Mark Hansen’s Where Are My Taxes? was a good simple tool for a basic idea of NZ govt income and expenditure.
Unfortunately, it has not been updated for a couple of years, would be an interesting comparison. Although, details are often the place where the true costs and benefits lie, and this keeps them hidden.
That is a good tool Molly. It’s a pity he adds per-capita calculations which are pointless and meaningless, it just invites political manipulation and misinterpretation of the numbers.
I think it would be a good idea. Help people to remember our history. Key doesn’t like the idea because it goes against the false narrative that he’s been building up.
I moved to Franklin about a decade ago, and was introduced to a surprisingly old-fashioned racism.
When the 150th anniversary of the NZ Wars took place, the focus locally was overwhelmingly on the remembrance of settlers and soldiers, although we attended the memorial at Rangiriri which was organised by Tainui, (unfortunately missed the reenactment) and got there in time for the speeches.
Local history in this area is predominantly skewed in favour of colonial and settler remembrances and places importance on their experiences.
A local attempt to create a remembrance event acknowledging both sides of the conflict, resulted in tangata whenua reluctant participation but instigated outright hostility from people who wanted to exclude any reference to the dispersed tribes who had their land confiscated.
Key’s modus operandi is to poll on items he has no clue on, or no vested interest in. In this case he might be right – there would not be massive support.
But that indicates a problem in itself with NZers relationship with their own history, and should be addressed.
As for an extra public holiday. Well, a fair number of waged workers often don’t even manage to get the existing ones off consistently. All for it.
I think NZ history including the New Zealand/Land Wars should be compulsory in schools. The land wars were complicated & there were several, picking a suitable day would be tricky and I think a Land Wars commemoration day would always be politically charged & divisive. Teach the history, continue the treaty settlements and associated apologies, and keep Waitangi Day.
Yes, a public holiday to honour the NZ wars is appropriate. It’s a chapter of warfare in our history and should be acknowledged. Many of us may have either settler or Maori ancestors who were involved. (I have, on both sides).
We commemorate war in the form of ANZAC day so we should at least acknowledge local loss of life in the name of war.
I also think we should drop this whole guy fawkes thing. Sure it’s not a public holiday but its a commemoration that isn’t relevant to us. If people still want to get kicks from seeing and hearing stuff being blown up we could move the fireworks aspect of guy fawkes to Matariki, in autumn, a time of meaningful celebration. Public demo’s only, no sales of fireworks.
Key has an opinion for sure but it’s not necessarily a reliable one. I mean, flag referendum anyone? Hardly going great guns is it? And he was adamant that we would all be right behind a change of flag………..so what he says doesn’t really matter.
Not even a 40% turnout – not bad? Not great though is it? And lets wait to see how many of those votes are informal ones, those votes that have have been deliberately spoiled as a way of sending a message to Key.
I was fairly conservative with the spoiling of my ballot and went with the advice of putting a X in each box and marking the paper with K.O.F. Mr R wanted to be more creative so he printed out little troll faces,
I’ve been informally polling folks I know about how they voted and have been pleasantly surprised at the number who went with the X option, even among the Nat voters I know. I agree it’s likely there will be more informal votes than normal.
None by Key obviously but an expanded history curriculum would be an advantage to the fact that we have a larger number of people now in this country who havent been here long who say they want to stay or would that be misconstrued by this govt as a move to the left and a strength for the Republican movement
Here’s more interesting background about iPredict, currently being wound down. It appears there were two Professors of Economics backing the site, both from a fairly right-wing perspective.
“iPredict is a joint venture between Viclink and the Victoria University-based New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR). Established primarily as a research tool, iPredict is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Viclink”.
Posted: Tue 19 Nov 2013
“iPredict was established in 2008, shortly before the General Election that year, as a market-based political and economic forecasting system. iPredict was more accurate than 15 of the 19 polls published in the run up to the election that year – not bad for our first eight weeks in operation.
Today iPredict has over 5,000 traders, and has launched over 1500 contracts. We have been fortunate enough to be featured in every mainstream media outlet in New Zealand. We’re a place you can turn your opinion and what you know into cash.
iPredict Ltd is owned by Victoria Link Ltd, or “Viclink”, the commercial arm of Victoria University of Wellington. Its Board of Directors consists of Prof. Neil Quigley (Chairman) (replaced by Kate McGrath 2015), Prof. Lewis Evans and Ian MacIntosh.
Full Companies Office information can be found here. (Companies Office)
iPredict’s bankers are National Bank, lawyers are Chapman Tripp, and its PR and marketing consultants are Exceltium Ltd.
iPredict is authorised as a futures dealer by the Financial Markets Authority.
Trader funds are held in a trust account in the name of Predictions Clearing Limited, a subsidiary of iPredict Limited”.
Four staff members? But they don’t compile regular media reports or even prepare the reports usually. Exceltium does it, or did it formerly. This is a part-time job for four people who are usually working on Viclink projects by the sound of it.
“Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation
Founded in 1998 and closed in 2015, the Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR) was an independent, nonprofit research institute located at Victoria University of Wellington’s Pipitea Campus. Funding of its activities was provided by members, project work, and research grants.
The primary objectives of ISCR research were to assist in understanding:
• how markets and organisations operate
• how markets provide appropriate incentives and disciplines for organisations
• the limitations of markets, and the role of regulation in addressing these limitations
• the importance of property rights and institutional structures in facilitating effectiveness of markets, organisations, competition, and regulation in New Zealand
The Victoria University Library has collated a searchable repository of articles written by ISCR researchers, and its Competition and Regulation Times newsletter. http://www.victoria.ac.nz/vbs/centresandinstitutes/institutes
Included in the work of Lew Evans is a central role in advising the government of the day (around 2010), over the selling down of some of the Electricity SOES, presumably in the name of increased competition being good for the economy. Also in 2010, the Electricity Authority was formed, with Carl Hansen as CEO. Hansen is a right-wing economist also. He advised the Business Roundtable on policy, and more recently can be heard on radio and TV defending the status quo, which has delivered expensive power to the masses, considering most of it is hydro generated for 2c a kWhr using old dams and turbines. We would have been better served strategically with the old ECNZ – no structural changes were necessary in a small place like NZ.
These are just some of the forces shaping more neoliberal policy in NZ, attempting to keep National in control at all costs.
In the case of iPredict, Victoria University (through Victoria Link) seem to be belatedly forcing it to close down over time. Prof Lewis and Prof Quigley have jointly no doubt been the driving force behind the site, but now their sway with the board is greatly diminished.
This great result has to be mainly sheeted home to Nicky Hager’s book, “Dirty Politics”, which highlighted the iPredict site for the travesty it had become.
Very interesting. I was at an econ thing at Vic around start up time and at the end of the session some professor appeared and talked about getting into ipredict. Thought encouraging broke students to take part was a little odd at the time. Had a look but it was appeared fixed so left it
Of course those students will be out earning by now, and are possibly trading on the site, bringing up the numbers. More recently, a younger Robert Quigley has been funded to work on the successor to iPredict, called PredictIT. He’s most likely the son of Neil Quigley, and the only good thing about PredictIT is that this time it’s more heavily regulated, the owners of the site have to be sure of everyone’s identity and restrict their spending power properly.
So perhaps they have been thinking about closing down iPredict for a while, but in any case it’s obvious to me that those running the site for most of its life, wanted certain outcomes in the reports. They found ways of ensuring that was the case.
They were shut down because of NZ being forced to strengthen our money laundering regulations to meet international standards. Nothing to do with Hager.
Sacha, they could simply comply with the new rules, and keep the site going. Viclink have chosen not to do that, because it would undermine the multiple accounts the Right are using to control the stocks. Plus it’s not a money-making venture by the sound of it. But they were perfectly happy to run it and make a loss before, as long as National always looked like winning the next election. If those participant rules were changed, and if the press reporting was done regularly by an unbiased party, we’d then see a fairer view of political opinion in NZ at the moment.
I challenge them to do just that while they wind it down – how about a level playing field for once, VicLink?
So The Venezuelan People have given the Right Wing MUD (Love it!) Party a ‘super majority’ of 112 seats of 167. That gives the National Assembly a widespread mandate for significant change.
But. The new assembly does not come in until January, and the current assembly sits for a couple more weeks. A real test of the Socialists commitment to democracy eh?
What odds on some creative law making before the old assembly is disbanded…
And here’s a classic example of the new narrative to explain failure that is becoming entrenched in the Left worldwide.. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/The-Causes-and-Consequences-of-Venezuelan-Election-Results-20151207-0002.html
Yup. It was because of..
‘Intense disinformation by the media’ / The voters aren’t ‘concerned or aware’, they just want to vote against the government because of the media / The voters don’t ‘remember’ what things used to be like / The opposition attracted the ‘less politically aware social sectors’ (i.e. the voters are stupid / selfish) / There is a conspiracy of course ‘the economic war’ / ‘International powers resources’ have supported the opposition….(All sounds like a normal day at TS eh?)
It’s the voters, the media, and conspiring forces that are to blame. What a pity something can’t be done about them. Hey, there’s an idea….(sarc)
It was the chavez government who brought in free education and health for the poor ……. the rich u.s.a backed factions in Venezuela will just return it to how it was pre-chavez
The u.s.a is a rich developed country that does not provide decent humane state health care for its own citizens ………………… it can hardly let poor south american governments show them up.
The u.s.a has previously backed a military overthrow of the Chavez government ….. a true failure for democracy that ‘the lost sheep’ seems either ignorant or approving of ……..
p.s everyone else notice that Gosman always calls the elected Venezuela government a ‘regime’????? ……………. If Gosman or sheep head want to learn about real regimes I suggest they watch ‘the war on democracy’ http://johnpilger.com/videos/the-war-on-democracy
The u.s.a has supported and backed many murderous regimes in south America ….
17 years in power is not bad for the Chavistas when you are up against the CIA etc……and Maduro is still the president and has executive power…go and watch “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ (doco) and tell me the people don’t love Chavez and what he still stands for.
More good background: Matt Burgess, an economics student, had the original idea that was supported by the two Professors and Viclink (funding). By about 2012 Burgess left there for a job with National’s Bill English, and Exceltium had control of iPredict for a period until it was in theory brought back under control of Viclink. I know for a fact that it was still being meddled with before the report times, by whoever was doing the reports in 2014, and that was someone at Exceltium.
So this blog post by Viclink only tells part of the truth.
You would think that Kitteridge might draw attention to the risks of a free trade deal with Saudi Arabia:)
Nope in some sort of Absurdism, Key and his cronies are throwing as much taxpayers cash at Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khalaf a Saudi Businessman and not very effective sheep farmer to try to bring as much Saudi free movement here as possible. Security risk anyone? Lets work out what these trade deals really mean, free movement of nationals, free working visas of nationals, reduction of border controls on imports, selling off our country to foreign nationals….. Being able to be sued under ISDS by businessman who have more money than the government….
Maybe the NSA checklists the GCSB and SIS follow only have unmarried muslim brides who in spite of surveillance have been found to still be suspicious due to their marital status! Good work there 99, another 8 million in the mail! She could get a job for Trump at this rate!
“The Islamic Women’s Council says it has “no knowledge or indication” of Kiwi women becoming jihadi brides, despite suggestions a growing number are heading to Syria to back Islamic State.
SIS director Rebecca Kitteridge revealed a rise in the number of young New Zealand women heading to Iraq and Syria when addressing Parliament’s intelligence and security committee on Tuesday.
Prime Minister John Key, who chairs the committee, said after Kitteridge’s remarks that women were known to have taken part in “weddings” before heading to Islamic State (IS) stronghold Syria, which pointed to the fact they were going as jihadi brides.”
“All she (Kitteridge) said was that the number had been growing and because it was a war-torn area, that was a concern.
“We don’t know the ethnicity of these women, we don’t actually know the religious background of these women, whether they just converted before they went, whether they converted at all, and we certainly don’t know what they’re doing while they’re over there.”
Not lying? Nah. Just twisting the facts a tiny little bit then sniggering at the way that media quote and embellish whatever he says. His private pleasure instead of stroking girls’ hair.
Jihadi Brides Threat Level Update: John Key has clarified the numbers regarding the crisis.
Rebecca Kitteridge had said that the number of these potential ticking time bombs was ‘fewer than a dozen’. While she has no idea what they are doing there, what is known for sure is that they went went to that part of the world, and they are definitely female.
But Key has subsequently said that a belief exists, an actual belief thingee, that the number of this fewer than a dozen that have in fact married Islamic militants is somewhere in the magnitude of “one or two”.
Now that might seem a little low at first, but bear in mind that a) that’s one or two more brides than our SIS team had to monitor before, b) Key didn’t say which end of the one or two range the true figure is closer to, and c) my calculator informs me that this represents an infinity percent increase in kiwi jihadi brides. If this rate continues, every female in New Zealand will be a jihadi bride before I finish typing this sentence. Everyone is probably already dead. National is probably still polling 50%.
Actually that whole briefing (if the brief video clip was anything to go by) was rather amateurish and highly speculative. Everybody seemed to be vaguely “sort of” agreeing with anything anyone else suggested.
Drama therapy to help drone assassins cope with their feelings of guilt;
No drama therapy, though, for their thousands of victims. Nine to Noon, RNZ National, Wednesday 9 December 2015
After 10 o’clock, Kathryn Ryan interviewed (if that’s the word for sitting back and letting someone say the most contentious things without contesting a word of it) the Brooklyn-based theatre director Bryan Doerries. It was billed on the RNZ site like this….
How ancient Greek tragedies can teach very modern lessons: Brooklyn-based theatre director, Bryan Doerries, is the founder of the ‘Theatre of War’ project, and the ‘Outside of the Wire’ company which presents ancient Greek plays to returned soldiers, addicts, prison communities, and victims of natural disasters. He argues that the great tragedies of the Greeks can help a contemporary audience grapple with everything from the trauma of being in a conflict zone to end-of life care.
To date, over 60,000 service members, veterans, and their families have attended and participated in Theatre of War performances worldwide.
Bryan Doerries latest book, is called The Theatre of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today.
The interesting part of Doerries’ talk came when he told of the immense psychological suffering of drone operators who had “hit the wrong target”. This implies, of course, that there are “right” targets, and that the United States regime’s massive program of terror in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now stepped up dramatically in Syria, is something other than illegal and condemned by all reputable human rights organizations. As I suspected, there was zero consideration of the victims of these conscience-wracked drone killers.
And, of course, Kathryn Ryan failed to raise a single objection to interview Doerries’ smooth flow of talk. I sent her the following email….
After Bryan Doerries, will you interview someone who works with the victims?
Dear Kathryn,
To hear Bryan Doerries expressing such compassion for the operators of assassination drones, apparently stricken with guilt because they hit the “wrong” targets, was a deeply troubling experience.
Have your producers tried to get in touch with any of the thousands of people in Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq whose family members have been killed by these conscience-racked American drone operators?
No one has been able to point to a single instance where a gun has been gained illegitimately through the mail order system. It was also later revealed the rifle was bought using the manufactured identity of a police officer, required by law to authorise and approve the mail order form.
Its not looking good Ms Allan, nest time she may want to consider following the same laws as everyone else
No one has been able to point to a single instance where a gun has been gained illegitimately through the mail order system.
Actually, we can point to one – it was a journalist and she told us about it. And what she did was still in the public interest.
Going on probabilities after that it’s highly likely that there’s quite a few out there that have been gained illegitimately but the records don’t show that because the records aren’t accurate.
Greg O’Connor’s done a good job of keeping a low profile on this. He seems to have been the one who brought the situation to HDPA’s attention, apparently via a radio broadcast. Its all gone a bit mucky now. I was expecting him at some point to show up with some evidence it had actually happened before. Maybe he still will?
I’d call this a ‘scrapping the bottom of the barrel’ argument.
“How about sugar production? Not only are animals poisoned during the growing stage but also millions of small animals are killed during harvest of the sugar cane.
Some studies have shown that more animals die to produce a vegan meal than a regular meal that includes meat and dairy. Why is the life of a mouse not worth the same as a calf?
Of course I eat these foods as well as meat, so you could argue I contribute to even more animals dying.
But it’s not me trying to convince you to convert to veganism to save ANY animals dying.”
That article was a real yawn. Agree, that dairy farmer is definitely scrapping the bottom of the barrel with that one. Pretty desperate really. He might be a buddy of Andrew Hoggard of Fed Farmers who said on tv3 on Sunday night that “it’s all a vegan conspiracy”.
Note how the media have really focused on damage control and the “threat to the economy” and have barely reported on the actual issue of animal cruelty itself – this was their opportunity to investigate but instead they take the easy path of going with the government and industry’s predictable hollow defences.
The msm have been appallingly biased and lazy in their reporting.
Fran O’Sullivan in her latest comment in the Herald is chatting about Paula Benefit and Crusher Collins. Usually I can read Fran’s stuff and although I don’t always think she is right in her musings I have always thought she was capable of rational thought. In her comment she quotes Paula as being “like Key, she does not often lose her cool”. Blimey dick what planet is she on – every time I see Key in the house he is a ranting abusive man out of control. Comparing her with Key who often loses “his” cool – where does she get this from? When he isn’t abusive and spinning his usual rubbish he has a pair of dead eyes which I suppose is a passive type of cool. Who knows, for once she has me stumped.
I think I know where Fran O’Sullivan is coming from. I posted the following comment in relation to another post yesterday which is relevant here:
I am reminded of the oft quoted meme that Winston Peters learnt his M.O. at the knees of Rob Muldoon. There’s no doubt Basher Bennett is learning hers at the Key knees. So, should it succeed, we can expect a continuation of shallow, manipulative lying with a few drops of pure spite thrown in for good measure? We already know Madam is capable of the latter – and I reference her behaviour towards Carmel Sepuloni during the 2011 election campaign in the old seat of Waitakere, as well as the bashing of the beneficiaries who dared to criticise her.
There are similarities, and reports that she was being groomed by Key for high political office go back to Key’s first term as PM. Even her responses in the debating chamber have a ‘Key’nesian ring to them.
The ruling is a nightmare for the Obama administration’s uphill battle to build support for the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It makes clear that trade agreements can — and do — threaten even the most favored U.S. public interest safeguards.
Claims to the contrary have been a mainstay of the White House effort to overcome TPP opposition from an unprecedentedly diverse coalition of organizations and members of Congress. That opposition was only solidified when the recent release of the final TPP text revealed the pact was even worse than expected.
The massive text largely reflects the interests of the 500 official U.S. trade advisors representing corporate interests that had privileged access while the public, Congress and the press were shut out the secretive process: investor privileges that make it easier to offshore American jobs to low wage countries and retrograde terms that expose U.S. food safety, environmental, Internet freedom, health and other safeguards to attack and rollback.”
Why has Obama invested so much in TPPA? Mainly the democrats aren’t onside and he is relying quite heavily on the Republicans (house senate?) to attempt to get this past. He can’t be re-elected so why?
“The TPP would make the situation much worse. It includes constraints on food safety that extend beyond the WTO, roll back the environmental standards included even in George W. Bush’s trader pacts and would empower individual foreign corporations to directly launch attacks on public interest policies.”
Nearly half of the people on the U.S. government’s widely shared database of terrorist suspects are not connected to any known terrorist group, according to classified government documents obtained by The Intercept.
Of the 680,000 people caught up in the government’s Terrorist Screening Database—a watchlist of “known or suspected terrorists” that is shared with local law enforcement agencies, private contractors, and foreign governments—more than 40 percent are described by the government as having “no recognized terrorist group affiliation.” That category—280,000 people—dwarfs the number of watchlisted people suspected of ties to al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah combined.
Pretty much guaranteed that people who terrorists and never will be are being watched covertly
And:
The CIA uses a previously unknown program, code-named Hydra, to secretly access databases maintained by foreign countries and extract data to add to the watchlists.
We can pretty much guarantee that the US is spying on everyone including friends and allies.
In 1949 the first Labour government introduced peacetime conscription, as part of its Cold War alliance with the United States. Here is a fascinating account by veteran left activist Murray Horton of the campaign against peacetime conscription led by people like watersiders’ union leader Jock Barnes: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/labour s-introduction-of-peacetime-conscription-and-the-fight-against-it/
That was very funny. Ain’t nobody gonna love me though, I’m pescetarian, distrusted, misunderstood and disliked by all persuasions, left, right, and centre.
There have been restaurants that attracted intrigued customers who went more to see how rude the waiters could be than the food. Ad could be good, has a nice line in chivvying. I liked the spooning and the forking.
So Little and Key have both made apologies to Parliament. Little over comments about the Speaker and Key over his comments that Labour backed rapists. I think whatever their reasons for apologising, it’s the right thing to do.
There’s no way that Labour can force Carter out of the chair. They have to play with the hand they’re dealt and stoic resignation is probably the best way to handle Carter’s bias.
Key’s comments were clearly over the top and a clear attempt to distract from Labour’s stirling work on NZers detained in Australia. Having his inelegant attempt at misdirection lingering wouldn’t help. I think Key has been hurt by it already, this probably helps to stem the bleeding.
I agree – wtf were they thinking – key gets an ‘out’ and what, suddenly youknowwho is no longer playing favorites?
“Key has repeatedly refused to apologise for the comment, going as far as to say he was “absolutely correct” to say it and didn’t regret his remarks.
But it seems a deal was struck between Key and Labour “in the spirit of Christmas” after Opposition leader Andrew Little also decided to apologise for “unparliamentary” comments.”
+100…when the leaders of the supposed Opposition parties James Shaw and Andrew Little let Key off the hook….you know you have got trouble…the Opposition is either corrupted or loopy stupid
you would never get Winston Peters doing this!..or Annette Sykes or Laila Harre or John Minto or I hope Hone Harawira
While any apology is better than none, Key couldn’t help mentioning that it was close to Christmas. What a guy. Hence Little’s ‘bloody red baron’ comment which I thought quite clever, even if ‘I will if you will’ apologies seems childish for both. Tacit admission that his ‘backing the rapists’ comment was a calculated political tactic? And what a sincere, moving 20 second apology speech it was.
The problem with the NZ left AND right is, there are too many cheap skates and quick comment making jerks, who do not even bother reading and studying stuff, it is first, quick impression, and decision and judgment, and then destroy the rest.
So we have the society that NZers deserve, a dumb, ignorant, indifferent, selfish and unprincipled society (that is unless it involves the principle of serving yourself first).
The truth no longer matters, quick and cheap scores by political players get more resonance than anything of substance that matters to others, e.g. most people, and some here, too many, on TS are no different to the ones on Kiwiblog, by judging and rubbishing and ignoring information that they should perhaps take note of.
I am through with this country I once came to, I am through with NZ, I regret ever having come to this damned place.
With the nonsense exposed above, is anybody seriously surprised at the success of radical Islam IsIS and what else we have? Maybe it is a curse that was asked for?
Do not agree with and do not like this, the following, but the west and other vested interests keep funding it, there will be NO peace in Syria with this, and that adds to my disbelief of this shit system we have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sPY0X8SrLo
“In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss how it is that JP Morgan just happened to hire 222 friends and relatives of Chinese companies and politicians as the bank took these companies public in Hong Kong.
In the second half, Max continues his interview with Liam Halligan of BNE.eu and the Telegraph about central bank policy, George Osborne’s long-term economic plans and Thomas Piketty’s so-called new book, Inequality.”
Still up Lynn? Just wanted to thank you for your work on Pete’s behalf, I’m going to have to take back almost half of the bad things I’ve said about you….Almost….
[r0b: Don’t be getting all soft now. Remember, we are leftards, raving socialists, substandard, echo chamber etc etc. Sigh.]
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
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 ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, 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 ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
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. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
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 ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
How the english do it
http://imgur.com/OhRfPNE
Notice it says indirect taxes such as VAT aren’t included, meaning it’s completely false and just propaganda.
National push similar lies, English is keen on his fictional ‘nett taxpayers’ spin.
People in general are not good with percentages & averages and some politicians are rather ruthless in exploiting that weakness.
Mark Hansen’s Where Are My Taxes? was a good simple tool for a basic idea of NZ govt income and expenditure.
Unfortunately, it has not been updated for a couple of years, would be an interesting comparison. Although, details are often the place where the true costs and benefits lie, and this keeps them hidden.
That is a good tool Molly. It’s a pity he adds per-capita calculations which are pointless and meaningless, it just invites political manipulation and misinterpretation of the numbers.
Calls for a public holiday to commemorate those who died in the New Zealand Land Wars.
Key doesn’t believe the idea would be “massively supported”
Thoughts?
I think it would be a good idea. Help people to remember our history. Key doesn’t like the idea because it goes against the false narrative that he’s been building up.
It’s long overdue in my opinion.
I moved to Franklin about a decade ago, and was introduced to a surprisingly old-fashioned racism.
When the 150th anniversary of the NZ Wars took place, the focus locally was overwhelmingly on the remembrance of settlers and soldiers, although we attended the memorial at Rangiriri which was organised by Tainui, (unfortunately missed the reenactment) and got there in time for the speeches.
Local history in this area is predominantly skewed in favour of colonial and settler remembrances and places importance on their experiences.
A local attempt to create a remembrance event acknowledging both sides of the conflict, resulted in tangata whenua reluctant participation but instigated outright hostility from people who wanted to exclude any reference to the dispersed tribes who had their land confiscated.
Key’s modus operandi is to poll on items he has no clue on, or no vested interest in. In this case he might be right – there would not be massive support.
But that indicates a problem in itself with NZers relationship with their own history, and should be addressed.
As for an extra public holiday. Well, a fair number of waged workers often don’t even manage to get the existing ones off consistently. All for it.
The flag debate has been a classic case-in-point. Anything that vaguely refers to the tangata whenua or maori culture does not stand a chance.
New Zealand is no better than Australia when it comes to recognition of its cultural history.
I think NZ history including the New Zealand/Land Wars should be compulsory in schools. The land wars were complicated & there were several, picking a suitable day would be tricky and I think a Land Wars commemoration day would always be politically charged & divisive. Teach the history, continue the treaty settlements and associated apologies, and keep Waitangi Day.
Yes, a public holiday to honour the NZ wars is appropriate. It’s a chapter of warfare in our history and should be acknowledged. Many of us may have either settler or Maori ancestors who were involved. (I have, on both sides).
We commemorate war in the form of ANZAC day so we should at least acknowledge local loss of life in the name of war.
I also think we should drop this whole guy fawkes thing. Sure it’s not a public holiday but its a commemoration that isn’t relevant to us. If people still want to get kicks from seeing and hearing stuff being blown up we could move the fireworks aspect of guy fawkes to Matariki, in autumn, a time of meaningful celebration. Public demo’s only, no sales of fireworks.
Key has an opinion for sure but it’s not necessarily a reliable one. I mean, flag referendum anyone? Hardly going great guns is it? And he was adamant that we would all be right behind a change of flag………..so what he says doesn’t really matter.
He was probably hoping for a few more, but it’s still not too bad.
http://www.elections.org.nz/events/referendums-new-zealand-flag-0/voting-first-referendum/voting-statistics
The first referendum is about choosing the favorite alternative flag, I’m sure 1.2-1.3 million people is more than enough to pick the correct one.
No it wasn’t. It was about building momentum for a change of flag which is why choosing the flag went before the decision to change the flag.
Government: New Zealanders, do you want to change the flag?
The People: Not sure, sort of depends on what sort of flags are being offered as a alternative?. If it’s something we like, yeah why not !.
Ah, no. It was more like:
National: We want to change the flag because we’ve destroyed NZ’s credibility hows you think NZers?
NZers: Fuck off arseholes and leave our flag alone.
Not sure why this is so fucking difficult for some people.
If you want to keep the flag, vote for it in the second referendum.
If it loses, so be it, the people have spoken, democracy has been served.
And a thank you to John Key for giving people the opportunity.
Why is it that RWNJs don’t get that the second question should have been asked first?
Instead we got manipulation from National and the RWNJs getting upset that the psychopaths are being called on it.
Oh, wait…
Not even a 40% turnout – not bad? Not great though is it? And lets wait to see how many of those votes are informal ones, those votes that have have been deliberately spoiled as a way of sending a message to Key.
I was fairly conservative with the spoiling of my ballot and went with the advice of putting a X in each box and marking the paper with K.O.F. Mr R wanted to be more creative so he printed out little troll faces,
http://www.reactionface.info/sites/default/files/images/1287666826226.png
and glued them in the boxes. So sweet. Key, after all is trolling us by having two referendums (see Draco’s point below) so why not troll him back!
I went with an x in every box while my partner went for a 6 for the 5 choices.
My guess is that there will be quite a few informals.
I’ve been informally polling folks I know about how they voted and have been pleasantly surprised at the number who went with the X option, even among the Nat voters I know. I agree it’s likely there will be more informal votes than normal.
Agree about Matariki. And let’s ditch Queens Birthday which is entirely meaningless to most New Zealanders by now, surely.
None by Key obviously but an expanded history curriculum would be an advantage to the fact that we have a larger number of people now in this country who havent been here long who say they want to stay or would that be misconstrued by this govt as a move to the left and a strength for the Republican movement
Here’s more interesting background about iPredict, currently being wound down. It appears there were two Professors of Economics backing the site, both from a fairly right-wing perspective.
http://www.viclink.co.nz/blog/493224
“iPredict is a joint venture between Viclink and the Victoria University-based New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR). Established primarily as a research tool, iPredict is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Viclink”.
Posted: Tue 19 Nov 2013
Who we are: (out of date): https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=about_us
“iPredict was established in 2008, shortly before the General Election that year, as a market-based political and economic forecasting system. iPredict was more accurate than 15 of the 19 polls published in the run up to the election that year – not bad for our first eight weeks in operation.
Today iPredict has over 5,000 traders, and has launched over 1500 contracts. We have been fortunate enough to be featured in every mainstream media outlet in New Zealand. We’re a place you can turn your opinion and what you know into cash.
iPredict Ltd is owned by Victoria Link Ltd, or “Viclink”, the commercial arm of Victoria University of Wellington. Its Board of Directors consists of Prof. Neil Quigley (Chairman) (replaced by Kate McGrath 2015), Prof. Lewis Evans and Ian MacIntosh.
Full Companies Office information can be found here. (Companies Office)
iPredict’s bankers are National Bank, lawyers are Chapman Tripp, and its PR and marketing consultants are Exceltium Ltd.
iPredict is authorised as a futures dealer by the Financial Markets Authority.
Trader funds are held in a trust account in the name of Predictions Clearing Limited, a subsidiary of iPredict Limited”.
An interview with part-time staff members:
http://idealog.co.nz/venture/2015/11/cashing-out-prediction-market-ipredict-closing-its-virtual-doors-maybe-opens-window
Four staff members? But they don’t compile regular media reports or even prepare the reports usually. Exceltium does it, or did it formerly. This is a part-time job for four people who are usually working on Viclink projects by the sound of it.
“Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation
Founded in 1998 and closed in 2015, the Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR) was an independent, nonprofit research institute located at Victoria University of Wellington’s Pipitea Campus. Funding of its activities was provided by members, project work, and research grants.
The primary objectives of ISCR research were to assist in understanding:
• how markets and organisations operate
• how markets provide appropriate incentives and disciplines for organisations
• the limitations of markets, and the role of regulation in addressing these limitations
• the importance of property rights and institutional structures in facilitating effectiveness of markets, organisations, competition, and regulation in New Zealand
The Victoria University Library has collated a searchable repository of articles written by ISCR researchers, and its Competition and Regulation Times newsletter.
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/vbs/centresandinstitutes/institutes
http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/handle/10063/1827
Emeritus Professor Lewis Evans (retired or semi-retired).
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/sef/about/staff/lew-evans
Included in the work of Lew Evans is a central role in advising the government of the day (around 2010), over the selling down of some of the Electricity SOES, presumably in the name of increased competition being good for the economy. Also in 2010, the Electricity Authority was formed, with Carl Hansen as CEO. Hansen is a right-wing economist also. He advised the Business Roundtable on policy, and more recently can be heard on radio and TV defending the status quo, which has delivered expensive power to the masses, considering most of it is hydro generated for 2c a kWhr using old dams and turbines. We would have been better served strategically with the old ECNZ – no structural changes were necessary in a small place like NZ.
These are just some of the forces shaping more neoliberal policy in NZ, attempting to keep National in control at all costs.
In the case of iPredict, Victoria University (through Victoria Link) seem to be belatedly forcing it to close down over time. Prof Lewis and Prof Quigley have jointly no doubt been the driving force behind the site, but now their sway with the board is greatly diminished.
Salient had an interesting article about it.
http://salient.org.nz/2014/09/ipredict-or-ipromote/
This great result has to be mainly sheeted home to Nicky Hager’s book, “Dirty Politics”, which highlighted the iPredict site for the travesty it had become.
Very interesting. I was at an econ thing at Vic around start up time and at the end of the session some professor appeared and talked about getting into ipredict. Thought encouraging broke students to take part was a little odd at the time. Had a look but it was appeared fixed so left it
Of course those students will be out earning by now, and are possibly trading on the site, bringing up the numbers. More recently, a younger Robert Quigley has been funded to work on the successor to iPredict, called PredictIT. He’s most likely the son of Neil Quigley, and the only good thing about PredictIT is that this time it’s more heavily regulated, the owners of the site have to be sure of everyone’s identity and restrict their spending power properly.
So perhaps they have been thinking about closing down iPredict for a while, but in any case it’s obvious to me that those running the site for most of its life, wanted certain outcomes in the reports. They found ways of ensuring that was the case.
They were shut down because of NZ being forced to strengthen our money laundering regulations to meet international standards. Nothing to do with Hager.
Sacha, they could simply comply with the new rules, and keep the site going. Viclink have chosen not to do that, because it would undermine the multiple accounts the Right are using to control the stocks. Plus it’s not a money-making venture by the sound of it. But they were perfectly happy to run it and make a loss before, as long as National always looked like winning the next election. If those participant rules were changed, and if the press reporting was done regularly by an unbiased party, we’d then see a fairer view of political opinion in NZ at the moment.
I challenge them to do just that while they wind it down – how about a level playing field for once, VicLink?
I have no basis to disagee with you. I was merely noting that it had nothing to do with Hager’s revelations.
So The Venezuelan People have given the Right Wing MUD (Love it!) Party a ‘super majority’ of 112 seats of 167. That gives the National Assembly a widespread mandate for significant change.
But. The new assembly does not come in until January, and the current assembly sits for a couple more weeks. A real test of the Socialists commitment to democracy eh?
What odds on some creative law making before the old assembly is disbanded…
And here’s a classic example of the new narrative to explain failure that is becoming entrenched in the Left worldwide..
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/The-Causes-and-Consequences-of-Venezuelan-Election-Results-20151207-0002.html
Yup. It was because of..
‘Intense disinformation by the media’ / The voters aren’t ‘concerned or aware’, they just want to vote against the government because of the media / The voters don’t ‘remember’ what things used to be like / The opposition attracted the ‘less politically aware social sectors’ (i.e. the voters are stupid / selfish) / There is a conspiracy of course ‘the economic war’ / ‘International powers resources’ have supported the opposition….(All sounds like a normal day at TS eh?)
It’s the voters, the media, and conspiring forces that are to blame. What a pity something can’t be done about them. Hey, there’s an idea….(sarc)
Rejoice! Sheep’s world is whole and true and not at all indicative of Quisling treachery and authoritarian submission. Rah rah rah, we’re going to smash the oiks!
You didn’t mention the oil price in any of that gloating. Funny that.
Well looks like the Venezuelan elite will be kicking the poor from Jan onwards. Privatisation of health and education, here we come.
It was the chavez government who brought in free education and health for the poor ……. the rich u.s.a backed factions in Venezuela will just return it to how it was pre-chavez
The u.s.a is a rich developed country that does not provide decent humane state health care for its own citizens ………………… it can hardly let poor south american governments show them up.
The u.s.a has previously backed a military overthrow of the Chavez government ….. a true failure for democracy that ‘the lost sheep’ seems either ignorant or approving of ……..
p.s everyone else notice that Gosman always calls the elected Venezuela government a ‘regime’????? ……………. If Gosman or sheep head want to learn about real regimes I suggest they watch ‘the war on democracy’ http://johnpilger.com/videos/the-war-on-democracy
The u.s.a has supported and backed many murderous regimes in south America ….
@Reason +1
17 years in power is not bad for the Chavistas when you are up against the CIA etc……and Maduro is still the president and has executive power…go and watch “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ (doco) and tell me the people don’t love Chavez and what he still stands for.
More good background: Matt Burgess, an economics student, had the original idea that was supported by the two Professors and Viclink (funding). By about 2012 Burgess left there for a job with National’s Bill English, and Exceltium had control of iPredict for a period until it was in theory brought back under control of Viclink. I know for a fact that it was still being meddled with before the report times, by whoever was doing the reports in 2014, and that was someone at Exceltium.
So this blog post by Viclink only tells part of the truth.
http://www.viclink.co.nz/blog/598456
Why does the “feeds” column often have two, and sometimes three, identical feeds?
One for Rebecca Kitteridge, the other for Una Jagose, and the third for all those they’re ‘trying to protect from themselves’
You would think that Kitteridge might draw attention to the risks of a free trade deal with Saudi Arabia:)
Nope in some sort of Absurdism, Key and his cronies are throwing as much taxpayers cash at Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khalaf a Saudi Businessman and not very effective sheep farmer to try to bring as much Saudi free movement here as possible. Security risk anyone? Lets work out what these trade deals really mean, free movement of nationals, free working visas of nationals, reduction of border controls on imports, selling off our country to foreign nationals….. Being able to be sued under ISDS by businessman who have more money than the government….
Maybe the NSA checklists the GCSB and SIS follow only have unmarried muslim brides who in spite of surveillance have been found to still be suspicious due to their marital status! Good work there 99, another 8 million in the mail! She could get a job for Trump at this rate!
You could not make this stuff up.
“The Islamic Women’s Council says it has “no knowledge or indication” of Kiwi women becoming jihadi brides, despite suggestions a growing number are heading to Syria to back Islamic State.
SIS director Rebecca Kitteridge revealed a rise in the number of young New Zealand women heading to Iraq and Syria when addressing Parliament’s intelligence and security committee on Tuesday.
Prime Minister John Key, who chairs the committee, said after Kitteridge’s remarks that women were known to have taken part in “weddings” before heading to Islamic State (IS) stronghold Syria, which pointed to the fact they were going as jihadi brides.”
“All she (Kitteridge) said was that the number had been growing and because it was a war-torn area, that was a concern.
“We don’t know the ethnicity of these women, we don’t actually know the religious background of these women, whether they just converted before they went, whether they converted at all, and we certainly don’t know what they’re doing while they’re over there.”
Well. John can invent anything he likes. Who cares? I do.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/74893140/islamic-womens-council-not-aware-of-any-kiwi-jihadi-brides
You mean that John Key lied again?
Not lying? Nah. Just twisting the facts a tiny little bit then sniggering at the way that media quote and embellish whatever he says. His private pleasure instead of stroking girls’ hair.
…or something else
John Key will you pleaz save us from the jihadi brides?!?!
They are taking our women! What’s next?! O lawd… the children!!
Jihadi Brides Threat Level Update: John Key has clarified the numbers regarding the crisis.
Rebecca Kitteridge had said that the number of these potential ticking time bombs was ‘fewer than a dozen’. While she has no idea what they are doing there, what is known for sure is that they went went to that part of the world, and they are definitely female.
But Key has subsequently said that a belief exists, an actual belief thingee, that the number of this fewer than a dozen that have in fact married Islamic militants is somewhere in the magnitude of “one or two”.
Now that might seem a little low at first, but bear in mind that a) that’s one or two more brides than our SIS team had to monitor before, b) Key didn’t say which end of the one or two range the true figure is closer to, and c) my calculator informs me that this represents an infinity percent increase in kiwi jihadi brides. If this rate continues, every female in New Zealand will be a jihadi bride before I finish typing this sentence. Everyone is probably already dead. National is probably still polling 50%.
+1 and lol – key is a lying manipulative vain dim dickhead
Actually that whole briefing (if the brief video clip was anything to go by) was rather amateurish and highly speculative. Everybody seemed to be vaguely “sort of” agreeing with anything anyone else suggested.
Bernard’s Top 10: The rise and rise of the robots; Will jobs be created faster than they’re destroyed?; Is this time different?
Well worth a look and the video on it is worth watching.
Drama therapy to help drone assassins cope with their feelings of guilt;
No drama therapy, though, for their thousands of victims.
Nine to Noon, RNZ National, Wednesday 9 December 2015
After 10 o’clock, Kathryn Ryan interviewed (if that’s the word for sitting back and letting someone say the most contentious things without contesting a word of it) the Brooklyn-based theatre director Bryan Doerries. It was billed on the RNZ site like this….
The interesting part of Doerries’ talk came when he told of the immense psychological suffering of drone operators who had “hit the wrong target”. This implies, of course, that there are “right” targets, and that the United States regime’s massive program of terror in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now stepped up dramatically in Syria, is something other than illegal and condemned by all reputable human rights organizations. As I suspected, there was zero consideration of the victims of these conscience-wracked drone killers.
And, of course, Kathryn Ryan failed to raise a single objection to interview Doerries’ smooth flow of talk. I sent her the following email….
After Bryan Doerries, will you interview someone who works with the victims?
Dear Kathryn,
To hear Bryan Doerries expressing such compassion for the operators of assassination drones, apparently stricken with guilt because they hit the “wrong” targets, was a deeply troubling experience.
Have your producers tried to get in touch with any of the thousands of people in Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq whose family members have been killed by these conscience-racked American drone operators?
That would make for an interesting interview.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
Pity both she & Bryan Doerries no doubt aren’t aware of this:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us-drone-strikes-kill-1147
The survivors of drone attacks must really love and admire the USA. Hearts and minds must be won over – or not.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11558110
This is what happens when large parts of the voting public feel disenfranchised I guess
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11557932
No one has been able to point to a single instance where a gun has been gained illegitimately through the mail order system. It was also later revealed the rifle was bought using the manufactured identity of a police officer, required by law to authorise and approve the mail order form.
Its not looking good Ms Allan, nest time she may want to consider following the same laws as everyone else
Actually, we can point to one – it was a journalist and she told us about it. And what she did was still in the public interest.
Going on probabilities after that it’s highly likely that there’s quite a few out there that have been gained illegitimately but the records don’t show that because the records aren’t accurate.
Greg O’Connor’s done a good job of keeping a low profile on this. He seems to have been the one who brought the situation to HDPA’s attention, apparently via a radio broadcast. Its all gone a bit mucky now. I was expecting him at some point to show up with some evidence it had actually happened before. Maybe he still will?
UK veterans throw away medals to protest Syria strikes
9:39 AM Wednesday Dec 9, 2015
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/video.cfm?c_id=2&gal_cid=2&gallery_id=156409
More ex-soldiers with a conscience….
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/09/refuseniks-occupations-underbelly
I’d call this a ‘scrapping the bottom of the barrel’ argument.
“How about sugar production? Not only are animals poisoned during the growing stage but also millions of small animals are killed during harvest of the sugar cane.
Some studies have shown that more animals die to produce a vegan meal than a regular meal that includes meat and dairy. Why is the life of a mouse not worth the same as a calf?
Of course I eat these foods as well as meat, so you could argue I contribute to even more animals dying.
But it’s not me trying to convince you to convert to veganism to save ANY animals dying.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/74894316/how-many-animals-died-for-your-meal
Anything rather than address the real cruelty that our dairy industry thrives off – oh no that’s too hard, too close to home.
That article was a real yawn. Agree, that dairy farmer is definitely scrapping the bottom of the barrel with that one. Pretty desperate really. He might be a buddy of Andrew Hoggard of Fed Farmers who said on tv3 on Sunday night that “it’s all a vegan conspiracy”.
Note how the media have really focused on damage control and the “threat to the economy” and have barely reported on the actual issue of animal cruelty itself – this was their opportunity to investigate but instead they take the easy path of going with the government and industry’s predictable hollow defences.
The msm have been appallingly biased and lazy in their reporting.
+1
+ 1 Rosie – good comment
If anyone from Auckland wants to do something about the housing crisis, in a more active manner. No hand wringers please.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/968941989813586/
Fran O’Sullivan in her latest comment in the Herald is chatting about Paula Benefit and Crusher Collins. Usually I can read Fran’s stuff and although I don’t always think she is right in her musings I have always thought she was capable of rational thought. In her comment she quotes Paula as being “like Key, she does not often lose her cool”. Blimey dick what planet is she on – every time I see Key in the house he is a ranting abusive man out of control. Comparing her with Key who often loses “his” cool – where does she get this from? When he isn’t abusive and spinning his usual rubbish he has a pair of dead eyes which I suppose is a passive type of cool. Who knows, for once she has me stumped.
I think I know where Fran O’Sullivan is coming from. I posted the following comment in relation to another post yesterday which is relevant here:
There are similarities, and reports that she was being groomed by Key for high political office go back to Key’s first term as PM. Even her responses in the debating chamber have a ‘Key’nesian ring to them.
Obama lying???
“WTO Orders Sanctions Unless U.S. Cuts Consumer Labels, Disproving Obama TPP Claims
The ruling is a nightmare for the Obama administration’s uphill battle to build support for the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It makes clear that trade agreements can — and do — threaten even the most favored U.S. public interest safeguards.
Claims to the contrary have been a mainstay of the White House effort to overcome TPP opposition from an unprecedentedly diverse coalition of organizations and members of Congress. That opposition was only solidified when the recent release of the final TPP text revealed the pact was even worse than expected.
The massive text largely reflects the interests of the 500 official U.S. trade advisors representing corporate interests that had privileged access while the public, Congress and the press were shut out the secretive process: investor privileges that make it easier to offshore American jobs to low wage countries and retrograde terms that expose U.S. food safety, environmental, Internet freedom, health and other safeguards to attack and rollback.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-wallach/wto-orders-sanctions-unle_b_8748594.html
Why has Obama invested so much in TPPA? Mainly the democrats aren’t onside and he is relying quite heavily on the Republicans (house senate?) to attempt to get this past. He can’t be re-elected so why?
Post election board of directors positions.
basically it is fascism by stealth and an attempt to legally sanction it
the NZ Labour Party is not joining with NZF and the Greens to oppose it!
…why not?
‘Flouting The Rules: Why has Andrew Little rejected a winning TPPA strategy for a guaranteed loser? ‘
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/10/14/flouting-the-rules-why-has-andrew-little-rejected-a-winning-tppa-strategy-for-a-guaranteed-loser/
In addition
“The TPP would make the situation much worse. It includes constraints on food safety that extend beyond the WTO, roll back the environmental standards included even in George W. Bush’s trader pacts and would empower individual foreign corporations to directly launch attacks on public interest policies.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-wallach/wto-orders-sanctions-unle_b_8748594.html
Watch Commander
Pretty much guaranteed that people who terrorists and never will be are being watched covertly
And:
We can pretty much guarantee that the US is spying on everyone including friends and allies.
They really called it Hydra? Have they never read comic books?
In 1949 the first Labour government introduced peacetime conscription, as part of its Cold War alliance with the United States. Here is a fascinating account by veteran left activist Murray Horton of the campaign against peacetime conscription led by people like watersiders’ union leader Jock Barnes:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/labour s-introduction-of-peacetime-conscription-and-the-fight-against-it/
Key Derangement Syndrome in full effect
[lprent: Comment seems to have little to do with the post. Certainly provides no context to the post. Moved to OpenMike. ]
Almost needs its own DSM IV area code.
What did you do your doctorate in ?
Doctoring.
Having a quiet day ?
Day off watching cricket.
.. must be a boring game.
Not at all, part of the beauty of cricket is you can enjoy it at the same time as having a chat or a read or commenting on the interwebs.
behind the times…DSM V is out
Lols. The Standard Kitchen, Dunedin.
Geez, there would be daily fights in the kitchen. Just as well P.Ure is no longer around. It would Vegans Vs. Carnivores fights galore over the menu.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Standard-Kitchen/903983092982085
Carnivores would eat the vegans.
Break out the love; spooning leads to forking 🙂
That was very funny. Ain’t nobody gonna love me though, I’m pescetarian, distrusted, misunderstood and disliked by all persuasions, left, right, and centre.
Naah not enough meat on a vegans bones and all the supplements they need to take…I’ll stick to eating good ol’ roast beef raised kiwis thanks
There have been restaurants that attracted intrigued customers who went more to see how rude the waiters could be than the food. Ad could be good, has a nice line in chivvying. I liked the spooning and the forking.
I’ll have to stop in when I pass through there next.
Maybe give us a report back 🙂
Some positive news…
A surprising meeting with Fonterra and Greenpeace.
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/blog/a-surprising-meeting-with-Fonterra/blog/55042/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_term=Fonterra&utm_campaign=Forests&__surl__=IgSIA&__ots__=1449627227725&__step__=1
on a different note, urban regeneration and social housing meets top British art prize
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/may/12/assemble-turner-prize-2015-wildcard-how-the-young-architecture-crew-assemble-rocked-the-art-world?CMP=share_btn_fb
Why I like twitter.
CJ Werleman
@cjwerleman
You see how one terrorist shooting can radicalize Americans like Trump, but you can’t see how 10,000+ US bombs might radicalize Muslims?
https://twitter.com/cjwerleman/status/673985855560663040
+1
Massey University Quotes of the Year all by men – http://thespinoff.co.nz/09-12-2015/media-are-new-zealands-quotes-of-the-year-really-all-by-men/
So Little and Key have both made apologies to Parliament. Little over comments about the Speaker and Key over his comments that Labour backed rapists. I think whatever their reasons for apologising, it’s the right thing to do.
There’s no way that Labour can force Carter out of the chair. They have to play with the hand they’re dealt and stoic resignation is probably the best way to handle Carter’s bias.
Key’s comments were clearly over the top and a clear attempt to distract from Labour’s stirling work on NZers detained in Australia. Having his inelegant attempt at misdirection lingering wouldn’t help. I think Key has been hurt by it already, this probably helps to stem the bleeding.
Little shouldn’t have apologised. It is quite clear that all of his statements were entirely correct.
I agree – wtf were they thinking – key gets an ‘out’ and what, suddenly youknowwho is no longer playing favorites?
“Key has repeatedly refused to apologise for the comment, going as far as to say he was “absolutely correct” to say it and didn’t regret his remarks.
But it seems a deal was struck between Key and Labour “in the spirit of Christmas” after Opposition leader Andrew Little also decided to apologise for “unparliamentary” comments.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74923038/john-key-and-andrew-little-strike-a-deal-in-the-spirit-of-christmas
This bullshit is why I can’t vote for either of these 2 parties.
+100…when the leaders of the supposed Opposition parties James Shaw and Andrew Little let Key off the hook….you know you have got trouble…the Opposition is either corrupted or loopy stupid
you would never get Winston Peters doing this!..or Annette Sykes or Laila Harre or John Minto or I hope Hone Harawira
While any apology is better than none, Key couldn’t help mentioning that it was close to Christmas. What a guy. Hence Little’s ‘bloody red baron’ comment which I thought quite clever, even if ‘I will if you will’ apologies seems childish for both. Tacit admission that his ‘backing the rapists’ comment was a calculated political tactic? And what a sincere, moving 20 second apology speech it was.
I expect he’s already packed and ready for Hawaii
The problem with the NZ left AND right is, there are too many cheap skates and quick comment making jerks, who do not even bother reading and studying stuff, it is first, quick impression, and decision and judgment, and then destroy the rest.
So we have the society that NZers deserve, a dumb, ignorant, indifferent, selfish and unprincipled society (that is unless it involves the principle of serving yourself first).
The truth no longer matters, quick and cheap scores by political players get more resonance than anything of substance that matters to others, e.g. most people, and some here, too many, on TS are no different to the ones on Kiwiblog, by judging and rubbishing and ignoring information that they should perhaps take note of.
I am through with this country I once came to, I am through with NZ, I regret ever having come to this damned place.
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike. FFS Stay on topic. ]
could be worse Mike……Donald Trump
Read this and then just go all hilarious.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/08/donald-trump-famous-muslims-us-history?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H&utm_term=142452&subid=15166303&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
You couldn’t make Trump up could ya ?
Donald Trump is a ginger…and so is David Cameron..say no more
I am not surprised by people taking action such as this, not that I support it:
[r0b: 2 videos removed]
I have NO MORE FAITH AND HOPE IN THIS SHIT SOCIETY, FULL STOP!
I DO NOT LIKE BUT DO NOT OBJECT TO THIS ACTION NOW:
[r0b: 1 video removed]
Hate me for it, I will not live much longer anyway, I chooose to pass a.s.a.p..
[r0b: I understand your anger. But really don’t want those videos on the blog, sorry.]
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike ]
With the nonsense exposed above, is anybody seriously surprised at the success of radical Islam IsIS and what else we have? Maybe it is a curse that was asked for?
Do not agree with and do not like this, the following, but the west and other vested interests keep funding it, there will be NO peace in Syria with this, and that adds to my disbelief of this shit system we have:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sPY0X8SrLo
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike ]
I expect to be killed any time soon, as for the above, thanks for your attention.
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike ]
On J.P.Morgan bribes …All in the family ( cf mafia)….Bankster Fraud…and the Now crisis of social mobility
Episode 846
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/325067-episode-max-keiser-846/
“In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss how it is that JP Morgan just happened to hire 222 friends and relatives of Chinese companies and politicians as the bank took these companies public in Hong Kong.
In the second half, Max continues his interview with Liam Halligan of BNE.eu and the Telegraph about central bank policy, George Osborne’s long-term economic plans and Thomas Piketty’s so-called new book, Inequality.”
They talk about suicide attacks, but YPG and others do the same:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqI0a4VgEs8
[lprent: Moved to OpenMike. Banned for a week for wasting my time. ]
Still up Lynn? Just wanted to thank you for your work on Pete’s behalf, I’m going to have to take back almost half of the bad things I’ve said about you….Almost….
[r0b: Don’t be getting all soft now. Remember, we are leftards, raving socialists, substandard, echo chamber etc etc. Sigh.]
Union membership numbers in NZ are continuing to decline according to Victoria University’s annual report.
Here’s an interesting discussion by veteran shopfloor union activist Don Franks on the way forward for workers and unions.
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/which-way-forward-for-workers-and-unions/