Up until Friday, Work and Income's site continued to say that if a person received a redundancy "your payments from us will start once [it's] finished".
RNZ has asked Work and Income and Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni a number of further questions about how long the practice had been in place; the number of people affected and whether back payments may need to be made.
A spokeswoman for the minister said Sepuloni had not been aware of the issue but had asked officials for a briefing on Monday. They had advised it was an "operational issue".
This has been brewing for a few days. What MSD/WINZ still fails to accept is that it's all "operational" now. The master-of-the-universe generic senior managers no longer have to count beans as their raison d'etre; shift resources and worker-bees in their traditionally miserly (and usually silly way). For some it took a while to get used to. We've seen that with the need for the COVID19 Immigration emergency legislation and border control in the early days of the lockdown.
But the idea that senior public servants have been breaking the law has never been that much of a big deal when it comes to a stoush – as people like @Anne could attest, the worst that can happen is a Peter Principle type shunt sideways and the temporary shame of having to apologise.
The problem for citizens is that we have failed to grasp the point that the PTB have decided the country is to be run as a business, eg our local ed institute has become a limited company. We should be demanding business controls and methods on our government employees. Government is trying to have it both ways in following past governmental practices, and principles which they once had. Now if they aren't doing what they are told from above, ie the Government which is now their CEO through the Minister's powers, then they should be dealt to in the normal commercial way. Employees don't turn round to the boss and say this is how we do things so stuff off.
Govt is like a company's board of directors, but yes they are allowing behaviour from the agency's CEO and managers that should result in corrective action including termination.
But first that Minister needs their colleagues to agree this is a problem, which we know they have managed to shun for decades. There are now fresh beneficiaries who already have the habit of voting and lobbying but will their voices outweigh the punitive ones?
Well all I know, being someone who's been in and out of the public service over 40 years with increasing 'seniority' is that there's been a marked change in ethos – especially after the 80s reforms. And that's not as someone yearning for 'the good old days'.
Sure there were always muppets at the helm in SOME places but never to the extent that some departments/ministries/agencies are now the CEO's little feifdoms that shalt not be challenged – either by the media or by a Minister who is expected to carry the can. Even if he/she does go through correct process.
ADMITEDLY, this is a bit harsh, but as a CEO, paricularly since corporatisation in the 80s, you can be a total sleaze that rubs up against people in a lift; an "I was only joking" racist or misogynist; a "do as I say not as I do – this is my little empire" regardless of any code of conduct; you can leak cabinet papers with the intent of embarrassing your Minister because you don't like his/her politics; manipulate KPIs and all the kaka; you can ignore being chastised by judicial officers even after more than one rebuke – even from some of the most senior and experienced members of the judiciary; you can be parachuted in from offshore to take up the reigns provided you have an impressive business-based C.V. but without any cultural understanding of lil ole NuZull – even when there are suitable local candidates; you can have really high staff turnover and a high number of pending employment court cases without someone asking why; you can even be an old dodderer that goes in and out of losing your marbles that should have been put out to pasture and who doesn't have the good grace to retire.
I always thought public service reform was one of the first things this government should have tackled – it would have been a lot easier to be kind and transformational. There certainly needs to better oversight.
The current issue the Ombudsman is having with Corrections should not be happening.
This WINZ/MSD thing should not have happened for as long as it has.
The visa queues with immigration should not have been allowed to build up as much as they have for as long as they have without somebody screaming – publicly if necessary.
Various NZTA debacles with the battles of the egos.
MPI failures
The shit that could blow up with Health. Ashley Bloomfield has been pretty spectacular. He's a clinician however and my impression is he's been let down by some of his senior 'team' with the usual careerist aspirations
Various academics and others have a few good ideas for reform. Chippie himself has obviously thought about it quite a bit.
Not really sure what's to be done about changing the culture in a lot of cases but I do think the SSC has been a bit too complacent and not pulled up some of these masters of the universe earlier. They probably need to watch employment issues a little more closely and challenge CEO's and senior management when they see high staff turnover or numbers of employment court cases brewing. In fact they probably should have a division that deals with them directly – either that or some independent agency.
They're hanging in there hoping for a change of government so they can work with their soulmates again. Meantime they must demonstrate loyalty to their natsy overlords.
Gabby you talk like WINZ acts independently of the Government. They are one and the same. It’s like you believe JA can’t be connected to what they do and how they act. It’s like some people here think WINZ was created by the Nats and Still exists to serve them. If that’s how you think you need to grow up and get real.
Provided with evidence that WINZ has been operating outside government policy for decades, that is what you have to say?
The real issue is whether the government has the balls to confront the neo-liberal consensus which will consign government to high levels of debt in and related incapacity – via GFC and now pandemic.
And this will mean confronting those in MBIE and Treasury who will resist government every step of the way.
Yes KJT. It was decades ago that the process was to use up all redundancy before being allowed to get the dole. Made the redundancy pay a bit pointless.
So back on the early 00s I was hit with that crap (stood down for several months) and remember being doubly pissed off when (this is what I understood at the time and until just yesterday) Benson Pope changed the shit around redundancy and extended stand downs soon after.
Seems I was wrong on the Benson Pope front – that nothing was changed and that there was nothing to be changed.
And of course, I'm guessing there is zero avenue for recouping my losses given the time that's lapsed.
There's a whole range of statutory provisions available to MSD that allow them to fix errors regardless of the time that's passed. Given you went without a payment for several months the decision's clearly wrong, therefore once that mistake has been brought to their attention they have a duty to fix it. Of course most people who try to do this are hit in the first instance with some functionary saying 'the computer says 'out of time' now piss off'. But this is wrong – MSD has a duty to fix its mistakes regardless of how long ago things occurred.
There is what can be a complex 'out of time' review/appeal process which would potentially get you the result you're after. But I don't think you'd need to use it because, again, from what you've described MSD has clearly stuffed things up, which means they have to sort it out. This is over and above any perceived barriers around the three month timeframe for review applications. They have a duty to fix errors and that's that.
Further though, this redundancy matter is such a mess across the board that the government could end up inviting people to bring their cases to them to get sorted out, in which case you'll avoid having to go through the laborious process of explaining to the bureaucrats what you're wanting. Under normal circumstances trying to explain they have a duty to fix decisions they agree are wrong is almost inevitably met with the old 'out of time, go away' trick, but if the government invites people in then you'll be spared the enjoyable experience of having to work your way up the food chain until you find someone who understands vaguely what you're saying.
On the wider issue, it will be very interesting to see how the government responds to RNZ's claims.
Trump’s handling of the Covid crisis is starting to cost him support amongst older Americans, a usually reliable demographic who are vital to his re-election chances.
So Trump is out of favour with old people, young people, blacks, latinos and women. You can't win an election on the votes of middle-aged white men. He is toast.
Yeah lets not talk about the sexual assault. Why give a rats ass about the female of the species. Trump is the worst and anyone who does not oppose him is not one of us.
Must be my memory failing, but I don't recall much from yourself in 2016 about trump's litany of offending? Weren't you more of a "but her emails" kinda guy back then? Glad to see you got woke /sarc
Not why not then? As there are myriad reasons why victims don't come forward straight away, and alleged victims deserve to have a fair hearing, but why not before the primaries? Why not before the field has narrowed to two?
The most obvious answer is because if there was a chance he was going to lose the primary, there's no reason for her to do so as he'd most likely fade into obscurity.
Now there's a good chance he'll be president.
Look, some folk will be exploiting this for purely partisan reasons – because they're repugs, or they're pissed their guy didn't get more support in the primaries, whatevs. But it's still good she came forward.
Not many here had Biden as their first choice even before the allegation, but I don't think a voice from on high (sounding like Obama) is going to tell Biden to withdraw so a better (but slightly less popular with the dems) candidate can parachute into an open convention unopposed. Barring a miracle, come November it's going to be between Biden or the current fool.
A charge ain't gonna happen, let alone a trial. In April this year, Reade filed a criminal complaint about the alleged assault, but didn't name Biden as the alleged perpetrator. Let alone that it's past the statute of limitations.
In case you missed the last discussion about Reade's credibility, here's a deep dive into things she has said in the past. It's a tangled mess of changing stories about things significant and insignificant.
I'm not going to dismiss her claim out of hand knowing she could well be telling the truth, in which case, she's a victim and fully deserves our full support.
Having said that, if there's isn't a charge laid and upheld, and seeing as there isn't supporting evidence where the guy admits to grabbing lady parts or walking in on teen beauty pageant contestants in states of undress, it's got to be laid to rest so America can get on with turfing Trump out.
Unless she's demonstrably inventing allegations for political gain like the project veritas own goal, I don't see any reason to parse and find fault with the complainant's credibility. It'll just end up like the pillorying Blasey-Ford got, and further intimidate all potential complainants against coming forward to out their abusers.
And for what?
It won't shut up the fools latched onto the accusation like limpets who just want to support their own political agenda.
If sexual assault is a vote changer for some voters, dolt45 is still way worse.
And no matter how odd her behaviour, that's almost never a valid reason to dismiss accusations of this sort.
So pray tell Andre. How can anyone make the claim that "Alexandra Tara Reade's accusations of sexual assault against Joe Biden appear very questionable once the story is fully investigated", when the entire fucking point is that there is no investigation of the allegation at present?
Unless the idea of "investigation" is to "witch-hunt" the character of women making allegations of sexual harassment/assault against powerful men and dismiss any of them found wanting? (No need then for any pesky "investigation" of the alleged perpetrator.) 😉
It's a long ago she said/he said with no actual evidence, vague enough to preclude any chance of finding evidence. If there's an interest in trying to come to an opinion about what someone likely did or did not do, what is there to go on beyond an assessment of the various parties' credibility? Particular when one of the sides is a long-term politician whose only politically viable position is a blanket denial, which has been duly stated, and is of zero value in shedding light on the situation.
Personally I don't think she's currently inventing allegations from the whole cloth right now. I think she likely did suffer uncomfortably creepy experiences in Biden's office that shouldn't have been tolerated, but it's also likely that embellishments of the story happened years ago, shortly after the incident(s) happened.
But I do think she's being used by Ryan Grim, Katie Halper and Krystal Ball to try to do some swiftboating.
The difficulty with the allegation made by Tara Reade is that as opposed to other allegations by other women against prominent men, in this case, there is no real substantive supporting evidence. Yes a couple of her friends have now said that they remember her saying something along the lines of what she alleges, but in the past these same friends have told a different story. The statement by her ex-husband in the divorce papers says that there was some sexual harassment, but does not say by whom, and harassment is different to sexual assault.
Laura McGann has been investigating this matter for over a year now after Tara Reade approached her with her story.
In April 2019, a woman named Tara Reade reached out to me with a clear, consistent story to tell about her experience as a staffer in Joe Biden’s Senate office in 1993. I spent hours on the phone with her, and many more tracking down possible witnesses and documents, trying to confirm her account. (…)
Holding powerful men accountable takes a mountain of evidence
Reporters who’ve succeeded in forcing powerful men to be held to account relied on an incredible amount of reporting to do it.
For example, Irin Carmon, who, along with Amy Brittain, exposed Charlie Rose for an alleged decades-long pattern of sexual harassment, had pursued the story for years. When their exposé appeared in the Washington Post, it was built on accusations from eight women, three on the record. Carmon and Brittain found consistency across the women’s stories and strong corroboration of each account:
There are striking commonalities in the accounts of the women, each of whom described their interactions with Rose in multiple interviews with The Post. For all of the women, reporters interviewed friends, colleagues or family members who said the women had confided in them about aspects of the incidents.
Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein fell in 2017 after Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of the New York Times published the accounts of dozens of women who said Weinstein had assaulted or harassed them over the previous 30 years. Ronan Farrow published another story shortly after in the New Yorker, an account that included 13 accusations of sexual assault, three of them rape. All three reporters have gone on to writebooks about the incredible lengths they went to in order to get the story.
Eight women have now said they’ve been made uncomfortable by Biden in public settings. Reade is the lone woman to accuse him of sexual assault. This is a situation out of her control, but it means that reporters can’t build a story about Biden around a pattern of behavior, where multiple accusers boost one another’s story. Instead, reporters are looking at Reade’s account in isolation — and that account has changed.
When we spoke a year ago, Reade told me the only named sources she could give me were her deceased mother and the friend I spoke to. A recently uncovered tape of her mom on Larry King Live appears to corroborate Reade’s claim that she was struggling in Biden’s office in 1993, but does not include an assault allegation. When I reconnected with the friend I spoke to last year, who had previously told me Biden had not assaulted Reade, she told me a version of the story that matched Reade’s latest account. (…)
Where this leaves us
All of this leaves me where no reporter wants to be: mired in the miasma of uncertainty. I wanted tobelieve Reade when she first came to me, and I worked hard to find the evidence to make certain others would believe her, too. I couldn’t find it. None of that means Reade is lying, but it leaves us in the limbo of Me Too: a story that may be true but that we can’t prove.
That's dogshit commentary right there McFlock – even by your own very low standards.
Utterly unimaginable that someone might decry both sexual offending and corruption, yes?
Probably only possible for someone to either dismiss or diminish sexual offending while promoting corruption, or vice versa – for you. In your world.
Yup, I guess that must be it.
Of course, you could always search the archives since your memory is failing and make a comment based on what someone has actually said rather than slinging the same old tired tribal crap. Though in that instance, I guess you'd be left asking how someone managed to walk and chew gum at the same time 🙂
The point wasn't about what was said. It's about what does not appear to have been said, while at the same time saying a lot about something else. One can't quote a vacuum. And yes, I did use the search function.
SURE, THE VELOCIRAPTORS ARE STILL ON THE LOOSE, BUT THAT’S NO REASON NOT TO REOPEN JURASSIC PARK.
Hello, Peter Ludlow here, CEO of InGen, the company behind the wildly successful dinosaur-themed amusement park, Jurassic Park. As you’re all aware, after an unprecedented storm hit the park, we lost power and the velociraptors escaped their enclosure and killed hundreds of park visitors, prompting a two-month shutdown of the park. Well, I’m pleased to announce that, even though the velociraptors are still on the loose, we will be opening Jurassic Park back up to the public!
Now, I understand why some people might be skeptical about reopening an amusement park when there are still blindingly fast, 180-pound predators roaming around. But the fact of the matter is, velociraptors are intelligent, shifty creatures that are not going to be contained any time soon, so we might as well just start getting used to them killing a few people every now and then. Some might argue that we should follow the example of other parks that have successfully dealt with velociraptor escapes. But here at Jurassic Park, we’ve never been ones to listen to the recommendations of scientists, or safety experts, or bioethicists, so why would we start now?
I ask at what cost to the prospective but certain contractors of the virus who are protected by our government's measures?
Matamata had a new case last Thursday. If that case is related to the cluster outbreak, how many iterations of the infection cycle have taken place since around March 17 some 54 days ago? What would have happened in Matamata if that town had had no measures taken over a 54 day period?
The pub owner is essentially asking at what stage we put profit and income over health and heightened mortality.
The old people in America, it seems from the comment above by ScottGN, have a distinct preference in that debate.
Just in the interests of fairness to the man, I think it is Bungard, a local Sport shop owner that is quoted saying "..at what cost…"
I heard an interview on RNZ yesty with both men. The bar owner, Henderson, seemed very moved and humbled by events and Bungard sounded like a typical money, money, self important, small-town, bigshot.
I read that article which left me pretty angry – as a Matamata resident. I penned a comment to one of our local Facebook community pages, but it was not accepted yesterday, and hasn't been up to now and not likely to be I suspect. My wee rant ran along the lines of if Chris Bungard is so concerned about his financial bottom line, can he stand and eyeball his fellow residents who have become part of the Matamata cluster, which hasn't stopped growing as yet, and those families throughout the country who have lost loved ones after succumbing to Covid19 and tell them that all he is worried about is how the Government is ignoring small businesses like his in their effort to stamp out this insidious virus from our shores. You're right gsays, Mr Bungard certainly comes across as a typical small town bigshot.
Of course it may have been edited out, but you don't hear these business first folk pay due credit to the fact we are in this position and we are blessed with having options.
The lack of self awareness in some of these capitalists is stunning.
There was no mention of whether he had applied for Government assistance either. He probably didn't (I was going to add 'out of spite') – there, yeah, I said it.
Yes Jilly Bee this attitude angers and disgusts me too. I especially refer to the journos and their suppporters who are getting their knickers in a twist over a possible loophole in the legislation that might – in technical terms – mean that the lockdown was outside the confines of the legislation. That the rest of the world also went into lockdown soon after NZ did has completely escaped their addled brains.
The unassailable fact is:
the government had to act swiftly to save lives and protect the nation from a potential scourge that could have had thousands of us die. There will be plenty of time to amend the legislation retrospectively when the worst of the pandemic is over – legislation that was not of their making anyway.
As far as I can tell, the government is paying special attention to small businesses and doing everything they can to help them get up and running again. No gratitude from some of them.
My sister, who lives locally, informs me that this outbreak started with a man who came back from Ireland and was working in the bar for four days. Can't verify that, of course, but certainly many of the local people believe that is what happened.
It's not just old people new covid19 side effects are causing sterility in males children presenting with Kawasaki disease.
[Please provide a reliable link because your comment sounds like misleading nonsense to me. You seem to have a habit of making assertions without providing a link to back them up. This is the second Moderation request you have to comply with but you seem to ignore them, at your peril – Incognito]
I can't get links working but the article is in today's guardian 73 cases of children who have Kawasaki like disease believed to be caused by covid 19.
Two problems, besides not linking (WTF? Do you expect other people to do the legwork for you?): 1) they don’t have Kawasaki disease but something that looks similar; 2) there’s nothing in that article about causing sterility in male children!?
You stay in Pre-Moderation until you comply with the rules here and I’m yet to be convinced. If it takes too long, I’ll move you to the Blacklist for a while so that it frees up Moderator time – Incognito]
There was an item in tv1 news last night about a device to measure temperature that attached to the inside of your arm. It was connected (i think) via the internet? so health could be remotely monitored. Did I get that right?
It occurred to me that it could be modified to allow contact tracking for covid?
Detect other devices and upload the data.?
I wonder if Simon Bridges takes on board any advice he is given to improve his reputation. It doesn’t seem like it. He could at least be man enough to congratulate New Zealanders for coming through the pandemic as well as we have, when compared to other countries. I don’t get the impression he is interested in people, going back to his comments about his own MP Maureen Pugh and the tone of his scornful “beneficiaries” comment in Parliament some weeks ago.
"Professor J Ll J Edwards, in a respected 1984 work The Attorney General, Politics and the Public Interest, stated there is “an impregnable moat” around the law officers’ opinions. Legal professional privilege applies to the crown."
Our local Don Quixote, the leader of the opposition, is having a tilt at this antique windmill. "Bah, humbug!" "Why should tradition trump the principle of transparent governance??"
Good question, but simple Simon hasn't actually thought of articulating it yet. Still, keeping it tacit may not stop folks noticing it…
[Whether Geoffrey Palmer has a pimple on his butt is completely irrelevant to his expertise in constitutional law. You have a pattern of behaviour and one (!) of the hallmarks is avoiding debating a topic that is brought up and instead deflecting and going for slurring the source (AKA shooting the messenger). You have received several warnings but to no avail. Take a fortnight off – Incognito]
He would defend me if I and my lawless cronies descended on a boatload of peace protestors and killed, say, nine of them. Actually, he would sit there silently as he did in 2010 and let some South American dictator do all the thinking and talking.
The most important news of recent times..the godfather of rock…the originator of R&B has left planet earth…..I am sure Sun Ra will be there at his new destination ready to welcome him.
I've been reading the various toy throwing and hissy fits from journalists in the press gallery in recent days and it occurred to me that COVID-19 has at the moment led to a fundamental power shift between the government and the press gallery, and much of their anger and frustration can be sourced in butt hurt egos that have sensed they've been sidelined by Jacinda and excoriated by the public.
Basically, Jacinda uses social media and the live 1pm press conferences to talk directly to the population without the interpretive filter usually applied by the press gallery. That has made the gallery heavy weights redundant, mere observers and repeaters of the PM’s news of the day.
At the same time, the general public has had a real time front row seat to how the press gallery behaves – the petty focus on gotchas, the constant repetition of questions on trivial issues, the attempts to manufacture conflict – and has been appalled, and hasn't been slow to let the media hacks know how appalled it is. Journalists are thin skinned at the best of times, and the reaction of the press gallery to this unwelcome collision with the reality of actual public opinion has often been petulant, self-righteous and sulking with not a moment of collective self-reflection.
I think it is more of the fact that snidely attacking the government catches readers eyes rather than repeating government advice.
It is all about appearing to be relevant for the print media. I noticed, and no doubt quite a few here did too that within a few days of lockdown when it was obvious that the murder rate was going to flatline ( sorry, couldn't help that ) the Herald in particular started reruns of old gruesome murder stories from years ago. The initial introduction of the stories almost read as if they had only happened in the last few days.
What the fuck was that about ? It was about capturing readership, manipulatley, cynicly, dishonestly and disgusting. Pretty much sums up the Herald and Stuff.
And they are to dumb to understand why she gaged her ministers. not very many of us want information about this virus. from here there and every where most just want 1 00pm press conferences
Problem is, a lot of them are not very bright (there are exceptions, of course). When I left school in the 60s the bright ones left to go to university and 'the B team' went into job training including journalism.
Not good – we need the brightest and the best, but how long would they last under the thumbs of media owners? We really need a news dissemination revolt!
Back in the 1960s – and earlier of course – some of those "brightest and best" never made it to university because their parents couldn't afford to maintain their upkeep. Apart from a handful of much sought after scholarships, there was no available financial assistance and part-time jobs were few and far between. Young women in particular were affected.
I think some of those bright ones might have gone direct to 'journalism school' because the standard of reporting in those days was ‘par excellence’ compared with most of today's products.
That's right. I wasn't well up on the "press" front in those days. I guess they were paid too which KJT alluded to above.
I went to the Auckland Dental School for school dental nurses in Mt. Eden. I started out earning seven pounds a week (or was it a fortnight – can't remember) and by the time we completed our training it had gone up to nine pounds. Nine pounds! I thought I was rich. 🙂
Some of us were lucky tho Anne. My dad was a factory worker. Completing the upper sixth was sufficient to gain a fees and allowance bursary. Not a great deal but 90% of your fees paid, and small a help for purchase of text books. There were holiday jobs available then at meat works and other places. I did farm labouring to earn around 120 pounds to help tide me over the year, and the next couple of years worked for the local council gardening and mowing the parks and reserves. I also got a plum job as a grave digger! That was around 20 quid for a grave and a days work. One year (in my Stage 3 year) I was able to get all my lectures in the afternoon which allowed me to work in the morning as a cleaner. It was actually my most successful academic year as well.
We were very fortunate to have the Fees and Allowance Bursary as we were able to finish our studies without the burden of a huge student loan hanging over our heads.
Fair enough. But it was harder for young women Macro. In fact we were discouraged from having aspirations to go to university although by the end of the 60s decade things started to change. Part time jobs were also harder for us. Meat works, farm labouring and grave digging were not available to young ladies. 😉
Rather galling to watch brothers go to Uni and then get told that I would probably be married sooner than later so Uni would be a waste. But that was common in those days and we did as we were told.
the general public has had a real time front row seat to how the press gallery behaves – the petty focus on gotchas, the constant repetition of questions on trivial issues, the attempts to manufacture conflict
It's lazy, cheap and demeaning. If NZ learns anything from this it's just how poorly our Press Gallery has been serving us for so long. They have a vital role to perform, but who holds them to account for how well they undertake it?
The media face not only a business model crisis with Google and FB stealing so much of their content and income, but a direct challenge to their authority with the rise of content creators on multiple platforms taking their eyeballs as well.
And with voices like Joe Rogan demonstrating how the public does indeed have an appetite for long form material … up to 2 or 3 hours even … it's clear their traditional journalism model is broken as well. They still stand at the gate trying to control the narrative, but the fences either side have growing gaps that people are walking through, bypassing their purpose.
With the immense flood of information the internet has unleashed on us, even the most capable minds buckle. No individual can make meaning of even a fraction of it directly. As a result we are increasingly drawn to higher level value abstractions, building sense and meaning to bring conceptual order to the chaos.
Then we watch the Press Gallery in action and it feels like watching children squabble.
Worse, it feels like watching schoolkids gossip about a squabble.
'Then she pulled his hair. Mind you he probably deserved it after what he did last week. And she shared some of her lipgloss at playtime yesterday so I can't hold it against her. Did you hear what his friends said on TakTok afterwards?' Gag me with a spoon.
What intrigues me is the complete lack of comprehension. One asks a question and has it answered then the next question is almost the same and Jacinda patiently explains again. I'd like to see their faces and have their names up on the screen so we know not to bother reading their columns.
What they're doing is asking the question specifically then getting the answer from Jacinda. Later when the link goes to a news bulletin on their radio or TV station it will appear to be an exclusive question and answer to their station only.
Pathetic I know but we live in an age where 'image' is everything.
The Media industry is in deep shit and many jobs are on the line, which is aggravated and expedited by pandemic lockdown. My ego would (be) hurt too if I were to lose my job.
True that – Tracy Watkins explicitly says so in a piece today that is awash in aggrieved self-importance, "the backlash to any criticism of Jacinda Ardern or her Government in the current environment is a constant weight on the media's shoulders". What has actually happened is that the conventional journalism of the recent past is spectacularly unsuited to the present moment. People can see that manufactured 'gotchas', and the constant proprietor-driven sniping at the left, might actually constitute a danger to public health.
Oh dear – sounds a lot like "poor little me" is the story today. There is also a lack of self awareness in thinking that this type of story will improve their reputation – nah.
It's the blindness . I don't for one moment condone personal attacks on journalists but the quality of their work?!
I expect questions that
-expand our state of knowledge or get information released that otherwise may have been overlooked ( & here the journalist that focuses on PI & Maori issues has been pretty much on target- I'm interested in how the East cape testing went – did the road blocks contribute to this positive situation?)
-test the boundaries of the government response and control. Where are the questions around who is controling and paying for the outsourced part of the health system response – the for profit sector of aged care and other vulnerable clients? Where has the questioning of the likes of Ryman health care taken place?
-has an individual bad experience been backed up by systematic research and then a question in the press conference?
Perhaps part of their problem is lack of criticism of the Key government even when it was deserved? So they don't know how to respond.
Anyway perhaps we should continue to televise all these press conferences – and it would be very handy if we could text a few questions of our own perhaps.
What has actually happened is that the government has implemented an extremely effective communications campaign. One of the planned outcomes of this has been to deliberately sideline journalists and to undermine their credibility.
A key element of the strategy is to control the message and ensure that every body stays on message. This includes cabinet ministers. With this kind of comms strategy you don't want any one or anything to disrupt the key messages. Journalists have a habit of doing this.
In my opinion its absolutely imperative that the media, the political classes and the public do ask hard and difficult questions of the government at this time. We should support them in so doing instead of cynically undermining them.
Jacinda, if she reads the Standard, is probably doing so with a smile on her face saying to herself – 'job done' – given the sycophantic reactions of many of those blogging here.
What really happened is that we have been informed accurately and in detail, by the Government, and Ashley Blomfield, what their thoughts are, and the evidence behind them, for an hour each day.
Then, the media have squeezed it through a filter of spin and bullshit, they mostly made up.
The fact we have now seen it in real time, rather than simply getting the medias interpretation, shows up graphically how incompetent, and stupid, our media reporters really are.
And valid and helpful to the situation, criticism, and questions, has been buried amongst the tide of media, “personality” self aggrandisement.
You've accurately described what governments (plural) do.
If a PM can win 3 elections by boycotting interviews on Morning Report and going on Bloke FM to talk rugby instead, why not follow the winner's playbook to win some more?
But Jacinda has a very long way to go. Let's start worrying when …
Despite to tight control of communications in daily live press releases with Q & A time straight afterwards, daily updates on the MoH website, and updates & corrections on other Government websites (e.g. WINZ) with clarifications from the minister of Finance when/where necessary, there was still enough confusion around. The country was in a State of Emergency and dealing with a rapidly evolving and developing situation that was unprecedented.
This was not the time for the press to start digging and poking holes but to be constructive in their questioning, criticism, and help to get the message out as fast and as clear as they could. By and large, the press did an excellent job.
Indeed, the press has a job to do but they’re walking a fine line between holding the Government to account and risking confusing and alienating the public from staying the course for a little(?) bit longer and undermining the public trust that is required for this – we are still in Level 3. The press has another responsibility, which is to keep the business afloat. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to revert to gotcha tactics or shock-jock antics, IMO.
I won’t even mention the Opposition and the fact that the Election is in just over four months.
Strong and consistent comms is part of good governance but in a life-or-death situation it is vital.
Are you referring to a specific section in the Pandemic Plan? There is quite a lot in it about communication, as you can imagine, but I don’t know what you have in mind.
In the absence of pharmaceutical intervention,effective communication is a powerful tool for pandemic constraint.
EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR health risk communication are essential for protecting public health in the event of pandemic influenza.Reducing negative consequences relies heavily on gaining cooperation from diverse countrywide entities.Communications must successfully instruct,inform, and motivate appropriate self-protective behavior; up date risk information; build trust in officials; and dispel rumors.
Public information management is part of an integrated strategy to provide leadership for the public, the health and disability sector and other sectors during a pandemic and complement the Ministry of Health and wider sector pandemic response.
The Public Information Management Strategy allows the Ministry of Health to explain what it is doing and to advise the public as the pandemic progresses. It is designed to avoid confusion and maintain accuracy, clarity and consistency of message. The overarching principles of the strategy are to:
build trust
announce early
be transparent
respect public concerns
plan in advance.
This strategy recognises that information is essential to the effective management of a pandemic response, and that in a pandemic one of the most critical roles of the Ministry of Health will be to provide leadership and coordination in communications.
The main point is that we don't see any hard & difficult questions being asked in these press conferences. Journalists are undermining their own credibility without any help from us. Stories and posts moaning that we don't "understand" just fuel the narrative "sigh".
I can answer most of the questions from what we have been told previously.
I totally agree Sanc. I really do hope the media realise what they are here for and sort themselves out before they are deceased! but either way would be an improvement now.
People forget how rock'n'roll was horrifying to mainstreamers back in the fifties – exemplified by the instruction to the cameraman on the Ed Sullivan Show to frame Elvis from the waist up. Seeing his gyrating crotch on national tv would have an unfortunate effect on girls. Not allowed!
Little Richard was even more of a dynamo & pioneer than Elvis, leader of the cross-over from black music into the bi-racial mix (mid-1950s). Dylan on the dynamo: "Bob Dylan, who dreamed of joining Little Richard’s band as a young musician in Minnesota, penned a short tribute to the rock pioneer following his death Saturday at the age of 87." https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-little-richard-tribute-996935/
“I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved,” Dylan wrote. “He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.”
Dylan continued, “I played some shows with him in Europe in the early nineties and got to hang out in his dressing room a lot. He was always generous, kind and humble. And still dynamite as a performer and a musician and you could still learn plenty from him. In his presence he was always the same Little Richard that I first heard and was awed by growing up and I always was the same little boy."
… instruction to the cameraman on the Ed Sullivan Show to frame Elvis from the waist up. Seeing his gyrating crotch on national tv would have an unfortunate effect on girls. Not allowed!
I remember those waist-up frames. Fortunately I was never a great fan of Elvis Presley so I doubt his "gyrating crotch" would have had much affect on me.
And the boys had no one to tell them to be kind to each other, stay safe or stay in their bubble, even if they did try to escape their rocky bubble. Thanks KJT.
In that same decade a group of Tongans heading for NZ ran aground on Minerva Reef, way out on the ocean and daily covered by water .The reason they survived was a Japanese hulk had also stranded and remained years before.They were able to perch on that during the hours the reef was submerged and salvaged wood to make a perfectly decent boat.During the few hours when the reef wasnt under water they gathered food .They lived like this for 14 weeks
They also prayed and sang, and acted as a cohesive unit until 3 of them set off in the boat they'd made, got to a populated island, and sent back help.
The Minerva Reef has an interesting past and is currently disputed by Tonga and Fiji
"Minerva Reefs were claimed by Tonga in 1972 after the shadowy US Phoenix Foundation shipped in dirt and declared it a republic.
The late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV loaded a ferry with soldiers, a convict work detail and a four-piece brass band and sailed the 500 kilometres to personally haul down the "Republic of Minerva" flag.
As he raised his own banner, he declared it a Tongan island."
"The reefs have taken on more significance as their possession gives rights to lucrative undersea minerals. South Korean, Chinese and Australian interests are seeking prospecting rights in the area.
Fiji's Foreign Affairs deputy permanent secretary Sila Balawa said last year it objected to Tonga building structures on Fiji territory.
In November 2009 the Fiji patrol boats arrived in the lagoon and chased yachts away."
Minerva Reef is an amazing spot, often used as a mid-ocean refuge for yachts timing the weather windows to and from New Zealand. It's one of the more difficult passages many sailors face and more than a few have been very grateful to have a few days respite inside it's relatively calm lagoon.
Have been into Minerva twice, between Tonga and NZ, once heading South and again heading North, both to shelter fom crappy weather before heading on. It's certainly an amazing place as all you see around you is sea. A bit uncanny if there are huge swells breaking on the reef that protects the lagoon. There is a light beacon and a tiny sliver of sand that uncovers at low tide.
There are two separate reefs, 40 km apart. South Minerva is the largest, but more awash at high tide and not so secure. North Minerva is the preferred choice in very bad weather. It has all round protection and good holding. When either the Fiji or Tongan Navy are down there knocking down each others' flags or sructures, they sometimes kick everyone out or just come round for a friendly visit. I think most young Pacific Island kids brought up at least for a time in their village would easily cope with isolation together on a remote island (the story KJY referred to above) or stranded out at sea on a small boat. Life in most villages, even today, tends to emphasise cooperation and sharing.
We had a look at Middleton, in daylight, years ago.
Only a few miles off the normal track.
A collection of vessels, there, that found it the hard way.
It is significant that the characterisation of people as solely self interested, pervades so much economic thought, when even the most capitalist firm, depends on co-operation.
A CEO in the USA ran one of their largest firms into the ground, trying to run it on competitive, Randian principles.
The Minerva Reefs are 350 km SW of Tongatapu, the southern most inhabited island of Tonga. Middleton Reef lies well off the East Australian coast. Elizabeth Reef is another reef close to Middleton with a lagoon you can get into in good weather. Ata, where the lads in the Guardian article were shipwrecked, is north of the Minervas and currently uninhabited again,. It had a resort on it for a few years before it blew down in a cyclone.
The late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV loaded a ferry with soldiers, a convict work detail and a four-piece brass band and sailed the 500 kilometres to personally haul down the "Republic of Minerva" flag.
As he raised his own banner, he declared it a Tongan island."
In 1940, under the reign of Queen Salote , my father was dispatched to Nukualofa, Tonga to train the first Tongan soldiers and he also oversaw the building of the first Tongan prison. After the grand opening ceremony he returned the next morning to find Tongan families had moved into the prison because it was better than their own accommodation. He shooed them out with a warning they would be incarcerated if they returned. (well, I doubt he used the word incarcerated but the intent of the warning was clear.)
I learnt years later that he had been highly respected by the people of the tiny nation and he apparently got along very well with Queen Salote who, some may recall, was hugely popular at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.
But it wasn't all lovely. My father had to split up several Japanese families who had lived on the main island for years. They were well regarded by the Tongans. The fathers were sent to Somes Is., Wellington. The families were also removed but I don't know what happened to them. I don't think that was something my father relished one little bit but he had to follow orders.
Good story KJT. There are of course plenty of similar events that had much different endings, and it's useful to consider why sometimes these stories are dark and violent, and other times like this one, they're uplifting. Everything depends on morale:
The kids agreed to work in teams of two, drawing up a strict roster for garden, kitchen and guard duty. Sometimes they quarrelled, but whenever that happened they solved it by imposing a time-out. Their days began and ended with song and prayer. Kolo fashioned a makeshift guitar from a piece of driftwood, half a coconut shell and six steel wires salvaged from their wrecked boat – an instrument Peter has kept all these years – and played it to help lift their spirits.
Minister front up to give "Good News", But is it ? as we are told increased transportation costs and decline of the NZ$ – We are spending more BUT we could be purchasing less especially as the increase funding is ONLY $10m next year.
Since 2017 the NZ$ was purchasing $0.72 US now its $0.60.
Anyone could have put an argument that we entered into levels 2,3, & 4 a week or 2 too early, just right or we were a bit slow to react. From taking a walk around my neighbourhood and local walkway/beach and noticing many bubbles merge on such a fine Sunday – One thing that will be hard to argue, is that NZ has "voted" by our actions that the time to progress down to level 2 has arrived.
I'm sure it won't happen, but I'd kinda like to see Jacinda/Ashley announce that there's a reward for most regions, who can move to level 2 ASAP … but (stern face) Auckland and Wellington are letting down the rest, so you get an extra week's detention. To continue until you behave!
Tamaki Drive isn't New Zealand, it's just the most accessible for the TV cameras.
If standing 2 meters apart in a massive line for Countdown and to then handle open piles of veggies who knows who has already done indoors once you get in, is ok, I am not sure how a few groups of people on an open beach is any different.
Instead of jerking knees, a discussion about what officials should do, and the practical issues of releasing information. e.g. why is witholding info until Sat or Mon or whenever better than releasing it?
…As part of the reporting that I do on migration and refugees in Greece, I have been to Lesbos many times, particularly in the past couple of years. I have always felt safe on the narrow, cobbled streets of Mytilene but that night, concerned that I was being profiled, I ran home, fearful that I was now a target.
The same streets where I had once felt at ease were swiftly becoming the stage for Europe's culture wars and, within days, there would be neo-Nazis from six countries on Lesbos, who would arrive to show their solidarity with violent vigilantes. The internet would light up with dubious hashtags exhorting people to "defend Europe" or "stand with Greece"….
…"[Our villages] gave lessons of dignity with oursolidarity with the suffering of fellow human beings during the great ordeal of 2015 to 2016," it said. "No act of intolerance, blind fanaticism and violence can tarnish this honourable legacy."
The far-right activists, who came only for a matter of days in March, used their platforms to mischaracterise and misrepresent local sentiment as largely hostile towards refugees.
The reality on the ground and the nuanced views of the diverse community who live here, however, is invariably far more complicated and often more empathetic than they would have their audience believe. </i>
Greed sell us the state assets then we will fleace the many common people and run them into the ground next minute the state has to bail the assets out while the few sit on piles of cash.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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Former supporters express disgust at National’s antics under Bridges (thread)
https://twitter.com/fiwitwit/status/1259047162668650496?s=20
https://twitter.com/hyphenTab/status/1259055550811144193?s=20
Huge. Winz have been breaking the law and screwing applicants for decades: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416266/work-and-income-wrong-on-benefits-and-redundancies-for-decades
This has been brewing for a few days. What MSD/WINZ still fails to accept is that it's all "operational" now. The master-of-the-universe generic senior managers no longer have to count beans as their raison d'etre; shift resources and worker-bees in their traditionally miserly (and usually silly way). For some it took a while to get used to. We've seen that with the need for the COVID19 Immigration emergency legislation and border control in the early days of the lockdown.
But the idea that senior public servants have been breaking the law has never been that much of a big deal when it comes to a stoush – as people like @Anne could attest, the worst that can happen is a Peter Principle type shunt sideways and the temporary shame of having to apologise.
The problem for citizens is that we have failed to grasp the point that the PTB have decided the country is to be run as a business, eg our local ed institute has become a limited company. We should be demanding business controls and methods on our government employees. Government is trying to have it both ways in following past governmental practices, and principles which they once had. Now if they aren't doing what they are told from above, ie the Government which is now their CEO through the Minister's powers, then they should be dealt to in the normal commercial way. Employees don't turn round to the boss and say this is how we do things so stuff off.
Govt is like a company's board of directors, but yes they are allowing behaviour from the agency's CEO and managers that should result in corrective action including termination.
But first that Minister needs their colleagues to agree this is a problem, which we know they have managed to shun for decades. There are now fresh beneficiaries who already have the habit of voting and lobbying but will their voices outweigh the punitive ones?
Well all I know, being someone who's been in and out of the public service over 40 years with increasing 'seniority' is that there's been a marked change in ethos – especially after the 80s reforms. And that's not as someone yearning for 'the good old days'.
Sure there were always muppets at the helm in SOME places but never to the extent that some departments/ministries/agencies are now the CEO's little feifdoms that shalt not be challenged – either by the media or by a Minister who is expected to carry the can. Even if he/she does go through correct process.
ADMITEDLY, this is a bit harsh, but as a CEO, paricularly since corporatisation in the 80s, you can be a total sleaze that rubs up against people in a lift; an "I was only joking" racist or misogynist; a "do as I say not as I do – this is my little empire" regardless of any code of conduct; you can leak cabinet papers with the intent of embarrassing your Minister because you don't like his/her politics; manipulate KPIs and all the kaka; you can ignore being chastised by judicial officers even after more than one rebuke – even from some of the most senior and experienced members of the judiciary; you can be parachuted in from offshore to take up the reigns provided you have an impressive business-based C.V. but without any cultural understanding of lil ole NuZull – even when there are suitable local candidates; you can have really high staff turnover and a high number of pending employment court cases without someone asking why; you can even be an old dodderer that goes in and out of losing your marbles that should have been put out to pasture and who doesn't have the good grace to retire.
I always thought public service reform was one of the first things this government should have tackled – it would have been a lot easier to be kind and transformational. There certainly needs to better oversight.
The current issue the Ombudsman is having with Corrections should not be happening.
This WINZ/MSD thing should not have happened for as long as it has.
The visa queues with immigration should not have been allowed to build up as much as they have for as long as they have without somebody screaming – publicly if necessary.
Various NZTA debacles with the battles of the egos.
MPI failures
The shit that could blow up with Health. Ashley Bloomfield has been pretty spectacular. He's a clinician however and my impression is he's been let down by some of his senior 'team' with the usual careerist aspirations
Various academics and others have a few good ideas for reform. Chippie himself has obviously thought about it quite a bit.
Not really sure what's to be done about changing the culture in a lot of cases but I do think the SSC has been a bit too complacent and not pulled up some of these masters of the universe earlier. They probably need to watch employment issues a little more closely and challenge CEO's and senior management when they see high staff turnover or numbers of employment court cases brewing. In fact they probably should have a division that deals with them directly – either that or some independent agency.
But I rave and have better things to do
They're hanging in there hoping for a change of government so they can work with their soulmates again. Meantime they must demonstrate loyalty to their natsy overlords.
Labour governments have done nothing about this either. We need to root out neoliberalism from all parties before the problem will be fixed.
Gabby you talk like WINZ acts independently of the Government. They are one and the same. It’s like you believe JA can’t be connected to what they do and how they act. It’s like some people here think WINZ was created by the Nats and Still exists to serve them. If that’s how you think you need to grow up and get real.
Provided with evidence that WINZ has been operating outside government policy for decades, that is what you have to say?
The real issue is whether the government has the balls to confront the neo-liberal consensus which will consign government to high levels of debt in and related incapacity – via GFC and now pandemic.
And this will mean confronting those in MBIE and Treasury who will resist government every step of the way.
I can confirm they have been telling people that, and that they have to use up savings, at least here, for decades.
Yes KJT. It was decades ago that the process was to use up all redundancy before being allowed to get the dole. Made the redundancy pay a bit pointless.
So back on the early 00s I was hit with that crap (stood down for several months) and remember being doubly pissed off when (this is what I understood at the time and until just yesterday) Benson Pope changed the shit around redundancy and extended stand downs soon after.
Seems I was wrong on the Benson Pope front – that nothing was changed and that there was nothing to be changed.
And of course, I'm guessing there is zero avenue for recouping my losses given the time that's lapsed.
There's a whole range of statutory provisions available to MSD that allow them to fix errors regardless of the time that's passed. Given you went without a payment for several months the decision's clearly wrong, therefore once that mistake has been brought to their attention they have a duty to fix it. Of course most people who try to do this are hit in the first instance with some functionary saying 'the computer says 'out of time' now piss off'. But this is wrong – MSD has a duty to fix its mistakes regardless of how long ago things occurred.
There is what can be a complex 'out of time' review/appeal process which would potentially get you the result you're after. But I don't think you'd need to use it because, again, from what you've described MSD has clearly stuffed things up, which means they have to sort it out. This is over and above any perceived barriers around the three month timeframe for review applications. They have a duty to fix errors and that's that.
Further though, this redundancy matter is such a mess across the board that the government could end up inviting people to bring their cases to them to get sorted out, in which case you'll avoid having to go through the laborious process of explaining to the bureaucrats what you're wanting. Under normal circumstances trying to explain they have a duty to fix decisions they agree are wrong is almost inevitably met with the old 'out of time, go away' trick, but if the government invites people in then you'll be spared the enjoyable experience of having to work your way up the food chain until you find someone who understands vaguely what you're saying.
On the wider issue, it will be very interesting to see how the government responds to RNZ's claims.
Our Cabinet as they contemplate whether to go to Level 2 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHlyQ1_Xu7k
Trump’s handling of the Covid crisis is starting to cost him support amongst older Americans, a usually reliable demographic who are vital to his re-election chances.
https://morningconsult.com/form/older-americans-sour-on-trumps-handling-of-the-outbreak/
So Trump is out of favour with old people, young people, blacks, latinos and women. You can't win an election on the votes of middle-aged white men. He is toast.
Maybe, maybe not. Those obsessed with taking down Biden by whatever means they can find may yet end up handing a lifeline to Donasaurus Wrecks.
Yeah lets not talk about the sexual assault. Why give a rats ass about the female of the species. Trump is the worst and anyone who does not oppose him is not one of us.
Must be my memory failing, but I don't recall much from yourself in 2016 about trump's litany of offending? Weren't you more of a "but her emails" kinda guy back then? Glad to see you got woke /sarc
My take is similar to Bill Maher's – Why Now?
Not why not then? As there are myriad reasons why victims don't come forward straight away, and alleged victims deserve to have a fair hearing, but why not before the primaries? Why not before the field has narrowed to two?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Ju1ZFuvjzYc&feature=emb_logo
The most obvious answer is because if there was a chance he was going to lose the primary, there's no reason for her to do so as he'd most likely fade into obscurity.
Now there's a good chance he'll be president.
Look, some folk will be exploiting this for purely partisan reasons – because they're repugs, or they're pissed their guy didn't get more support in the primaries, whatevs. But it's still good she came forward.
Not many here had Biden as their first choice even before the allegation, but I don't think a voice from on high (sounding like Obama) is going to tell Biden to withdraw so a better (but slightly less popular with the dems) candidate can parachute into an open convention unopposed. Barring a miracle, come November it's going to be between Biden or the current fool.
I remember we've agreed in the past that even though Biden wouldn't be in our top three candidates, against Trump, he'd certainly get our votes.
Aside from a charge, trial and conviction, that won’t change for me.
"We" not including the recently-woke, of course 🙂
Yeah, I was talking about you and I, not the multitude or the recent wide awake. lol
A charge ain't gonna happen, let alone a trial. In April this year, Reade filed a criminal complaint about the alleged assault, but didn't name Biden as the alleged perpetrator. Let alone that it's past the statute of limitations.
In case you missed the last discussion about Reade's credibility, here's a deep dive into things she has said in the past. It's a tangled mess of changing stories about things significant and insignificant.
https://medium.com/@eddiekrassenstein/evidence-casts-doubt-on-tara-reades-sexual-assault-allegations-of-joe-biden-e4cb3ee38460
I'm not going to dismiss her claim out of hand knowing she could well be telling the truth, in which case, she's a victim and fully deserves our full support.
Having said that, if there's isn't a charge laid and upheld, and seeing as there isn't supporting evidence where the guy admits to grabbing lady parts or walking in on teen beauty pageant contestants in states of undress, it's got to be laid to rest so America can get on with turfing Trump out.
Unless she's demonstrably inventing allegations for political gain like the project veritas own goal, I don't see any reason to parse and find fault with the complainant's credibility. It'll just end up like the pillorying Blasey-Ford got, and further intimidate all potential complainants against coming forward to out their abusers.
And for what?
It won't shut up the fools latched onto the accusation like limpets who just want to support their own political agenda.
If sexual assault is a vote changer for some voters, dolt45 is still way worse.
And no matter how odd her behaviour, that's almost never a valid reason to dismiss accusations of this sort.
So pray tell Andre. How can anyone make the claim that "Alexandra Tara Reade's accusations of sexual assault against Joe Biden appear very questionable once the story is fully investigated", when the entire fucking point is that there is no investigation of the allegation at present?
Unless the idea of "investigation" is to "witch-hunt" the character of women making allegations of sexual harassment/assault against powerful men and dismiss any of them found wanting? (No need then for any pesky "investigation" of the alleged perpetrator.) 😉
Donald, Julian, Brett and Joe – the allegations made against each and the consistency of commentators here and elsewhere.
It's a long ago she said/he said with no actual evidence, vague enough to preclude any chance of finding evidence. If there's an interest in trying to come to an opinion about what someone likely did or did not do, what is there to go on beyond an assessment of the various parties' credibility? Particular when one of the sides is a long-term politician whose only politically viable position is a blanket denial, which has been duly stated, and is of zero value in shedding light on the situation.
Personally I don't think she's currently inventing allegations from the whole cloth right now. I think she likely did suffer uncomfortably creepy experiences in Biden's office that shouldn't have been tolerated, but it's also likely that embellishments of the story happened years ago, shortly after the incident(s) happened.
But I do think she's being used by Ryan Grim, Katie Halper and Krystal Ball to try to do some swiftboating.
@ bill
The difficulty with the allegation made by Tara Reade is that as opposed to other allegations by other women against prominent men, in this case, there is no real substantive supporting evidence. Yes a couple of her friends have now said that they remember her saying something along the lines of what she alleges, but in the past these same friends have told a different story. The statement by her ex-husband in the divorce papers says that there was some sexual harassment, but does not say by whom, and harassment is different to sexual assault.
Laura McGann has been investigating this matter for over a year now after Tara Reade approached her with her story.
That's dogshit commentary right there McFlock – even by your own very low standards.
Utterly unimaginable that someone might decry both sexual offending and corruption, yes?
Probably only possible for someone to either dismiss or diminish sexual offending while promoting corruption, or vice versa – for you. In your world.
Yup, I guess that must be it.
Of course, you could always search the archives since your memory is failing and make a comment based on what someone has actually said rather than slinging the same old tired tribal crap. Though in that instance, I guess you'd be left asking how someone managed to walk and chew gum at the same time 🙂
The point wasn't about what was said. It's about what does not appear to have been said, while at the same time saying a lot about something else. One can't quote a vacuum. And yes, I did use the search function.
Speacking of Donasaurus Wrecksus….
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sure-the-velociraptors-are-still-on-the-loose-but-thats-no-reason-not-to-reopen-jurassic-park?
You can win an election if enough people stay home or are deliberately disenfranchised.
Yes but you are forgetting that most of his supporters will have Covid-19.
Meanwhile in Matamata the owner of the pub where its cluster developed is being shown some empathy by the locals. He asks, with reference to the PM's 'self-professed perfectionism' whether this has gone too far. He is reported as asking."But at what cost?" thinking no doubt of the economic consequences.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121462144/coronavirus-matamata-bar-owner-on-nzs-biggest-covid19-cluster-outbreak
I ask at what cost to the prospective but certain contractors of the virus who are protected by our government's measures?
Matamata had a new case last Thursday. If that case is related to the cluster outbreak, how many iterations of the infection cycle have taken place since around March 17 some 54 days ago? What would have happened in Matamata if that town had had no measures taken over a 54 day period?
The pub owner is essentially asking at what stage we put profit and income over health and heightened mortality.
The old people in America, it seems from the comment above by ScottGN, have a distinct preference in that debate.
[Link trimmed – Incognito]
Just in the interests of fairness to the man, I think it is Bungard, a local Sport shop owner that is quoted saying "..at what cost…"
I heard an interview on RNZ yesty with both men. The bar owner, Henderson, seemed very moved and humbled by events and Bungard sounded like a typical money, money, self important, small-town, bigshot.
Thanks you, gsays. You are indeed correct and I would alter that statement if I could.
I guess that's also why we should put references to our sources so that we get 'peer-reviewed' and our errors and omissions pointed out.
Links are always good. Nobody's perfect.
I read that article which left me pretty angry – as a Matamata resident. I penned a comment to one of our local Facebook community pages, but it was not accepted yesterday, and hasn't been up to now and not likely to be I suspect. My wee rant ran along the lines of if Chris Bungard is so concerned about his financial bottom line, can he stand and eyeball his fellow residents who have become part of the Matamata cluster, which hasn't stopped growing as yet, and those families throughout the country who have lost loved ones after succumbing to Covid19 and tell them that all he is worried about is how the Government is ignoring small businesses like his in their effort to stamp out this insidious virus from our shores. You're right gsays, Mr Bungard certainly comes across as a typical small town bigshot.
I get your frustration.
Of course it may have been edited out, but you don't hear these business first folk pay due credit to the fact we are in this position and we are blessed with having options.
The lack of self awareness in some of these capitalists is stunning.
Me First and The Gimme Gimmes.
There was no mention of whether he had applied for Government assistance either. He probably didn't (I was going to add 'out of spite') – there, yeah, I said it.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/2020/covid-19/covid-19-wage-subsidy-employer-search.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018745856
Yes Jilly Bee this attitude angers and disgusts me too. I especially refer to the journos and their suppporters who are getting their knickers in a twist over a possible loophole in the legislation that might – in technical terms – mean that the lockdown was outside the confines of the legislation. That the rest of the world also went into lockdown soon after NZ did has completely escaped their addled brains.
The unassailable fact is:
the government had to act swiftly to save lives and protect the nation from a potential scourge that could have had thousands of us die. There will be plenty of time to amend the legislation retrospectively when the worst of the pandemic is over – legislation that was not of their making anyway.
As far as I can tell, the government is paying special attention to small businesses and doing everything they can to help them get up and running again. No gratitude from some of them.
My sister, who lives locally, informs me that this outbreak started with a man who came back from Ireland and was working in the bar for four days. Can't verify that, of course, but certainly many of the local people believe that is what happened.
It's not just old people new covid19 side effects are causing sterility in males children presenting with Kawasaki disease.
[Please provide a reliable link because your comment sounds like misleading nonsense to me. You seem to have a habit of making assertions without providing a link to back them up. This is the second Moderation request you have to comply with but you seem to ignore them, at your peril – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 9:52 AM.
I can't get links working but the article is in today's guardian 73 cases of children who have Kawasaki like disease believed to be caused by covid 19.
[I assume you mean this article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/09/children-coronavirus-death-kawasaki.
Two problems, besides not linking (WTF? Do you expect other people to do the legwork for you?): 1) they don’t have Kawasaki disease but something that looks similar; 2) there’s nothing in that article about causing sterility in male children!?
You stay in Pre-Moderation until you comply with the rules here and I’m yet to be convinced. If it takes too long, I’ll move you to the Blacklist for a while so that it frees up Moderator time – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 12:34 PM.
There was an item in tv1 news last night about a device to measure temperature that attached to the inside of your arm. It was connected (i think) via the internet? so health could be remotely monitored. Did I get that right?
It occurred to me that it could be modified to allow contact tracking for covid?
Detect other devices and upload the data.?
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/auckland-neighbourhood-bands-together-create-world-first-safety-device-detect-covid-19-in-vulnerable-communities
Covid trackers use different technology. This is just a wearable thermometer connected by wi-fi.
Thanks for the ref.
Extend by add a chip to recognise and identify other devices, then up load the data via wifi?
The main thing with exposure tracking is that lots of people have to use whatever tool is chosen. This isn't it.
I wonder if Simon Bridges takes on board any advice he is given to improve his reputation. It doesn’t seem like it. He could at least be man enough to congratulate New Zealanders for coming through the pandemic as well as we have, when compared to other countries. I don’t get the impression he is interested in people, going back to his comments about his own MP Maureen Pugh and the tone of his scornful “beneficiaries” comment in Parliament some weeks ago.
Sir Geoff reminds us that our western democracy is a privilege-based system inherited from Britain: "It is a long-standing constitutional convention that the substance of the advice from the law officers is not shared outside government in England and New Zealand." https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-05-2020/geoffrey-palmer-hallelujah-new-zealand-government-works/
"Professor J Ll J Edwards, in a respected 1984 work The Attorney General, Politics and the Public Interest, stated there is “an impregnable moat” around the law officers’ opinions. Legal professional privilege applies to the crown."
Our local Don Quixote, the leader of the opposition, is having a tilt at this antique windmill. "Bah, humbug!" "Why should tradition trump the principle of transparent governance??"
Good question, but simple Simon hasn't actually thought of articulating it yet. Still, keeping it tacit may not stop folks noticing it…
Geoffrey Palmer is a coward, a toady, an utter disgrace to this nation; he should be shunned by all decent people.
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/why-palmer-uribe-report-israels-flotilla-attack-worthless
[Whether Geoffrey Palmer has a pimple on his butt is completely irrelevant to his expertise in constitutional law. You have a pattern of behaviour and one (!) of the hallmarks is avoiding debating a topic that is brought up and instead deflecting and going for slurring the source (AKA shooting the messenger). You have received several warnings but to no avail. Take a fortnight off – Incognito]
He speaks highly of you too.
Yes that fiasco was an embarrassment to behold alright, and did NZ's international credibility as an impartial player no favours.
See my Moderation note @ 10:06 AM.
He would defend me if I and my lawless cronies descended on a boatload of peace protestors and killed, say, nine of them. Actually, he would sit there silently as he did in 2010 and let some South American dictator do all the thinking and talking.
If only one had any cronies. Sigh
I'll be your crony, Sacha. Any time.
The most important news of recent times..the godfather of rock…the originator of R&B has left planet earth…..I am sure Sun Ra will be there at his new destination ready to welcome him.
This is a great interview….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Z2rQZeoWk
I've been reading the various toy throwing and hissy fits from journalists in the press gallery in recent days and it occurred to me that COVID-19 has at the moment led to a fundamental power shift between the government and the press gallery, and much of their anger and frustration can be sourced in butt hurt egos that have sensed they've been sidelined by Jacinda and excoriated by the public.
Basically, Jacinda uses social media and the live 1pm press conferences to talk directly to the population without the interpretive filter usually applied by the press gallery. That has made the gallery heavy weights redundant, mere observers and repeaters of the PM’s news of the day.
At the same time, the general public has had a real time front row seat to how the press gallery behaves – the petty focus on gotchas, the constant repetition of questions on trivial issues, the attempts to manufacture conflict – and has been appalled, and hasn't been slow to let the media hacks know how appalled it is. Journalists are thin skinned at the best of times, and the reaction of the press gallery to this unwelcome collision with the reality of actual public opinion has often been petulant, self-righteous and sulking with not a moment of collective self-reflection.
Nicely put and spot-on Sanc.
I think it is more of the fact that snidely attacking the government catches readers eyes rather than repeating government advice.
It is all about appearing to be relevant for the print media. I noticed, and no doubt quite a few here did too that within a few days of lockdown when it was obvious that the murder rate was going to flatline ( sorry, couldn't help that ) the Herald in particular started reruns of old gruesome murder stories from years ago. The initial introduction of the stories almost read as if they had only happened in the last few days.
What the fuck was that about ? It was about capturing readership, manipulatley, cynicly, dishonestly and disgusting. Pretty much sums up the Herald and Stuff.
And they are to dumb to understand why she gaged her ministers. not very many of us want information about this virus. from here there and every where most just want 1 00pm press conferences
Problem is, a lot of them are not very bright (there are exceptions, of course). When I left school in the 60s the bright ones left to go to university and 'the B team' went into job training including journalism.
Not good – we need the brightest and the best, but how long would they last under the thumbs of media owners? We really need a news dissemination revolt!
Back in the 1960s – and earlier of course – some of those "brightest and best" never made it to university because their parents couldn't afford to maintain their upkeep. Apart from a handful of much sought after scholarships, there was no available financial assistance and part-time jobs were few and far between. Young women in particular were affected.
I think some of those bright ones might have gone direct to 'journalism school' because the standard of reporting in those days was ‘par excellence’ compared with most of today's products.
Most of the senior journalists were also squeezed into PR over the past few decades, tipping the balance further towards spun tattle.
Oh yes. But we got "free" University.
A lot of the "best and brightest" did go into trades and the like, because you got paid from the start.
Back then there was no 'journalism school' – they learnt on the job – they were called 'cub reporters'
That's right. I wasn't well up on the "press" front in those days. I guess they were paid too which KJT alluded to above.
I went to the Auckland Dental School for school dental nurses in Mt. Eden. I started out earning seven pounds a week (or was it a fortnight – can't remember) and by the time we completed our training it had gone up to nine pounds. Nine pounds! I thought I was rich. 🙂
Some of us were lucky tho Anne. My dad was a factory worker. Completing the upper sixth was sufficient to gain a fees and allowance bursary. Not a great deal but 90% of your fees paid, and small a help for purchase of text books. There were holiday jobs available then at meat works and other places. I did farm labouring to earn around 120 pounds to help tide me over the year, and the next couple of years worked for the local council gardening and mowing the parks and reserves. I also got a plum job as a grave digger! That was around 20 quid for a grave and a days work. One year (in my Stage 3 year) I was able to get all my lectures in the afternoon which allowed me to work in the morning as a cleaner. It was actually my most successful academic year as well.
We were very fortunate to have the Fees and Allowance Bursary as we were able to finish our studies without the burden of a huge student loan hanging over our heads.
Fair enough. But it was harder for young women Macro. In fact we were discouraged from having aspirations to go to university although by the end of the 60s decade things started to change. Part time jobs were also harder for us. Meat works, farm labouring and grave digging were not available to young ladies. 😉
Rather galling to watch brothers go to Uni and then get told that I would probably be married sooner than later so Uni would be a waste. But that was common in those days and we did as we were told.
Precisely Patricia 2.
Tell you what though… I don't do what I'm told nowadays. Better late than never. 🙂
Yes. 100%
Absolutely. And the B team are all now working for the NZHerald and Stuff.
the general public has had a real time front row seat to how the press gallery behaves – the petty focus on gotchas, the constant repetition of questions on trivial issues, the attempts to manufacture conflict
It's lazy, cheap and demeaning. If NZ learns anything from this it's just how poorly our Press Gallery has been serving us for so long. They have a vital role to perform, but who holds them to account for how well they undertake it?
The media face not only a business model crisis with Google and FB stealing so much of their content and income, but a direct challenge to their authority with the rise of content creators on multiple platforms taking their eyeballs as well.
And with voices like Joe Rogan demonstrating how the public does indeed have an appetite for long form material … up to 2 or 3 hours even … it's clear their traditional journalism model is broken as well. They still stand at the gate trying to control the narrative, but the fences either side have growing gaps that people are walking through, bypassing their purpose.
With the immense flood of information the internet has unleashed on us, even the most capable minds buckle. No individual can make meaning of even a fraction of it directly. As a result we are increasingly drawn to higher level value abstractions, building sense and meaning to bring conceptual order to the chaos.
Then we watch the Press Gallery in action and it feels like watching children squabble.
Worse, it feels like watching schoolkids gossip about a squabble.
'Then she pulled his hair. Mind you he probably deserved it after what he did last week. And she shared some of her lipgloss at playtime yesterday so I can't hold it against her. Did you hear what his friends said on TakTok afterwards?' Gag me with a spoon.
Yup … that's it.
Or as I heard a project manager memorably say after a particularly dire morning meeting "pass me a ballpoint, I need to gouge my eyes out".
What intrigues me is the complete lack of comprehension. One asks a question and has it answered then the next question is almost the same and Jacinda patiently explains again. I'd like to see their faces and have their names up on the screen so we know not to bother reading their columns.
What they're doing is asking the question specifically then getting the answer from Jacinda. Later when the link goes to a news bulletin on their radio or TV station it will appear to be an exclusive question and answer to their station only.
Pathetic I know but we live in an age where 'image' is everything.
The Media industry is in deep shit and many jobs are on the line, which is aggravated and expedited by pandemic lockdown. My ego would (be) hurt too if I were to lose my job.
Yes, like many other people they are acting out their stress and fear – just more in public than most of us.
True that – Tracy Watkins explicitly says so in a piece today that is awash in aggrieved self-importance, "the backlash to any criticism of Jacinda Ardern or her Government in the current environment is a constant weight on the media's shoulders". What has actually happened is that the conventional journalism of the recent past is spectacularly unsuited to the present moment. People can see that manufactured 'gotchas', and the constant proprietor-driven sniping at the left, might actually constitute a danger to public health.
They didn't give a toss during the Key years, they are thin skinned indeed.
Oh dear – sounds a lot like "poor little me" is the story today. There is also a lack of self awareness in thinking that this type of story will improve their reputation – nah.
It's the blindness . I don't for one moment condone personal attacks on journalists but the quality of their work?!
I expect questions that
-expand our state of knowledge or get information released that otherwise may have been overlooked ( & here the journalist that focuses on PI & Maori issues has been pretty much on target- I'm interested in how the East cape testing went – did the road blocks contribute to this positive situation?)
-test the boundaries of the government response and control. Where are the questions around who is controling and paying for the outsourced part of the health system response – the for profit sector of aged care and other vulnerable clients? Where has the questioning of the likes of Ryman health care taken place?
-has an individual bad experience been backed up by systematic research and then a question in the press conference?
Perhaps part of their problem is lack of criticism of the Key government even when it was deserved? So they don't know how to respond.
Anyway perhaps we should continue to televise all these press conferences – and it would be very handy if we could text a few questions of our own perhaps.
Common with many media articles, Watkins was totally lacking in self-awareness
AB
What has actually happened is that the government has implemented an extremely effective communications campaign. One of the planned outcomes of this has been to deliberately sideline journalists and to undermine their credibility.
A key element of the strategy is to control the message and ensure that every body stays on message. This includes cabinet ministers. With this kind of comms strategy you don't want any one or anything to disrupt the key messages. Journalists have a habit of doing this.
In my opinion its absolutely imperative that the media, the political classes and the public do ask hard and difficult questions of the government at this time. We should support them in so doing instead of cynically undermining them.
Jacinda, if she reads the Standard, is probably doing so with a smile on her face saying to herself – 'job done' – given the sycophantic reactions of many of those blogging here.
What really happened is that we have been informed accurately and in detail, by the Government, and Ashley Blomfield, what their thoughts are, and the evidence behind them, for an hour each day.
Then, the media have squeezed it through a filter of spin and bullshit, they mostly made up.
The fact we have now seen it in real time, rather than simply getting the medias interpretation, shows up graphically how incompetent, and stupid, our media reporters really are.
And valid and helpful to the situation, criticism, and questions, has been buried amongst the tide of media, “personality” self aggrandisement.
You've accurately described what governments (plural) do.
If a PM can win 3 elections by boycotting interviews on Morning Report and going on Bloke FM to talk rugby instead, why not follow the winner's playbook to win some more?
But Jacinda has a very long way to go. Let's start worrying when …
she attacks the media as "knuckleheads" and demands questions be submitted in advance.
Must be very tempting, after being asked the same inane question, you've already patiently answered at length, for the fourth time in 20 minutes.
That’s a reasonable set of propositions.
Despite to tight control of communications in daily live press releases with Q & A time straight afterwards, daily updates on the MoH website, and updates & corrections on other Government websites (e.g. WINZ) with clarifications from the minister of Finance when/where necessary, there was still enough confusion around. The country was in a State of Emergency and dealing with a rapidly evolving and developing situation that was unprecedented.
This was not the time for the press to start digging and poking holes but to be constructive in their questioning, criticism, and help to get the message out as fast and as clear as they could. By and large, the press did an excellent job.
Indeed, the press has a job to do but they’re walking a fine line between holding the Government to account and risking confusing and alienating the public from staying the course for a little(?) bit longer and undermining the public trust that is required for this – we are still in Level 3. The press has another responsibility, which is to keep the business afloat. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to revert to gotcha tactics or shock-jock antics, IMO.
I won’t even mention the Opposition and the fact that the Election is in just over four months.
ISTR strong and consistent comms was a key part of the pandemic plan.
Strong and consistent comms is part of good governance but in a life-or-death situation it is vital.
Are you referring to a specific section in the Pandemic Plan? There is quite a lot in it about communication, as you can imagine, but I don’t know what you have in mind.
Damn, now I had to reread it lol
Appendix A (p153) is the main bit
In the absence of pharmaceutical intervention,effective communication is a powerful tool for pandemic constraint.
EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR health risk communication are essential for protecting public health in the event of pandemic influenza.Reducing negative consequences relies heavily on gaining cooperation from diverse countrywide entities.Communications must successfully instruct,inform, and motivate appropriate self-protective behavior; up date risk information; build trust in officials; and dispel rumors.
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdfplus/10.2105/AJPH.2009.162537
Wash,rinse repeat.
Ta
On page 103 of the Pandemic Plan:
Public Information Management Strategy
Overarching principles
Public information management is part of an integrated strategy to provide leadership for the public, the health and disability sector and other sectors during a pandemic and complement the Ministry of Health and wider sector pandemic response.
The Public Information Management Strategy allows the Ministry of Health to explain what it is doing and to advise the public as the pandemic progresses. It is designed to avoid confusion and maintain accuracy, clarity and consistency of message. The overarching principles of the strategy are to:
This strategy recognises that information is essential to the effective management of a pandemic response, and that in a pandemic one of the most critical roles of the Ministry of Health will be to provide leadership and coordination in communications.
The main point is that we don't see any hard & difficult questions being asked in these press conferences. Journalists are undermining their own credibility without any help from us. Stories and posts moaning that we don't "understand" just fuel the narrative "sigh".
I can answer most of the questions from what we have been told previously.
So long as journalists aren't disrupting by distorting or selecting, they can leave that to Slick Bodges.
I totally agree Sanc. I really do hope the media realise what they are here for and sort themselves out before they are deceased! but either way would be an improvement now.
Sanctuary @ 11 + 100 Couldn't agree more.
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/05/clues-to-pandemic-rebounds-from-past.html
People forget how rock'n'roll was horrifying to mainstreamers back in the fifties – exemplified by the instruction to the cameraman on the Ed Sullivan Show to frame Elvis from the waist up. Seeing his gyrating crotch on national tv would have an unfortunate effect on girls. Not allowed!
Little Richard was even more of a dynamo & pioneer than Elvis, leader of the cross-over from black music into the bi-racial mix (mid-1950s). Dylan on the dynamo: "Bob Dylan, who dreamed of joining Little Richard’s band as a young musician in Minnesota, penned a short tribute to the rock pioneer following his death Saturday at the age of 87." https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-little-richard-tribute-996935/
“I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved,” Dylan wrote. “He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.”
Dylan continued, “I played some shows with him in Europe in the early nineties and got to hang out in his dressing room a lot. He was always generous, kind and humble. And still dynamite as a performer and a musician and you could still learn plenty from him. In his presence he was always the same Little Richard that I first heard and was awed by growing up and I always was the same little boy."
I remember those waist-up frames. Fortunately I was never a great fan of Elvis Presley so I doubt his "gyrating crotch" would have had much affect on me.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months#Echobox=1589017302
"The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months
And the boys had no one to tell them to be kind to each other, stay safe or stay in their bubble, even if they did try to escape their rocky bubble. Thanks KJT.
I thought that was a wonderful story
In that same decade a group of Tongans heading for NZ ran aground on Minerva Reef, way out on the ocean and daily covered by water .The reason they survived was a Japanese hulk had also stranded and remained years before.They were able to perch on that during the hours the reef was submerged and salvaged wood to make a perfectly decent boat.During the few hours when the reef wasnt under water they gathered food .They lived like this for 14 weeks
They also prayed and sang, and acted as a cohesive unit until 3 of them set off in the boat they'd made, got to a populated island, and sent back help.
The Minerva Reef has an interesting past and is currently disputed by Tonga and Fiji
"Minerva Reefs were claimed by Tonga in 1972 after the shadowy US Phoenix Foundation shipped in dirt and declared it a republic.
The late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV loaded a ferry with soldiers, a convict work detail and a four-piece brass band and sailed the 500 kilometres to personally haul down the "Republic of Minerva" flag.
As he raised his own banner, he declared it a Tongan island."
"The reefs have taken on more significance as their possession gives rights to lucrative undersea minerals. South Korean, Chinese and Australian interests are seeking prospecting rights in the area.
Fiji's Foreign Affairs deputy permanent secretary Sila Balawa said last year it objected to Tonga building structures on Fiji territory.
In November 2009 the Fiji patrol boats arrived in the lagoon and chased yachts away."
Our very own South China Sea!
Minerva Reef is an amazing spot, often used as a mid-ocean refuge for yachts timing the weather windows to and from New Zealand. It's one of the more difficult passages many sailors face and more than a few have been very grateful to have a few days respite inside it's relatively calm lagoon.
Have been into Minerva twice, between Tonga and NZ, once heading South and again heading North, both to shelter fom crappy weather before heading on. It's certainly an amazing place as all you see around you is sea. A bit uncanny if there are huge swells breaking on the reef that protects the lagoon. There is a light beacon and a tiny sliver of sand that uncovers at low tide.
Been there myself. Awesome refuge, awash at high water, so not completely safe in a real blow. More Tiger sharks than the National party caucus.
There are two separate reefs, 40 km apart. South Minerva is the largest, but more awash at high tide and not so secure. North Minerva is the preferred choice in very bad weather. It has all round protection and good holding. When either the Fiji or Tongan Navy are down there knocking down each others' flags or sructures, they sometimes kick everyone out or just come round for a friendly visit. I think most young Pacific Island kids brought up at least for a time in their village would easily cope with isolation together on a remote island (the story KJY referred to above) or stranded out at sea on a small boat. Life in most villages, even today, tends to emphasise cooperation and sharing.
We had a look at Middleton, in daylight, years ago.
Only a few miles off the normal track.
A collection of vessels, there, that found it the hard way.
It is significant that the characterisation of people as solely self interested, pervades so much economic thought, when even the most capitalist firm, depends on co-operation.
A CEO in the USA ran one of their largest firms into the ground, trying to run it on competitive, Randian principles.
Minerva or middleton reef? ISTR an ancestor of mine drove a ship onto the latter.
The Minerva Reefs are 350 km SW of Tongatapu, the southern most inhabited island of Tonga. Middleton Reef lies well off the East Australian coast. Elizabeth Reef is another reef close to Middleton with a lagoon you can get into in good weather. Ata, where the lads in the Guardian article were shipwrecked, is north of the Minervas and currently uninhabited again,. It had a resort on it for a few years before it blew down in a cyclone.
Actually we had a look at both, looking at my diaries. On different ships and occasions. Minerva in this case.
About 40 odd years ago. Hence the transposition. 🙄👴
lol if my ancestor had seen middleton in daylight, the ship wouldn't have been careened
Grounded. "Careened" is deliberate, for maintenance.
🙂
The late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV loaded a ferry with soldiers, a convict work detail and a four-piece brass band and sailed the 500 kilometres to personally haul down the "Republic of Minerva" flag.
In 1940, under the reign of Queen Salote , my father was dispatched to Nukualofa, Tonga to train the first Tongan soldiers and he also oversaw the building of the first Tongan prison. After the grand opening ceremony he returned the next morning to find Tongan families had moved into the prison because it was better than their own accommodation. He shooed them out with a warning they would be incarcerated if they returned. (well, I doubt he used the word incarcerated but the intent of the warning was clear.)
I learnt years later that he had been highly respected by the people of the tiny nation and he apparently got along very well with Queen Salote who, some may recall, was hugely popular at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve4YaJN-jI4
Lovely story Anne
It is. Thanks.
But it wasn't all lovely. My father had to split up several Japanese families who had lived on the main island for years. They were well regarded by the Tongans. The fathers were sent to Somes Is., Wellington. The families were also removed but I don't know what happened to them. I don't think that was something my father relished one little bit but he had to follow orders.
Good story KJT. There are of course plenty of similar events that had much different endings, and it's useful to consider why sometimes these stories are dark and violent, and other times like this one, they're uplifting. Everything depends on morale:
Survival, depends on attitude, and co-operation.
Which was why Outward Bound was founded. After middle aged women, were found to be better at surviving, than fit young men.
Moral plays a big part. The reason fishing tackle is still part of a liferaft, fitout.
How to grief by Sarah Cooper:
https://twitter.com/sarahcpr/status/1258455086663114752?s=20
Minister front up to give "Good News", But is it ? as we are told increased transportation costs and decline of the NZ$ – We are spending more BUT we could be purchasing less especially as the increase funding is ONLY $10m next year.
Since 2017 the NZ$ was purchasing $0.72 US now its $0.60.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12330811
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/121465276/coronavirus-government-to-pump-160m-into-pharmac-to-secure-medicine-supply
MAGA
https://www.twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1257264160213217285
U.S. Covid-19 update.
Cases: 1,347,309
Deaths: 80,037
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
That's about 30,000 deaths in the last week and a half over there (I just remember them getting to the 50,000 milestone).
Anyone could have put an argument that we entered into levels 2,3, & 4 a week or 2 too early, just right or we were a bit slow to react. From taking a walk around my neighbourhood and local walkway/beach and noticing many bubbles merge on such a fine Sunday – One thing that will be hard to argue, is that NZ has "voted" by our actions that the time to progress down to level 2 has arrived.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300009033/coronavirus-50-level-3-breaches-in-24-hours-wellington-like-rush-hour
I'm sure it won't happen, but I'd kinda like to see Jacinda/Ashley announce that there's a reward for most regions, who can move to level 2 ASAP … but (stern face) Auckland and Wellington are letting down the rest, so you get an extra week's detention. To continue until you behave!
Tamaki Drive isn't New Zealand, it's just the most accessible for the TV cameras.
There is also a reverse argument, that many regions don't have the same saturated coverage and much goes unseen/unreported 😉
Tamaki Drive isn't even Auckland. But yes, the big cities deserve some consequences (other than death and illness).
Death and illness will probably be sufficient.
If standing 2 meters apart in a massive line for Countdown and to then handle open piles of veggies who knows who has already done indoors once you get in, is ok, I am not sure how a few groups of people on an open beach is any different.
Probably safer.
At least they can trace who else was in the shop.
Yours might.
My one you don't have to record you were there.
you dont use a supermarket card for discounts or pay by eftpos?
No, Chris T flits in and out magically with effeteness…
This is a useful thread on the so-called Friday "dump":
https://twitter.com/GraemeEdgeler/status/1259302845393690626
Instead of jerking knees, a discussion about what officials should do, and the practical issues of releasing information. e.g. why is witholding info until Sat or Mon or whenever better than releasing it?
Heh! He missed the most pragmatic option: make hardcopies of everything, stuff it in a winebox, throw it in a waste container, and tip off Tova.
Lol..they really are little more than spoiled children
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/10/elon-musk-threatens-to-move-tesla-hq-out-of-california-over-covid-19-restrictions
Greece, Lesbos – far right attacks by violent thugs from many countries.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/greek-island-lesbos-stage-europe-200422093212700.html<i>
…As part of the reporting that I do on migration and refugees in Greece, I have been to Lesbos many times, particularly in the past couple of years. I have always felt safe on the narrow, cobbled streets of Mytilene but that night, concerned that I was being profiled, I ran home, fearful that I was now a target.
The same streets where I had once felt at ease were swiftly becoming the stage for Europe's culture wars and, within days, there would be neo-Nazis from six countries on Lesbos, who would arrive to show their solidarity with violent vigilantes. The internet would light up with dubious hashtags exhorting people to "defend Europe" or "stand with Greece"….
…"[Our villages] gave lessons of dignity with our solidarity with the suffering of fellow human beings during the great ordeal of 2015 to 2016," it said. "No act of intolerance, blind fanaticism and violence can tarnish this honourable legacy."
The far-right activists, who came only for a matter of days in March, used their platforms to mischaracterise and misrepresent local sentiment as largely hostile towards refugees.
The reality on the ground and the nuanced views of the diverse community who live here, however, is invariably far more complicated and often more empathetic than they would have their audience believe. </i>
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Greed sell us the state assets then we will fleace the many common people and run them into the ground next minute the state has to bail the assets out while the few sit on piles of cash.
Yes there must be a cautious approach to level 2.
Some People are already acting like 5 year olds.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Newshub.
YEA we go down to level 2 restrictions on Thursday.
Looks like local tourist are going to take a holiday good for business.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Groups of 10 is OK just for another 2 weeks some want level 3 to carry on for another 2 weeks.?
That's awesome Maori have to preserve and protect our intellectual property rights great topic I don't do Facebook.
That's is cool the fish's shop delivering fish and chips to Kaumatua.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
The Koala bear looks like a happy bear after going through that trauma cool.
Takes a bit for the information to sink in A.
I could see that 3 of the biggest cluster are from boozey gathering go figure.
I think it's more about protecting the most vulnerable to the virus the elderly.
Cool the majority of people want to work from home.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Cool all the extra funding for health care.
That's not on mall owners bulling their tenants during this virus crisis. PROBABLY foreign owners.
International nurses day thanks for your mahi.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's the way use zoom to help hold church services you can get the young to help with that.
As someone said adapt to the challenges or you know what.
Ka pai Ngāti Ranana using the Internet to keep their Kapa going strong.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Times are changing.
I hope the he new police powers are only temporary.
There you go this virus needs to be treated seriously.
Be thankful that our government has minimise the virus impact on Aotearoa.
So long as the mahi is achieved working from home will be positive.
Ka kite Ano.