First and foremost – he clearly feels the need to abuse women – at every opportunity.
Second – Chris T – is representative of some of the very lazy side of Waikato farmers. Wretched paddocks and buildings. Rubbish galore. Rusty useless vehicles of all manner.
Third – Chris T – gets offered endless written attention. Boring yards and yards of it.
Fourth – he denigrates and rubs out any person who has a reasonable standard of achievement.
I don't know why he is a Poster boy of "The Standard". His fellow Layabouts, Communists, and Farmers must get quite tired of Chris T.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[Presumably, you’re referring to Chris Trotter but without a link it is impossible to tell what triggered your rant this time. In addition, Chris Trotter is not a Poster boy of “The Standard”. I get quite tired of your unhinged comments here – Incognito]
Hi Incognito. In defence/support of OT (yes, you're right, it's de minimis) he was referring to the Chris T who comments here and his comment was attached to a thread involving Chris T (from which OT's comment was moved) and I don't personally find OT's comments vitriolic or out of order; a little stylistically sour maybe, but not offensive; I too wondered about CT's support for the placard-wielding farmer who thinks Jacinda is "pretty" and his approach to commenting here, so wasn't perturbed by OT's comments. I don't think "unhinged" is a fair label for them. For what it's worth
The last para – if he had deleted that he would have got a lot of things off his/her chest which may be true. I think a little rant now and then is reasonable, where else can you safely vent impatience at the way politics and life is unfolding? Most of us understand and say yeah or there, there. Perhaps he could give us examples of the various things he has enumerated so we know what has got him going. That would be a practical outcome and a kindly one also.
OT’s comment was a standalone one and not a reply to another comment. OT has form but I gave him the benefit of doubt and a gentle warning, not a threat.
Of course, I posted the image of the muppet farmer, not CT. That said, CT is becoming more cumbersome and more of an issue than OT; CT’s ‘TS credit rating’ is dropping rapidly and I’ve warned CT about this too.
We’re all adults here and I hope I don’t have to spend more time on either OT or CT 😉
If National is moving to the more conservative and 'moral' side, with the new list, why did they then rush to choose Collins? That can only prove what hypocrites these people are.
Church in the weekend, screw everyone financially during the week. Nothing changes.
A Public Service Association official who worked at the precinct, last year said that the building was not a nice place to be.
The man, who did not want to be named, said the constant repairs were disruptive and stressful and he no longer felt safe.
"From the building issues that we were made aware of during the process, having to replace all of the glass because of not being up to spec or fitted incorrectly.
"There's just so many problems around that, I don't have a lot of faith in the building at all," he said.
PSA national secretary Glenn Barclay said aside from the constant maintenance, the building was too small and staff were moved away.
The Justice Ministry confirmed that about 50 to 60 staff were being shifted to offices about three minutes walk away from the precinct.
Imagine if Gerry Brownlee, the deputy leader of the opposition, was let loose in a National-led government next month. Be very afraid, people…
Infectious diseases ASF and COVID-19 contributing to falling production of non-poultry meat.
"World total meat production in 2020 is forecast to fall to 333 million tonnes (carcass weight equivalent), 1.7 percent lower than in 2019, marking the second year of consecutive decline. Much of the contraction is again expected to reflect a sharp drop in global production of pig meat, largely concentrated in Asian countries affected by the African swine fever (ASF) viral disease, but also of bovine meat, especially in the United States of America (USA) and Australia. By contrast, global production of poultry meat is forecast to expand, albeit at half the rate recorded last year. Modest output growth is also predicted for ovine meat. The pace of expansion of all the meat sectors has been negatively affected by COVID-19 market disruptions, aggravating the effects of animal diseases."
Always good to throw Hoskings a bone every now and then, and today he got one:
Hosking said he had watched (Ardern) on the campaign trail at the Grey Lynn farmers' market at the weekend and she hadn't been practising social distancing.
"No, and nor do we ask anyone to continue practise social distancing because we are at level 1," she said.
Hosking said he had seen a poster that encouraged social distancing at level 1.
Ardern said at level 1, people had to wash hands, stay home if they were sick, and get advice from Healthline or their GP about being tested. Plus the restrictions at the border continued.
She said she could not comment on the poster, "but we have never been encouraging social distancing at level 1".
Now, it's fair to say none of us practice much social distancing at L1, although I do give people a wider berth than I used to, but this is a rare mistake from the PM and she should probably acknowledge it in some way.
I think whoever put together that poster was thinking in terms of public places – not private gatherings or functions. In other words, if you are waiting in a queue there is no need to stand immediately behind the person in front of you. I find now that I automatically stand a few paces away and most other people do too. Its a courteous gesture anyway and usually appreciated.
Without having time to even read that story, I suspect it is based on the difference between the official guidance issued before and after lockdown but which kept the same Level numbers.
Hosk likely just recycling a bone tossed to him by the Nat party 'intelligence' unit. Who's a good boy!
I was sort of speculating a few days ago that the SMoD on Dec 31, 2020 (you know, the big finale to a clusterfucked year) would leave a few astro/cosmonauts on the ISS, stranded in LEO. Which would, of course, be the utopian "true left" government the "everyone's a tory except me" crowd could appreciate.
But then the thought occurred just now that the ISS is only a couple of hundred km up, IIRC, so would probably go through the SMoD's ejecta plume and be zapped that way. Alas, a truly left wing government is impossible.
It's 400km up, on average. It has to do debris collision avoidance maneuvers about once a year on average, so even without the ejecta plume it might not last that long without earth tracking all the space trash. Then there's the risk of a crazed rooskie going and drilling holes in it.
I'm not curious enough to watch 26 minutes of russian propaganda to find out, but I'm curious enough to ask: is Cornel West such a slow learner that he's endorsed the Greens candidate this time around? (it's some noname like Who?ie Who?kins)
Yeah, so I wrote scathingly of him several times here after seeing that kind of stuff. However, one must adopt a balanced view in politics. Partisans & bigots fall victim to prejudice routinely, but why copy them??
When you read how a politician started out, and get a sense of consistency from his legislative track record in the earlier phase of his political career, and it seems evident that he was trying to help disadvantaged groups, you are likely to form a favourable opinion of his character. And if you have already formed a negative view, you can change your mind.
If you mind is open, that is. So it's just a matter of being fair to the guy by evaluating the pros & cons, eh?
While I resect your view that this is a time (in the US) for political pragmatism, don't fool yourself as who Biden is and whose interests he actually represents..and if we where living in the states..they sure as hell wouldn't be ours.
Then of course there is the very serious ( thoughbizarrely barely reported upon) issue that he is quite obviously suffering from some sort of age related mental decline/condition…so it looks like the US public are finally really going to vote on an actual dead dog.
So his gentility of style may actually indicate that he is a true gentleman. Yeah, I know, whimsy has no place nowadays – but stranger things have happened!
…and if we where living in the states..they sure as hell wouldn't be ours.
If we were living in the states John Key would be considered a dangerous left radical. Bill English would be regarded politically as being religiously left of John Kennedy.
Mate it seems (judging by your history on this site anyway) that you have been advocating for free thinking progressives to be voting for eating cold bowls of shit for years, obviously it an acquired taste that you have become accustomed too..maybe even look forward to…that particular perversion has no appeal for me thank you all the same.
Nina Turner Says Voting For Joe Like Eating ‘Bowl Of Shit'
This story originally from Forbes, now NYPost .. top New York real estate exec now entering NZ market suggesting there is a 'getaround' for overseas owners to buy NZ residential property .. thoughts please? Rape and plunder all over again ?
While there is now a law against non-natives buying second homes in New Zealand, there is a loophole.
The 13,175-square-foot mountainside home Serhant is selling has been rezoned for commercial use, and therefore not beholden to normal restrictions, according to Bloomberg. The person selling the property would also be up for leasing the land back from the buy for $56,525 a month.
That workaround has been going from before the foreign buyer rules for tax purposes and for a sometimes easier road through the OIO
The ‘investment’ becomes tax deductible and pre covid could ha e generated considerable income. There’s a lot of private lodges around the place. At 1300 m2 it’s hardly in the affordable housing category. The deal will have got someone out of the shit, maybe.
The local council will be smiling, visitor accom. rates on it will be significant. Getting the commercial use will have kept the planning dept and lawyer busy for a while too
dodgy as all get up …. when it is being advertised and promoted in Forbes and New York as a simple easy 'getaround'. John Key's dream all over again. Enough, no more.
And the elf? A knitted Kiwi, say Kevin the Freedom Kiwi, maybe makes some sense sitting in the front of the bus. But the elf looks like he's just grabbed it at the last minute. If it was commissioned, well…
A busload of politicians were driving down a country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in a farmer's field. The farmer, after seeing what happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians. The local cop came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the farmer where all the politicians had gone. The farmer said he had buried them. The cop asked the farmer, "Were they ALL dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."
Of course the hospitals work wonderfully if they're half empty because they refuse to accept the patients most likely to need their help. Fucking hell.
This fellow has been a national embarrassment for decades. He was, ominously for Collins and her ever-diminishing crew this year, also the Deputy Leader of the party in 2005….
[deleted]
[don’t post blatant fat bigotry. If you don’t understand why this is a problem, then consider if you had written a piece of blatant sexism aimed at a National woman MP. If that doesn’t get through, imagine if someone had written pejorative stereotypes about a Māori MP. There are plenty of problems with Brownlee’s politics and personality without buying into and promoting negative stereotypes based in shaming people for their bodies – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I think not to show unreasonable bias against gez, you should put personal descriptions for each of the players you mention. All of them are troughers.
The comment has been deleted so we cannot verify your defence of your dear ami. IIRC, he was also link-whoring to one of his own dated blog posts on his own site, which usually doesn’t add anything to the conversation here.
I don’t think that Morrissey has been banned, just warned, and I’m sure he’s big enough to put up his own defence if he feels the need.
Please don’t meddle with Moderation because you’re playing with fire.
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Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Of Course Chris T abuses the Prime Minister
First and foremost – he clearly feels the need to abuse women – at every opportunity.
Second – Chris T – is representative of some of the very lazy side of Waikato farmers. Wretched paddocks and buildings. Rubbish galore. Rusty useless vehicles of all manner.
Third – Chris T – gets offered endless written attention. Boring yards and yards of it.
Fourth – he denigrates and rubs out any person who has a reasonable standard of achievement.
I don't know why he is a Poster boy of "The Standard". His fellow Layabouts, Communists, and Farmers must get quite tired of Chris T.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[Presumably, you’re referring to Chris Trotter but without a link it is impossible to tell what triggered your rant this time. In addition, Chris Trotter is not a Poster boy of “The Standard”. I get quite tired of your unhinged comments here – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 4:42 AM.
I assumed it was commenter here Chris T. Vitriol in any case.
That possibility crossed my mind too and OT has form. I went for the ‘lesser crime’ instead 😉
Kind.
Hi Incognito. In defence/support of OT (yes, you're right, it's de minimis) he was referring to the Chris T who comments here and his comment was attached to a thread involving Chris T (from which OT's comment was moved) and I don't personally find OT's comments vitriolic or out of order; a little stylistically sour maybe, but not offensive; I too wondered about CT's support for the placard-wielding farmer who thinks Jacinda is "pretty" and his approach to commenting here, so wasn't perturbed by OT's comments. I don't think "unhinged" is a fair label for them. For what it's worth
The last para – if he had deleted that he would have got a lot of things off his/her chest which may be true. I think a little rant now and then is reasonable, where else can you safely vent impatience at the way politics and life is unfolding? Most of us understand and say yeah or there, there. Perhaps he could give us examples of the various things he has enumerated so we know what has got him going. That would be a practical outcome and a kindly one also.
Hi Robert, thank you for the feedback.
OT’s comment was a standalone one and not a reply to another comment. OT has form but I gave him the benefit of doubt and a gentle warning, not a threat.
Of course, I posted the image of the muppet farmer, not CT. That said, CT is becoming more cumbersome and more of an issue than OT; CT’s ‘TS credit rating’ is dropping rapidly and I’ve warned CT about this too.
We’re all adults here and I hope I don’t have to spend more time on either OT or CT 😉
Fair enough.
If National is moving to the more conservative and 'moral' side, with the new list, why did they then rush to choose Collins? That can only prove what hypocrites these people are.
Church in the weekend, screw everyone financially during the week. Nothing changes.
National are a hollowed out collection of factions fronted by the biggest bullies now it seems.
They are trusted with the skeletons from the last 3 terms of nationals rule. A few of them are theirs anyway.
Gerry's rebuild:
Imagine if Gerry Brownlee, the deputy leader of the opposition, was let loose in a National-led government next month. Be very afraid, people…
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/08/christchurch-justice-precinct-needed-more-than-700-000-to-fix-electronics.html
They should've gone with weatherboard.
All the third world tinpot dictatorships around the word would be envious of such incompetence.
Infectious diseases ASF and COVID-19 contributing to falling production of non-poultry meat.
"World total meat production in 2020 is forecast to fall to 333 million tonnes (carcass weight equivalent), 1.7 percent lower than in 2019, marking the second year of consecutive decline. Much of the contraction is again expected to reflect a sharp drop in global production of pig meat, largely concentrated in Asian countries affected by the African swine fever (ASF) viral disease, but also of bovine meat, especially in the United States of America (USA) and Australia. By contrast, global production of poultry meat is forecast to expand, albeit at half the rate recorded last year. Modest output growth is also predicted for ovine meat. The pace of expansion of all the meat sectors has been negatively affected by COVID-19 market disruptions, aggravating the effects of animal diseases."
http://www.fao.org/3/ca9509en/CA9509EN.pdf
Always good to throw Hoskings a bone every now and then, and today he got one:
Now, it's fair to say none of us practice much social distancing at L1, although I do give people a wider berth than I used to, but this is a rare mistake from the PM and she should probably acknowledge it in some way.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12355032
I think whoever put together that poster was thinking in terms of public places – not private gatherings or functions. In other words, if you are waiting in a queue there is no need to stand immediately behind the person in front of you. I find now that I automatically stand a few paces away and most other people do too. Its a courteous gesture anyway and usually appreciated.
Without having time to even read that story, I suspect it is based on the difference between the official guidance issued before and after lockdown but which kept the same Level numbers.
Hosk likely just recycling a bone tossed to him by the Nat party 'intelligence' unit. Who's a good boy!
what's the source of the image? (link please). Like Sacha I want to check the version and date.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/covid-19-alert-levels-what-they-mean-you
Adern "I don't know about that Mike"
Hosk "It's on the poster"
Adern "Well that's news to me, I don't know if many people know that"
Hosk "I think you'll find you're wrong Prime Minister, whenever I go out people are always avoiding me, sometimes by more than a meter".
Ho-Sk Y17 is a dangerous brain-eating microbe that turns its victims into a vegetative state. It tends to spread by EM waves.
Thanks for the laugh!!
A 23 March dated story: pre-lockdown, as I thought.
Prof. Cornel West: Joe Biden a Neoliberal Disaster, Donald Trump a Neofascist Catastrophe!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BizaM_MWymk
Why settle for less? Vote for the greatest evil of all!
+1
it was the best choice last time around too.
SMoD has its appeal, as well. "Just end it already" is quite the powerful slogan.
I was sort of speculating a few days ago that the SMoD on Dec 31, 2020 (you know, the big finale to a clusterfucked year) would leave a few astro/cosmonauts on the ISS, stranded in LEO. Which would, of course, be the utopian "true left" government the "everyone's a tory except me" crowd could appreciate.
But then the thought occurred just now that the ISS is only a couple of hundred km up, IIRC, so would probably go through the SMoD's ejecta plume and be zapped that way. Alas, a truly left wing government is impossible.
It's 400km up, on average. It has to do debris collision avoidance maneuvers about once a year on average, so even without the ejecta plume it might not last that long without earth tracking all the space trash. Then there's the risk of a crazed rooskie going and drilling holes in it.
The hole could have been to craftily sneak a sly ciggie or cover up a particularly odiferous fart.
I'm not curious enough to watch 26 minutes of russian propaganda to find out, but I'm curious enough to ask: is Cornel West such a slow learner that he's endorsed the Greens candidate this time around? (it's some noname like Who?ie Who?kins)
Having written scathingly about Biden in the past, I need to see his good side. It is illuminated via historical evidence here: https://www.reddit.com/r/neoliberal/comments/fedjp0/the_comprehensive_case_for_joe_biden/
Joe Biden, Mass Incarceration Zealot
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/biden-crime-mass-incarceration-police-prisons
Expect More Military “Liberal Interventionism” Under a Joe Biden Presidency
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/06/joe-biden-foreign-policy-military-liberal-interventionism-obama
A Biden presidency would not be good news for Palestine
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/biden-presidency-good-news-palestine-200602085815765.html
Joe Biden to rich donors: "Nothing would fundamentally change" if he's elected
https://www.salon.com/2019/06/19/joe-biden-to-rich-donors-nothing-would-fundamentally-change-if-hes-elected/
etc etc and so forth……
Surely you've got more than that to unload yourself of? You've been holding it in a while. Go on, let rip. You'll feel better.
Yeah, so I wrote scathingly of him several times here after seeing that kind of stuff. However, one must adopt a balanced view in politics. Partisans & bigots fall victim to prejudice routinely, but why copy them??
When you read how a politician started out, and get a sense of consistency from his legislative track record in the earlier phase of his political career, and it seems evident that he was trying to help disadvantaged groups, you are likely to form a favourable opinion of his character. And if you have already formed a negative view, you can change your mind.
If you mind is open, that is. So it's just a matter of being fair to the guy by evaluating the pros & cons, eh?
While I resect your view that this is a time (in the US) for political pragmatism, don't fool yourself as who Biden is and whose interests he actually represents..and if we where living in the states..they sure as hell wouldn't be ours.
Then of course there is the very serious ( though bizarrely barely reported upon) issue that he is quite obviously suffering from some sort of age related mental decline/condition…so it looks like the US public are finally really going to vote on an actual dead dog.
Yeah, he's a trad establishment Dem, I get that. Will keep an open mind on the mental health front, but Trump has beaten him to it, really!
I'm somewhat inclined to the thesis advocated by "14th-century bishop William of Wykeham… Manners maketh man, you know". https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/manners+maketh+man
So his gentility of style may actually indicate that he is a true gentleman. Yeah, I know, whimsy has no place nowadays – but stranger things have happened!
If we were living in the states John Key would be considered a dangerous left radical. Bill English would be regarded politically as being religiously left of John Kennedy.
The political scales there are a bit sc(r)ewed
If we were living in the states John Key would be considered a dangerous left radical.
No, he would be considered to be a right wing neoliberal patsy. The U.S. Congress is full of Key equivalents, unfortunately.
Mate it seems (judging by your history on this site anyway) that you have been advocating for free thinking progressives to be voting for eating cold bowls of shit for years, obviously it an acquired taste that you have become accustomed too..maybe even look forward to…that particular perversion has no appeal for me thank you all the same.
Nina Turner Says Voting For Joe Like Eating ‘Bowl Of Shit'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuoZ-J9vc58
Were I an America (and thank God I'm not) I would be voting for Joe Biden – the lesser of two incompetents.
This story originally from Forbes, now NYPost .. top New York real estate exec now entering NZ market suggesting there is a 'getaround' for overseas owners to buy NZ residential property .. thoughts please? Rape and plunder all over again ?
[Fixed error in user name]
[Fixed error in user name]
apologies Incognito .. I will try to remember to use my old email address.
[No worries, but in this comment you used your full name(?) as your user name]
[No worries, but in this comment you used your full name(?) as your user name]
That workaround has been going from before the foreign buyer rules for tax purposes and for a sometimes easier road through the OIO
The ‘investment’ becomes tax deductible and pre covid could ha e generated considerable income. There’s a lot of private lodges around the place. At 1300 m2 it’s hardly in the affordable housing category. The deal will have got someone out of the shit, maybe.
The local council will be smiling, visitor accom. rates on it will be significant. Getting the commercial use will have kept the planning dept and lawyer busy for a while too
dodgy as all get up …. when it is being advertised and promoted in Forbes and New York as a simple easy 'getaround'. John Key's dream all over again. Enough, no more.
ACT uses pretty much the smallest "bus" possible for the electioneering tour, still has half the seats free.
Deary me.
Awww, that knitted elf is soooooo cuuuuuute!
What is it with righties and puppets.
Self-awareness.
FIFY
Glove puppet
And the elf? A knitted Kiwi, say Kevin the Freedom Kiwi, maybe makes some sense sitting in the front of the bus. But the elf looks like he's just grabbed it at the last minute. If it was commissioned, well…
I particularly like that Newshub has referred to the knitted elf as a "genderless humanoid doll" – seems a fitting mascot for the ACT leader.
The knitted elf has no ears …so is deaf.
That seems fitting as well.
Pollies should not take bus tours.
A busload of politicians were driving down a country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in a farmer's field. The farmer, after seeing what happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians. The local cop came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the farmer where all the politicians had gone. The farmer said he had buried them. The cop asked the farmer, "Were they ALL dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."
Seymour should have been more economical and gone for the more appropriate Noddy car to transport his ACT team around the country.
Aww..
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1292501166358761473
You realise Tulsi didn't run in the election?
Yup. Anyhoo, she was in the wrong party.
The Prime Minister is saying today we're going to get a travel bubble with the Cook Islands before the end of the year.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Ladies and gentlemen, pack your snorkels.
I will correct that mistatement for you.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12355183
In other words we are probably talking aspirational for the moment. But yeah, if nothing screws up, this looks possible.
I saw Bridges call this at a candidate/political meeting on a news clip, sometime last week.
How did he know?
Is he privvy to the planning/korero going on as opposition spokesperson?
Public servant whisper?
High cyclone season — yippee !!!
Looks like whatever Collins says is going to be top of the RNZ webpage until the election.
I reckon they’ve hacked the site with ransomware in the form of endless promotional puff-pieces on National and its present Leader. \sarc
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/300078543/donald-trump-i-want-my-face-to-be-on-mount-rushmore
lol, i think i wet my pants.
https://archive.li/pBRM8/690a07dc34f395d119ef763b515e3202803fab6b/scr.png
well that cheered me up lol. Bit of a rollercoaster between a couple of comments 🙂
Fuck, Belgium.
http://archive.li/7A3NP (nyt)
Of course the hospitals work wonderfully if they're half empty because they refuse to accept the patients most likely to need their help. Fucking hell.
Eurothanasia.
This fellow has been a national embarrassment for decades. He was, ominously for Collins and her ever-diminishing crew this year, also the Deputy Leader of the party in 2005….
[deleted]
[don’t post blatant fat bigotry. If you don’t understand why this is a problem, then consider if you had written a piece of blatant sexism aimed at a National woman MP. If that doesn’t get through, imagine if someone had written pejorative stereotypes about a Māori MP. There are plenty of problems with Brownlee’s politics and personality without buying into and promoting negative stereotypes based in shaming people for their bodies – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I think not to show unreasonable bias against gez, you should put personal descriptions for each of the players you mention. All of them are troughers.
John Key – smooth, oily, slimy etc
So what you're really saying is he's met all the requirements to be nominated for a Knighthood
How many times do you people need to be told not to focus on Brownlee's body when his character and actions offer more than enough targets. Pathetic.
Mr Breen's post was focused on Brownlee's misconstruing of the word "fatuous." The shaming of Brownlee was for his foolishness, not his weight.
The comment has been deleted so we cannot verify your defence of your dear ami. IIRC, he was also link-whoring to one of his own dated blog posts on his own site, which usually doesn’t add anything to the conversation here.
I don’t think that Morrissey has been banned, just warned, and I’m sure he’s big enough to put up his own defence if he feels the need.
Please don’t meddle with Moderation because you’re playing with fire.
he was also link-whoring to one of his own dated blog posts on his own site
Indeed. Mr Breen is without doubt a "link whore." Timely intervention on your part, my good man.
You seem to have eyesight problems; I, i.e. moi, did not intervene, but I can now if you keep insisting because you’re starting to blister already.