Open mike 09/07/2015

57 comments on “Open mike 09/07/2015 ”

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1. Rodel 1

   9 July 2015 at 8:29 am

   Great spin by Minister Guy on RNZ…The reason that 10 or so black widow spiders got through to NZ is not National’s poorly resourced border security. It’s because so much is being imported because our economy is doing so well. So we can expect…?
   • dv 1.1

     9 July 2015 at 8:55 am

     So thats OK then
     Huh

     Shouldn’t the resourcing match the volumes?
     • McFlock 1.1.1

       9 July 2015 at 12:26 pm

       that’s just crazy leftie dreamland talk…
   • tc 1.2

     9 July 2015 at 9:10 am

     tell the kiwifruit growers impacted by PSA that one Nathan without your minders around and see how that works out as you’re basically saying tough luck but look at all that exotic fruit you can get at duopoly markups.
   • weka 1.3

     9 July 2015 at 9:45 am

     Increase in imports does seem to have equated to an increase in biosecurity breaches. I agree that the govt isn’t being neglectful in its responsibilities, but NZ wanted all these goods imported from around the world and this is what comes with it.
     • Sacha 1.3.1

       9 July 2015 at 10:08 am

       This govt cut biosecurity funding. Seems neglectful to me.
       • weka 1.3.1.1

         9 July 2015 at 10:29 am

         Sorry, that isn’t should have been an is. My comment was that in addition to the govt being negligent, we also have a collective responsibility. I don’t think NZ can have lots of cheap imports and no or little biosecurity thread.
   • vto 1.4

     9 July 2015 at 11:26 am

     Its called globalisation.

     Everything will end up everywhere – plastic buckets, trinkets, money, people, diseases, bugs……

     what do you expect?

     Everything will end up everywhere.
2. JeevesPOnzi 2

   9 July 2015 at 9:27 am

   Dāng zhōngguó fènbiàn zá dào fēngshàn

   (when Chinese shit hits the fan…)

   当中国
   This is

   粪
   the shit

   便砸
   which hit

   到风
   the fan

   扇
   and this is its direction of travel….

   from China, to everywhere.

   DUCK EVERYBODY! DUCK- and it ain’t crispy…….
   • ianmac 2.1

     9 July 2015 at 10:09 am

     Browsed through MSM but considering the importance of China health, could find very little. Plenty on small stuff though?
     • ianmac 2.1.1

       9 July 2015 at 10:26 am

       Found Tim Watkin at Pundit (Key English Joyce say get some perspective):
       http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/keep-it-in-perspective-eh
       I guess they have to talk quietly or the horses might panic but…
   • Chooky 2.2

     9 July 2015 at 1:18 pm

     lol
3. Tautoko Mangō Mata 3

   9 July 2015 at 9:47 am

   More about NCEA grades in Stuff this morning. The article on NCEA grades gives straight stats but does not consider any of the variable factors which are hidden behind these stats. The correlation between grade and school has underlying factors.

   “Wealthier schools are separating themselves from the chasing bunch by grabbing an ever larger share of the top NCEA marks.

   At NCEA level 1, the proportion of pupils from decile 8 to ten schools awarded an excellence endorsement has increased by 16.5 percentage points since 2004. At decile 1 to 3 schools, over the same period, there has been an increase of only 4.5 percentage points.

   There have also been double digit gains in excellence endorsements at decile 8 to ten schools at NCEA levels 2 and 3, compared with increases of only about 3 points at decile 1 to 3 schools.”
   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/70061403/pupils-from-wealthier-schools-grabbing-more-of-the-top-ncea-marks

   I ask these questions:
   1. How many students in the top decile schools who obtained excellence grades have had subject coaching outside school hours paid for by the parents?

   2. Since the subject excellences are being attributed entirely to the school and the teachers, can anybody else see a reason why performance -based pay for teachers would be a flawed system?
   • Sacha 3.1

     9 July 2015 at 10:10 am

     3. How many students re-sat tests to increase their marks?

     And yes, if you want to funnel more money to the richest schools then tying funding to these tests makes lots of sense.
4. te reo putake 4

   9 July 2015 at 9:47 am

   So. Farewell then,

   Deirdre Hunt Langton Rachid Barlow

   Oh, Tracey! Yes,

   That was your catchphrase

   Do they have bubble perms

   in Heaven?

   They do now.

   http://www.beatsbydeirdre.com/
   • marty mars 4.1

     9 July 2015 at 12:03 pm

     Goodbye Deirdre Hunt Langton Rachid Barlow
     Though I never knew you at all
     You had the grace to hold yourself
     While those around you crawled – like that dude that tried to kill you or the time you went to jail
     They crawled out of the woodwork
     And they whispered into your brain
     They set you on the treadmill
     And they made you change your name again and again and again and again

     And it seems to me you lived your life
     Like a candle in the wind
     Never knowing who to cling to
     When the rain set in…

     anyway… I think you get the idea. RIP D
5. Colonial Viper 5

   9 July 2015 at 9:56 am

   UK Conservatives increase minimum wage more than UK Labour’s plans

   Interesting pattern of behaviour from the anglo tory parties.

   http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/08/george-osborne-budget-minimum-wage-rise-12bn-welfare-cuts
   • te reo putake 5.1

     9 July 2015 at 10:01 am

     Yep, we see the same thing here. If Labour come up with a good idea, rubbish it, then include it in your own policy platform.

     Edit: Good summary of the Tories budget con job here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/08/george-osborne-budget-stole-labours-election-promises-living-wage
     • McFlock 5.1.1

       9 July 2015 at 12:34 pm

       NZ case in point.
       After all the bitching about rental WoFs, the nats are phasing in (half-arsed) requirements for rental properties to be insulated and have smoke alarms.
   • Olwyn 5.2

     9 July 2015 at 10:23 am

     The article does however suggest that they are giving with one hand and taking with the other; Charities said that for many families the impact of the national living wage would be swamped by the changes to tax credits and housing benefit, warning that there would be a rise in poverty and inequality over the coming years.
     • Colonial Viper 5.2.1

       9 July 2015 at 10:27 am

       taking with the other hand is definitely what they are doing; its the veneer of compassionate centrism and making Labour look unneeded that they are aiming for. Clever strategy. Wonder if its a Lynton Crosby one.
6. te reo putake 6

   9 July 2015 at 9:57 am

   Humorous twitter exchange as the London tube network is shut down due to a breakdown in talks:

   https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJbGkSBVEAAT6pU.jpg:large
   • weka 6.1

     9 July 2015 at 10:27 am

     😀
7. coffee conn 7

   9 July 2015 at 10:01 am

   No.8 wire thinking vs the worlds problems. New Zealand has always been a great place to solve big problems.

   Consider everything that is currently wrong with the Capitalist and Political systems in the world today. There are clear problems in world that neither are able to sole in fact if anything, things seem to be getting worse for people not better. It seems that the future isn’t looking that good for an increasing number of people in New Zealand and around the world. The people of Greece face the most uncertainty today economically.

   Now Imagine if two New Zealand companies partnered to take on a corporate monolith with an idea so powerful it changed the way we approach and think about business and what it can be used for when partnered with the right technology.
   An idea so powerful that people got behind it and in doing so encouraged others to do the same.

   And New Zealand followed by the world, changed. 🙂

   Braviimi bhagavath sarveshhu
   • Colonial Viper 7.1

     9 July 2015 at 10:24 am

     heh dont leave us in suspense now!
     • coffee conn 7.1.1

       9 July 2015 at 11:43 am

       Soon 🙂
     • coffee conn 7.1.2

       9 July 2015 at 12:21 pm

       imagine a platform where businesses could use technology to automate their business to the point where the people within them no longer had to work or could choose to work significantly less than they need to today.

       But that the business continued to pay them and that by partnering with the right technology that this could be done at the level of the individual.

       Imagine if other businesses were challenged to adopt this model and were incentivised to do so simply because they too could be freed from having to work. Not by money as you need to be freed today but through the automation of their own businesses.

       How productive would people be in an organisation if this was the goal they were working towards.

       Imagine if businesses wanting to do openly stated so and that consumers could identify and support them, understanding the magnitude and shift in thinking that such a change could bring.
8. Puckish Rogue 8

   9 July 2015 at 11:16 am

   http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/273501/surplus-failure-'political-deception‘

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/70056835/budget-roars-back-into-surplus

   To be fair Little Andy was probably getting his info from Grant Robertson 😉
   • DoublePlusGood 8.1

     9 July 2015 at 11:31 am

     Did Little actually say anything that was incorrect in there?

     Also, it’s pretty irrelevant in the face of that 60 billion debt figure in the second link. Makes a tiny surplus just a book value for appearance’s sake if you aren’t paying off debt with it.
     • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1

       9 July 2015 at 11:47 am

       No but it was a major over reaction that makes him look like a bit of a nob and its left him with egg on his face, I mean “but I see it for what it is – one of the biggest political deceptions of our lifetime.”

       I’m pretty sure most people here could think of more major and bigger political decpetions from both sides of the house
       • Lanthanide 8.1.1.1

         9 July 2015 at 11:57 am

         He’s over-egged it a bit and the line by itself sounds very unconvincing.

         But if you consider National used it as justification for winning the 2014 election, then he’s not far off. I don’t think he’s struck quite the right chord though.

         Note that I haven’t listened to the interview myself, so I’m trusting that your representation here is accurate, and you haven’t left any important context out (such as Cunliffe’s apology about being a man, where the context is hugely important).
         • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1.1

           9 July 2015 at 1:07 pm

           I just figure its not as big a deal as retrospectively changing the rules, rogernomics, Muldoon putting the kybosh on compulsory saving etc etc

           But the links are there so people can make up their own minds
9. marty mars 9

   9 July 2015 at 12:15 pm

   This is how you do it

   – commission survey based around product or service you want to sell or promote
   – use the results of that survey to promote a product or service
   – send results and offer to media outlets and hope it is picked up as news

   https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/28707737/kiwis-grubby-bathroom-habits-exposed-research/

   “Hot water accounts for around 30% of an average Kiwi household electricity bill, and is obviously in greater demand over the colder winter months, so it’s clearly an important concern for most homes,” says Ferner from Rinnai.

   yet we are all grubby bastards for not showering every day but Rinnai has the answer which allows people to save 10-15% on water heating costs.

   Good on Rinnai for this – from the survey to the marketing – professional jobby.

   Personally I shower 2 – 3 times a week – what about you grubby?
10. maui 10

    9 July 2015 at 12:23 pm

    PM involved in new rugby handshake debacle:
    https://twitter.com/dannews/status/618627163223240704
    • Puckish Rogue 10.1

      9 July 2015 at 1:13 pm

      He was clapping and talk to the PM of Samoa and not looking at the guy offering his hand and as soon as he realised he turned to shake the guys hand

      Is this what its come to for the left to try to take down Sir John Key?
      • Lanthanide 10.1.1

        9 July 2015 at 1:26 pm

        He’s not a Sir.
        • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1.1

          9 July 2015 at 3:01 pm

          Yet
      • Molly 10.1.2

        9 July 2015 at 4:15 pm

        Body language from the PM of Samoa whenever the camera was on him was interesting.

        John Key looked like a little boy lost, until the end when the handshake was kindly offered. Of course, he was looking away instead of around. His awareness seems to be limited to hierachy, and the PM had been ignoring him.
    • adam 10.2

      9 July 2015 at 2:27 pm

      Beaker cracks me up – he’s getting funnier each international event he attends.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQj2NP25TIo
      • Puckish Rogue 10.2.1

        9 July 2015 at 3:28 pm

        http://cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2015/5/26/8d44c59c-4571-47fb-b8d3-7257b432480f/andrew_little_labour_simonwong1200.jpg

        This is a better Beaker impersonation, nails it just right
11. Philip Ferguson 11

    9 July 2015 at 12:33 pm

    A few days ago Matthew Hooton made a comment on The Standard that if Syriza continue with its present economic thinking the result would be totalitarianism.

    Here’s my response: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/matthew-hooton-and-the-totalitarians/
12. Puckish Rogue 12

    9 July 2015 at 1:09 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/70096597/landlords-required-to-insulate-and-install-smoke-alarms-to-rental-properties

    I think thats a good, common sense decision
    • maui 12.1

      9 July 2015 at 1:23 pm

      It’s interesting isn’t it, build a new house today and if you don’t do either of those two things it’s illegal and the house can’t get code of compliance and become occupied. I thought smoke alarms were so commonplace that not having them even in existing homes was illegal. That we haven’t even got these incredibly basic safety/health requirements in place yet in 2015 is unbelieveable really.
      • You_Fool 12.1.1

        9 July 2015 at 2:10 pm

        It was all Labour’s fault anyway, they didn’t do anything. Or if they did then the GFC meant that National had to take it away, but the GFC was all labour’s fault anyway so really it was all labour’s fault, even though National have had 7 years and even though Labour ran surpluses and paid down debt and so left room to deal with the GFC when it came, and even though the GFC was due to greed brought on by neo-lib excesses and even though national is still doing the same stuff as in 1990’s and even though during their tenures NZ have the worst economic years….
    • Crashcart 12.2

      9 July 2015 at 2:01 pm

      It’s a good start. Will be interesting to see how land lords react. Will set the tone for perhaps further requirements.
    • You_Fool 12.3

      9 July 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Yes, as is most of Labour’s policies… Maybe National should start implementing more of them and stop pretending that they can think for themselves….
      • Puckish Rogue 12.3.1

        9 July 2015 at 3:02 pm

        (Almost) whatever it takes to stay and remain in power
13. Chooky 13

    9 July 2015 at 1:25 pm

    Looking out for those most vulnerable…

    ‘From sleeping rough, to policing the streets’…

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201761723/from-sleeping-rough,-to-policing-the-streets

    “During his 27 years in the force, Queensland Senior Sergeant Corey Allan has developed several grassroots programmes with social issues and at-risk people at the core. Parts of his own childhood were less than idyllic, and as a young person he also spent some time homeless, living on his wits and sleeping rough. Three years ago he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship for policing and crime prevention and he travelled to New Zealand and other countries to look at how homeless youth were being helped.
14. Chooky 14

    9 July 2015 at 1:28 pm

    ‘Raising a quirky child’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201761727/raising-a-quirky-child

    “Mark Bowers is a paediatric psychologist who specialises in neurodevelopmental issues including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. He has written the book 8 Keys to Raising the Quirky Child – targeted at parents of, what he calls ‘quirky kids’, which are those who have difficulty fitting in and connecting with others, and can exhibit obsessive behaviour that stands out from other kids. He says typical parenting books do not address these kinds of behaviours, and he wrote it to advise parents on the best ways to understand their child’s brain and behaviour and give practical tips to help them function in social settings .”
    • greywarshark 14.1

      9 July 2015 at 9:55 pm

      Thanks for the heads up Chooky.
15. The Pink Postman 15

    9 July 2015 at 3:36 pm

    You may wish to visit the Cambridge Labour Party Stall Sunday 12 July .9am till 12pm .
    Lions market Victoria St CAMBRIDGE.
    Fell free to bring any Labour Party pamphelts or information.
    or just come and buy a raffle ticket or you may like to make a donation to the most active small branch of the Labour Party .
    • Colonial Viper 15.1

      9 July 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Brilliant

      Although Andersons Bay Peninsula down here in Dunedin South like to think of ourselves as the most active branch in NZ (meeting at least once a week!) 😉
16. Draco T Bastard 16

    9 July 2015 at 4:01 pm

    The Trouble With TTIP

    Sure, it’s about the TTIP rather than the TTPA but we can be assured that they’re as bad as each other.
    • Tautoko Mangō Mata 16.1

      9 July 2015 at 4:18 pm

      More shameful manoeuvres to achieve TPPA by hook or by crook!
      “WASHINGTON – The United States is upgrading Malaysia from the lowest tier on its list of worst human trafficking centers, US sources said yesterday, a move that could smooth the way for an ambitious US-led free-trade deal with the Southeast Asian nation and 11 other countries.
      The upgrade to so-called “Tier 2 Watch List” status removes a potential barrier to President Barack Obama’s signature global trade deal.
      A provision in a related trade bill passed by Congress last month barred from fast-tracked trade deals Malaysia and other countries that earn the worst US human trafficking ranking in the eyes of the US State Department.”

      Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=549262:shame-on-hypocrite-obama-us-upgrades-msia-in-human-trafficking-report-as-tppa-deal-looms&Itemid=2#ixzz3fMeQLE5i
      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 16.1.1

        9 July 2015 at 4:30 pm

        also on the Huffington Post
        “Malaysia earned its spot on that list, alongside Iran and North Korea, from years of human trafficking, including rampant sex slavery and forced labor in the agriculture and the textile industries, according to 2014 State Department documents. Malaysia’s electronics industry also is rife with forced labor. This year, mass graves for trafficking victims were discovered in Malaysia near its northern border with Thailand.”

        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/08/obama-malaysia-trade_n_7758592.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/08/obama-malaysia-trade_n_7758592.html
17. greywarshark 17

    9 July 2015 at 8:07 pm

    Someone here recommended keeping an eye on film maker bryan Bruce so I followed the link and reminded myself how good he is.

    Also was a mention, for those in Napier/Hastings and region, of a screening of the firm of the seven waka built here in 2009, and about their journey – called Pacific Journey or The Spirit of the Oceans Te Mana o Te Moana I think. Neat name. Catch the screening if you can.

    What: Te Mana O Te Moana – The Pacific Voyagers

    Where: MTG Century Theatre, Napier

    When: Sunday 12 July 2pm Tickets: $5.00
18. greywarshark 18

    9 July 2015 at 9:48 pm

    I had a go with my only post, at supermarkets here and in Oz. But then I hadn’t heard of the latest ploy. This one from Kenya about supermarkets cancelling contracts or agreements for produce. Talk about unfair. Got this on Avaaz so some might like to sign the Petition for the EU to do something about it, and think about the rich and the poor in another way besides Greece and the other countries.
    …..
    For 15 years I and the organization I founded, Feedback, have battled the supermarkets’ scandalous levels of waste. In Kenya, we discovered that up to half the veg grown for Western supermarkets is destroyed. Supermarkets say the produce is the wrong shape or colour, or cancel entire orders when they’re ready to ship.

    I’ve met day labourers working for less than $2 a day, who say they don’t get paid when orders are cancelled: they can’t send their children to school or feed them. Some farmers even have to sign contracts preventing them from giving out the food for free to those who need it.

    In the UK it is now illegal for supermarkets to mistreat farmers in these ways. A regulator has powers to receive anonymous complaints from farmers and fine supermarkets up to 1% of their turnover. Already the biggest supermarket, Tesco, is under investigation, and we’re taking the message to other supermarket bosses.

    The UN is agreeing a goal to halve global food waste by 2030, and opportunities are coming thick and fast. The EU is running a consultation on how to stop supermarkets’ unfair trading practices as part of a new plan to reduce waste across the continent. The UK and France have started to show what’s possible, and politicians in Berlin, Brussels, Madrid and Washington DC are already pushing for change. Now it’s up to us to give them a huge public mandate to win the laws we need to end food waste. Add your name:

    https://secure.avaaz.org/en/food_waste_loc/?bRtXRcb&v=61604

    Nothing is more central to how we live as a global human race than finding ways to feed everyone. If we now join together the burgeoning food waste movement and the Avaaz community around the world, we can feed the hungry and remove the huge pressure on poor farmers and our precious environment.

    With hope,
    Tristram Stuart, with the Feedback and Avaaz teams

    MORE INFORMATION:
    Putting a stop to global food waste (Feedback)
    http://www.feedbackglobal.org/stopdumping

    EU supermarkets blamed for Kenya food waste (Al Jazeera)
    http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/02/2013222152652620999.html

    France to force big supermarkets to give away unsold food to charity (The Guardian)
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/france-to-force-big-supermarkets-to-give-away-unsold-fo…

    France Wants To Forbid Supermarkets To Destroy Unsold Food (Huffington Post)
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/22/france-supermarkets-unsold-food_n_7420702.html

    5 Amazing Strategies to Eliminate Food Waste and Feed the Hungry (Time)
    http://time.com/money/3913386/food-waste-feed-hungry/

    EU circular economy consultation launched (Letsrecycle.com)
    http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/eu-circular-economy-consultation-launched/

    Tesco probed by new regulator (BBC)
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31143452

    Avaaz.org is a 41-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
    To contact Avaaz, write to us at http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).

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