The northern structure at Stone Street studios exhibits horizontal cracks at its SE corner, visible over the black covered fence next to the gatehouse.
The main studio appears undamaged, but bears an uncanny resemblance to the
sarcophagus covering the impaired Chernobyl nuclear reactor. It is unclear whether base isolation on geologically unstable terrain was involved.
ShonKey had the exact same smile telling the nastzis cor(p)kus as he did when he fired all his trader buddies….. The light went on and they all realized he didn’t give a fuck about them …..NZ voters will click soon too…. When they realize the mess he’s made and is running from…
So quickly forgotten, Pucky? Was he that insubstantial? The wistful memory of a dream? An echo of a love song half-forgotten? A puff of fetid halitosis? The impalpable whiff of a little blue fart?
Your people are so expendable.
Like Jonah he shot through leaving roadkill behind.
What does that make the ‘national’ party .. a deflated rural cabal ?
My sympathies to Bill in trying to keep his waka together.
I love Laila she is a star, but she’s not stupid, I doubt she will want to jeopardise the left by standing in New Lynn, which is already labelled as a ‘safe labour’ seat. After all she stood in Helensville last time. And I’m not sure if Laila is running this time, are you Ad?
So I guess dreams are free, one of my dreams is for Laila to come back to parliament if she so desires, her life her choice. The other dream is about to become reality, which is a new government.
While I would really like to see Laila Harre back in parliament, in the case of New Lynn I think someone who is already part of the New Lynn set-up, like Greg Presland for instance, may be a better option. If Laila stands there, her pluses are her high profile, the fact that she really is of the left and that she knows how to campaign. But someone who is already part of the area, and able to continue with existing networks, might stand a better chance. I also think that winning the election should take priority over gender balance under current conditions and in the short term. That said, if Laila ends up getting the nomination, I will not be disappointed by it.
I seem to recall that Harre stood in the Waitakere electorate early in the century – when that electorate covered at least part of what is now the New Lynn electorate.
Laila definitely has links to the area but I am not sure that she wants to be an MP at the moment. Also she is going to get criticised for having abandoned the Green Party to lead the Internet Party only 3 years ago. Maybe 2020 if she wants it.
Deborah Russell is a high profile candidate who has declared her interest in New Lynn. She says she will give up her job at Massey University to live and campaign in the area if she gets the selection. Don’t know who else is putting their hat in the ring for New Lynn – Mickey will know.
If Jacinda goes for Mt Albert (it makes sense to me) then there will be a vacancy for Auckland Central but it will be hard to win. The last lot of boundary changes meant a lot of Labour areas were added to Mt Albert and there will be a sympathy vote for Nicky Kaye.
New Lynn is going upmarket, though there’s still some of low income/working class people in the area. Kelston has been split off it in the last election, and that area is more solidly Labour and working class.
Not just New Lynn; many areas in West Auckland are changing and you can see that reflected in the demographics of the secondary schools. Schools are an excellent barometer of the communities.
New Lynn might not be as safe as people think for Labour, there has been a lot of change in that area. I think no matter who runs there for Labour, it will be a tough race. Property will be a key factor – families are sitting on big mortgages there – it depends what Labour have as their policy.
Next year in my view, property is going to go stagnant in Auckland so there will be jitters and interest rates will probably start rising and already are. At the same time people will start fearing for their jobs and businesses. This is nothing to do with Labour but it is their response to it that will be important as will be the Natz response prior to next years election.
I have huge respect for Laila – and want to see her back. With a down turn probably coming up next year – it will be important for Labour to try to get steady policy that can handle another GFC without doing a Greece or USA while transitioning away from the outrageous state the Natz have left our country. (poor diversification, fraud and corruption such as student visa scams, large government and private debt).
P.S. How Key managed to get his unpopular privatising assets policy through was saying he would not implement it until the next election if he was elected. It buys time for the public to get used to a change.
The point is, Labour should not count their chickens in an election if they want to implement potentially un popular policy in particular on housing or superannuation.
Next year in my view, property is going to go stagnant in Auckland so there will be jitters and interest rates will probably start rising and already are.
If/When the bubble flattens out/bursts interest rates are likely to fall – well, the OCR will anyway. Low interest rates are there to encourage people to borrow and thus create more money which gives a boost to the economy. Of course, what interest rates the banks gives to the borrowers is another question.
With a down turn probably coming up next year – it will be important for Labour to try to get steady policy that can handle another GFC without doing a Greece or USA while transitioning away from the outrageous state the Natz have left our country.
ATM, IMO, Labour only have one option and it’s similar to the one that they used in 1935 to pull us out of the Great Depression.
An early election is needed to prevent the education minister whom is quitting from bullying Salisbury School anymore. Leaving them in limbo over Christmas, just give it up Hekia, let it go, you’ve damaged so many people and families by pushing these vulnerable girls around. It’s obvious you don’t care about them.
Looking forward to the new education minister making the most of this valuable school, the whole community and beyond, in which it resides, as well as the local mayor are absolutely 100% behind Salisbury staying open, and there are so many ideas to diversify the options that Salisbury can offer.
Bill English, without a hint of irony, praises
John Key’s “relentless optimism and positivity”
RNZ National, Friday 9 December 2016, 7:16 a.m.
His colleague Dr Jonathan Coleman blows smoke in the face of women, but this morning Bill English blew smoke in the face of Guyon Espiner. Incredibly, Espiner didn’t seem to even register what had happened. The incident came near the end of a fawning six and a half minute “honeymoon” interview….
GUYON ESPINER: What’s the main thing you’ve learned from John Key?
BILL ENGLISH:[pause] Ohhhh look, just the relentless optimism and positivity, and the way that that UPLIFTS people, the way that it gives them ROOM to express their own confidence in the future, ahhhh, and I think that’s had an impact on the way New Zealanders think, we’re a more positive, self-assured country, and, ahhh, that’s BACKED UP by theeee, by the strength of the economy, by the relative position compared to other countries, and we want to maintain that.
GUYON ESPINER:[pause] All right. Thank you very much for joining us this morning, appreciate your time. That is, well, the PRESUMPTIVE prime minister, are we calling him Jane?
SUSIE FERGUSON: I suppose we WOULD call him something like that, wouldn’t we Guyon!
So creative on air is not prepared to fund alternative current affairs in NZ (Waatea 5th Estate) but has used more than 1.7m of public money to give to MediaWorks Jono and Ben. They have also given 1.4m for a comedy called Paranormal Event Response Unit.
With the growing homelessness, inequality and corruption in NZ, creative on Air feels the need to spend millions on comedy. Because NZ on Air and the government are a joke.
Thanks for keeping the public in the dark about real local issues and keep the NZ Ponzi scheme going into the next election, creative on air (sarc)!
Of course TV3 putting crap on prime time and endlessly promoting their ‘favourite shows’ has nothing to do with ratings. Put Waatea on TV3 at 7 pm and see how they start stealing from Hoskings.
TV Ratings are the biggest joke out there, with only 600 people being checked in the most ludicrous way possible out of a population of 4.5 million. It’s actually creative on air and advertisers that still believe the TV ratings mean something that are the joke!
Of course creative on air have probably not heard of the Internet so can’t respond to the changing methods of media in their funding. Or are just told what to fund by the government.
A commitment to broadcast is required before applying for funding. This is because we don’t want taxpayer money going to waste. The support of an Online Aggregator is required for Type 3 applications.
The broadcaster/online publisher will confirm their support, including their financial contribution, to us separately using the Broadcaster Commitment form or Type 3 Broadcaster Commitment Form.
I bet he didnt even have the basics covered in his application.
James you seem to know so much about paperwork you should join WINZ and push 65 pages of paperwork on the homeless to fill out before you will help them, while at the same time pushing $$$$ into double dipper English’s hands for his housing needs or hiding white collar criminals and money launderers in our 0% offshore tax havens that John Key and his favourite non practising lawyer set up.
After all, it’s not about fairness or logic anymore it’s about process, cronyism and bureaucrats ticking all the boxes the right (wink, wink) way under Natz rule.
Tau Henare declares: “I could’ve been SPEAKER!”
Guyon Espiner: “We haven’t got time for that.”
RNZ National, Thursday 8 December 2016
The best thing Trevor Mallard ever did in his entire career was when he punched that waste of space Tau Henare. Incredibly, Henare, instead of being shunned as he would be by any decent or serious media outlet, is still being given time to clog up the airwaves with his nonsense. Yesterday morning he was at his David Brentian worst….
The restless backbench–their one chance for relevance. We look back at a turbulent week in politics with the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas and the former National Party MP Tau Henare.
GUYON ESPINER: The prime minister John Key is stepping DOWN at the top of HIS career and the race is ON to replace him. It very much looks like BILL ENGLISH has the numbers, but also in this race are Jonathan Coleman and Judith Collins. I’m joined now to discuss their prospects by the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas. Good morning to you Ben.
BEN THOMAS: Hi Guyon.
GUYON ESPINER: And National Party—former National Party M.P., ahhh, Tau Henare, also a Minister of the Crown back in the day. Good morning to both of you.
TAU HENARE: Morning chief!
GUYON ESPINER: Now, let’s have a look at Bill English. It looks pretty much like he’s GOT this doesn’t it Tau?
TAU HENARE: Yeah, I mean I always thought that, uh, the way it panned out, um, Bill would, uh, win on the day whenever the election for, for leader was. It’s just a, it’s a, A typical National Party, uh, succession plan.
GUYON ESPINER: A stitch up? BEN THOMAS: Hyeeeee! A ha ha ha! TAU HENARE: You could say that. But hey I mean—- GUYON ESPINER: He was given what, he was given how long, a couple of months heads up and he’s been allowed to do it in a week when he’s announcing some pretty rosy numbers— TAU HENARE: That’s right. GUYON ESPINER: —that are going to be announced today on the books, and the vote comes on Monday. TAU HENARE: Yeah that’s right. And look, I mean it’s better than rolling around in the mud for three months publicly and, and, um, I, I think, um, I think it’s been pretty cool. I think, I think it’s given the party a bit of a, a kick up the backside, uh, in terms of, hey!, get your, get your STUFF together, ahhhmm, we have an ELECTION to fight next year. GUYON ESPINER: Ben do you think that damage has been done? Things that are said can’t be unsaid. You’ve got Judith Collins running around saying, y’know, talking about tax cuts, that she wouldn’t be pursuing those. Is damage done in these sort of battles? BEN THOMAS: Well I guess there’s been no public announcement about whether we will have tax cuts or whether we’ll have, y’know, family incentives or whatever, um, so in that way they’re not really deviating from— GUYON ESPINER: It leaves him in a difficult position to go ahead with it doesn’t it? BEN THOMAS: No, I think you’re allowed to, you’re allowed to express an opinion probably before, y’know, before the budget next year, ahhhhmm, I think everyone’ll be expected to fall into line by then. GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. What do you make of the bids then from Collins and Coleman? BEN THOMAS: There’s a real issue with the National Party leadership post John Key, which is, if you’re in Labour, you can kind of wait for another eighteen months for your turn to come around. Whereas, here, y’know, this is the first time most of, this is the first time this job’s come up, y’know, in a decade, um, and I think you’d be looking at a guy like Coleman, or perhaps even Collins, and they would think, you know, if it’s another FOUR years, if Bill were to take over, or even longer if it was one of the contenders, y’know, whose names were thrown around but didn’t pan out, you know you would be looking at being maybe in your mid-fifties, in your early sixties before you had another opportunity. GUYON ESPINER: Yeah but Coleman can’t seriously believe he’s got a CHANCE, can he? Is he going for something else? TAU HENARE: I, I, I, I think that, ahhhmmm, it’s been a, um, a, a DOG’S BREAKFAST, ahhh, frankly, ahhhmm— GUYON ESPINER: From what? TAU HENARE: From Coleman AND from Judith. GUYON ESPINER: Really? Why is that? TAU HENARE: Yeah well from Judith, I think she’s gone out as if it’s some sort of presidential race. Well I’m sorry: if you don’t realize that FIFTY-NINE people vote for you, not, ahhhmm, y’know, one point five million, then I think there’s something SERIOUSLY WRONG with you. GUYON ESPINER: So it’s been a matter of not really knowing who your audience is, you mean? TAU HENARE: Well exactly. I mean, Coleman came out with he’s the new, you know, generation, as if he was a MILLENNIAL, but there’s only seven years between him and Judith Collins. GUYON ESPINER: He’s fifty, he had relative youth. [chuckles] TAU HENARE: I mean I, I just think that it’s silly. Yeah I mean, I, I, I actually think that, that um, ahhh, the Deputy Prime Ministership is, ahh, the one to watch. I think that’s, that’s— GUYON ESPINER: Who do you think’s gonna get it? TAU HENARE: Um, it could be ANYBODY. GUYON ESPINER: Someone from out YOUR way. TAU HENARE: Listen mate, I, I, I’m a mate of Simon’s AND a mate of, uh, Paula’s, and I wouldn’t like to pick between them. And then, I, I— GUYON ESPINER: Who WOULD you vote for if you had a chance? TAU HENARE: Who would I vote for? GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. TAU HENARE: Oh, uh, y’know if I was IN there, in the caucus, I would be the Manchurian Candidate. GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha! BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha! TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk! GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha! Let’s—Ben? BEN THOMAS: There IS that issue though, because there IS some discontent among the back benches, you know, you’ve got a HUGE back bench to manage in National— GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. BEN THOMAS: —partly because of John Key’s electoral success and a lot of these guys, you know, are sort of chomping at the bit for their chance—- GUYON ESPINER: Yeah so what’s gonna— BEN THOMAS: And there is— TAU HENARE: Oh look, they should, they should just HANG ON. I mean, for GOODNESS’ SAKE— BEN THOMAS:[beginning to lose patience] We-e-e-e-elll…. TAU HENARE: Who got them IN there in the first place? I think that they’re a bunch of JUMPED UP— BEN THOMAS: Hyuh! [snickers] TAU HENARE: —y’know, I tell ya what, I tell ya what—- BEN THOMAS: Ha ha, HA! TAU HENARE: There’s not a lot of back benchers that I would, ahhhhmmm, present to Cabinet. Y’know? GUYON ESPINER: Well, Ben, what do you think would satisfy the appetite of the restless back bench then? BEN THOMAS: Well, they, they only get ONE SAY, you know, this voting caucus is pretty much the only say they have— GUYON ESPINER: So they’re relevant for a short time. BEN THOMAS: So they’re relevant and they’re not going to just sacrifice it easily, um, you know, to go with a handover, even with Key’s sort of mana and standing, right? TAU HENARE: Can I— GUYON ESPINER:[reluctantly] Yeah. TAU HENARE: I could’ve been SPEAKER! GUYON ESPINER: Ha! BEN THOMAS: A ha ha hyeeeeegh! GUYON ESPINER: There’s not, we haven’t got time for that. BEN THOMAS: Ha ha! GUYON ESPINER: I did want to look back in history though. ‘Cos look at the ones who’ve taken over from P.M. without being elected. Rowling takes over after Kirk dies, he loses to Muldoon. Lange resigns, Palmer picks up, Moore loses. Shipley takes over from Bolger in ’97 and loses to Clark in ’99. Four-nil, in terms of people who have taken over in office without being elected. BEN THOMAS: Yeah. GUYON ESPINER: How do we see Bill English, presuming he does win, going from here? TAU HENARE: I, I, I think that Bill’s campaign IS about stability, IS about “look at what we’ve done, near, NEARLY five per cent unemployment, you know, around that— GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. But isn’t that dangerous after eight years, oh I’ve got “Steady as she goes” when the electorate might be saying Well look I’ve— BEN THOMAS: Voters bank gains pretty quickly. There is an opportunity, even Key pointed this out, he said there’s gotta be, you know, rejuvenation. Key was actually GOOD at that, in his cabinets. So you can’t probably just have this situation where you have exactly the same faces. And in terms of the race for Deputy, perhaps, you know, you might see that Bennett, you know, for all her talents, is seen as the Key candidate, as part of the master plan, as part of business as usual. You might see that Bridges is sort of the outlet for the expression of the back benches. GUYON ESPINER: Hmmm. Just finally on Bill English though, performance-wise, I mean, he’s gonna be a very DIFFERENT prime minister. Can’t see him sort of mincing down the catwalk on a fashion sort of parade, or doing any of that sort of stuff that John Key did as a sort of cheerleader— BEN THOMAS: Do they have fashion parades in Southland? GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha…. TAU HENARE: Fashion parade in GORE! GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha. TAU HENARE: Eh? GUYON ESPINER: But it wasn’t, seriously, it wasn’t a great success was it, Bill Mark One as leader? TAU HENARE: No, but I, and I also think that’s a different time as well. I mean the National Party WERE at their lowest ebb anyway. There’d been a HUGE crap fight about the leadership and, um, now-w-w-w, I mean the National Party are hovering around FIFTY per cent, the economy is good, people I sense don’t actually want THAT much change—they’d like to see something NEW, ah, but they don’t want that much change. GUYON ESPINER: Change with continuity then? BEN THOMAS: Hyeeee…Yes. Ha ha ha. Look, Bill, Bill English is a MUCH more polished performer these days and he’s got a track record that, you know, NOBODY’s going to, like, second-guess. Um, I think this is going to be a much more successful second act in public life. GUYON ESPINER: All right. Thank you for that. That’s Ben Thomas and Tau Henare.
I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.
But having full transcripts with every little thing; “eh”, “now-w-w-w” having the same emphasis as the substantive points is completely misleading.
When we listen to the radio we tune those things out unless they are so distracting as to completely disrupt the interview.
It might seem like a cute trick to do this, but in my view is quite stupid. For instance if you do it with Trump you would completely miss why he gets his message across.
Wayne you point out that people don’t listen to the oohs and ums.
Your right but then they turn off when the points are made.
Poor articulation in the modern media
Is more important than ever.
Key was articulate English is far from that .
English sounds as if he has verbal constipation.
Ah ooh a ummmmmm.
“I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.”
Morrissey is pretty much the only person on ts that does this. He gets criticised for his transcripts regularly.
How can you comment on my transcripts if you don’t read them? That’s a standard of seriousness I would have attributed to the likes of Mike Hosking or Leighton Smith, not to someone working for a reputable outlet like The Standard.
I’m not commenting on your transcripts in terms of content (and I haven’t read the current one which is what you asked me about). I just pointed out that you are pretty much the only person that does such transcripts here (because Wayne was implying that it’s common), and that you have been criticised for them fairly often. Are either of those things untrue?
So they get criticised. Wayne, for instance, has written a fair and thoughtful response to my transcript of David Brent Henare’s performance the other day. I’m fine with that, just as I’m fine with the (far more numerous) people who praise my work.
You were his colleague, so of course you’re going to defend him. Good on you for your stubborn loyalty, Dr Mapp.
But of course, you are well aware that a politician’s eloquence, or in this case lack of eloquence, is crucial to his or her credibility.
Should we clean up and airbrush the dimwitted umm-ing and ahhh-ing of second-rate broadcasters like Larry Williams and Leighton Smith, and of second-rate politicians like Hekia Parata and Tau Henare? Of course not.
On the other hand, by including interjections these carefully written transcripts add emotional expression, enriching the text and making the reading more pleasurable and informative. Thanks Morrissey.
“GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha!
BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!:”
dirty – why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori? Is your bias showing? Why have you doctored the transcript? What are you trying to hide? Why didn’t you mention the Obama years? Why are you selling out? What other things are you not telling us? Why don’t you read more? Why didn’t you abuse Kim Hill like you did last week for not mentioning Obama – JUST AS YOU didn’t mention him? Why are you not apologising for misleading people? Who do you work for? Why have you not answered yet?
why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori?
That’s his way of laughing. He also laughs like that when he scoffs at cleaning women after he’s reduced them to tears.
Is your bias showing?
My bias is against nasty, shallow, vacuous politicians like Tau Henare. But, just like the dead, he is entitled to fair and truthful treatment—which he got here. I made nothing up. Nothing. The vacuity, the idiocy, and the pathetic self-aggrandizement—“I could’ve been SPEAKER!”—is all Henare’s.
Why have you doctored the transcript?
I haven’t. It’s a precise transcript.
The rest of your angry little rant defies analysis, unfortunately.
Well, the transcript might be literally correct, but in practise, it is wrong.
As I noted before very few of us actually listen to anyone in that manner (although perhaps you do). Otherwise most of us would barely make sense in interviews and conversations.
It is only if the “umms” and “ahhs”, or the partially completed sentences become distracting that we actually notice them.
I made a real effort to speak in complete and short sentences during interviews, but when I read the actual transcripts at best I only did it about 70% of the time.
People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.
People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.
Quite true. Even great thinkers and speakers like Noam Chomsky will say “uh” occasionally.
You were and are a good speaker, Mr Mapp. It’s clear you did think before you spoke, and your verbal fillers, when you did lapse into them, were not significant.
I have emphasized the “umms” and “ahhs” of certain broadcasters and politicians precisely because, as you point out, their verbal infelicity does indeed distract and sometimes even becomes the substance of whatever they’re trying to say.
Filling up every potential silence with “ummm” and “ahhh” is not merely a symptom of verbal clumsiness and/or unpreparedness, it’s a way of dominating an interlocutor, and not allowing him/her to speak through that wall of noise. If you want to hear the most grievous user of “ummmmm” and “errrrrr, ahhhhhhhh, ummmmmm”, I advise you to listen to NewstalkZB on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and noon for a few minutes.
There’s another verbal device often used by New Zealand politicians: repeating the phrase “y’know” throughout one’s speech—as Ben Thomas does in the above transcript. Helen Clark is one of the worst and most persistent offenders here, although she shortens it to “Y’ow”, often accompanied by a snicker.
marty, my objection to your post the other day was that you had simply repeated a vile piece of propaganda, in which three official enemies—Pol Pot, Stalin and Putin—were classed as the bad guys, and Obama was classed along with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. That’s ludicrous, and offensive to anyone who cares about truthfulness and decency.
I accept your word that you presumed it was so obvious that no further comment was needed; I’m sorry if you construed it as a personal attack. It wasn’t.
… winter is coming, at the exact same time we start the build-up to the election. There was widespread dismay this winter at the discovery of so many families living in cars. As we head into the cold months next year will that happen again? The underlying causes have not remotely been addressed and it’s not clear yet that emergency help will be geared up well enough either.
Any more TV coverage of kids trying to do their homework, huddling in the cold under dim torchlight in the backs of parked-up vehicles, and Bill English can kiss goodbye to his hopes of winning the election right then and there.
@ Anne The point is, that the MSM make sure that any TV coverage of kids trying to do their homework, huddling in the cold under dim torchlight in the backs of parked-up vehicles will not be aired.
The current creative on air decision on Waatea clearly shows how hard it is to get real issues onto mainstream TV in NZ.
And US Hedgefund Oaktree that owns the majority of MediaWorks that axed John Campbell, just got over 1.7 million to show Jono and Ben comedy on prime time.
That’s the unfair media system that has been moulded by the Natz into their propaganda state.
Creative NZ on Air should actually start to rebrand to Bureaucrat Global on Air to better describe their charter.
i am saddened to hear on rnz news about a victim of the violence of the state, being further disadvantaged.
he received $20,000 compensation from the state.
this was for harm done while in the ‘care’ of the state.
he has been told by winz that next year, any money left will cause a reduction in benefits such as accomadation supplement.
he wished to put the money in a trust for his child/children, but can not do so.
i hear paul’s words ringing in my ear, a cruel and heartless country we are becoming.
Its like the Departments statement that beneficiaries should get ‘independent financial advice’. Yeah right.
The whole point of being a beneficiary, especially one who has had a life of trauma and disadvantage, is that you are probably unable to understand how to get advice, or how to make canny financial decisions.
The second you get a formal letter from a lawyer (as this chap did), you are probably going to totally freak out and spend the money ASAP.
The Government knows these people are vulnerable. They have whole files and history on each and every one of them.
As voters and tax payers we entrust Government departments to help these people.
We have been, yet again, let down.
I heard of another compensation payment to someone for wages they had not been paid (by a government department). When the check was about to be handed over, they were told they would have to pay IRD the penalty on the tax they had not been paid on the wages they had not been paid, illegally.
Half the world’s species failing to cope with global warming as Earth races towards its sixth mass extinction.
A leading evolutionary biologist, Professor John Wiens, found that 47 per cent of nearly 1,000 species had suffered local extinctions linked to climate change with populations absent from areas where they had been found before.
Professor Wiens, who is editor of the Quarterly Review of Biology and a winner of the American Society of Naturalists’ Presidential Award, said the implications for the future were serious because his review showed plants and animals were struggling to deal with the relatively small amount of global warming experienced to date.
So far the world has warmed by about 1C above pre-industrial levels, but it is expected to hit between 2.6 and 4.8C by 2100 if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gases.
In his study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, the scientist examined academic papers about 976 different species from all over the world that had been studied at least twice, once about 50 years ago and again within the last 10 years.
“In almost half the species looked at, there have been local extinctions already,” he said.
“This is stuff that’s already happened with just a small change to the climate. We’re looking at a two to five-fold increase [in warming over the next century].
“What it shows is species cannot change fast enough to keep up with a small change in climate. That’s the big implication – even a small change in temperature and they cannot handle it.”
The study looked at 716 different kinds of animals and 260 plants from Asia, Europe, North and South America, and elsewhere.
Local extinctions were found to have occurred among 47.1 per cent of species at the “warm edge” of their traditional range, as it became too hot for them. There were few areas of the planet that were unaffected.
“Overall, the frequency of local extinctions was similar across most climatic zones, habitats, gradients and clade,” the PLOS Biology paper said.
However Professor Wiens found climate-related local extinctions were “substantially higher” among freshwater species at 74 per cent of the 31 studied.
The current rate of global extinction of animals and plants is believed to be faster than some of the five great extinction events in the Earth’s history, but so far the total number lost does not compare to the species lost when the dinosaurs were wiped out about 65 million years ago.
This supports the argument we heard from another scientist who has just visited New Zealand.
Guy McPherson, a biology professor at the University of Arizona, says the human destruction of our own habitat is leading towards the world’s sixth mass extinction.
do you think all humans will be dead in 10 years? – if no why put this bullshit up, if yes why put this bullshit up – genuine question because I am totally sick of the airtime doomer guy gets. Failed at academia and failed at dooming – gets pissed off because he isn’t put into guru status. Egowanker imo.
And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?
‘The current rate of global extinction of animals and plants is believed to be faster than some of the five great extinction events in the Earth’s history.’
Nearly half the species on the planet are failing to cope with global warming the world has already experienced, according to an alarming new study that suggests the sixth mass extinction of animal life in the Earth’s history could take place in as little as 50 years.
While biology isn’t my strong point, I find Wiens plausible. Not least because many other credible researchers are also saying similar things.
McPherson on the other hand has made an extraordinary claim, contrary to the consensus of experts, without producing extraordinary evidence.
Being an engineer, I’m on firmer ground when it comes to physics. The idea of the earth heating beyond human habitability within 10 years is utterly implausible. First, the oceans are a massive heat sink, which slows the heating way down. Second, the heat radiated back to space increases as the fourth power of temperature, That’s a massive increase in re-radiation for a small increase in temperature, which also slows temperature rises.
So while the climate change situation is dire, McPherson’s claim of 10 years is just plain nuts. At least until he presents good evidence and a good argument. But until he presents that evidence and argument, that 10 years claim is so kooky that it really trashes his credibility for any topic.
You should also read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
Do you dispute his conclusions?
I’m really not interested in sitting through over an hour of that kind of stuff. If you’ve got links to anything written and published, preferably peer-reviewed, then I’ll be more interested. But so far McPherson strikes me as more of an end-of-career academic that’s gone off the rails and has discovered the joy of YouTube to attract an uncritical audience (and revenue).
Wadhams doesn’t claim end of humanity in ten years, he claims serious permafrost melt and methane release in twenty years, together with loss of Arctic ice and consequent extra heating from albedo effects. Which is dire and plausible, and almost certainly unavoidable by now. But that’s a long way short of extinction of humanity in ten years, and its even a long way short of extinction of humanity within the next century or millenium. I suspect if you asked Wadhams his opinion of McPherson’s claim of extinction in ten years, it would likely be scathing.
I’m not saying I agree with McPherson. However, Iike Rachel Stewart, I am open to listening to his ideas.
However, there are increasing numbers of scientists speaking up and talking about abrupt climate change.
Thanks. That’s an impressive collection of alarmist quotes (that have a definite whiff of being cherry-picked). The quotes paint a picture that is dire, and fairly so. But unless I missed it in my skim-read, there’s nothing in there that even vaguely supports an assertion of human extinction within 10 years. Or even human extinction within a century, although it does support an assertion of widespread and rapidly increasing climate-change-induced human and eco-system suffering and early death starting from at least a decade ago.
But then when there’s passages like this “Rather than shoulder the unenviable task of truth-teller, Obama did as his imperial higher-ups demanded: He lied about collapse, and he lied about climate change. And he still does.” in what’s pitched as a serious overview of the science, it really trashes the credibility of the piece and the author.
Not sure what your point is Paul. You should know by now that I think CC is the most urgent issue we face by a long shot, and that we are in serious danger of collapsing major ecosystems on the planet (including by species extinction). My objection to McPherson is that he claims his opinion is the Truth, and proselytises from that. So he doesn’t say that he thinks we are in danger of going extinct, he says we are going extinct and there is nothing we can do about it. He has no way of knowing that yet he speaks as if he does.
As I said, that shit is dangerous, because it will stop some people from changing. If McPherson is right, that’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet. And if he’s wrong, it’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet.
Yes’ let’s just keep the dialogue on this site at the infantile level you like it to be.
By the way, my post mainly referred to the scientific research of Professor John Wien.
You dispute it.
On what basis?
You should read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
Do you dispute his conclusions?
Professor Wiens said: “It’s true that in terms of global extinction of entire species that have already happened, I think we’re not there [at the sixth mass extinction] yet.
“But I think unfortunately we are on track for that to happen.
We are in unchartered territory with CC now and extrapolation of all the possibilities give varying results of how we are going to go. The sad fact is it points to worst case about 10 years. With all other factors. eg Human stupidity, water wars, nuclear wars etc then who knows? Time to change our ways? Or carry on with free market Capitalism?
I was really fascinated by one item that seemed to be on every Morning Report news summary this morning. This was the statement the Bill English was under pressure to call an early General Election in order to save the tax-payer money.
At first I was in awe of the professional sangfroid of the newsreaders who managed to get through this risible story without bursting into giggles at Little’s stupidity.
Then I began to worry that after so many years in the hard-left fetid depths of the RNZ news organisation they might actually believe that Andrew had something to his argument.
If the Labour Party have any principles, and a genuine wish to avoid unnecessary costs to the taxpayer they should be coming out with a statement like this
“This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to chase a job he prefers. We take responsibility for his actions and do not think they should cost the taxpayer anything. We are therefore going to pay all the costs incurred by the taxpayer in this matter. We will be making a down payment of $1,000,000 toward this on the day he resigns”.
On the other hand if they think that all by-election costs are a weight on the taxpayer Andrew should also announce
“If we ever become the Government we will amend the electoral act in order that the resignation of any MP representing an electorate shall automatically trigger a General Election within six months.”
Better to have $50 million spent on each of frequent General Elections than $1 million on the occasional by-election I suppose is his view.
I seldom agree with Winston Peters but his comment about Mt Roskill seems appropriate to that electorate and to this one.
“The Mt Roskill by-election was brought about by the electorate MP deciding to pursue a new job.
He cut the cord with his electorate, despite having promised to serve them for the full three-year term, and triggered the by-election. The MP’s pursuit of personal glory will cost the taxpayer well over a million dollars.” http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11744327
GM of a luxury resort or backbench Nat MP? You’d have to ask ‘the person who resigned in Northland’ which they liked better. Although I get your point that they didn’t resign for that reason, but then again, I don’t recall the leader of the National Party stating “This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to defend child abuse allegations in the courts”
Is that what he is doing now. It sounds like a better job, doesn’t it?
Was he found guilty of anything? If he is running a resort now it sounds as if he must have been not guilty of any charges laid.
There are a few things to remember of course.
1) National must have pushed him to quit.
2) They didn’t grumble that there shouldn’t be a General Election rather than a by-election because their party is broke.
3) Wasn’t there a heavy dose of name suppression in place. They would have been breaking the law to make any such statement, wouldn’t they?
I never really followed this, once he was out of Parliament. Leave anything more up to the Courts.
As a general rule there is only one position where the incumbent should be allowed to quit even though they accepted the job for three years and are still in good health.
That is a PM who has been beaten in an election. Very few do it of course.
Clark went but Shipley, Moore and Muldoon hung on.
Anyone whose health gives out is of course perfectly entitled to go.
National will lose the next election with Bling as front man……how do I know this?….my politically disinterested but voting wife has said she could never vote for him (a number of reasons given which may or may not be accurate/valid)….you may scoff at this unscientific method, but be warned her record is impressive.
Pat no government has lost an election while the economy is in going along so well.
The only way Labour Greens will this election is if the economy tanks very unlikely.
Or if all the activist’s get out door knock help register existing non voters and help them to the polling booths.
Tricledrown I have learned from long experience that logic and reasoning seldom outperform her (often baseless, misapplied observations)…..perhaps her views are typical of that large segment of the voting public who take little interest in politics in-between elections …..time will tell.
The thing is the economy is only going well because of immigration and that is having powerful social consequences, which will come to haunt this govt more and more in housing, infrastructure and ‘corruption’ in the job/education market.
Cow’s milk is for calves, dog’s milk is for puppies. I see no problems with that. We are the only species that seems to have problems weaning ourselves off milk.
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
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It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
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This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
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I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
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New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
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Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
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This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
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Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Wows the ring of fire has been rather busy of late, sending good vibes to those in the Solomons. Stay safe, thinking of you all over there.
Solomon Islands hit by a magnitude 8 quake this morning.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/87378899/81-magnitude-earthquake-hits-solomons–usgs
The northern structure at Stone Street studios exhibits horizontal cracks at its SE corner, visible over the black covered fence next to the gatehouse.
The main studio appears undamaged, but bears an uncanny resemblance to the
sarcophagus covering the impaired Chernobyl nuclear reactor. It is unclear whether base isolation on geologically unstable terrain was involved.
ShonKey had the exact same smile telling the nastzis cor(p)kus as he did when he fired all his trader buddies….. The light went on and they all realized he didn’t give a fuck about them …..NZ voters will click soon too…. When they realize the mess he’s made and is running from…
Pfft! And then he was gone in a puff of smoke.
From his appointment as leader I asked “Why was he decide to be here?” Now I’ll be forever asking, “Why did he go?”
#themanwhofellfromplanetkey
Well hes gone now (more or less) so maybe just…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk
So quickly forgotten, Pucky? Was he that insubstantial? The wistful memory of a dream? An echo of a love song half-forgotten? A puff of fetid halitosis? The impalpable whiff of a little blue fart?
Your people are so expendable.
John Key was like Jonah Lomu, one of the greats, but the National party, like the All Blacks, will keep on keeping on
Only now its going to be Winston taking more of the centre stage…
Like Jonah he shot through leaving roadkill behind.
What does that make the ‘national’ party .. a deflated rural cabal ?
My sympathies to Bill in trying to keep his waka together.
I hope you have that same attitude after National win the next election 🙂
He has my sympathies already ..
Pukeritis.
His blind trust is full.
What do the Auckland westies think of Laila Harre as MP for New Lynn?
I don’t think it’s a dumb idea.
I love Laila she is a star, but she’s not stupid, I doubt she will want to jeopardise the left by standing in New Lynn, which is already labelled as a ‘safe labour’ seat. After all she stood in Helensville last time. And I’m not sure if Laila is running this time, are you Ad?
So I guess dreams are free, one of my dreams is for Laila to come back to parliament if she so desires, her life her choice. The other dream is about to become reality, which is a new government.
She will always be laughed at as being the leader of the Internet party.
Keep telling yourself that James if it makes you feel safer.
Her name is definitely in circulation.
While I would really like to see Laila Harre back in parliament, in the case of New Lynn I think someone who is already part of the New Lynn set-up, like Greg Presland for instance, may be a better option. If Laila stands there, her pluses are her high profile, the fact that she really is of the left and that she knows how to campaign. But someone who is already part of the area, and able to continue with existing networks, might stand a better chance. I also think that winning the election should take priority over gender balance under current conditions and in the short term. That said, if Laila ends up getting the nomination, I will not be disappointed by it.
I seem to recall that Harre stood in the Waitakere electorate early in the century – when that electorate covered at least part of what is now the New Lynn electorate.
Yes, I just had a sniff about – it seems she stood for Te Atatu in 1999 and Waitakere in 2002. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laila_Harr%C3%A9
Laila definitely has links to the area but I am not sure that she wants to be an MP at the moment. Also she is going to get criticised for having abandoned the Green Party to lead the Internet Party only 3 years ago. Maybe 2020 if she wants it.
Deborah Russell is a high profile candidate who has declared her interest in New Lynn. She says she will give up her job at Massey University to live and campaign in the area if she gets the selection. Don’t know who else is putting their hat in the ring for New Lynn – Mickey will know.
If Jacinda goes for Mt Albert (it makes sense to me) then there will be a vacancy for Auckland Central but it will be hard to win. The last lot of boundary changes meant a lot of Labour areas were added to Mt Albert and there will be a sympathy vote for Nicky Kaye.
New Lynn is going upmarket, though there’s still some of low income/working class people in the area. Kelston has been split off it in the last election, and that area is more solidly Labour and working class.
Not just New Lynn; many areas in West Auckland are changing and you can see that reflected in the demographics of the secondary schools. Schools are an excellent barometer of the communities.
Oh hell yes, Greg Presland for New Lynn!
New Lynn might not be as safe as people think for Labour, there has been a lot of change in that area. I think no matter who runs there for Labour, it will be a tough race. Property will be a key factor – families are sitting on big mortgages there – it depends what Labour have as their policy.
Next year in my view, property is going to go stagnant in Auckland so there will be jitters and interest rates will probably start rising and already are. At the same time people will start fearing for their jobs and businesses. This is nothing to do with Labour but it is their response to it that will be important as will be the Natz response prior to next years election.
I have huge respect for Laila – and want to see her back. With a down turn probably coming up next year – it will be important for Labour to try to get steady policy that can handle another GFC without doing a Greece or USA while transitioning away from the outrageous state the Natz have left our country. (poor diversification, fraud and corruption such as student visa scams, large government and private debt).
P.S. How Key managed to get his unpopular privatising assets policy through was saying he would not implement it until the next election if he was elected. It buys time for the public to get used to a change.
The point is, Labour should not count their chickens in an election if they want to implement potentially un popular policy in particular on housing or superannuation.
If/When the bubble flattens out/bursts interest rates are likely to fall – well, the OCR will anyway. Low interest rates are there to encourage people to borrow and thus create more money which gives a boost to the economy. Of course, what interest rates the banks gives to the borrowers is another question.
ATM, IMO, Labour only have one option and it’s similar to the one that they used in 1935 to pull us out of the Great Depression.
Maybe instead of Natz congested motorways they can get a few high speed railways going!
High speed electric rail would be awesome.
election pre budget……march /april
An early election is needed to prevent the education minister whom is quitting from bullying Salisbury School anymore. Leaving them in limbo over Christmas, just give it up Hekia, let it go, you’ve damaged so many people and families by pushing these vulnerable girls around. It’s obvious you don’t care about them.
Looking forward to the new education minister making the most of this valuable school, the whole community and beyond, in which it resides, as well as the local mayor are absolutely 100% behind Salisbury staying open, and there are so many ideas to diversify the options that Salisbury can offer.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/87373421/decision-on-salisbury-school-delayed-until-next-year
Bill English, without a hint of irony, praises
John Key’s “relentless optimism and positivity”
RNZ National, Friday 9 December 2016, 7:16 a.m.
His colleague Dr Jonathan Coleman blows smoke in the face of women, but this morning Bill English blew smoke in the face of Guyon Espiner. Incredibly, Espiner didn’t seem to even register what had happened. The incident came near the end of a fawning six and a half minute “honeymoon” interview….
GUYON ESPINER: What’s the main thing you’ve learned from John Key?
BILL ENGLISH: [pause] Ohhhh look, just the relentless optimism and positivity, and the way that that UPLIFTS people, the way that it gives them ROOM to express their own confidence in the future, ahhhh, and I think that’s had an impact on the way New Zealanders think, we’re a more positive, self-assured country, and, ahhh, that’s BACKED UP by theeee, by the strength of the economy, by the relative position compared to other countries, and we want to maintain that.
GUYON ESPINER: [pause] All right. Thank you very much for joining us this morning, appreciate your time. That is, well, the PRESUMPTIVE prime minister, are we calling him Jane?
SUSIE FERGUSON: I suppose we WOULD call him something like that, wouldn’t we Guyon!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201827042/will-bill-english-call-an-early-election
So creative on air is not prepared to fund alternative current affairs in NZ (Waatea 5th Estate) but has used more than 1.7m of public money to give to MediaWorks Jono and Ben. They have also given 1.4m for a comedy called Paranormal Event Response Unit.
With the growing homelessness, inequality and corruption in NZ, creative on Air feels the need to spend millions on comedy. Because NZ on Air and the government are a joke.
Thanks for keeping the public in the dark about real local issues and keep the NZ Ponzi scheme going into the next election, creative on air (sarc)!
Good call – it was a show that could only get a couple of hundred views an episode even when free.
And most of them were prob bomber watching himself.
Of course TV3 putting crap on prime time and endlessly promoting their ‘favourite shows’ has nothing to do with ratings. Put Waatea on TV3 at 7 pm and see how they start stealing from Hoskings.
TV Ratings are the biggest joke out there, with only 600 people being checked in the most ludicrous way possible out of a population of 4.5 million. It’s actually creative on air and advertisers that still believe the TV ratings mean something that are the joke!
Of course creative on air have probably not heard of the Internet so can’t respond to the changing methods of media in their funding. Or are just told what to fund by the government.
Gee – I wonder if bradbury had the following :
A commitment to broadcast is required before applying for funding. This is because we don’t want taxpayer money going to waste. The support of an Online Aggregator is required for Type 3 applications.
The broadcaster/online publisher will confirm their support, including their financial contribution, to us separately using the Broadcaster Commitment form or Type 3 Broadcaster Commitment Form.
I bet he didnt even have the basics covered in his application.
James you seem to know so much about paperwork you should join WINZ and push 65 pages of paperwork on the homeless to fill out before you will help them, while at the same time pushing $$$$ into double dipper English’s hands for his housing needs or hiding white collar criminals and money launderers in our 0% offshore tax havens that John Key and his favourite non practising lawyer set up.
After all, it’s not about fairness or logic anymore it’s about process, cronyism and bureaucrats ticking all the boxes the right (wink, wink) way under Natz rule.
No – its about meeting the basics for funding before bitching about not getting them.
Everything else you wrote is just ramblings and got nothing to do with the thread.
actually – you’re both right
it is about meeting the requirements, but there is also a huge amount of back scratching and cronyism in the way funds are designed and allocated
Tau Henare declares: “I could’ve been SPEAKER!”
Guyon Espiner: “We haven’t got time for that.”
RNZ National, Thursday 8 December 2016
The best thing Trevor Mallard ever did in his entire career was when he punched that waste of space Tau Henare. Incredibly, Henare, instead of being shunned as he would be by any decent or serious media outlet, is still being given time to clog up the airwaves with his nonsense. Yesterday morning he was at his David Brentian worst….
The restless backbench–their one chance for relevance. We look back at a turbulent week in politics with the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas and the former National Party MP Tau Henare.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201826896/the-restless-backbench-their-one-chance-for-relevence
GUYON ESPINER: The prime minister John Key is stepping DOWN at the top of HIS career and the race is ON to replace him. It very much looks like BILL ENGLISH has the numbers, but also in this race are Jonathan Coleman and Judith Collins. I’m joined now to discuss their prospects by the former National Party press secretary Ben Thomas. Good morning to you Ben.
BEN THOMAS: Hi Guyon.
GUYON ESPINER: And National Party—former National Party M.P., ahhh, Tau Henare, also a Minister of the Crown back in the day. Good morning to both of you.
TAU HENARE: Morning chief!
GUYON ESPINER: Now, let’s have a look at Bill English. It looks pretty much like he’s GOT this doesn’t it Tau?
TAU HENARE: Yeah, I mean I always thought that, uh, the way it panned out, um, Bill would, uh, win on the day whenever the election for, for leader was. It’s just a, it’s a, A typical National Party, uh, succession plan.
GUYON ESPINER: A stitch up?
BEN THOMAS: Hyeeeee! A ha ha ha!
TAU HENARE: You could say that. But hey I mean—-
GUYON ESPINER: He was given what, he was given how long, a couple of months heads up and he’s been allowed to do it in a week when he’s announcing some pretty rosy numbers—
TAU HENARE: That’s right.
GUYON ESPINER: —that are going to be announced today on the books, and the vote comes on Monday.
TAU HENARE: Yeah that’s right. And look, I mean it’s better than rolling around in the mud for three months publicly and, and, um, I, I think, um, I think it’s been pretty cool. I think, I think it’s given the party a bit of a, a kick up the backside, uh, in terms of, hey!, get your, get your STUFF together, ahhhmm, we have an ELECTION to fight next year.
GUYON ESPINER: Ben do you think that damage has been done? Things that are said can’t be unsaid. You’ve got Judith Collins running around saying, y’know, talking about tax cuts, that she wouldn’t be pursuing those. Is damage done in these sort of battles?
BEN THOMAS: Well I guess there’s been no public announcement about whether we will have tax cuts or whether we’ll have, y’know, family incentives or whatever, um, so in that way they’re not really deviating from—
GUYON ESPINER: It leaves him in a difficult position to go ahead with it doesn’t it?
BEN THOMAS: No, I think you’re allowed to, you’re allowed to express an opinion probably before, y’know, before the budget next year, ahhhhmm, I think everyone’ll be expected to fall into line by then.
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. What do you make of the bids then from Collins and Coleman?
BEN THOMAS: There’s a real issue with the National Party leadership post John Key, which is, if you’re in Labour, you can kind of wait for another eighteen months for your turn to come around. Whereas, here, y’know, this is the first time most of, this is the first time this job’s come up, y’know, in a decade, um, and I think you’d be looking at a guy like Coleman, or perhaps even Collins, and they would think, you know, if it’s another FOUR years, if Bill were to take over, or even longer if it was one of the contenders, y’know, whose names were thrown around but didn’t pan out, you know you would be looking at being maybe in your mid-fifties, in your early sixties before you had another opportunity.
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah but Coleman can’t seriously believe he’s got a CHANCE, can he? Is he going for something else?
TAU HENARE: I, I, I, I think that, ahhhmmm, it’s been a, um, a, a DOG’S BREAKFAST, ahhh, frankly, ahhhmm—
GUYON ESPINER: From what?
TAU HENARE: From Coleman AND from Judith.
GUYON ESPINER: Really? Why is that?
TAU HENARE: Yeah well from Judith, I think she’s gone out as if it’s some sort of presidential race. Well I’m sorry: if you don’t realize that FIFTY-NINE people vote for you, not, ahhhmm, y’know, one point five million, then I think there’s something SERIOUSLY WRONG with you.
GUYON ESPINER: So it’s been a matter of not really knowing who your audience is, you mean?
TAU HENARE: Well exactly. I mean, Coleman came out with he’s the new, you know, generation, as if he was a MILLENNIAL, but there’s only seven years between him and Judith Collins.
GUYON ESPINER: He’s fifty, he had relative youth. [chuckles]
TAU HENARE: I mean I, I just think that it’s silly. Yeah I mean, I, I, I actually think that, that um, ahhh, the Deputy Prime Ministership is, ahh, the one to watch. I think that’s, that’s—
GUYON ESPINER: Who do you think’s gonna get it?
TAU HENARE: Um, it could be ANYBODY.
GUYON ESPINER: Someone from out YOUR way.
TAU HENARE: Listen mate, I, I, I’m a mate of Simon’s AND a mate of, uh, Paula’s, and I wouldn’t like to pick between them. And then, I, I—
GUYON ESPINER: Who WOULD you vote for if you had a chance?
TAU HENARE: Who would I vote for?
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah.
TAU HENARE: Oh, uh, y’know if I was IN there, in the caucus, I would be the Manchurian Candidate.
GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha!
BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!
GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha! Let’s—Ben?
BEN THOMAS: There IS that issue though, because there IS some discontent among the back benches, you know, you’ve got a HUGE back bench to manage in National—
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah.
BEN THOMAS: —partly because of John Key’s electoral success and a lot of these guys, you know, are sort of chomping at the bit for their chance—-
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah so what’s gonna—
BEN THOMAS: And there is—
TAU HENARE: Oh look, they should, they should just HANG ON. I mean, for GOODNESS’ SAKE—
BEN THOMAS: [beginning to lose patience] We-e-e-e-elll….
TAU HENARE: Who got them IN there in the first place? I think that they’re a bunch of JUMPED UP—
BEN THOMAS: Hyuh! [snickers]
TAU HENARE: —y’know, I tell ya what, I tell ya what—-
BEN THOMAS: Ha ha, HA!
TAU HENARE: There’s not a lot of back benchers that I would, ahhhhmmm, present to Cabinet. Y’know?
GUYON ESPINER: Well, Ben, what do you think would satisfy the appetite of the restless back bench then?
BEN THOMAS: Well, they, they only get ONE SAY, you know, this voting caucus is pretty much the only say they have—
GUYON ESPINER: So they’re relevant for a short time.
BEN THOMAS: So they’re relevant and they’re not going to just sacrifice it easily, um, you know, to go with a handover, even with Key’s sort of mana and standing, right?
TAU HENARE: Can I—
GUYON ESPINER: [reluctantly] Yeah.
TAU HENARE: I could’ve been SPEAKER!
GUYON ESPINER: Ha!
BEN THOMAS: A ha ha hyeeeeegh!
GUYON ESPINER: There’s not, we haven’t got time for that.
BEN THOMAS: Ha ha!
GUYON ESPINER: I did want to look back in history though. ‘Cos look at the ones who’ve taken over from P.M. without being elected. Rowling takes over after Kirk dies, he loses to Muldoon. Lange resigns, Palmer picks up, Moore loses. Shipley takes over from Bolger in ’97 and loses to Clark in ’99. Four-nil, in terms of people who have taken over in office without being elected.
BEN THOMAS: Yeah.
GUYON ESPINER: How do we see Bill English, presuming he does win, going from here?
TAU HENARE: I, I, I think that Bill’s campaign IS about stability, IS about “look at what we’ve done, near, NEARLY five per cent unemployment, you know, around that—
GUYON ESPINER: Yeah. But isn’t that dangerous after eight years, oh I’ve got “Steady as she goes” when the electorate might be saying Well look I’ve—
BEN THOMAS: Voters bank gains pretty quickly. There is an opportunity, even Key pointed this out, he said there’s gotta be, you know, rejuvenation. Key was actually GOOD at that, in his cabinets. So you can’t probably just have this situation where you have exactly the same faces. And in terms of the race for Deputy, perhaps, you know, you might see that Bennett, you know, for all her talents, is seen as the Key candidate, as part of the master plan, as part of business as usual. You might see that Bridges is sort of the outlet for the expression of the back benches.
GUYON ESPINER: Hmmm. Just finally on Bill English though, performance-wise, I mean, he’s gonna be a very DIFFERENT prime minister. Can’t see him sort of mincing down the catwalk on a fashion sort of parade, or doing any of that sort of stuff that John Key did as a sort of cheerleader—
BEN THOMAS: Do they have fashion parades in Southland?
GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha….
TAU HENARE: Fashion parade in GORE!
GUYON ESPINER: A ha ha ha ha.
TAU HENARE: Eh?
GUYON ESPINER: But it wasn’t, seriously, it wasn’t a great success was it, Bill Mark One as leader?
TAU HENARE: No, but I, and I also think that’s a different time as well. I mean the National Party WERE at their lowest ebb anyway. There’d been a HUGE crap fight about the leadership and, um, now-w-w-w, I mean the National Party are hovering around FIFTY per cent, the economy is good, people I sense don’t actually want THAT much change—they’d like to see something NEW, ah, but they don’t want that much change.
GUYON ESPINER: Change with continuity then?
BEN THOMAS: Hyeeee…Yes. Ha ha ha. Look, Bill, Bill English is a MUCH more polished performer these days and he’s got a track record that, you know, NOBODY’s going to, like, second-guess. Um, I think this is going to be a much more successful second act in public life.
GUYON ESPINER: All right. Thank you for that. That’s Ben Thomas and Tau Henare.
I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.
But having full transcripts with every little thing; “eh”, “now-w-w-w” having the same emphasis as the substantive points is completely misleading.
When we listen to the radio we tune those things out unless they are so distracting as to completely disrupt the interview.
It might seem like a cute trick to do this, but in my view is quite stupid. For instance if you do it with Trump you would completely miss why he gets his message across.
“….unless they are so distracting as to completely disrupt the interview.”
Exactly.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious Wayne.
Wayne you point out that people don’t listen to the oohs and ums.
Your right but then they turn off when the points are made.
Poor articulation in the modern media
Is more important than ever.
Key was articulate English is far from that .
English sounds as if he has verbal constipation.
Ah ooh a ummmmmm.
“I note that various commenters on The Standard put up transcripts like this usually to try and show that everyone in the interview is a mentally challenged idiot.”
Morrissey is pretty much the only person on ts that does this. He gets criticised for his transcripts regularly.
I admire his transcripts.
So what aspect of this transcript would YOU criticize, weka?
I don’t read your transcripts any more Morrissey.
I don’t believe you.
you think I am lying?
How can you comment on my transcripts if you don’t read them? That’s a standard of seriousness I would have attributed to the likes of Mike Hosking or Leighton Smith, not to someone working for a reputable outlet like The Standard.
I’m not commenting on your transcripts in terms of content (and I haven’t read the current one which is what you asked me about). I just pointed out that you are pretty much the only person that does such transcripts here (because Wayne was implying that it’s common), and that you have been criticised for them fairly often. Are either of those things untrue?
So they get criticised. Wayne, for instance, has written a fair and thoughtful response to my transcript of David Brent Henare’s performance the other day. I’m fine with that, just as I’m fine with the (far more numerous) people who praise my work.
so what’s the problem then?
You were his colleague, so of course you’re going to defend him. Good on you for your stubborn loyalty, Dr Mapp.
But of course, you are well aware that a politician’s eloquence, or in this case lack of eloquence, is crucial to his or her credibility.
Should we clean up and airbrush the dimwitted umm-ing and ahhh-ing of second-rate broadcasters like Larry Williams and Leighton Smith, and of second-rate politicians like Hekia Parata and Tau Henare? Of course not.
On the other hand, by including interjections these carefully written transcripts add emotional expression, enriching the text and making the reading more pleasurable and informative. Thanks Morrissey.
Most of us are too busy to do what Mr Breen does. Which is a good thing.
You’re quite right, Sacha. This writer, i.e., moi, does this so YOU don’t have to.
http://www.desicomments.com/dc2/03/189984/189984.jpg
“GUYON ESPINER: Ha ha ha ha ha!
BEN THOMAS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
TAU HENARE: Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!:”
dirty – why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori? Is your bias showing? Why have you doctored the transcript? What are you trying to hide? Why didn’t you mention the Obama years? Why are you selling out? What other things are you not telling us? Why don’t you read more? Why didn’t you abuse Kim Hill like you did last week for not mentioning Obama – JUST AS YOU didn’t mention him? Why are you not apologising for misleading people? Who do you work for? Why have you not answered yet?
UF party mole sent here to monitor and report back to his bouffant overlord
Ben Thomas gets in a few “Hyuh”s throughout the transcript.
Maybe its the only te reo Māori he knows.
why didn’t Tau get ha ha’s – was he speaking te reo Māori?
That’s his way of laughing. He also laughs like that when he scoffs at cleaning women after he’s reduced them to tears.
Is your bias showing?
My bias is against nasty, shallow, vacuous politicians like Tau Henare. But, just like the dead, he is entitled to fair and truthful treatment—which he got here. I made nothing up. Nothing. The vacuity, the idiocy, and the pathetic self-aggrandizement—“I could’ve been SPEAKER!”—is all Henare’s.
Why have you doctored the transcript?
I haven’t. It’s a precise transcript.
The rest of your angry little rant defies analysis, unfortunately.
Morrissey,
Well, the transcript might be literally correct, but in practise, it is wrong.
As I noted before very few of us actually listen to anyone in that manner (although perhaps you do). Otherwise most of us would barely make sense in interviews and conversations.
It is only if the “umms” and “ahhs”, or the partially completed sentences become distracting that we actually notice them.
I made a real effort to speak in complete and short sentences during interviews, but when I read the actual transcripts at best I only did it about 70% of the time.
People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.
People take much more notice of energy, variation, tone and sincerity than grammar.
Quite true. Even great thinkers and speakers like Noam Chomsky will say “uh” occasionally.
You were and are a good speaker, Mr Mapp. It’s clear you did think before you spoke, and your verbal fillers, when you did lapse into them, were not significant.
I have emphasized the “umms” and “ahhs” of certain broadcasters and politicians precisely because, as you point out, their verbal infelicity does indeed distract and sometimes even becomes the substance of whatever they’re trying to say.
Filling up every potential silence with “ummm” and “ahhh” is not merely a symptom of verbal clumsiness and/or unpreparedness, it’s a way of dominating an interlocutor, and not allowing him/her to speak through that wall of noise. If you want to hear the most grievous user of “ummmmm” and “errrrrr, ahhhhhhhh, ummmmmm”, I advise you to listen to NewstalkZB on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and noon for a few minutes.
There’s another verbal device often used by New Zealand politicians: repeating the phrase “y’know” throughout one’s speech—as Ben Thomas does in the above transcript. Helen Clark is one of the worst and most persistent offenders here, although she shortens it to “Y’ow”, often accompanied by a snicker.
Why didn’t you mention Obama? Dropped ball, went forward, take it back at the mark.
Suddenly we’re playing football? Suits me.
Why aren’t you denouncing Obama as you expect others to do from Kim hill to me.
marty, my objection to your post the other day was that you had simply repeated a vile piece of propaganda, in which three official enemies—Pol Pot, Stalin and Putin—were classed as the bad guys, and Obama was classed along with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. That’s ludicrous, and offensive to anyone who cares about truthfulness and decency.
I accept your word that you presumed it was so obvious that no further comment was needed; I’m sorry if you construed it as a personal attack. It wasn’t.
Simon Wilson has been producing some good stuff over the past week or so. Here’s another one:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/320005/have-we-just-been-played
@ Anne The point is, that the MSM make sure that any TV coverage of kids trying to do their homework, huddling in the cold under dim torchlight in the backs of parked-up vehicles will not be aired.
The current creative on air decision on Waatea clearly shows how hard it is to get real issues onto mainstream TV in NZ.
And US Hedgefund Oaktree that owns the majority of MediaWorks that axed John Campbell, just got over 1.7 million to show Jono and Ben comedy on prime time.
That’s the unfair media system that has been moulded by the Natz into their propaganda state.
Creative NZ on Air should actually start to rebrand to Bureaucrat Global on Air to better describe their charter.
There is some very good stuff on http://thewireless.co.nz/ as well.
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/five-john-key-gaffes-immortalised-as-gifs
http://thewireless.co.nz/system/production/content_images/images/000/004/376/full/John-Key-nails-it.gif?1480901440
i am saddened to hear on rnz news about a victim of the violence of the state, being further disadvantaged.
he received $20,000 compensation from the state.
this was for harm done while in the ‘care’ of the state.
he has been told by winz that next year, any money left will cause a reduction in benefits such as accomadation supplement.
he wished to put the money in a trust for his child/children, but can not do so.
i hear paul’s words ringing in my ear, a cruel and heartless country we are becoming.
“he wished to put the money in a trust for his child/children, but can not do so.”
that had me scratching my head a bit – if you put money in a trust doesnt it cease to be yours?
ie: if you give your kids 20k via a trust it now belongs to your kids not you
maybe theres something ive missed there
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/forms/supported-living-payment-application.pdf
page 21, Section 68
right down the bottom of the list.
yes – but if its for his kids hes not getting income from the trust
not disputing the crapiness of it all – just the bit about trusts didnt seem to make sense if the $$ goes to his kids
Its like the Departments statement that beneficiaries should get ‘independent financial advice’. Yeah right.
The whole point of being a beneficiary, especially one who has had a life of trauma and disadvantage, is that you are probably unable to understand how to get advice, or how to make canny financial decisions.
The second you get a formal letter from a lawyer (as this chap did), you are probably going to totally freak out and spend the money ASAP.
The Government knows these people are vulnerable. They have whole files and history on each and every one of them.
As voters and tax payers we entrust Government departments to help these people.
We have been, yet again, let down.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319979/law-gives-abuse-victims-'incentive'-to-blow-compo-money
You beat me to it gsays…
I heard of another compensation payment to someone for wages they had not been paid (by a government department). When the check was about to be handed over, they were told they would have to pay IRD the penalty on the tax they had not been paid on the wages they had not been paid, illegally.
Arseholes.
cheers for the link, rosemary.
the late tax penalty, from denied wages, is unbelievable, and yet not surprising.
it would be foolish to assume, that the much needed culture change within winz, ird etc, would occur immediately after a new government wins office.
Half the world’s species failing to cope with global warming as Earth races towards its sixth mass extinction.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-global-warming-mass-extinctions-species-study-donald-trump-kill-himself-joke-a7464391.html
This supports the argument we heard from another scientist who has just visited New Zealand.
Guy McPherson, a biology professor at the University of Arizona, says the human destruction of our own habitat is leading towards the world’s sixth mass extinction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqIt93dDG1M
do you think all humans will be dead in 10 years? – if no why put this bullshit up, if yes why put this bullshit up – genuine question because I am totally sick of the airtime doomer guy gets. Failed at academia and failed at dooming – gets pissed off because he isn’t put into guru status. Egowanker imo.
Fuck yes. “…if no why put this bullshit up, if yes why put this bullshit up…” – couldn’t have put it better myself.
And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?
‘The current rate of global extinction of animals and plants is believed to be faster than some of the five great extinction events in the Earth’s history.’
+2 marty. Plus, McPherson is now as bad for the planet as the deniers. He’s given up and thinks the rest of us should too. That’s dangerous.
And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?
Nearly half the species on the planet are failing to cope with global warming the world has already experienced, according to an alarming new study that suggests the sixth mass extinction of animal life in the Earth’s history could take place in as little as 50 years.
While biology isn’t my strong point, I find Wiens plausible. Not least because many other credible researchers are also saying similar things.
McPherson on the other hand has made an extraordinary claim, contrary to the consensus of experts, without producing extraordinary evidence.
Being an engineer, I’m on firmer ground when it comes to physics. The idea of the earth heating beyond human habitability within 10 years is utterly implausible. First, the oceans are a massive heat sink, which slows the heating way down. Second, the heat radiated back to space increases as the fourth power of temperature, That’s a massive increase in re-radiation for a small increase in temperature, which also slows temperature rises.
So while the climate change situation is dire, McPherson’s claim of 10 years is just plain nuts. At least until he presents good evidence and a good argument. But until he presents that evidence and argument, that 10 years claim is so kooky that it really trashes his credibility for any topic.
Have you heard him?
He does present a lot of evidence in this talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLg9keP40s4
You should also read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
Do you dispute his conclusions?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/farewell-to-ice-peter-wadhams-review-climate-change
I’m really not interested in sitting through over an hour of that kind of stuff. If you’ve got links to anything written and published, preferably peer-reviewed, then I’ll be more interested. But so far McPherson strikes me as more of an end-of-career academic that’s gone off the rails and has discovered the joy of YouTube to attract an uncritical audience (and revenue).
Wadhams doesn’t claim end of humanity in ten years, he claims serious permafrost melt and methane release in twenty years, together with loss of Arctic ice and consequent extra heating from albedo effects. Which is dire and plausible, and almost certainly unavoidable by now. But that’s a long way short of extinction of humanity in ten years, and its even a long way short of extinction of humanity within the next century or millenium. I suspect if you asked Wadhams his opinion of McPherson’s claim of extinction in ten years, it would likely be scathing.
This is shorter.
https://guymcpherson.com/climate-chaos/introduction.
I’m not saying I agree with McPherson. However, Iike Rachel Stewart, I am open to listening to his ideas.
However, there are increasing numbers of scientists speaking up and talking about abrupt climate change.
Thanks. That’s an impressive collection of alarmist quotes (that have a definite whiff of being cherry-picked). The quotes paint a picture that is dire, and fairly so. But unless I missed it in my skim-read, there’s nothing in there that even vaguely supports an assertion of human extinction within 10 years. Or even human extinction within a century, although it does support an assertion of widespread and rapidly increasing climate-change-induced human and eco-system suffering and early death starting from at least a decade ago.
But then when there’s passages like this “Rather than shoulder the unenviable task of truth-teller, Obama did as his imperial higher-ups demanded: He lied about collapse, and he lied about climate change. And he still does.” in what’s pitched as a serious overview of the science, it really trashes the credibility of the piece and the author.
Not sure what your point is Paul. You should know by now that I think CC is the most urgent issue we face by a long shot, and that we are in serious danger of collapsing major ecosystems on the planet (including by species extinction). My objection to McPherson is that he claims his opinion is the Truth, and proselytises from that. So he doesn’t say that he thinks we are in danger of going extinct, he says we are going extinct and there is nothing we can do about it. He has no way of knowing that yet he speaks as if he does.
As I said, that shit is dangerous, because it will stop some people from changing. If McPherson is right, that’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet. And if he’s wrong, it’s bad because it’s throwing away the last chances to mitigate for the planet.
I am sure Paul gets a stiffy spaming the blog with his doomsday shit.
Yes’ let’s just keep the dialogue on this site at the infantile level you like it to be.
By the way, my post mainly referred to the scientific research of Professor John Wien.
You dispute it.
On what basis?
You should read ‘A Farewell to Ice’ by Peter Wadhams.
Peter Wadhams is professor of Ocean Physics, and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on sea ice.
Do you dispute his conclusions?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/farewell-to-ice-peter-wadhams-review-climate-change
And your view of Professor John Wiens’s research?
Professor Wiens said: “It’s true that in terms of global extinction of entire species that have already happened, I think we’re not there [at the sixth mass extinction] yet.
“But I think unfortunately we are on track for that to happen.
We are in unchartered territory with CC now and extrapolation of all the possibilities give varying results of how we are going to go. The sad fact is it points to worst case about 10 years. With all other factors. eg Human stupidity, water wars, nuclear wars etc then who knows? Time to change our ways? Or carry on with free market Capitalism?
I was really fascinated by one item that seemed to be on every Morning Report news summary this morning. This was the statement the Bill English was under pressure to call an early General Election in order to save the tax-payer money.
At first I was in awe of the professional sangfroid of the newsreaders who managed to get through this risible story without bursting into giggles at Little’s stupidity.
Then I began to worry that after so many years in the hard-left fetid depths of the RNZ news organisation they might actually believe that Andrew had something to his argument.
If the Labour Party have any principles, and a genuine wish to avoid unnecessary costs to the taxpayer they should be coming out with a statement like this
“This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to chase a job he prefers. We take responsibility for his actions and do not think they should cost the taxpayer anything. We are therefore going to pay all the costs incurred by the taxpayer in this matter. We will be making a down payment of $1,000,000 toward this on the day he resigns”.
On the other hand if they think that all by-election costs are a weight on the taxpayer Andrew should also announce
“If we ever become the Government we will amend the electoral act in order that the resignation of any MP representing an electorate shall automatically trigger a General Election within six months.”
Better to have $50 million spent on each of frequent General Elections than $1 million on the occasional by-election I suppose is his view.
I seldom agree with Winston Peters but his comment about Mt Roskill seems appropriate to that electorate and to this one.
“The Mt Roskill by-election was brought about by the electorate MP deciding to pursue a new job.
He cut the cord with his electorate, despite having promised to serve them for the full three-year term, and triggered the by-election. The MP’s pursuit of personal glory will cost the taxpayer well over a million dollars.”
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11744327
So how did Winnie get to become MP for Northland.
You would hardly argue that the person who resigned in Northland had found a new job that he liked better I hope?
GM of a luxury resort or backbench Nat MP? You’d have to ask ‘the person who resigned in Northland’ which they liked better. Although I get your point that they didn’t resign for that reason, but then again, I don’t recall the leader of the National Party stating “This by-election is caused by one of our members who has forgotten his obligations to New Zealand in order to defend child abuse allegations in the courts”
Is that what he is doing now. It sounds like a better job, doesn’t it?
Was he found guilty of anything? If he is running a resort now it sounds as if he must have been not guilty of any charges laid.
There are a few things to remember of course.
1) National must have pushed him to quit.
2) They didn’t grumble that there shouldn’t be a General Election rather than a by-election because their party is broke.
3) Wasn’t there a heavy dose of name suppression in place. They would have been breaking the law to make any such statement, wouldn’t they?
I never really followed this, once he was out of Parliament. Leave anything more up to the Courts.
As a general rule there is only one position where the incumbent should be allowed to quit even though they accepted the job for three years and are still in good health.
That is a PM who has been beaten in an election. Very few do it of course.
Clark went but Shipley, Moore and Muldoon hung on.
Anyone whose health gives out is of course perfectly entitled to go.
thought provoking short animation of how we got to 7 billion
“It took 200,000 years for our human population to reach 1 billion—and only 200 years to reach 7 billion.”
https://youtu.be/PUwmA3Q0_OE
National will lose the next election with Bling as front man……how do I know this?….my politically disinterested but voting wife has said she could never vote for him (a number of reasons given which may or may not be accurate/valid)….you may scoff at this unscientific method, but be warned her record is impressive.
Is she a swing voter?
You’re asking if his wife swings? Thats a bit personal…
😉
predictable….somewhat like the election james
yes …and an occasional non voter.
Is she more accurate than the octopus?
Good on her.
james the octopus?
Paul?.
Pat no government has lost an election while the economy is in going along so well.
The only way Labour Greens will this election is if the economy tanks very unlikely.
Or if all the activist’s get out door knock help register existing non voters and help them to the polling booths.
Tricledrown I have learned from long experience that logic and reasoning seldom outperform her (often baseless, misapplied observations)…..perhaps her views are typical of that large segment of the voting public who take little interest in politics in-between elections …..time will tell.
The thing is the economy is only going well because of immigration and that is having powerful social consequences, which will come to haunt this govt more and more in housing, infrastructure and ‘corruption’ in the job/education market.
“Economy is going so well”.
Thanks for that. I needed a laugh this morning.
Green Party policy offers green light to pot smokers, which Labour mostly supports
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87388713/legal-cannabis-in-nz-green-party-offers-green-light-to-pot-smokers
No, we don’t do it because we want to be the same as the rest of the world. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.
trigger alert – for milk drinkers
https://youtu.be/nDaxt8hmMJU
Cow’s milk is for calves, dog’s milk is for puppies. I see no problems with that. We are the only species that seems to have problems weaning ourselves off milk.
how dare you attempt to sabotage the NZ economy, you heretic!
Bring on the synthetic stuff produced by GMOs in vats!
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/16/a-more-perfect-milk-start-up-wants-to-make-milk-that-scratches-the-itch-of-dairy.html
can’t get this out of my brain – Donovan – first, first name only needed?
https://youtu.be/Nm3yKy1hL1M
must be the season of the witch…
Collins is certainly looking very sour sitting in Parliament/.
My advice to
Collins looses very sour in Parliament.My advice to English is watch your back.
Collins looking very sour in Parliament.My advice to English watch your back.
Her milk is curdling.