Andrea Vance criticises the behaviour of the government with respect to transparency. In the standard, stuck-record narrative of most MSM commentators, she concludes that the Government have got away with dishonesty over issues like the Saudi sheep fiasco because the public has “moved on™” by the time the details come out in the wash. The media, if they were serious about such sentiments, could easily counter that. A front-page splash headlined “No evidence for PM’s $30m lawsuit claim” would do nicely. If the government got a few headlines of that ilk, they’d quickly find that they were constantly doing frantic battle with an impression of sleaze and dishonesty in a race against time before the public “moved on”, rather than sitting on their smug arses while media pundits did their work for them.
Probably assisted by the tendency of journalists to interview their own opinions; starting with conclusions and seeking out justifications to support those conclusions in their stories; tailoring their stories to popular fictional formats/archetypes for easy identification/absorbsion by reader; and do it all by end of trade each day. And this cycle of idiocy supported and encouraged by the ideology of various “capitalisms” of either persuasion – the Left (accumulation of social influence) or Right (accumulation of financial influence).
A real news story stays a real story whether you write it today, tomorrow or next month. Possibly the difference between current events reporting and Literature is that reporting shouldn’t try to be (and can’t attempt to be) philosophically conclusive: It’d be an obvious conceit of the highest and most ridiculous kind. Which is probably why some people have noticed. Those opinion columns of various “Senior Journalists” are just myopic tautologies, yet so many readers seem to base their perspective around that axis.
If newspapers are just there to create the impression of a culture remaining a static truth despite shifts in reality, and readers are happy with that because they’re horrified by the idea that people other than themselves exist, or that they exist, then papers/media are completely defunct because once a person knows they believe something, their minds can no longer keep up the charade.
Yip, the first sentence of that story can be “In the long-running scandal around a Saudi sheep deal, the prime minister has again failed to provide key evidence he repeatedly promised would validate all of his claims to date”.
But that tone of reporting is reserved for Labour and Labour leaders like Cunliffe. Not Honest John.
Disappointed with Andrew Little on Q&A this morning. Allowed interviewer (can’t remember his name) to ride rough-shod over him. Answers too laboured. That is not to say he didn’t have good points to make, but he isn’t projecting his voice so we can actually hear what he is saying.
Winston Peters showed him how to do it later in the show.
can’t agree with you there Anne, Parkin attempted to dominate and antagonise with ridiculous questions, but I think Andrew held firm and didn’t fall for the usual tricks of soundbite searching, which then lead to the usual tedious headlines.
I raise you “an honest government” over the “strong, stable government” National have falsely seduced the masses with.
Parkin wasn’t interested in replies, only throwing the next question in attempt to produce a silly soundbite.
Listen to Andrew’s answers and tell me where he was “dismal, anxious and seemed under prepared.”????? I am incredulous you have said that, are we are the same planet?
parkin gave him time at the start, then he realised where little was at, couldn’t believe his luck and went for the disrespectful talk over – all littles fault imo
so, sort of went in for the kill, when Andrew was trying to be reasonable and honest you mean? So Andrew should have been more like Joyce, or Key and been combative? I don’t think so Sir, that is not what Labour are about.
I chose an honest decent government over smart Alec’s anyday thanks very much for asking.
there is a middle road where he could have been confident, prepared and on top of his game – every time he fucks it up isn’t always because there was a ‘trap’ or he was ‘got’ – sometimes, like all of us, he just fucks it up. imo his stern, moral outrage pilgrim like face is his best – plenty to be outraged about too at the moment – lucky eh.
I don’t know, Anne. We currently have a PM who knows how to project his voice but every time he opens his mouth only lies come out, so what good does it do to us?
Maybe we all need to stop thinking the best person for the job is the one that can run a stand up comedy show and start listening to what they actually say and look at what they actually do.
I would have expected by now for him to sound a lot better than he did when he won the leadership contest. IMO he sounds worse. You can barely hear him (it is worse on radio) and he seems disinterested.
I do not think Labour will ever go for the “celebrity” politics, thankfully, and Andrew consistently comes over a reasonable, honest, thoughtful and immensely pragmatic. Not sure what more we can reasonably ask of him
I agree with your assessment of Little’s personality and he exhiibits those characteristics when you meet him in person.
However, most voters will never meet him in person and will assess him on his radio and TV performance, and IMO this could be greatly improved. I don’t watch TV news much, but on radio he sounds vague, diffident, and is virtually inaudible at times.
Whats the point of Labour getting media training they always seem to use Brian Edwards who is useless. If you cannot afford a professional media training then forget it.
Edwards is worse than useless. He knows nothing about new media and hates it. The moment a media consultant declares that they hate a medium or talks about how people “should” behave using it, they’ve passed their retirement date. No matter how awful it might be, it exists and people use it they way they want to, not the way he wants them to. The first things a consultant has to do is observe and learn and Edwards refuses to do so.
And look who else Labour has put in charge of communications over time: Curran and Robertson.
I’m not going to suggest who they should use – it should be someone I’ve never heard of, someone new, bursting with energy and ideas. I’ve said it before, there’s loads of talent in the schools where they teach design and media – and precious few jobs waiting for them. There should be at least one going in Labour.
Quote from “Stuff”:
“Came the earthquake, and everything changed. There were the 164 dead, the 100,000 damaged houses, and the 25,000 that had to be demolished. But there were now also CERA and a new bunch of central government authorities under Gerry Brownlee, which took the city over from local authorities. With them, they brought their neo-liberal philosophy. What was good for business or for private enterprise (property developers, demolition and construction firms) was good for the city. The traditional needs of residents had lower priority.
Taking the Avon Loop neighbourhood as her example, Fiona Farrell argues that Red Zoning has often functioned as a form of land grab by developers. They wanted to change the social nature of the area by creating expensive riverside residences beyond the reach of the socio-economic group who lived in “the Loop” pre-earthquake.
Parts of the book are white-hot expose, with Farrell showing the delaying tactics of insurance companies, whose aim was to pay out as little as possible to desperate householders in order to preserve their profits.”
“showing the delaying tactics of insurance companies, whose aim was to pay out as little as possible to desperate householders in order to preserve their profits.”
ALL insurance companies do that. They don’t make their money by meting every claim. parasites.
I recall during the fallout from Winebox, when some big players didn’t like the advice they got in NZ about the legality of their scheme, they enlisted a Queensland Barrister who wrote what they wanted to hear and allowed them to later rely on it as having received “legal advice”.
John Key’s birthday today. See the puff piece from Bill English and a journalist. As usual, I read the readers’ comments under the article. They were very interesting!
Historians may look to 2015 as the year when shit really started hitting the fan. Some snapshots: In just the past few months, record-setting heat waves in Pakistan and India each killed more than 1,000 people. In Washington state’s Olympic National Park, the rainforest caught fire for the first time in living memory. London reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit during the hottest July day ever recorded in the U.K.; The Guardian briefly had to pause its live blog of the heat wave because its computer servers overheated. In California, suffering from its worst drought in a millennium, a 50-acre brush fire swelled seventyfold in a matter of hours, jumping across the I-15 freeway during rush-hour traffic. Then, a few days later, the region was pounded by intense, virtually unheard-of summer rains. Puerto Rico is under its strictest water rationing in history as a monster El Niño forms in the tropical Pacific Ocean, shifting weather patterns worldwide.
Yep choices are there – I’m feeling like it is time to take the next step in terms of my whānau. There is a down side to being an action orientated aries tiger lol
Those quotes there which have been attributed to what the Pope has supposedly said cannot actually be traced to an authentic that is publicly available.
“Instead,” the Pope continued, “the Lord has created us in His image and likeness, and has given us this commandment in the depths of our heart: do good and do not do evil”:
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”
My summary: it is important for all people of all cultures and creeds to work together for peace and justice.
We pay attention because he also has the ability to declare a Crusade or an Inquisition if he feels it necessary to uphold Christendom. And we breathe a sigh of relief when he doesn’t.
Draco @10. I once said online it was OK for me to be atheist and have a spiritual outlook. Some others were very scathing/hostile at that. I will have to get the Pope to have a word since Lloyd Geering has just died.
I’m sure Lloyd would have agreed with you that religious belief was a not a necessary condition for spirituality. I am very saddened to hear of his death Ianmac. I worked with Lloyd on a national committee considering many public issues – he was a good man. I remember his talk at the Michael King Memorial Lecture in 2013 from which horses would not have prevented me from attending. It’s an hour long, but absolutely fascinating and anyone who hasn’t seen it, or doesn’t know his work, should take some time to view it. https://vimeo.com/68583460
Reporters always seem to preface his name with the myth that he was charged with um.m “blasphemy” or some such when in fact a few very Conservatives wanted him charged but it never made it to the floor. A great writer and thinker was Lloyd.
Very sad – the passing of a prophetic voice in the wilderness of what passes so much today for organised religion.
He was charged with heresy by the Presbyterian Church in the late 1960s. He was ‘acquitted’ . He was then principal of the Knox College (where Presbyterian Ministers were trained at that time).
He subsequently left that role to head Religious Studies at Victoria University (around 1970).
Yes, a great thinker. He was originally trained as a mathematician before taking up religious studies at Otago, which to me has always explained so much of his rigorous and principled approach to issues and questions of faith, theology, ethics and history.
“He was charged with heresy by the Presbyterian Church in the late 1960s.”
I don’t think so Nordy. A small group wanted to charge him but that never happened, let alone his being acquitted.
Can’t find any report of death of Sir Lloyd George Geering ONZ, GNZM, CBE (Professor)
He is now 97.
About the Lloyd Geering heresy. St Lukes Presbyterian in Remuera was planning to have a talk on the matter.
11. The Geering Controversy. Thursday 27 August at 7.30pm. Join Allan Davidson to revisit the 1967 ‘heresy’ trial of Professor Lloyd Geering, its historical context, the trial itself and the impact on the church and wider society. In 1967, Allan was a first year student of Professor Geering who was principal of the Presbyterian Theological College. Yet another list at reception!
Gidday Nordy. it is a long time since I read about the trial so I found this. Sorry it is a bit long. From, “Lloyd Geering – God and Me” (Note no mention of “heresy”.)
“Now, this book had to be finished by October, when the General Assembly was going to meet in order to hear charges that had been laid against me – charges of doctrinal error., Two Presbyterians – one a minister with good theological training, another a layman who had a very simplistic view of Christianity – had laid charges separately. And so on Friday, November 3rd 1967, I was called to the Bar of the House – the General Assembly turns itself into a court of law at this stage – where I heard the charges being expounded by my accusers. There was an electric air of expectancy…… More than a thousand people had packed into the church, ….. On Monday I answered the charges, addressing the Assembly for an hour and a half. After lunch came the debate. …..But before there had been very much time for any adequate discussion of the real issues, a motion was put to the House, and later carried firmly on the voices – and it said that “the Assembly judges that no doctrinal error has been established, dismisses the charges and declares the case closed”. http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s1333339.htm
Also from Radionz –
Next Wednesday, radionz.co.nz launches the most significant Toby-based journalism project of the year: a tale of two Tobys; a force Toby reckoned with; great Toby here at last.
We’re bringing together ground-breaking graphic artist Toby Morris and rapier-witted journalist Toby Manhire.
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It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
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 ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“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, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
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, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
Andrea Vance criticises the behaviour of the government with respect to transparency. In the standard, stuck-record narrative of most MSM commentators, she concludes that the Government have got away with dishonesty over issues like the Saudi sheep fiasco because the public has “moved on™” by the time the details come out in the wash. The media, if they were serious about such sentiments, could easily counter that. A front-page splash headlined “No evidence for PM’s $30m lawsuit claim” would do nicely. If the government got a few headlines of that ilk, they’d quickly find that they were constantly doing frantic battle with an impression of sleaze and dishonesty in a race against time before the public “moved on”, rather than sitting on their smug arses while media pundits did their work for them.
“moving on”
Probably assisted by the tendency of journalists to interview their own opinions; starting with conclusions and seeking out justifications to support those conclusions in their stories; tailoring their stories to popular fictional formats/archetypes for easy identification/absorbsion by reader; and do it all by end of trade each day. And this cycle of idiocy supported and encouraged by the ideology of various “capitalisms” of either persuasion – the Left (accumulation of social influence) or Right (accumulation of financial influence).
A real news story stays a real story whether you write it today, tomorrow or next month. Possibly the difference between current events reporting and Literature is that reporting shouldn’t try to be (and can’t attempt to be) philosophically conclusive: It’d be an obvious conceit of the highest and most ridiculous kind. Which is probably why some people have noticed. Those opinion columns of various “Senior Journalists” are just myopic tautologies, yet so many readers seem to base their perspective around that axis.
If newspapers are just there to create the impression of a culture remaining a static truth despite shifts in reality, and readers are happy with that because they’re horrified by the idea that people other than themselves exist, or that they exist, then papers/media are completely defunct because once a person knows they believe something, their minds can no longer keep up the charade.
Yip, the first sentence of that story can be “In the long-running scandal around a Saudi sheep deal, the prime minister has again failed to provide key evidence he repeatedly promised would validate all of his claims to date”.
But that tone of reporting is reserved for Labour and Labour leaders like Cunliffe. Not Honest John.
Actually, the headline for that would have to be:
. . . lets be explicit
If we are going to be explicit here, then it should be.
More Evidence PM Lied, again, as usual.
There that’s fixed it .
“PM comfortable with the level of lying in Saudi deal”
Yeah – not newsworthy though.
‘PM tells the truth’ would be newsworthy.
This piece of shit doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
Well, of course I considered that, but I was looking for a headline that would be neither actionable nor open to the “don’t pick on me” defence.
Disappointed with Andrew Little on Q&A this morning. Allowed interviewer (can’t remember his name) to ride rough-shod over him. Answers too laboured. That is not to say he didn’t have good points to make, but he isn’t projecting his voice so we can actually hear what he is saying.
Winston Peters showed him how to do it later in the show.
can’t agree with you there Anne, Parkin attempted to dominate and antagonise with ridiculous questions, but I think Andrew held firm and didn’t fall for the usual tricks of soundbite searching, which then lead to the usual tedious headlines.
I raise you “an honest government” over the “strong, stable government” National have falsely seduced the masses with.
I thought parkin was fair and good – little was dismal, anxious and seemed under prepared.
Parkin wasn’t interested in replies, only throwing the next question in attempt to produce a silly soundbite.
Listen to Andrew’s answers and tell me where he was “dismal, anxious and seemed under prepared.”????? I am incredulous you have said that, are we are the same planet?
parkin gave him time at the start, then he realised where little was at, couldn’t believe his luck and went for the disrespectful talk over – all littles fault imo
so, sort of went in for the kill, when Andrew was trying to be reasonable and honest you mean? So Andrew should have been more like Joyce, or Key and been combative? I don’t think so Sir, that is not what Labour are about.
I chose an honest decent government over smart Alec’s anyday thanks very much for asking.
there is a middle road where he could have been confident, prepared and on top of his game – every time he fucks it up isn’t always because there was a ‘trap’ or he was ‘got’ – sometimes, like all of us, he just fucks it up. imo his stern, moral outrage pilgrim like face is his best – plenty to be outraged about too at the moment – lucky eh.
Little reminds me of Hank Hill from King of the Hill.
Looks and sounds like him.
Yeah You have said that crap before Key reminds me of the fucking spivs my family had to deal with in the east end.
….which makes his grin so much more authentic when he realises people questioning him are just being ridiculous
yes i agree he has an authentic, genuine smile
I liked his cheeky smile at the end of the interview when he was asked how well he was doing as leader. He should show that more often.
hi whateva,
‘I chose an honest decent government over smart Alec’s anyday thanks very much for asking.’
i am kinda with you ,however..
more people choose the “what is in it for me ?” approach, and we all end up with the smart alecs.
i have been thinking about the approach the left should take.
beyond appearing UNIFIED, is there a left wing crosby and textor around.
simple short unifying messages leading to election then do the horse scaring stuff once the levers of power have been gotten hold of.
“is there a left wing crosby and textor around.”? I wonder this all the time!!! or at least when will there be a ….?
I don’t know, Anne. We currently have a PM who knows how to project his voice but every time he opens his mouth only lies come out, so what good does it do to us?
Maybe we all need to stop thinking the best person for the job is the one that can run a stand up comedy show and start listening to what they actually say and look at what they actually do.
Nah we should whinge and then do nothing other than wait for the next opportunity to vote.
That’s the Kiwi democracy we love
Little desperately needs some media training.
I would have expected by now for him to sound a lot better than he did when he won the leadership contest. IMO he sounds worse. You can barely hear him (it is worse on radio) and he seems disinterested.
I do not think Labour will ever go for the “celebrity” politics, thankfully, and Andrew consistently comes over a reasonable, honest, thoughtful and immensely pragmatic. Not sure what more we can reasonably ask of him
I agree with your assessment of Little’s personality and he exhiibits those characteristics when you meet him in person.
However, most voters will never meet him in person and will assess him on his radio and TV performance, and IMO this could be greatly improved. I don’t watch TV news much, but on radio he sounds vague, diffident, and is virtually inaudible at times.
fair enough
Whats the point of Labour getting media training they always seem to use Brian Edwards who is useless. If you cannot afford a professional media training then forget it.
Edwards is worse than useless. He knows nothing about new media and hates it. The moment a media consultant declares that they hate a medium or talks about how people “should” behave using it, they’ve passed their retirement date. No matter how awful it might be, it exists and people use it they way they want to, not the way he wants them to. The first things a consultant has to do is observe and learn and Edwards refuses to do so.
And look who else Labour has put in charge of communications over time: Curran and Robertson.
I’m not going to suggest who they should use – it should be someone I’ve never heard of, someone new, bursting with energy and ideas. I’ve said it before, there’s loads of talent in the schools where they teach design and media – and precious few jobs waiting for them. There should be at least one going in Labour.
I largely concur, Anne.
Andrew Little will not be PM. There are leaders and enforcers and Little seems to be more of an enforcer to me.
I dunno mate – when I look at the miserable performance of the f**kwit in power I reckon absolutely anyone can be PM.
Yep, even spud farmers from Te Kuiti
Don’t be shy Stuart . Tell the whole story The fuckwit we have in power. I will go one better The lying perverted money trading fucking spiv.
Keiser Report E792 ft. Prof. Steve Keen. Some great ideas to stop the boom/bust cycle instigated by bankers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVaVPMMvyPk
On “Stuff – The Press” – a review of Fiona Farrell’s new book:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/70844209/aftershock-fiona-farrells-whitehot-response-to-the-christchurch-earthquake
Quote from “Stuff”:
“Came the earthquake, and everything changed. There were the 164 dead, the 100,000 damaged houses, and the 25,000 that had to be demolished. But there were now also CERA and a new bunch of central government authorities under Gerry Brownlee, which took the city over from local authorities. With them, they brought their neo-liberal philosophy. What was good for business or for private enterprise (property developers, demolition and construction firms) was good for the city. The traditional needs of residents had lower priority.
Taking the Avon Loop neighbourhood as her example, Fiona Farrell argues that Red Zoning has often functioned as a form of land grab by developers. They wanted to change the social nature of the area by creating expensive riverside residences beyond the reach of the socio-economic group who lived in “the Loop” pre-earthquake.
Parts of the book are white-hot expose, with Farrell showing the delaying tactics of insurance companies, whose aim was to pay out as little as possible to desperate householders in order to preserve their profits.”
Rings pretty true, to my way of thinking!
thanks, that book looks a very interesting read.
“showing the delaying tactics of insurance companies, whose aim was to pay out as little as possible to desperate householders in order to preserve their profits.”
ALL insurance companies do that. They don’t make their money by meting every claim. parasites.
Legal advice for the Sheep trade Saudi? Well sort of.
From Tim Watkin writing in response to a column on Pundit by Andrew Geddis on Saudi Sheep Saga:
“But today on The Nation Heather du Plessis Allan, who broke the story, said there is legal advice and it came from Clayton Kimpton. See her talk about this from 3:10 http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/panel-bernard-hickey-jacqueline-rowarth-and-heather-du-plessis-allan-2015080810#axzz3iBUEy6Ve . A quick google shows Kimpton left Kensington Swan to take up a position with MFAT based in Dubai in 2012.”
HDA also said this Clayton guy was the same person who gave legal advice over the Sky CIty debacle I meant deal.
I recall during the fallout from Winebox, when some big players didn’t like the advice they got in NZ about the legality of their scheme, they enlisted a Queensland Barrister who wrote what they wanted to hear and allowed them to later rely on it as having received “legal advice”.
BBC Hardtalk, 2011, Key forgets himself and says openly that anyone can get a lawyer or a scientist to say whatever they want them to say….
Is that a clayton’s lawyer or a real one who has been given a notable name.
😉
John Key’s birthday today. See the puff piece from Bill English and a journalist. As usual, I read the readers’ comments under the article. They were very interesting!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70917628/john-key-is-turning-54–bill-english-wanted-you-to-know-that#comments
El Tigre Chino2 days ago
John Key eats the sun and drinks the skies, and they both go with him when he dies.
Happy Birthday. Now piss off back to Hawaii.
I always thought John Key’s birthday was April the 1st
Are we sure that he was actually born? He shows all the classic behaviours of a T-101.
FJK’s DNA was synthesized from Thatcher and Trump in the reptilian incubation facility
– George Carlin
Historians may look to 2015 as the year when shit really started hitting the fan. Some snapshots: In just the past few months, record-setting heat waves in Pakistan and India each killed more than 1,000 people. In Washington state’s Olympic National Park, the rainforest caught fire for the first time in living memory. London reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit during the hottest July day ever recorded in the U.K.; The Guardian briefly had to pause its live blog of the heat wave because its computer servers overheated. In California, suffering from its worst drought in a millennium, a 50-acre brush fire swelled seventyfold in a matter of hours, jumping across the I-15 freeway during rush-hour traffic. Then, a few days later, the region was pounded by intense, virtually unheard-of summer rains. Puerto Rico is under its strictest water rationing in history as a monster El Niño forms in the tropical Pacific Ocean, shifting weather patterns worldwide.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-point-of-no-return-climate-change-nightmares-are-already-here-20150805
It is now estimated that Climate Change causes around 5 million deaths every year –
http://mic.com/articles/21419/climate-change-kills-5-million-people-every-year
Thanks joe90 – both links are awesome
Seems we might have choices marty – a moderate disaster or major disaster.
https://www.vox.com/2015/6/23/8831675/climate-change-united-states-benefits
You are a good person joe.
Yep choices are there – I’m feeling like it is time to take the next step in terms of my whānau. There is a down side to being an action orientated aries tiger lol
Yep, still like this Pope
Those quotes there which have been attributed to what the Pope has supposedly said cannot actually be traced to an authentic that is publicly available.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/popeatheist.asp
I’d spend some more time examing the reasons why such a statement lifts your skirt if I was you
Then assess your gullibility levels
Really? Why?
I find quite a lot of truth in that statement no matter who said it. That’s the thing about truths – it really doesn’t matter who said them.
It sure as fuck does matter, if was said by ‘gods main man on earth’
Whilst Pope Francis may not have uttered those exact words, the meme is reasonably in tune with his sentiments. Here are the salient extracts of the message: http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445
My summary: it is important for all people of all cultures and creeds to work together for peace and justice.
Why?
We pay attention because he also has the ability to declare a Crusade or an Inquisition if he feels it necessary to uphold Christendom. And we breathe a sigh of relief when he doesn’t.
Draco @10. I once said online it was OK for me to be atheist and have a spiritual outlook. Some others were very scathing/hostile at that. I will have to get the Pope to have a word since Lloyd Geering has just died.
I’m sure Lloyd would have agreed with you that religious belief was a not a necessary condition for spirituality. I am very saddened to hear of his death Ianmac. I worked with Lloyd on a national committee considering many public issues – he was a good man. I remember his talk at the Michael King Memorial Lecture in 2013 from which horses would not have prevented me from attending. It’s an hour long, but absolutely fascinating and anyone who hasn’t seen it, or doesn’t know his work, should take some time to view it.
https://vimeo.com/68583460
Reporters always seem to preface his name with the myth that he was charged with um.m “blasphemy” or some such when in fact a few very Conservatives wanted him charged but it never made it to the floor. A great writer and thinker was Lloyd.
imo lloyd geering was a hero
I hadn’t heard that Lloyd has passed away.
Very sad – the passing of a prophetic voice in the wilderness of what passes so much today for organised religion.
He was charged with heresy by the Presbyterian Church in the late 1960s. He was ‘acquitted’ . He was then principal of the Knox College (where Presbyterian Ministers were trained at that time).
He subsequently left that role to head Religious Studies at Victoria University (around 1970).
Yes, a great thinker. He was originally trained as a mathematician before taking up religious studies at Otago, which to me has always explained so much of his rigorous and principled approach to issues and questions of faith, theology, ethics and history.
“He was charged with heresy by the Presbyterian Church in the late 1960s.”
I don’t think so Nordy. A small group wanted to charge him but that never happened, let alone his being acquitted.
Hi Ianmac – it was at the 1967 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Check his Wikipedia entry for some of the details.
Can’t find any report of death of Sir Lloyd George Geering ONZ, GNZM, CBE (Professor)
He is now 97.
About the Lloyd Geering heresy. St Lukes Presbyterian in Remuera was planning to have a talk on the matter.
11. The Geering Controversy. Thursday 27 August at 7.30pm. Join Allan Davidson to revisit the 1967 ‘heresy’ trial of Professor Lloyd Geering, its historical context, the trial itself and the impact on the church and wider society. In 1967, Allan was a first year student of Professor Geering who was principal of the Presbyterian Theological College. Yet another list at reception!
I am sure his death was reported on radio last week but like you I cannot find any record of it. Strange.
“I cannot find any record of it.
No neither can I.
Gidday Nordy. it is a long time since I read about the trial so I found this. Sorry it is a bit long. From, “Lloyd Geering – God and Me” (Note no mention of “heresy”.)
“Now, this book had to be finished by October, when the General Assembly was going to meet in order to hear charges that had been laid against me – charges of doctrinal error., Two Presbyterians – one a minister with good theological training, another a layman who had a very simplistic view of Christianity – had laid charges separately. And so on Friday, November 3rd 1967, I was called to the Bar of the House – the General Assembly turns itself into a court of law at this stage – where I heard the charges being expounded by my accusers. There was an electric air of expectancy…… More than a thousand people had packed into the church, ….. On Monday I answered the charges, addressing the Assembly for an hour and a half. After lunch came the debate. …..But before there had been very much time for any adequate discussion of the real issues, a motion was put to the House, and later carried firmly on the voices – and it said that “the Assembly judges that no doctrinal error has been established, dismisses the charges and declares the case closed”.
http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s1333339.htm
Yes – thanks Ianmac.
Heresy is in effect a ‘simple’ way of describing ‘doctrinal error’. It became the common way (and still is) of referring to what occurred in 1967.
PS – I was giving a quick summary – not a technical or precise description – of the fascinating and troubling events of that time.
Also from Radionz –
Next Wednesday, radionz.co.nz launches the most significant Toby-based journalism project of the year: a tale of two Tobys; a force Toby reckoned with; great Toby here at last.
We’re bringing together ground-breaking graphic artist Toby Morris and rapier-witted journalist Toby Manhire.
Every week, they’ll combine to tackle an issue that has been making headlines, with a collection of words, images, questions and answers.
Yes, great news! And a very clever intro article
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/280502/toby,-or-toby-that-is-the-question