Chris Hedges discusses with UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer the conditions of Julian Assange's detention, his psychological and physical health as well as the judicial proceedings against the WikiLeaks founder.
Exclusive footage showing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London’s high security Belmarsh prison has been obtained by Ruptly. It was filmed on a device by a fellow inmate who describes himself as a supporter of the whistleblower.
Two words: David Kelly. I understand a documentary about his "suicide" is being made which will raise many questions about the 'dark actors' he spoke about before his death.
175 years or the death warrant for someone that exposed the deep state of the USA's ( aka CIA / FBI and the neo con Hawks ) military industrial complexes agenda.
Disgusting.
Whats more disgusting is that a little while ago a Mod / blogger on this site tried to relegate that all down to a now disproven Swedish ' rape' charge , – along with all the other fan kids who supported that twisted identity politics apologist for the far right.
How gross.
How vomitous.
Learn well from your elders and superiors, freaks. Learn your history well before you dare to comment and speak.
There is a new type of constituent on the rise in Global Politics these days. They're not conservative but they're old fashioned. They're not Liberal but they're flashy. They are composed of both sexes, some token races and a broad range of age and economic cohorts. I am, of course, talking about Elvis Impersonators.
When the King of Rock & Roll shrugged off his mortal coil in 1977, there were already a few diehard fans who wanted to be the King more than most. These folk, armed with sequins, bedazzlers and a wide variety of fringed suede rodeo wear; soon made their way onto karaoke stages everywhere as they began to pretend in earnest.
From a paltry few on the fringes of fashion the movement grew. Three impersonators in 1978, 12 in 79, and now, in 2019, 100 million billion Elvis Impersonators and growing bigly.
While this group had been considered a joke amongst establishment politicians, the groups candidate, Donald ‘Jive Turkey’ Trump, took the reins of power in America after threatening to perform a 24 hour rendition of Heartbreak Hotel if he didn't win. Trump's opposition, Hillary 'I left my heart in San Francisco' Clinton's fate was also sealed in a presidential debate when, after calling Trump a petulant pig, he countered with 'You aint nothin' but a hound dog'.
Trump's first decree was to change the title of President to King, and to have stacks of burgers delivered to the White House by a Black Man. This pleased him tremendously. Other initiatives have seen him eradicate all record of Chuck Berry, and to establish laws banning Mexican Elvis Impersonators from America; especially the good ones. Future initiatives include rhinestone studs to replace the stars on the American flag, Karaoke machines with the complete Elvis collection installed in all McDonalds, and 250 Billion dollars put into research for hair replacement therapy.
People all over the world have wrung their hands in earnest 'how did an Elvis Impersonator get power in the White House' simply forgetting the promise of burgers for all, and how he'd combed over the truth. Also, that Hillary was nothin' but a hound dog.
There hasn't been a lot of discussion on the nature of the new budget. For what it is worth it is a game changer in its approach to setting policy guidelines on government spending. Yet from what I see in NZ its been a huge "Meh!"
However, progressive media overseas are looking not at the details -(which regrettably is the focus of most NZers) – but at the overall intention and direction of the new Wellbeing Budget process.
Here is an article on Vox's Future Perfect to see what I mean.
Forget GDP — New Zealand is prioritizing gross national well-being
The country’s new “well-being budget” emphasizes citizen happiness over capitalist gain.
We usually think of a country’s wealth or capital in terms of its financial bottom line: its gross domestic product. But New Zealand challenged the world to assess it in terms of a very different commodity, as the country released the first-ever “well-being budget” on May 30.
To Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the purpose of government spending is to ensure citizens’ health and life satisfaction, and that — not wealth or economic growth — is the metric by which a country’s progress should be measured. GDP alone, she said, “does not guarantee improvement to our living standards” and nor does it “take into account who benefits and who is left out.”
The budget requires all new spending to go toward five specific well-being goals: bolstering mental health, reducing child poverty, supporting indigenous peoples, moving to a low-carbon-emission economy, and flourishing in a digital age.
To measure progress toward these goals, New Zealand will use 61 indicators tracking everything from loneliness to trust in government institutions, alongside more traditional issues like water quality.
Ardern, who has spoken of empathy as the trait most needed in political leaders nowadays, said that her government has “laid the foundation for not just one well-being budget, but a different approach for government decision-making altogether.”
Even the Guardian has an article outlining the new Well-Being Budget process.
Child poverty, domestic violence and mental health will be the priorities in New Zealand’s “wellbeing budget”, the finance minister has announced, with the nation declaring itself the first in the world to measure success by its people’s wellbeing.
On Tuesday Grant Robertson said that despite New Zealand’s “rockstar” economy many New Zealanders were being left behind, with home ownership at a 60-year low, the suicide rate climbing and homelessness and food aid grants on the rise.
According to predictions by the International Monetary Fund, the New Zealand economy is expected to grow at around 2.5 % in 2019 and 2.9% in 2020. But Robertson emphasised many New Zealanders were not benefitting in their daily lives.
Although comparable countries such as the UK have begun to measure the national rate of wellbeing, New Zealand is the first western country to design its entire budget around wellbeing priorities and instruct its ministries to design policies to improve wellbeing.
Shock! Horror! that The Guardian would cover, and no doubt like, a safe, middle of the road, hand wringing, non transformational, financially suffocated budget from NZ Labour….have you ever read the Guardian?
Have you actually read what this Well-being budget is about and how it was created? Are you, as well as almost every other NZer, completely unaware that this is a world first – aimed at creating a Budget and therefore Government Policy that addresses the welfare of all New Zealanders – not just the chosen few. Yes even the Guardian has chosen to highlight the significance of this world first attempt at creating a better society.
And yes I do read the Guardian which you obviously don't. You might like to read the article I linked to, to see what it does have to say. I quoted some of it for you.
Here is what Robert Kennedy had to say about our obsession with GDP – the fiscal measure that drove previous Budgets both here and everywhere else in the western world.
"“For me, well-being means people living lives of purpose, balance and meaning to them, and having the capabilities to do so,” said Robertson"
Purpose balance and meaning are great – but we only get to that point once material necessities are taken care of and not under continual threat of loss or removal by the powerful – "the realm of freedom begins where the realm of necessity ends."
All elected MPs are there to further the wellbeing of every NZer. We believe most MPs who say that that is what they are there for.
So how does the behaviour of MPs like Simon Bridges fit into that claim? By all means hold the Government to account but to deny the evidence that the Budget marks a significant shift to improve the wellbeing of we the people, is treasonous in my book. Bullies twist truth, belittle, sneer and demean. Does this sound like what Bridges/Bennett do?
<i>" deny the evidence that the Budget marks a significant shift to improve the wellbeing of we the people, is treasonous in my book "</i>
I'm with Rosemary on this. Despite the fanfare, the improvements proposed are not significant in terms of investment or effectiveness. As an innovative budget it does not deliver more for those who have waited an awfully long time to be noticed.
We were not told if the "leaked" material was actually part of the Budget. Gordon writes:
To repeat: the fact that the information released by Bridges had been only the pre-announced stuff – which was why it had been pre-loaded on the website, awaiting the full inputs on Budget Day itself – should have immediately told those concerned what they were (almost certainly) dealing with.
So molehills certainly grow. Had Treasury/Robertson front footed this it would have negated Simon's blather wouldn't it?
…early on the Wednesday, the sole focus of National leader Simon Bridges on the “bungling” and incompetence” aspects (while not giving further revelations about Budget content) should have galvanized Robertson to go on the front foot and (a) publically clarify the likely nature of the leak (b) re-assure the public of its limited nature and thereby (c) begin to distance the government from Treasury’s overcooked initial “explanation” as to what had happened. As we now know, Robertson did none of the above.
This new information is concerning.
Indeed, why didn't Grant Robertson front foot it the next day – or the day after?
It could be because they were receiving conflicting information from more than one source so they decided to go for an inquiry.
Molly and Rosemary I wonder why the commentary on the Wellbeing Budget has been noticed and written about overseas. After all, a small country Budget would usually cause a big yawn or less – unless it was the beginning of some pretty important direction in spite of the relentless naysayers.
Ianmac. Twenty something years ago I was speaking with a child protection social worker from the UK. This social worker had attended a training program on Family Group Conferences.
The model they were rolling out in her area of the Midlands was based on our wonderful Family Group Conference scheme here in New Zealand. "World Beating!!!" "Innovative!!!" "The Answer to Rising Youth Offending!!!".
I don't think she fully believed me when I told the the scheme was largely a flop.
There's the spin, and then there's the reality.
Perhaps some of us live closer to the ground.
Results Ianmac, how are we going to measure the outcomes/outputs?
What is wellbeing? Wellbeing is when people lead fulfilling lives with purpose, balance and meaning to them. Giving more New Zealanders the capability to improve their wellbeing requires tackling the long-term challenges we face as a country, like the mental health crisis and breaking the cycle of child poverty and domestic violence. It means improving the state of our environment, the strength of our communities and the performance of our economy. Making the best choices for current and future generations requires looking beyond economic growth and considering social, environmental, and economic implications together. The Wellbeing Budget does this in three ways:
1. Breaking down agency silos and working across government to assess, develop and implement policies that improve wellbeing
2. Focusing on outcomes that meet the needs of present generations at the same time as thinking about the long-term impacts for future generations, and
3. Tracking our progress with broader measures of success, including the health of our finances, natural resources, people and communities.
The Wellbeing Budget Package focuses on the five priorities announced in the Budget Policy Statement, as well as funding to maintain public services at the level New Zealanders expect. These priorities were identified using collaborative and evidence-based processes, involving Science Advisors and the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework. The five priorities are:
• Supporting mental wellbeing for all New Zealanders, with a special focus on under 24-year-olds
• Reducing child poverty and improving child wellbeing, including addressing family violence
• Lifting Māori and Pacific incomes, skills and opportunities • Supporting a thriving nation in the digital age through innovation, social and economic opportunities, and
• Creating opportunities for productive businesses, regions, iwi and others to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions economy.
Macro, I find myself in company with The Chairman more and more these days, – the link he put up is worth watching.
I miss the lack of critique of any policy just because it is produced by the current coalition. It is not just a question of tribal politics, there are New Zealanders who are currently living diminished lives – and who have already waited decades to be noticed and they are still required to wait.
There are fundamental failures in essential services that need innovative and directed change, and none of this is happening.
I am beyond 'missing'. I feel bereft. Near weeping I am at the lack of real debate and shocked at the slurs against those of us who are not yet convinced…
Hint…not being 100% convinced this Current Mob are committed to reversing three decades of sociopathic governance doth not a National supporter make.
Getting fleas is usually better than being dog tucker.
The results of election2017 are the facts on the ground. I sure can't see any other coalition deal possible from those results that would deliver more funadamental change than what we have.
At least they're making an effort, and minimising NZ1's immigration ideas while supporting the regional growth plans.
FFS, this centre left bs is tiring. All you ever do is lose voters, you have done that for the last 30 odd years. You keep throwing people to the wolves in the name of political expediency. Your ideological as all hell without accepting you are – and it makes you look alot like those other crazy ideologies.
If the labour party of the early 20th century had acted like you lot, then social democracy would never of happened.
Just a final point, because the blindly obvious needs to be said. You know that quoting Bismark and/or Churchill makes you look like a Tory prick on a left wing website, don't you?
Screw you. I tried the NLP and Alliance. There were others even further left that made even less of an impact. If incrementalism is losing votes, why did none of them take the place of Labour?
That's the shitty thing about democracy – votes win, not theory.
The sooner you realise that, the sooner you'll stop railing against your nearest allies.
This government is not the end in itself. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning – especially if the terminally glum start being able to identify friend from foe.
The results of election2017 are the facts on the ground. I sure can't see any other coalition deal possible from those results that would deliver more funadamental change than what we have.
Evidently, you need help to see. Labour could have (in numerous ways) offered Peters more, allowing him to keep face with his supporters in return for his support for more.
Ah, so the way to getting more left wing policy is the make policy concessions to an inherently conservative party, rather than focusing on the common ground?
Which policy concessions do you recommend Labour and the Greens make to NZ1? Walk back a bit on immigration? In exchange for what?
Ah, so the way to getting more left wing policy is the make policy concessions to an inherently conservative party, rather than focusing on the common ground?
No. Offering more where there is common ground along with more (such as in the way of funding) where concessions have already been made. Conditional on more NZF support of course.
And one way to fund that (along with raising more revenue for the Government overall) is to vastly increase the tourist levy. From the $35 recently announced to say $200 per adult and a $100 per child. That way, a million visitors (NZ has almost 4 million annually) would generate in excess of $100 million in new Government revenue. That would help buy a lot more of NZF's support.
So your suggestion is that both NZ1 and Labour have a "common ground" in triple-figure tourist levies? Without any data on how that might affect tourism in the regions?
@McF
I know the outdoor community is definitely fed up with the chronic underfunding of DoC, while at the same time watching the tourism industry profit either directly or indirectly from the Conservation Estate.
I've participated in numerous discussions elsewhere that all generally agree that increased levies on tourists is both justified and affordable for most visitors.
Yes it will price some marginal visitors from coming here, and yes there is plenty of scenery elsewhere in the world. What everyone agrees on is that NZ's competitive advantage is in the quality of visitor's experience here and maintaining that is the intelligent way forward.
Yeah, that is probably the case. There's a long haul between that and NZ1 in particular supporting the tourist industry cool off a bit. The transition to package coach tours does keep more of the money away from the regions visited, but tourism is still an employer in a lot of the regions.
There have already been calls to slow our tourism numbers. We have a shortage of hotel rooms and an expected surging increase in visitors.
Therefore, we have scope for numbers to slow and perhaps even fall off a little.
Additionally, although numbers may fall off, the up side is it is likely to lift the quality of visitors which in turn are likely to spend more increasing our tourist income stream.
But of course, I wasn't suggesting research on it not being done. Nevertheless, as you can see, with tourism trending up coupled with NZ reaching maximum capacity, the notion has real potential.
Not at all. I highlighted one way Labour could have possibly gained more NZF support.
Moreover, seeing as an entry levy has recently been announced, it indicates the three support the notion. Suggesting the potential for increasing it is in the realm of reality.
No. I don't seriously think this government will deliver meaningful changes, which is why I didn't vote Labour last election. With or without NZ First, none of their election promises seem to be effective solutions to my personal areas of concern.
That seems to be borne out by the last twenty months of policy and programmes.
But I will not cheer for substandard measures because of their … Coalition partner, self-imposed budget restrictions, need to get re-elected, rhetoric about wellbeing…
I will applaud along with many others when policy arrives that does help the most marginalised and forgotten.
So what have you applauded in the last couple of years?
Winter energy payments? $60/w for parents of infants? Money to apprenticeships? Healthy rental homes? Removal of "name the father" benefit sanctions? Actually setting child poverty reduction as a targeted priority? Supergold card? First year free tertiary education?
I hope that all of you who have responded to The Chairman @ 3.4 understand that he is a concern troll, and, just like the devil, quotes the scriptures for his own purposes. His aim is to spread despondency on the Left, and with your replies you have pretty well given him reason to smile sardonically.
Labour's failure to deliver that is behind the growing despondency on the left
The only despondency on show is from the nat media and you.
And as rim clingers have quite unrealistic expectations and won't ever be satisfied, however left the government is, they're always moping, so nothing in particular to do with this budget.
Firstly, addressing you in your bubble, they're not my heroes and heroines, they're just who I voted for, and sure there are policies I want which aren't there yet, but considering the make up of the government I fully accept you can't always get what you want when you want it. Compromises have to be made, but it's still better than English's nats ruling the roost, right? Well that's called progress. Next time out, if we vote accordingly, then I’d expect to see more and more.
As far as despondency goes, it's just more of the same from the same people, here and the media. I stand by my above post. There is no groundswell of dissatisfaction against the government, no movement for change, no national debate. Nothing is perfect, not by a long shot, but to claim growing despondency is just malicious.
As shown numerous times, I'm far from the only one disappointed.
The People's Budget was totally about the recent Budget.
What's come to my attention is there is more and more left commentators (that are largely supportive of Labour) expressing their disappointment.
And while you foolishly write them off as mopers, you forget they are the voices and those working on the front line whose insights help change public opinion and help muster Labour's foot soldiers and voters come election day.
The problem with getting rid of the mosquitoes is they are an integral part of the food chain in many ecosystems. So I am a little surprised that Wiles is advocating it.
From memory though, there are organisms that suppress malaria in the mosquito phase. Wohlbachia comes to mind. Those look like better targets for further engineering.
Scientists have identified some ecological niches (pollinators, food) for mosquitos but also believe mosquitos ecological niche would be filled fairly readily. While I am dubious of such claims the fact is mosquitos are an absolute curse to mankind.
It only takes one, non-disease carrying mossy to completely screw up your nights sleep. And I've slapped myself so it hurt a number of times coming out of slumber to target the whining buzz. Yet here in NZ we have it easy, but in many countries these things severely weaken and even kill humans.
I think a gene drive makes more sense than an engineered fungi (or microbe) because every critter we've ever tried to control with insecticidal compounds has simply grown a resistance to it over time. The more you use bio and chemical pesticides, the greater the chances they will be overcome.
Some folks in the greens resist for the sake of resisting and have little to no scientific or ecological knowledge. Others are extremely sharp, are are not close to the Luddites as you describe. Is it dogmatism or caution that keeps them in opposition to such technology? Science has done itself no favors getting in bed with the corporates of the world. Now, the world is understandably cautious.
The rent a crowd mob really are annoying (and shrill), but sometimes they're the only people protesting and illuminating things of great public interest. Without canaries in the coal mine we'd all be cooked.
Folding and letting industry just get on with anything is a mugs game. At the end of the day public interest and common sense should prevail – but not if there's money to be made – then it's a dollar each way.
I understand that the wild animal seasonal stampede across the vast plains was to get free of the midges. Perhaps we subconsciously are taking a lesson from the wild when some of us (not me) set out on marathons. Perhaps they do serve some practical purpose other than avoiding sitting and thinking about our world and we people and what we personally can do to aid us all in the near future after disasters played like concertinas. Perhaps they will set themselves up as part of a message relay system when the lines go down from Auckland to Wellington.
Agreed. In the early days of GE technology there were good reasons to be cautious and hold back. That's not the same thing as being stuck in the past forever.
And the same with nuclear power. The first few generations of nuclear energy generation were worth skipping over, but the new molten salt reactors look a lot more promising.
The first one or two generations of any new technology will always have the most unintended consequences. But GE has been around for quite a few decades now and the world may have problems, but a runaway GE disaster is not one of them.
I'm not advocating that NZ should rush into a wholesale embrace of GE, but the time is past when we can justify keeping the door fully slammed shut either.
Qiane Matata-Sipu says “We live here, this is our whenua, we’ve been here for 800 years and we’ll be here for 800 more and if it’s not me it will be my daughter. I’m so actively involved in this kaupapa and sacrificing time with my family now because I don’t want her to have to do this when she gets older, so she can just be and not have to fight and not have to try to protect her whenua and assert her rights and right the wrongs of her past.”
Fletchers has 18 months from May 6 to close the Ihumātao Quarry Road, and force the SOUL protesters off the land. Matata-Sipu doesn’t think Fletcher have all the necessary paperwork to do so yet, and is holding on to hope that someone steps in to help them claim back their whenua before it comes to confrontation.
“You have to be hopeful, if you lose your hope you have nothing left … This is all a part of history and what we’re asking people is: What side of history do you want to be on? How do you want to be remembered? This is our whenua that we are so strongly connected to, so what have we got to lose?”
"In 1863 Ihumātao was confiscated by the crown as a punishment for supporting the Kīngitanga movement, and Matata-Sipu says since then, the government and council have not done enough to make reparations."
Well the crown should bloody well give it back then. That's the modern day equivalent of taking Fletchers land for supporting National.
"I don't think about Simon Bridges to be perfectly honest," one person told Newshub.
"I'm a little bit disappointed in him," said another.
One local said they're a "super fan of National" – but not its leader.
"I think he made quite a lot of it when he could have told us in perhaps not such a derogatory way," said another.
"He could've waited and delved into it later but not beforehand, he only does it so he can get his face out there which we don't want to see anyway," one person said.
yep and he'll come out saying that either the polls are a waste of time (until one shows his support increasing) or that he is confident everything is cool. But his pinched lemon pursed lipped grimace (reminiscent of that 5th tequila shot lemon suck you may remember) will slightly lighten as sour lemonaid gets ingested instead.
As I walked out in the streets of Tauranga
As I walked out in Tauranga one day
I saw Simon Bridges dressed in his brown winkle-pickers,
White shirt, blue tie, and brylcreem pomade.
Oh play the drum loudly and not quite in rhythm
To echo my political career up to this date.
Take me to Caucus I'll hand in my papers
I’ll hand in my papers for I’m resigning today!
"I see by your outfit that you're a reporter"
These words he did say as I boldly walked by
"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
Got stabbed in the back and I still don't know why."
"T'was once I was famed as leader of National
And still am as far as the caucus might say
But 5 per cent of voters are all that support me
Five per cent, with David Seymour on a good day.
"Go fetch me a glass of a craft Monteith lager
And a drum kit to beat up a political storm!"
Before I returned his caucus had left him
For champers with Judith and let him forlorn.
"Oh play the drum loudly and not quite in rhythm
To echo my political career up till now.
Take me to Caucus I'll hand in my papers
I'll hand in my papers for I'm resigning, the cow! "
Despite this, the party's deputy leader Paula Bennett insists Bridges' leadership is safe.
"I'm the person that works most closely with him and I can tell you that I reckon that he is going to be our next Prime Minister," she told the AM Show this morning.
She said the public know that Bridges was "capable and he is intelligent and is incredibly hard-working".
Oh and I just heard DPF is going to be on the radio with Jesse explaining the difference between the polls – ffs that guy is tainted and not independent imo – use your brains radionz or whatever you’re called.
Is anyone else lost for words that the Herald pays Hoskings to write this "Ardern's D-Day snub a glib insult to D Day" though it goes hand in hand with the day by day reckonings if she attends something it is to grab favour and headlines and if not it's a glib insult.
That aside and I suppose people will decide, assuming they even see it as such or even an issue, but blatant "glib dismissal" is, for me, written all over the Opposition "leader's" face with his thick-skinned denial that a huge number of NZers from all quarters are not buying into him, his leadership or his most recent political offering.
I had hoped that following their recent Theft of Documents – Without Permission – and distributing them nation wide – Simon Bridges and Mrs Bennett would realise their stupidity, get out of their National gutter, and follow the Laws that ban Theft and promote ethics.
Instead, they have utterly ridiculed the 2019 Budget which has been built on new structures. WellBeing Budget – for All. The Finances are allotted to achieve the highly innovative structures.
Mr Bridges and Mrs Bennett immediately started their propaganda declaring there is nothing for the Middle Class. They will get nothing.! Liars.
How low do those two Politicians go !
The Coaltion Government must develop well spoken Advocates and send them through Aotearoa to make sure all of New Zealand knows the Truth.
They are the opposition, I recall labour where also more than adept at barking at every passing car Just accept not every one has jumped onto the Jacinda train
"barking at every passing car" & how effective was that for Labour? & they were disparaged for doing it too, National haven't learned a thing, what's the saying about the definition of stupidity is repeating the same thing & expecting a different result? That's National bouncing off that same wall…long may it last.
The words of the song from Midnight Oil regarding civil freedoms – pertaining even to Julian Assange and his plight against overwhelming state collusion and bullying , our wildlife brethren and the environment we share , still ring true today.
Then it was Bush and Blair and their odious lies on 'weapons of mass destruction' and Bush Sr's One World Govt fetish… today its that same hack of globalists trying to silence one of our greatest exposer's of Deep State secrecy ,… Julian Assange.
Thing is , your taking stats from a time when NZ didn't have any opposition to Douglas's neo liberalism. Or Bolgers, or Richardsons, or Shipleys , or Clarkes or any of the other scumbags who followed Douglas.
And we have yet to see any viable opposition to neo liberalism to date.
Therefore the whole argument is slanted in favor of the incremental diatribe of that of ideology. Therefore it is bogus. Proves nothing. And that is why we have had a Teachers strike. And in future, there will be more as more Union leaders acquiesce to their members instead of Labour party fishead's and demand realistic wages and conditions.
Don't blame me. – I'm just the messenger .
And personally ?
I don't give a rats shit what anyone of you thinks. And why ?, – because I don't give a rats arse about being tribal. I could just as soon see Labour take a dive as well as National , so long as the working people of NZ get a fair deal , – which they haven't over the last 35 years of bullshit neo liberal incrementalism.
From Nicki Hager , author of the book 'Dirty Politics' to the Afghanistan incident to which John Key was signatory for the go – ahead , and Wayne Mapp was the Minister of Defense , and the subsequent Police raiding of his ( Hagers ) home to Martyn Bradbury's 'behind closed doors evidence' against him by the NZ Police,… to the illegal warrant and arrest and detainment of Kim Dotcom and the illegal impounding of his assets designed to deny him moneys to finance his defense, – in order to pander to the then ratification of the Hollywood Motion Picture industry's TTPA's copyright laws before Congress which have no jurisdiction in NZ ,…
How can we ever expect to see Julian Assange receive a fair trial if we cannot even stand up against corruption on our own shores?
Just to say I have put up an extensive comment on How to Get There which is in moderation at present because there were quite a few links. But then come and see –
on tree planting in Africa – the Green Wall, and
A NZr Wendy Campbell Purdie who did wonders with tree planting and disbelieving governments, and
Algeria and Morocco about their tree planting in the past and now
and Moroccos solar array and
the many women who have been involved in tree planting schemes on the planet and
An idea by environmental scientists on how to create a different sort of boundary between USA and Mexico.
And remember that How to Get There is a living document' it is just not fish'n'chips wrapper thrown away after the day, it is the actual fish and chips! There to take a bite of whatever is on offer and lots of good things over the weeks.
And btw… this site seems to have turned to shit a little bit as of late… no offense but its a little crappy with posting or pasting atm… anyways we humans are slow learners it seems at times… me included , so its nothing personal. And that's why again, … the posting of Midnight Oil. In the words of Led Zeppelin, … the 'Song Remains The Same'…
WK I know you are a bit wild and a force of nature commenter but please don't throw ordure around just saying. If there is something with the site that you want improved say so – don't say it's shit.
So specifically is it difficult for you to put up links, vids etc? If so state the problem, ask others for advice, and we can all learn – very helpful if it gets explained on site. List the problems will you so we don't get too much creativity of description.
No , its not the site ,- its great ,… its more the techco side that's cumbersome.
I use Google , and the pasting thingy is crap.
I'd also thank you to not distract from the 'issues' at hand and attempt to relegate them to a mere mechanical technological deflection because you are comfortable with the format. Other than that , no problems from what you posted.
The issue lies with the spell checker and the post / paste thingy.
Who says I'm comfortable with the format? I just realise that lprent is a sort of wizard who puts a lot of his spare time into keeping this show going. So I have been schtum for a long time about the search engine, just a wee mention FTTT, and now I am happy to have that.
If something else doesn't work out I find a way around it, or swear, or do what you did and ask. I just don't say the shebang is shit, as I try to adopt the 'substance over style' approach.
The spell checker I find now, if I go into edit, is so littered with those terms for a space @&sb sort of thing, which get underlined in red, that I can't see any wrong spellings. That's my moan. Also if anyone wants to know how to get rid of unwanted links in pasted material I have found a way. But I am in Firefox and am told that I should be updating. So maybe it's only me.
Its cool that Canada has banned single use plastic bags and cutlery by 2021 .I will write a post on Canadas indigenous people today.
I agree there is a huge gap in the rural and provincial NZ I say a cottage industry set up around our Marae.
Its very good that New Zealand is pulling our troops out of Iraq.
I try not to use cash as for me when I use cash I spend to much.
48 % is not the Majority of people like the other person said the people need to be informed of the TRUTH about weed so people can make good informed decision & discussion on weed.
With what happened in Murrupara its because there are no jobs that's why I have been advocating for Marae based cottage industry's and other ways for people to earn a income the forestry industry is not delivering what was promised to the East Coast. Consist Mahi is good for the Wairua. If te tangata tried to get mahi in town there are no whare/houses
Happy birthday young fella Mark that looks like a nice cake.
It's sad to see Louis the last Canadian tangata whenua /people of the land coders in world war 2 pass it even sadder than him and his pears didn't get recognized for the great contribution they made that helped shape our society today.
Condolences to his whanau/family for their losses.
Last of the Mohawk code talkers dies after finally being hailed a war hero
Second world war efforts of Louis Levi Oakes and other indigenous peoples stayed secret coders.
In the dense jungle battlefields of the south Pacific, Louis Levi Oakes was a target. Often flanked by bodyguards as he carried a large field pack with a tangle of transmission lines, the men surrounding Oakes were assigned to protect a valuable asset – his language
A Mohawk soldier from a territory straddling the US and Canada, Oakes was the last surviving member of a secretive group of second world war soldiers who used their native language to confound and frustrate enemy forces.
On 28 May he died at his home, surrounded by family. He was 94.
Known as the Mohawk code talkers, Oakes and 16 others from the Mohawk nation of Akwesasne were part of a broader – but clandestine – facet of the allied war effort. Because critical communications were vulnerable to interception, the military recruited indigenous speakers to transmit sensitive messages. As many as 500 speakers of indigenous languages were recruited into the US military to work as code talkers, including Navajo, Tlingit, Lakota, Meskwaki, Cree and Comanche, all of whom were sworn to secrecy.
The code they used, drawn from 33 different languages, confused both the Germans and Japanese, who failed to break the code.
But the classified nature of their work kept Oakes and others silent for generations ka kite ano link below.
Its good to see the next generation are treating ALCOHOL like it should be. Take with caution better still don't take at all.
Alcohol causes many problems to our society the people in glass houses throw stones at other natural relaxation thing meanwhile they ignore the problem associated with their relaxation of choice. The one giving to us from God doesn't do no we near a much damage to our society's as Alcohol.
People are sick of drinking. Investors are betting on the 'sober curious
hey are part of larger trend. People are paying greater attention to their mental health and wellness, and many Americans are specifically looking to reduce their alcohol intake. People of all ages are drinking less beer, while millennials are drinking less overall. And Silicon Valley is taking note, with tech companies reevaluating their alcohol policies and investors looking to capitalize on people who prefer not to drink.
"It's such a part of the culture, especially here in San Francisco that I would go out for dinner and have two to three drinks everyday," Silicon Valley entrepreneur Justin Kan, the CEO of law-tech startup Atrium, told CNN Business. He said he has seen a shift recently within his tech circle. "I was at a dinner with a lot of tech people last night and probably half the people weren't drinking."
Kan announced last month, in a post on Twitter, that he was giving up alcohol. He called drinking an unhealthy habit that had gotten in the way of his experiencing life. It wasn't exactly unusual for Kan to share personal details about himself: He once livestreamed his life through the startup he co-founded in 2007 called Justin.tv, which ultimately became Twitch, the popular live streaming platform for gamers now owned by Amazon.
The same day he tweeted, Kan launched a group on chat app Telegram to connect with others who were similarly deciding to get sober from alcohol. He didn't expect that more than 1,000 people would join ka kite ano link below.
,,I ,, Our young men need to learn to respect our Wahine.
The Americas Cup will put Aotearoa on the Papatuanuku map .
All the up grades to the Auckland harbor will ad value to the waterfront and a legacy.
Costco welcome to Aotearoa the duopoly of our super markets have been creaming people for way too long $60 to join the club is not to much to pay to access the shop ka pai.
I don't think Grant Robinson should step down from his Minister of finance national is just spraying wai into tawhirimate.
That guy in Australia who ran over and killed 6 people in a shopping mall looks like the police miss a the sign of his irrational behavior .
Yes with AirNew Zealand accepting ta moko shows that the world is starting to learn how great tangata whenua O Aotearoa cultural Art is ka pai.
I think Orange tamariki should keep the mokopuna with the mother for the first six months at least the number of tamariki being up lifted is a shame it is cool that our government has invested more money into helping the vaunrable people of all cultures but Maori and Pacific tamariki end up in sips the most.
Our Maori Wardens do a great job in our community's ka pai
It is very cool that our government is investigating our climate change risk so that we can mitigate a plan for the future changes advancing fast to our environment.
Thanks to the Auckland council for putting climate change in all their plans for the community developments
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
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The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
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Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
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In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
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Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Chris Hedges discusses with UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer the conditions of Julian Assange's detention, his psychological and physical health as well as the judicial proceedings against the WikiLeaks founder.
Exclusive footage showing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London’s high security Belmarsh prison has been obtained by Ruptly. It was filmed on a device by a fellow inmate who describes himself as a supporter of the whistleblower.
Looks healthy and well nourished Porridge must be ok
Allegations of torture in Belmarsh. Why did his health suddenly collapse? Allegations of poisoning.
Two words: David Kelly. I understand a documentary about his "suicide" is being made which will raise many questions about the 'dark actors' he spoke about before his death.
175 years or the death warrant for someone that exposed the deep state of the USA's ( aka CIA / FBI and the neo con Hawks ) military industrial complexes agenda.
Disgusting.
Whats more disgusting is that a little while ago a Mod / blogger on this site tried to relegate that all down to a now disproven Swedish ' rape' charge , – along with all the other fan kids who supported that twisted identity politics apologist for the far right.
How gross.
How vomitous.
Learn well from your elders and superiors, freaks. Learn your history well before you dare to comment and speak.
https://youtu.be/CWiIYW_fBfY?t=3
Devil In Disguise.
There is a new type of constituent on the rise in Global Politics these days. They're not conservative but they're old fashioned. They're not Liberal but they're flashy. They are composed of both sexes, some token races and a broad range of age and economic cohorts. I am, of course, talking about Elvis Impersonators.
When the King of Rock & Roll shrugged off his mortal coil in 1977, there were already a few diehard fans who wanted to be the King more than most. These folk, armed with sequins, bedazzlers and a wide variety of fringed suede rodeo wear; soon made their way onto karaoke stages everywhere as they began to pretend in earnest.
From a paltry few on the fringes of fashion the movement grew. Three impersonators in 1978, 12 in 79, and now, in 2019, 100 million billion Elvis Impersonators and growing bigly.
While this group had been considered a joke amongst establishment politicians, the groups candidate, Donald ‘Jive Turkey’ Trump, took the reins of power in America after threatening to perform a 24 hour rendition of Heartbreak Hotel if he didn't win. Trump's opposition, Hillary 'I left my heart in San Francisco' Clinton's fate was also sealed in a presidential debate when, after calling Trump a petulant pig, he countered with 'You aint nothin' but a hound dog'.
Trump's first decree was to change the title of President to King, and to have stacks of burgers delivered to the White House by a Black Man. This pleased him tremendously. Other initiatives have seen him eradicate all record of Chuck Berry, and to establish laws banning Mexican Elvis Impersonators from America; especially the good ones. Future initiatives include rhinestone studs to replace the stars on the American flag, Karaoke machines with the complete Elvis collection installed in all McDonalds, and 250 Billion dollars put into research for hair replacement therapy.
People all over the world have wrung their hands in earnest 'how did an Elvis Impersonator get power in the White House' simply forgetting the promise of burgers for all, and how he'd combed over the truth. Also, that Hillary was nothin' but a hound dog.
Come on folks I spent a good 15 minutes on that satire bahaa!
I didn't think it was satire !
There hasn't been a lot of discussion on the nature of the new budget. For what it is worth it is a game changer in its approach to setting policy guidelines on government spending. Yet from what I see in NZ its been a huge "Meh!"
However, progressive media overseas are looking not at the details -(which regrettably is the focus of most NZers) – but at the overall intention and direction of the new Wellbeing Budget process.
Here is an article on Vox's Future Perfect to see what I mean.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/6/8/18656710/new-zealand-wellbeing-budget-bhutan-happiness
And shock! horror!
Even the Guardian has an article outlining the new Well-Being Budget process.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/14/new-zealands-world-first-wellbeing-budget-to-focus-on-poverty-and-mental-health
Shock! Horror! that The Guardian would cover, and no doubt like, a safe, middle of the road, hand wringing, non transformational, financially suffocated budget from NZ Labour….have you ever read the Guardian?
Have you actually read what this Well-being budget is about and how it was created? Are you, as well as almost every other NZer, completely unaware that this is a world first – aimed at creating a Budget and therefore Government Policy that addresses the welfare of all New Zealanders – not just the chosen few. Yes even the Guardian has chosen to highlight the significance of this world first attempt at creating a better society.
And yes I do read the Guardian which you obviously don't. You might like to read the article I linked to, to see what it does have to say. I quoted some of it for you.
Here is what Robert Kennedy had to say about our obsession with GDP – the fiscal measure that drove previous Budgets both here and everywhere else in the western world.
looks like the russians were there first on a wellbeing budget.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57425
Macro…perhaps we, the hoipolloi, the one's who don't get 'it', need some kind Sign from the Coalition.
Something to convince us that they are Serious, that the Mean Business.
That they genuinely Care.
Because all this talk, after three decades of being ground underfoot, is simply not convincing.
The fact that the Guardian thinks it's all very wonderful is not an accolade.
"The fact that the Guardian thinks it's all very wonderful is not an accolade"
So true Rosemary.
"“For me, well-being means people living lives of purpose, balance and meaning to them, and having the capabilities to do so,” said Robertson"
Purpose balance and meaning are great – but we only get to that point once material necessities are taken care of and not under continual threat of loss or removal by the powerful – "the realm of freedom begins where the realm of necessity ends."
"which regrettably is the focus of most NZers"
.. of our media.
All elected MPs are there to further the wellbeing of every NZer. We believe most MPs who say that that is what they are there for.
So how does the behaviour of MPs like Simon Bridges fit into that claim? By all means hold the Government to account but to deny the evidence that the Budget marks a significant shift to improve the wellbeing of we the people, is treasonous in my book. Bullies twist truth, belittle, sneer and demean. Does this sound like what Bridges/Bennett do?
"…but to deny the evidence that the Budget marks a significant shift to improve the wellbeing of we the people, is treasonous in my book. "
What evidence? Surely it is way too soon to be counting the hatchlings?
Methinks calling those of us who are less than orgasmic 'treasonous' is more than a little harsh.
Makes me wonder who is up whom and who's paying.
<i>" deny the evidence that the Budget marks a significant shift to improve the wellbeing of we the people, is treasonous in my book "</i>
I'm with Rosemary on this. Despite the fanfare, the improvements proposed are not significant in terms of investment or effectiveness. As an innovative budget it does not deliver more for those who have waited an awfully long time to be noticed.
We were not told if the "leaked" material was actually part of the Budget. Gordon writes:
So molehills certainly grow. Had Treasury/Robertson front footed this it would have negated Simon's blather wouldn't it?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1906/S00024/the-treasury-debacle-and-nzs-wider-security-problems.htm
This new information is concerning.
Indeed, why didn't Grant Robertson front foot it the next day – or the day after?
It could be because they were receiving conflicting information from more than one source so they decided to go for an inquiry.
Well have to wait and see the outcome now.
Molly and Rosemary I wonder why the commentary on the Wellbeing Budget has been noticed and written about overseas. After all, a small country Budget would usually cause a big yawn or less – unless it was the beginning of some pretty important direction in spite of the relentless naysayers.
Ianmac. Twenty something years ago I was speaking with a child protection social worker from the UK. This social worker had attended a training program on Family Group Conferences.
The model they were rolling out in her area of the Midlands was based on our wonderful Family Group Conference scheme here in New Zealand. "World Beating!!!" "Innovative!!!" "The Answer to Rising Youth Offending!!!".
I don't think she fully believed me when I told the the scheme was largely a flop.
There's the spin, and then there's the reality.
Perhaps some of us live closer to the ground.
Results Ianmac, how are we going to measure the outcomes/outputs?
Fair enough Rosemary. Results trump Rhetoric. I am optimistic about the intent turning into healthy results.
A significant shift? You way funnier than bleepy makky.
https://treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2019-05/b19-at-a-glance.pdf
Regrettably these shifts are obviously insignificant for many commentators here.
Unfortunately, the international coverage is miles away from the reality on the ground.
https://youtu.be/FNCMIjXMK9o?t=1
As I said – NZers such as you, have obsessed about the detail rather than the significance of the way in which this Budge was formulated.
But we can only expect that sort of reaction from naysayers such as yourself who can never find the good and only look for the bad.
The reason being, the importance is generally in the details and the difference it actually makes on the ground.
Macro, I find myself in company with The Chairman more and more these days, – the link he put up is worth watching.
I miss the lack of critique of any policy just because it is produced by the current coalition. It is not just a question of tribal politics, there are New Zealanders who are currently living diminished lives – and who have already waited decades to be noticed and they are still required to wait.
There are fundamental failures in essential services that need innovative and directed change, and none of this is happening.
I miss the lack of critique…
I am beyond 'missing'. I feel bereft. Near weeping I am at the lack of real debate and shocked at the slurs against those of us who are not yet convinced…
Hint…not being 100% convinced this Current Mob are committed to reversing three decades of sociopathic governance doth not a National supporter make.
Do you seriously expect that from a government coalition that relies on a party that went into coalition with the 4th national govt?
Hmm…what was that about lying down with dogs?
I was just saying this morning that a Certain Person must be causing no end of irritation for Ardern and Co.
What was it about…oh, yes, the cameras on fishing boat thing…https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/06/plan-to-protect-maui-dolphin-slammed-by-environmentalists-academics.html
Getting fleas is usually better than being dog tucker.
The results of election2017 are the facts on the ground. I sure can't see any other coalition deal possible from those results that would deliver more funadamental change than what we have.
At least they're making an effort, and minimising NZ1's immigration ideas while supporting the regional growth plans.
Exactly.
So many people seem unable to comprehend the reality perhaps best espoused by Bismarck":
FFS, this centre left bs is tiring. All you ever do is lose voters, you have done that for the last 30 odd years. You keep throwing people to the wolves in the name of political expediency. Your ideological as all hell without accepting you are – and it makes you look alot like those other crazy ideologies.
If the labour party of the early 20th century had acted like you lot, then social democracy would never of happened.
Just a final point, because the blindly obvious needs to be said. You know that quoting Bismark and/or Churchill makes you look like a Tory prick on a left wing website, don't you?
Screw you. I tried the NLP and Alliance. There were others even further left that made even less of an impact. If incrementalism is losing votes, why did none of them take the place of Labour?
That's the shitty thing about democracy – votes win, not theory.
The sooner you realise that, the sooner you'll stop railing against your nearest allies.
This government is not the end in itself. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning – especially if the terminally glum start being able to identify friend from foe.
especially if the terminally glum start being able to identify friend from foe.
Or indeed cease from multiplying their foes 🙂
Evidently, you need help to see. Labour could have (in numerous ways) offered Peters more, allowing him to keep face with his supporters in return for his support for more.
Ah, so the way to getting more left wing policy is the make policy concessions to an inherently conservative party, rather than focusing on the common ground?
Which policy concessions do you recommend Labour and the Greens make to NZ1? Walk back a bit on immigration? In exchange for what?
No. Offering more where there is common ground along with more (such as in the way of funding) where concessions have already been made. Conditional on more NZF support of course.
And one way to fund that (along with raising more revenue for the Government overall) is to vastly increase the tourist levy. From the $35 recently announced to say $200 per adult and a $100 per child. That way, a million visitors (NZ has almost 4 million annually) would generate in excess of $100 million in new Government revenue. That would help buy a lot more of NZF's support.
So your suggestion is that both NZ1 and Labour have a "common ground" in triple-figure tourist levies? Without any data on how that might affect tourism in the regions?
@McF
I know the outdoor community is definitely fed up with the chronic underfunding of DoC, while at the same time watching the tourism industry profit either directly or indirectly from the Conservation Estate.
I've participated in numerous discussions elsewhere that all generally agree that increased levies on tourists is both justified and affordable for most visitors.
Yes it will price some marginal visitors from coming here, and yes there is plenty of scenery elsewhere in the world. What everyone agrees on is that NZ's competitive advantage is in the quality of visitor's experience here and maintaining that is the intelligent way forward.
Yeah, that is probably the case. There's a long haul between that and NZ1 in particular supporting the tourist industry cool off a bit. The transition to package coach tours does keep more of the money away from the regions visited, but tourism is still an employer in a lot of the regions.
There have already been calls to slow our tourism numbers. We have a shortage of hotel rooms and an expected surging increase in visitors.
Therefore, we have scope for numbers to slow and perhaps even fall off a little.
Additionally, although numbers may fall off, the up side is it is likely to lift the quality of visitors which in turn are likely to spend more increasing our tourist income stream.
But of course, I wasn't suggesting research on it not being done. Nevertheless, as you can see, with tourism trending up coupled with NZ reaching maximum capacity, the notion has real potential.
So you actually have nothing then.
Including having no idea whether your suggestion would be palatable to either Labour/Grn or NZ1, let alone all of them.
Not at all. I highlighted one way Labour could have possibly gained more NZF support.
Moreover, seeing as an entry levy has recently been announced, it indicates the three support the notion. Suggesting the potential for increasing it is in the realm of reality.
No. I don't seriously think this government will deliver meaningful changes, which is why I didn't vote Labour last election. With or without NZ First, none of their election promises seem to be effective solutions to my personal areas of concern.
That seems to be borne out by the last twenty months of policy and programmes.
But I will not cheer for substandard measures because of their … Coalition partner, self-imposed budget restrictions, need to get re-elected, rhetoric about wellbeing…
I will applaud along with many others when policy arrives that does help the most marginalised and forgotten.
So what have you applauded in the last couple of years?
Winter energy payments? $60/w for parents of infants? Money to apprenticeships? Healthy rental homes? Removal of "name the father" benefit sanctions? Actually setting child poverty reduction as a targeted priority? Supergold card? First year free tertiary education?
and this
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/mental-health-and-addictions/budget-2019-mental-health-wellbeing-and-addiction-initiatives
I hope that all of you who have responded to The Chairman @ 3.4 understand that he is a concern troll, and, just like the devil, quotes the scriptures for his own purposes. His aim is to spread despondency on the Left, and with your replies you have pretty well given him reason to smile sardonically.
In Vino, veritas.
@In Vino
We know claiming I'm a concern troll puts your mind at ease, saving you from facing the reality I'm from the left.
Nevertheless, what you fail to see in my post at 3.4 is I had nothing to do with the People's Budget and the feelings expressed there.
So while I largely agree with the sentiments expressed, it is Labour's failure to deliver that is behind the growing despondency on the left.
The only despondency on show is from the nat media and you.
And as rim clingers have quite unrealistic expectations and won't ever be satisfied, however left the government is, they're always moping, so nothing in particular to do with this budget.
@ The Al1en,
The only despondency on show is from the nat media and you.
You seriously, and I mean seriously, need to get out more.
You are doing your heroes in the Coalition no favours by this blind and almost insensible defense of their every word, every policy, every move…
Firstly, addressing you in your bubble, they're not my heroes and heroines, they're just who I voted for, and sure there are policies I want which aren't there yet, but considering the make up of the government I fully accept you can't always get what you want when you want it. Compromises have to be made, but it's still better than English's nats ruling the roost, right? Well that's called progress. Next time out, if we vote accordingly, then I’d expect to see more and more.
As far as despondency goes, it's just more of the same from the same people, here and the media. I stand by my above post. There is no groundswell of dissatisfaction against the government, no movement for change, no national debate. Nothing is perfect, not by a long shot, but to claim growing despondency is just malicious.
@The Al1en
As shown numerous times, I'm far from the only one disappointed.
The People's Budget was totally about the recent Budget.
What's come to my attention is there is more and more left commentators (that are largely supportive of Labour) expressing their disappointment.
And while you foolishly write them off as mopers, you forget they are the voices and those working on the front line whose insights help change public opinion and help muster Labour's foot soldiers and voters come election day.
In Vino
Come a bit more often if you can. I don't see IV often enough. What about doubling it to VIII?
How much longer can the Luddite wing of the Green party maintain it's irrational and dogmatic opposition to GE in the face of so much good it can do?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/113270164/better-strategy-to-control-malaria-get-rid-of-the-mosquitoes
The problem with getting rid of the mosquitoes is they are an integral part of the food chain in many ecosystems. So I am a little surprised that Wiles is advocating it.
From memory though, there are organisms that suppress malaria in the mosquito phase. Wohlbachia comes to mind. Those look like better targets for further engineering.
https://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html
Scientists have identified some ecological niches (pollinators, food) for mosquitos but also believe mosquitos ecological niche would be filled fairly readily. While I am dubious of such claims the fact is mosquitos are an absolute curse to mankind.
It only takes one, non-disease carrying mossy to completely screw up your nights sleep. And I've slapped myself so it hurt a number of times coming out of slumber to target the whining buzz. Yet here in NZ we have it easy, but in many countries these things severely weaken and even kill humans.
I think a gene drive makes more sense than an engineered fungi (or microbe) because every critter we've ever tried to control with insecticidal compounds has simply grown a resistance to it over time. The more you use bio and chemical pesticides, the greater the chances they will be overcome.
Some folks in the greens resist for the sake of resisting and have little to no scientific or ecological knowledge. Others are extremely sharp, are are not close to the Luddites as you describe. Is it dogmatism or caution that keeps them in opposition to such technology? Science has done itself no favors getting in bed with the corporates of the world. Now, the world is understandably cautious.
The rent a crowd mob really are annoying (and shrill), but sometimes they're the only people protesting and illuminating things of great public interest. Without canaries in the coal mine we'd all be cooked.
Folding and letting industry just get on with anything is a mugs game. At the end of the day public interest and common sense should prevail – but not if there's money to be made – then it's a dollar each way.
I understand that the wild animal seasonal stampede across the vast plains was to get free of the midges. Perhaps we subconsciously are taking a lesson from the wild when some of us (not me) set out on marathons. Perhaps they do serve some practical purpose other than avoiding sitting and thinking about our world and we people and what we personally can do to aid us all in the near future after disasters played like concertinas. Perhaps they will set themselves up as part of a message relay system when the lines go down from Auckland to Wellington.
I doubt it.
Agreed. In the early days of GE technology there were good reasons to be cautious and hold back. That's not the same thing as being stuck in the past forever.
And the same with nuclear power. The first few generations of nuclear energy generation were worth skipping over, but the new molten salt reactors look a lot more promising.
You really think that the precautionary principle on GE, should be abandoned?
So far research funding for GE, is about 100 to 1 balance towards commercial application, compared with research on safety.
I've yet to be convinced that GE, is any better than introducing rabbits.
The first one or two generations of any new technology will always have the most unintended consequences. But GE has been around for quite a few decades now and the world may have problems, but a runaway GE disaster is not one of them.
I'm not advocating that NZ should rush into a wholesale embrace of GE, but the time is past when we can justify keeping the door fully slammed shut either.
Fighting the good fight
"In 1863 Ihumātao was confiscated by the crown as a punishment for supporting the Kīngitanga movement, and Matata-Sipu says since then, the government and council have not done enough to make reparations."
Well the crown should bloody well give it back then. That's the modern day equivalent of taking Fletchers land for supporting National.
The reaction from the streets of Tauranga.
🤣
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/06/poll-most-new-zealanders-think-national-was-wrong-to-leak-treasury-budget-details.html
lol ouch
I'm sure he'll have the lemonade stand going at full production this morning.
I think you mean the 'Kool-Aid stand "
For Gods sake don't drink the Kool-Aid that way means Death. Uh oh, too late.
yep and he'll come out saying that either the polls are a waste of time (until one shows his support increasing) or that he is confident everything is cool. But his pinched lemon pursed lipped grimace (reminiscent of that 5th tequila shot lemon suck you may remember) will slightly lighten as sour lemonaid gets ingested instead.
👏
The Streets of Tauranga.
As I walked out in the streets of Tauranga
As I walked out in Tauranga one day
I saw Simon Bridges dressed in his brown winkle-pickers,
White shirt, blue tie, and brylcreem pomade.
Oh play the drum loudly and not quite in rhythm
To echo my political career up to this date.
Take me to Caucus I'll hand in my papers
I’ll hand in my papers for I’m resigning today!
"I see by your outfit that you're a reporter"
These words he did say as I boldly walked by
"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
Got stabbed in the back and I still don't know why."
"T'was once I was famed as leader of National
And still am as far as the caucus might say
But 5 per cent of voters are all that support me
Five per cent, with David Seymour on a good day.
"Go fetch me a glass of a craft Monteith lager
And a drum kit to beat up a political storm!"
Before I returned his caucus had left him
For champers with Judith and let him forlorn.
"Oh play the drum loudly and not quite in rhythm
To echo my political career up till now.
Take me to Caucus I'll hand in my papers
I'll hand in my papers for I'm resigning, the cow! "
he has one loyal supporter – lol
Oh and I just heard DPF is going to be on the radio with Jesse explaining the difference between the polls – ffs that guy is tainted and not independent imo – use your brains radionz or whatever you’re called.
Radionz-z-z-z…..doh!
"She said the public know that Bridges was "capable and he is intelligent and is incredibly hard-working".
That's ridonkulous. Funny though.
Is anyone else lost for words that the Herald pays Hoskings to write this "Ardern's D-Day snub a glib insult to D Day" though it goes hand in hand with the day by day reckonings if she attends something it is to grab favour and headlines and if not it's a glib insult.
That aside and I suppose people will decide, assuming they even see it as such or even an issue, but blatant "glib dismissal" is, for me, written all over the Opposition "leader's" face with his thick-skinned denial that a huge number of NZers from all quarters are not buying into him, his leadership or his most recent political offering.
Hosking's rants are the sign of a desperate man and this one is no different.
I'll tell you what is an insult – that suit jacket.
I live in Tauranga and am quite shocked that people are now talking publically, normally it's what's wrong with everyone else.
I bet Bill English has a bit of chuckle to himself most days, a bit of a "dish eaten cold".
The Scum of National
I had hoped that following their recent Theft of Documents – Without Permission – and distributing them nation wide – Simon Bridges and Mrs Bennett would realise their stupidity, get out of their National gutter, and follow the Laws that ban Theft and promote ethics.
Instead, they have utterly ridiculed the 2019 Budget which has been built on new structures. WellBeing Budget – for All. The Finances are allotted to achieve the highly innovative structures.
Mr Bridges and Mrs Bennett immediately started their propaganda declaring there is nothing for the Middle Class. They will get nothing.! Liars.
How low do those two Politicians go !
The Coaltion Government must develop well spoken Advocates and send them through Aotearoa to make sure all of New Zealand knows the Truth.
They are the opposition, I recall labour where also more than adept at barking at every passing car Just accept not every one has jumped onto the Jacinda train
"barking at every passing car" & how effective was that for Labour? & they were disparaged for doing it too, National haven't learned a thing, what's the saying about the definition of stupidity is repeating the same thing & expecting a different result? That's National bouncing off that same wall…long may it last.
The words of the song from Midnight Oil regarding civil freedoms – pertaining even to Julian Assange and his plight against overwhelming state collusion and bullying , our wildlife brethren and the environment we share , still ring true today.
Then it was Bush and Blair and their odious lies on 'weapons of mass destruction' and Bush Sr's One World Govt fetish… today its that same hack of globalists trying to silence one of our greatest exposer's of Deep State secrecy ,… Julian Assange.
https://youtu.be/qspbF5owcZk?t=2https://youtu.be/qspbF5owcZk?t=2https://youtu.be/qspbF5owcZk?t=2https://youtu.be/qspbF5owcZk?t=2vv
Smoking weed again OT?
On the Meth again, old son?
Jacinda & Simon: Preferred PM Comparisons
https://sub-zero-politics.blogspot.com/2019/06/jacinda-simon-preferred-pm-comparisons.html
Thanks for all that work Swordfish.
Thanks, great work as usual. Bolger really was an unpopular plonker wasn't he. Had forgotten about that particular excrement.
Thing is , your taking stats from a time when NZ didn't have any opposition to Douglas's neo liberalism. Or Bolgers, or Richardsons, or Shipleys , or Clarkes or any of the other scumbags who followed Douglas.
And we have yet to see any viable opposition to neo liberalism to date.
Therefore the whole argument is slanted in favor of the incremental diatribe of that of ideology. Therefore it is bogus. Proves nothing. And that is why we have had a Teachers strike. And in future, there will be more as more Union leaders acquiesce to their members instead of Labour party fishead's and demand realistic wages and conditions.
Don't blame me. – I'm just the messenger .
And personally ?
I don't give a rats shit what anyone of you thinks. And why ?, – because I don't give a rats arse about being tribal. I could just as soon see Labour take a dive as well as National , so long as the working people of NZ get a fair deal , – which they haven't over the last 35 years of bullshit neo liberal incrementalism.
From Nicki Hager , author of the book 'Dirty Politics' to the Afghanistan incident to which John Key was signatory for the go – ahead , and Wayne Mapp was the Minister of Defense , and the subsequent Police raiding of his ( Hagers ) home to Martyn Bradbury's 'behind closed doors evidence' against him by the NZ Police,… to the illegal warrant and arrest and detainment of Kim Dotcom and the illegal impounding of his assets designed to deny him moneys to finance his defense, – in order to pander to the then ratification of the Hollywood Motion Picture industry's TTPA's copyright laws before Congress which have no jurisdiction in NZ ,…
How can we ever expect to see Julian Assange receive a fair trial if we cannot even stand up against corruption on our own shores?
How can we sleep when our beds are burning?
Shame on NZ.
Just to say I have put up an extensive comment on How to Get There which is in moderation at present because there were quite a few links. But then come and see –
on tree planting in Africa – the Green Wall, and
A NZr Wendy Campbell Purdie who did wonders with tree planting and disbelieving governments, and
Algeria and Morocco about their tree planting in the past and now
and Moroccos solar array and
the many women who have been involved in tree planting schemes on the planet and
An idea by environmental scientists on how to create a different sort of boundary between USA and Mexico.
And remember that How to Get There is a living document' it is just not fish'n'chips wrapper thrown away after the day, it is the actual fish and chips! There to take a bite of whatever is on offer and lots of good things over the weeks.
Perhaps we could go a long way by taking notice of this article by Christine Rose over at the Daily Blog ,… long term campaigner and environmentalist…
$17million camera programme good for fishing sector not for dolphins …
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/…/17million-camera-programme-good-for-fishing-sector-n…
And btw… this site seems to have turned to shit a little bit as of late… no offense but its a little crappy with posting or pasting atm… anyways we humans are slow learners it seems at times… me included , so its nothing personal. And that's why again, … the posting of Midnight Oil. In the words of Led Zeppelin, … the 'Song Remains The Same'…
Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning – YouTube
WK I know you are a bit wild and a force of nature commenter but please don't throw ordure around just saying. If there is something with the site that you want improved say so – don't say it's shit.
So specifically is it difficult for you to put up links, vids etc? If so state the problem, ask others for advice, and we can all learn – very helpful if it gets explained on site. List the problems will you so we don't get too much creativity of description.
No , its not the site ,- its great ,… its more the techco side that's cumbersome.
I use Google , and the pasting thingy is crap.
I'd also thank you to not distract from the 'issues' at hand and attempt to relegate them to a mere mechanical technological deflection because you are comfortable with the format. Other than that , no problems from what you posted.
The issue lies with the spell checker and the post / paste thingy.
Thanking you.
Who says I'm comfortable with the format? I just realise that lprent is a sort of wizard who puts a lot of his spare time into keeping this show going. So I have been schtum for a long time about the search engine, just a wee mention FTTT, and now I am happy to have that.
If something else doesn't work out I find a way around it, or swear, or do what you did and ask. I just don't say the shebang is shit, as I try to adopt the 'substance over style' approach.
The spell checker I find now, if I go into edit, is so littered with those terms for a space @&sb sort of thing, which get underlined in red, that I can't see any wrong spellings. That's my moan. Also if anyone wants to know how to get rid of unwanted links in pasted material I have found a way. But I am in Firefox and am told that I should be updating. So maybe it's only me.
Is that… what ha…ppened to your punctuation katty…
Kia ora The Am Show.
Its cool that Canada has banned single use plastic bags and cutlery by 2021 .I will write a post on Canadas indigenous people today.
I agree there is a huge gap in the rural and provincial NZ I say a cottage industry set up around our Marae.
Its very good that New Zealand is pulling our troops out of Iraq.
I try not to use cash as for me when I use cash I spend to much.
48 % is not the Majority of people like the other person said the people need to be informed of the TRUTH about weed so people can make good informed decision & discussion on weed.
With what happened in Murrupara its because there are no jobs that's why I have been advocating for Marae based cottage industry's and other ways for people to earn a income the forestry industry is not delivering what was promised to the East Coast. Consist Mahi is good for the Wairua. If te tangata tried to get mahi in town there are no whare/houses
Happy birthday young fella Mark that looks like a nice cake.
Ka kite ano
It's sad to see Louis the last Canadian tangata whenua /people of the land coders in world war 2 pass it even sadder than him and his pears didn't get recognized for the great contribution they made that helped shape our society today.
Condolences to his whanau/family for their losses.
Last of the Mohawk code talkers dies after finally being hailed a war hero
Second world war efforts of Louis Levi Oakes and other indigenous peoples stayed secret coders.
In the dense jungle battlefields of the south Pacific, Louis Levi Oakes was a target. Often flanked by bodyguards as he carried a large field pack with a tangle of transmission lines, the men surrounding Oakes were assigned to protect a valuable asset – his language
A Mohawk soldier from a territory straddling the US and Canada, Oakes was the last surviving member of a secretive group of second world war soldiers who used their native language to confound and frustrate enemy forces.
On 28 May he died at his home, surrounded by family. He was 94.
Known as the Mohawk code talkers, Oakes and 16 others from the Mohawk nation of Akwesasne were part of a broader – but clandestine – facet of the allied war effort. Because critical communications were vulnerable to interception, the military recruited indigenous speakers to transmit sensitive messages. As many as 500 speakers of indigenous languages were recruited into the US military to work as code talkers, including Navajo, Tlingit, Lakota, Meskwaki, Cree and Comanche, all of whom were sworn to secrecy.
The code they used, drawn from 33 different languages, confused both the Germans and Japanese, who failed to break the code.
But the classified nature of their work kept Oakes and others silent for generations ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/03/last-of-mohawk-code-talkers-dies-after-finally-hailed-war-hero
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/5Yj4j_lZMBo
Its good to see the next generation are treating ALCOHOL like it should be. Take with caution better still don't take at all.
Alcohol causes many problems to our society the people in glass houses throw stones at other natural relaxation thing meanwhile they ignore the problem associated with their relaxation of choice. The one giving to us from God doesn't do no we near a much damage to our society's as Alcohol.
People are sick of drinking. Investors are betting on the 'sober curious
hey are part of larger trend. People are paying greater attention to their mental health and wellness, and many Americans are specifically looking to reduce their alcohol intake. People of all ages are drinking less beer, while millennials are drinking less overall. And Silicon Valley is taking note, with tech companies reevaluating their alcohol policies and investors looking to capitalize on people who prefer not to drink.
"It's such a part of the culture, especially here in San Francisco that I would go out for dinner and have two to three drinks everyday," Silicon Valley entrepreneur Justin Kan, the CEO of law-tech startup Atrium, told CNN Business. He said he has seen a shift recently within his tech circle. "I was at a dinner with a lot of tech people last night and probably half the people weren't drinking."
Kan announced last month, in a post on Twitter, that he was giving up alcohol. He called drinking an unhealthy habit that had gotten in the way of his experiencing life. It wasn't exactly unusual for Kan to share personal details about himself: He once livestreamed his life through the startup he co-founded in 2007 called Justin.tv, which ultimately became Twitch, the popular live streaming platform for gamers now owned by Amazon.
The same day he tweeted, Kan launched a group on chat app Telegram to connect with others who were similarly deciding to get sober from alcohol. He didn't expect that more than 1,000 people would join ka kite ano link below.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/08/tech/alcohol-alternative-sober-curious/index.html
Kia ora Newshub.
,,I ,, Our young men need to learn to respect our Wahine.
The Americas Cup will put Aotearoa on the Papatuanuku map .
All the up grades to the Auckland harbor will ad value to the waterfront and a legacy.
Costco welcome to Aotearoa the duopoly of our super markets have been creaming people for way too long $60 to join the club is not to much to pay to access the shop ka pai.
I don't think Grant Robinson should step down from his Minister of finance national is just spraying wai into tawhirimate.
That guy in Australia who ran over and killed 6 people in a shopping mall looks like the police miss a the sign of his irrational behavior .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora te ao Maori news.
Yes with AirNew Zealand accepting ta moko shows that the world is starting to learn how great tangata whenua O Aotearoa cultural Art is ka pai.
I think Orange tamariki should keep the mokopuna with the mother for the first six months at least the number of tamariki being up lifted is a shame it is cool that our government has invested more money into helping the vaunrable people of all cultures but Maori and Pacific tamariki end up in sips the most.
Our Maori Wardens do a great job in our community's ka pai
It is very cool that our government is investigating our climate change risk so that we can mitigate a plan for the future changes advancing fast to our environment.
Thanks to the Auckland council for putting climate change in all their plans for the community developments
Ka kite ano