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.
Every week, they’ll combine to tackle an issue that has been making headlines, with a collection of words, images, questions and answers.
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This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
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Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
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Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
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Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
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