV3 mentioned the nit programme was being funded via the unspent one mil left over from the food in schools programme. Um, pretty sure we still have lots of very hungry kids whose circumstances haven’t changed.
So hungry that now days we need sponsors for children in our own “first world” country:
http://www.kidscan.org.nz/how-to-help/support-a-new-zealand-child
Shameful.
Always inwardly cringe when I see KidsCan involved with something.
I remember looking them up on the Charities register when they first started to see how the money was spent. A lot of the charity spending seemed to be on a private KidsCan Promotional company, which took away transparency, and seemed to deliver very little considering the income. But I must admit, I haven’t checked back since.
I’m also a bit wary of charities that decide a specific “fix” for all to solve endemic problems. Raincoats and shoes. Don’t know if it is a generational thing, but most students seem to get wet rather than use raincoats nowadays – be they decile one or ten. But what if you already have a raincoat and shoes – do you get another and then have an embarassment of riches – or do you not qualify as worth assistance?
Was watching the Rusty Radiator awards yesterday, and this musing about external agencies finding a simple fix reminds me of one of their links Blending Out Poverty
(Also, worthwhile to have a look at the Golden Radiator award winners too)
Missed that angle :/
And yeah, a single sink isn’t going to do squat, dealing with nits requires a lot of stuff at home as well, better off having schools provide a nit kit for families with top ups on nit cream when it’s needed. But why go with a solution that actually works when you can go with a half-arsed PR friendly one?
At our local decile 9 school the mothers of some charming 8year old girls complained bitterly about their little dears getting re-infected with nits. They went to the paper. Caused a storm when they blamed the Maori kids in the school. The answer on careful investigation? All the little girls in question went to the same ballet class at which their lessons required them getting close and personal. They were reinfecting each other. Hard luck Mums.
I do hope the outcome was discussed with said Mums and a recommendation they apologise for blaming “the Maori kids” was forthcoming. I boil up with anger every time I hear of this type of behaviour from racist pakeha parents.
Anne. Really. Your assumption that it was pakeha reflects a similar attitude to the one you boil to anger over.
The wording of ianmac’s comment makes it a fair bet they were pakeha vto. You’re being a nit-picker.
Perhaps. But knee-jerk reactionaries mouthing at certain other ethnicities, genders and ages similarly get my blood to boil point.
Yes, because gods forbid anyone point out power imbalances and how some of the least powerful groups are systematically stigmatised and marginalised, while others benefit from resulting privilege.
Which was the disadvantaged group in this case, and how was the disadvantaged group stigmatised and marginalised by the system? Because officials clearly ignored the prejudiced noise from some pakeha parents and went on to track down the real source of cross-infection (the ballet class).
The system in this case was the wider social system – the discourse by and for the better off that stigmastise (low income, or assumed low income) Maori. The legal system is a more discrete system that connects with the wider social discourse. In this case, following the rule of law, contradicted the cultural assumptions of the ballet club parents.
Point out cultural problems in the discourse of wider society by all means, but IMO the only way to effect change in a lasting and meaningful way is through the goal of economic liberation of the oppressed classes.
And to me it seems like the part of the system related to officialdom performed perfectly equitably in this case.
I’m all for that as it will destroy capitalism.
Of course its also impossible to do because we need community to live and prosper.
karol “Yes, because gods forbid anyone point out power imbalances and how some of the least powerful groups are systematically stigmatised and marginalised, while others benefit from resulting privilege.”
Is that what Anne was doing in said assumption ?
Prior to ianmac kindly providing further details below (together with attendant blondphobia, which I personally resent), there was no way of knowing whether the ballet classes included her assumptees, or possibly other balleters such as these people …. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/10026723/North-Korea-sinks-to-a-new-low
What was Anne doing and on what basis Karol?
Oh dear…
I was just gently being a bit of a tease with my nit-picker comment vto. Nothing more. Should’ve added a 🙂 or 😛 face?
I understand your particular point there Anne, but it is beside the point is it not..
I would be interested in a genuine answer given the genuine point made re pakeha.
The mothers were very pakeha with very blond daughters from well off homes.
sheesh, blond bigotry as well.
the way it goes
the way it goes
vto, you know perfectly well there is a section of out society – mainly pakeha – who are deeply prejudiced against Maori. That’s all ianmac and I were pointing out with our comments.
I don’t like it and nor do a very large section of NZ society.
Anne, do you know that there are pakeha who are not blond?
What does blond have to do with it?
Anne, just a bit further if you don’t mind. This mini-thread may be a very picky-nits point but it actually highlights human’s actions and reactions in this area. People do not like being pigeon-holed due to their physical make-up such as race, gender, hair colour or car they drive (I like red fords). It goes to simple bigotry. This is what has happened here though isn’t it? Haven’t you jumped the gun and exposed the very human condition that most all of us exhibit form time to time?
I don’t think she did. The original post only made sense if the parents were pakeha. I’m not sure what you’re exhibiting, vto.
Bill Jeffries, despite being convicted by 3 Courts?, will not apologize to investors who got taken for 100’s of millions of dollars ”because He doesn’t believe He did anything wrong”,
Source: RadioNZ National News,
These people are the exemplar of what is wrong with our society, the ”thieving rich” get the kid glove treatment form the Courts while the ”unwashed poor” occupy the jail cells for crimes 1% of the monetary value of the privileged,
Mandatory minimum jail time needs be the sentence option for financial criminals of Jeffries stature…
Bill Jeffries and his ilk would be probably speaking the truth when they say “I didn’t do anything wrong” either because they don’t know the difference between right and wrong, or they are constitutionally incapable of seeing anything clearly in reality and not with some self-advantaging gloss on it. Or they were incompetent and truly didn’t know, or they were lazy and thought it was a sweet deal using their names and faces to give the finance firm some gravitas and took the money but not the time to check if everything was right, because that would have shown lack of belief in their compatriots in the business, or because none of the other directors did and they didn’t want to be party poppers.
A good number of reasons to look at the bloodlines of directors, check their teeth and their fetlocks, their trainers and their connections before betting on them.
Happy to take the fee for being a director, but not sure what the job entailed and not willing to take responsibility for the part they played in ruining a person’s investment.
Jeffries raised there being a risk with finance companies, a good directror would have managed the company to minimise the risk and have acted when the company was in financial trouble.
Proof perfect that money buys justice.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10025785/Mums-credit-card-rescues-cannabis-grower
If this man could not access money then he would have received a harsher sentence, jail. Poor people get treated differently than rich people. Disgusting.
Money buys justice in NZ
Money buys justice in NZ
Money buys justice in NZ
Money buys justice in NZ
Money buys justice in NZ
Money buys justice in NZ
” Macdonald admitted his cannabis growing had been “rather successful”. “
You would think that success would have enabled him to avoid needing his Mum to bail him out to pay the $5,000 fine.
Almost as though the crown had seized his assets and frozen his bank account or something. At least he has a job.
Yeah, because cannabis growers use EFTPOS for payment and have a regular habit of stashing their earnings in traceable, IRD visible bank accounts instead of multiple hidden cash stashes. Pfffft.
I stand corrected 😳
Most successful drug dealers would use a legitimate business to wash some of their money. Police estimate that Macdonald made $98,000 from the operation, but they’re notorious at overestimating to justify their funding. With electricity of approximately $629 per cycle, Macdonald was a pretty small time grower.
In my experience from the distance past, police figures would be anything from 3 to 10 times the real ones. They love to take the retail price for a gram of something and multiply it by 1000 to get the wholesale price per kilo. I remember several cases where lawyers advised against disputing the amount at sentencing, on the basis that “You don’t want to make it look like you’re heavily involved in the business”.
VTO, lets correct that slightly
Money buys a legal result.
You are not dealing with a Justice system. You are dealing with the Law system.
Justice is an absent concept.
just ice
Will this privatisation of public space never end? And by selling prime Auckland land to Rinehart or an Aussie Rinehart wannabe?
Yeah it’s bizarre that they are even considering it.
I guess the council are pretty cool about private security guards making the call on who to kick out of the private – oops- public space.
Where do I get to tell the council not to sell our land?
I’m not sure whether anyone else reads the once-august political newsletter “transtasman”. I seem to remember it being quite good around 2002, but it appears to have descended to base partisanship (and beyond).
They’ve outdone themselves today. In an article entitled Tweets, Trolls And Partisanship, they complain that political players have too much of a role in influencing Ministers. I agree in principle, but would have chosen a different target. From the column:
“Voices of unreason are now more prominent in politics. Not for the first or last time, the online world has much to do with this. “Trolls and bottom feeders” is how John Key described Twitter this week, presumably not long before having another chat with Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.
Over on the Left, the Standard blog is mostly written – pseudonymously – by Labour and Green Party staffers. This is also one of the blogs Key looks at, he revealed, and it must be a comfort to know the folk who spew out the kind of ignorance and bitter bile found there are advising his political opponents.”
Perhaps the editor should visit Mr Slater’s blog if he/she (I suspect he) is interested in ignorance and bitter bile…
But they aren’t finished there. They also weigh in on Maurice Williamson and Judith Collins, but not in the way you’d expect:
“What has surprised the Govt has been not so much the intensity of the Opposition parties’ attacks but how feral the mainstream media turned in pillorying the errant Ministers.”
I’d agree that the mainstream media has taken umbrage at being attacked and has chosen to retaliate (perhaps with too much glee), but if you’re seeing feral in the actions of the media, but not elsewhere, you might want to check your myopia.
Perhaps I shouldn’t read these things on a Monday morning… if nothing else, it gets the juices flowing.
“Over on the Left, the Standard blog is mostly written – pseudonymously – by Labour and Green Party staffers”
In order for the whole article to be taken seriously, that needs some backing up. Going by the people that have written here lately, there is micky savage (who is up front about his Labour involvement) and karol (who has no party affiliations at all). Lynn is a Labour party member, but as far as I can tell has no current official involvement. Stephanie Rogers likewise appears to have no official involvement with either party. Nor does Bill. Mike Smith’s involvement with Labour is upfront. I don’t know about Bunji or Geoff. Ben Clark is a Labour man, but doesn’t write here enough to be considered “most”.
That leaves the Notices and Features login, which are predominantly reprints of posts from offsite. If there are GP staffers with access to that I’d like to know why more GP focussed posts aren’t being published 😉
So to say that the standard is written mostly “by Labour and Green Party staffers” strikes me as odd. Looks like the person writing that doesn’t actually read here that much. Or is relying on beltway perspectives that don’t match the rest of the world.
Beyond that, I have no idea what ‘transtasman’ is, or who writes it, so am missing the context of your points sorry.
Oh it’s very clear that they aren’t interested in balance, or truth, but perhaps it’s not as influentual as I thought.
http://transtasman.co.nz/home/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11251996
WTF??!!
John Drinnan @NZHerald can’t tell the difference between grossly inappropriate questions to a victim of an orchestrated rape group and a gratuitous TV show ad featuring a paid member of the cast.
Jerry Brownlie is calling for no more about Cabinet Clubs (National Radio) because it is getting out of hand. Really? The whole question of party funding should be in the arena and Cabinet Club should be exposed.
There is a perception that the National CC is a means of buying access and the potential for corruption. Trevor did not accuse Woodhouse of receiving money. He asked if money was paid (to the Nat Party) for the 1 on 1 meeting. Well. Was there?
“Former Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson lobbied Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse about rule changes for wealthy foreign investors sought by businessman and National Party donor Donghua Liu, Mr Woodhouse has confirmed……..
Mr Key has denied offering support for the the new investor category, and, when asked about the letters in March, said: “Interest groups can interpret the Prime Minister’s interest in a conversation as having shown support for an idea, but that is a matter of interpretation.”
And Mr Liu is not in Williamson’s Electorate. Funny that.
No wonder Jerry is calling time out.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11252031
Only if you want to seem to be giving support while being able to claim the opposite.
Yes DTB. Remember how Mr Key says what his audience want to hear?
Interest groups can interpret the Prime Minister’s interest in a conversation as having shown support for an idea, but that is a matter of interpretation.”
He may have a problem when cosmetic testing on animals come up for discussion. To animal lovers he says only tests on animals can used for people/medical research. Oops. To the women who use makeup he will say…?
Just heard this on Radio Live but I can’t find a link for it anywhere on the net – NZ deficit has risen and the net debt now is $67B – and the tax intake is again lower than expected.
Sheesh, these tax cuts for the rich have really worked, eh?
https://twitter.com/economicsNZ/status/464570684426170368/photo/1
The next Canada? Rich mainland Chinese push New Zealand migration to 11-year high
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1495757/next-canada-rich-mainland-chinese-push-new-zealand-migration-11-year-high
Ah, yes, opening up our borders to even more corrupt rich people will do us wonders
/sarc.
On corruption and the National Party NACT….Louisa Wall in support of Penny Bright’s dogged anti- corruption campaign :
“In December last year we rated in the top ten of the least corrupt countries according to Transparency International, in its Global Corruption Barometer. At the time the lead researcher, Finn Heinrich stated “Corruption hurts the poor most”.
What a difference a year makes! During this year the extent of the practices of this Government have come to light in a way that raises serious questions about the level of corruption our Government has reached.”
‘When Does Corruption Start Damaging National?’
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/05/08/when-does-corruption-start-damaging-national/
Hope that doesn’t mean that programs like Morning Report gets shunted into a commercial radio type approach. After all it is Election Year and Mr Thompson was appointed by National man Chairman Richard Griffin.
John Drinnan wrote:
More changes are likely at Radio New Zealand this month, with chief executive Paul Thompson expected to target the news operation……
Thompson’s revamp is expected to include a shake-up of the Auckland newsroom and studios. Staff have been told management wants the news operation to be more proactive and break more stories. It is understood the board of governors blames a tired culture at the broadcaster.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11251996
Too late, that’s all spin and BS for cleaning out any further obstacles for compliant govt friendly poodles like Gluon and mates.
easy if you move op’s to akl and disestablish the welly roles.
If I see john keys greasy dial drooling all over the TVNZ news tonight I think I will upchuck!
lol…i sympathise
Herald heading spinning as ever for the government.
“Budget surplus on track as tax-take improves”
Hidden details
We are more in debt as a country.
Personal tax is not raising enough because the government reduced tax ion the wealthy.
“Core tax revenue was 1.8 percent below forecast at $44.49 billion,
Personal income tax was 1.8 percent below forecast at $20.93 billion
That led to more net debt than forecast at $61.18 billion, or 27.6 percent of gross domestic product,”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11252278
Yep Paul reporting so slanted.
The Granny also has right now as top headline “LVR rules may be scrapped” when in fact they are to be kept in place till later in the year and and economist on RNZ just said “clearly they [Reserve Bank] are happy with how things are going.”
The Radionz news said that the tax take was less than expected by the Gummint. Again.
What’s the Herald like for loo paper for the long drop? Does the ink run so they can’t be held to account for their fabrications. Perhaps they should cut out the middleman and print it directly on to the unbleached stuff and sell it as environmentally sound seeing as none of their news is.
Not one who personally indulges in criminal activity – but it doesn’t take a criminal mind to work out that the Herald publishing this story about the return of $90,000 unclaimed cash to the cleaner that discovered it – has very helpfully provided the full name and photo of said cleaner.
Now if that was “my money” which for some reason (perhaps criminal?) – I did not want to retrieve from the police, – I now know who to go to for a delayed retrieval AND what he looks like. They already know where he works – Channel Nine building in Sydney.
Oh dear. Said cleaner might have to spend the money on changing his identity.
I see there is a plague of nits at the moment in NZ. I saw paula beenit on the teevee last night and I thought it was a plague of nitwits!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10025744/Kids-hand-out-playground-punishment-to-Cunliffe
The first beehive crumbled and Cunliffe made a dig about it being a National-led government.
The second beehive was more successful – almost perfect – and Cunliffe said it was a Labour-led government but one 4-year-old quickly crushed that dream, jumping all over it.
Even the kids know Labour in power are a bad idea 🙂
Take it from an ece teacher – kids are only likely to do that to someone they like and trust
I will absolutely take the word of an ece teacher when it comes to spinning something positive for Cunliffe 🙂
Don’t worry I wasn’t seriously suggesting the kids really cared about Cunliffe and what he was saying
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10025703/Long-time-tenant-fears-a-forced-move
Time to move on so some young family can make similar memories of their own
why doesnt puckish roog speak for himself instead of adding links all the time? It shows a very weak intellect using other peoples words all the time and not being able to frame a cogent comment in person.
I guess because when I read this particular gem:
“I saw paula beenit on the teevee last night and I thought it was a plague of nitwits!”
I realised I’d never be able match the cutting wit and humour so I won’t even bother to try
the fact that you cant even be arsed these days is obvious – whats more disturbing is the fact that you seem to have a bromance going with whale oil
cmon PR – its sad – even pete george manages to say more of substance than you
That’s pretty harsh: you don’t have to wade through acres of bland nothing to find a stunted notion with PR, he wears his Judith fetish with pride.
Its not a fetish, its completely normal
Where does he wear his Judith fetish and what form does that take? The mind boggles. Is it a lock of blonde hair tied ceremoniously with a loveknot? onto a neck collar with golden studs or perhaps on a long choke chain so that it hangs near his heart?
Can’t spend as much time as I’d like on here, you know work and all so I got to post when I can
Muppets
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1405/S00162/low-tax-take-high-spending-leaves-books-in-the-red.htm
Are we going to have a Friday slot for the weekend doings? Like Judith Collins I feel the need for some gardening time, a change of scene and subject. (Ooh that change of subject isn’t going well.)
Te Notional Party takes some hits and Petty Georgeous comes over all sanctimonious and pearl clutching about ‘standards’. Like he gives a fuck. Disingenuous prattler !
Public Films will be distributing free money tomorrow in Papakura, right under the nose of Judith Collins, symbol of the corruption of NZ capitalism:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/stashing-cash.html
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/looking-for-targets.html
Things are still quietly moving toward a Mana/Internet Party alliance, with Mana Party Prez, Annette Sykes hosting Kim Dotcom at the Te Arawa Kapa Haka festival on the weekend,
Hone has also given a ‘heads up’ that Annette will be making an announcement of some import on the weekend,
Source: Online Herald,
i am sure both Hone and Dotcom will be well pleased with the results of the last two Roy Morgan polls which have the Mana Party polling 1% and Internet 1.5%, so talk of an alliance between the two seems to have upset a few ‘activists’ while lifting electoral support for both Parties,
Labour and the Green Parties will also be pleased that at the same time as Mana/Internet gained more traction their respective share of the vote also rose in the Roy Morgan,
Internet have also released their initial enviroment policy, the most notable part of this being a 100% renewable’s supply of the countries electricity by 2025,
Up my tree and out on a limb could i see a Mana/Internet alliance pulling 5% of the Party vote off of the fence in September, yep!!!, with the ensuing media speculation and some savvy advertising,(the kapa haka at Rotorua this weekend might give both a great idea in the vein of both leaders appearing through a parting haka to say their piece), i think a Mana/Internet alliance will go really close to crossing 5% which would provide the iwituararo to a left leaning Labour/Green Government…
very interesting bad12….and I hope it happens!
…not by taking votes from committed Greens or Labour or Winnie …but by attracting the non voters and the undecided voters as well as young waivering Nacts
You knows what? Human beings are so incredibly prejudicial. And consistent. Posted some stuff up-thread re that. But today I experienced it again and in a common and strong manner. It goes like this…. I have some height. My height I have used to further various causes from time to time. Today at an important interaction it was used again. People like height in people. They react to it positively. Which is to the detriment to those of lesser height. It is a very solid and dependable factor used in daily business and personal interactions.
People prejudices. What is to be done about it?
Evidence-based policy.
We can’t stop your height/wealth/skin/hair/clothing making an impression on the impressionable, but we can strangle its effect on policy development.
I can follow your dogmatic statements, but also apparent is your inability to listen – hell – even consider what is being said. You seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to any suggestion of privilege.
A few months ago I watched A Class Divided, the documentary from years ago in the US where the 3rd grade teacher divided the class strictly by eye colour. And prejudice – as you say – developed over something intrinsically unimportant.
But it did exist – because of associated privilege. And failure to recognise privilege means that spoken or not, it tends to continue. Follow up reading included Peggy McIntoshes <a href=”http://www.isr.umich.edu/home/diversity/resources/white-privilege.pdf>White Privilege:
Unpacking the Invisible Backpack.
Only five pages and worth a read – particular the checklist.
… White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack …
colour had nothing to do with it, it was all height
Now you’ve completely lost me… I guess, as intended.
I was talking about height prejudice and you assumed white privilege. ? no .?
No. That was the title of the document I linked to. The checklist on privilege from recollection, just refers to it from the perspective of the privileged (in whatever capacity) person.
If you are that pedantic – I was talking about eye colour.
But once again – you are proving impossible to converse with on this matter.
I don’t think so, you just rush to conclusion
Aw c’mon VTO. You know damned fine that ‘height’ isn’t the problem, it’s the fact that ‘height’ becomes the measure of normality to the extent that wee short fuckers then get socially, systemically and personally harangued, stygmatised and discriminated against. And then, sometimes, along comes some blithely and blissfully ignorant person of ‘height’ compounding it by complaining that nasty wee fuckers are biting his ankles and how he’s a victim, yes?
exactly in part
Micky Savage, Sid Holland, “Kiwi Keith”, Lange, “Rob” – all shorter than most of the people around them.
Govt accused of swapping Chch rebuild for surplus
Translation: The government is concerned that the facts will get out and so has ordered a totally biased review of the independent review.
But report not till after the Budget DTB.
it looks like a mana/internet party deal will be announced tomorrow…
I wonder if the Minister for Tourism has any opinion on this:
NZ’s glacier tourism industry potentially under threat
he’s not minister for theenvironment, so it’s not his problem. Glaciers are just muddy ice cubes, anyway… /sarc
“Glaciers are just muddy ice cubes, anyway”
And even if Dr Purdie argued that glaciers were more than muddy ice cubes Key could get a lawyer to argue differently…
it means it will not be as cold when walking to the terminuses
I suppose that you techies out there will be up with the latest moves in the USA on this net neutrality but this woman Vi Hart is passionate about it and explains it well – here’s a choice –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxMyTwmu_M
http://vihart.com/net-neutrality-in-the-us-now-what/
http://boingboing.net/2014/05/07/vi-hart-explains-net-neutralit.html
http://www.tubefilter.com/2014/05/07/vi-hart-net-neutrality-video/
I think about whether the Minister for Tourism has any sentiment on this:
NZ’s glacial mass tourism industry possibly under danger
College of Canterbury Geographer Dr Heather Purdie said she has been observing Fox Glacier since 2005 and was progressively worried about the effect that atmosphere driven ice sheet retreat might have on icy mass tourism and districts dependent on ice sheet related items.
…
“The ends of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are attracting progressively near their past least which, coupled with diminishing, demonstrates that withdraw will proceed for the not so distant future
Assessing the systemic destruction of our environment in terms of detriment to the profitability of capitalist industries is a sad and narrow way of looking at things.
Great news! Whale oil wins best blog at Canon media awards. Well deserved.
Farce upon farce