Has quite a few quirks on mobile. I'll ignore those because the theme is due to get upgraded shortly. Mobile will disappear and it will just be an flexing attribute of the theme.
I felt a bit cold yesterday when fighting asp.net/c#, and woke with a stuffy head this morning so had sick day and read a three books in bed between naps then idled with some comments.
But I did some work on it this evening.
Fast enough, especially when you consider that I'm passing the content to sphinx search to figure out the snippets for each line. Works best on the simple searches.
Why is there radio silence on tory and wellington council wanting to sell wellington airport 🛫 🛬 yet it was such a big deal when auckland were thinking of it??
Well at 2.00pm a Special General meeting of the WCC is taking place called by a majority of councillors in an effort to rescind the decision to sell the shares….Greens, Labour and some independents. Nikau wi Neera a Green councilor who is one who opposes the sale and wants it overturned, is apparently coming under tremendous personal/family pressure from his Aunt who is one of the two iwi reps. One of the iwi reps is not acting to recuse themselves on a conflict of interest, where the iwi is planning to buy the shares should the sale proceed and neither is Tim Brown who works for Infratil.
In addition the Mayor is saying that the proposed resolution has to go to a committee on which the the two Iwi reps have been given a vote and not to the full Council because of 'delegation' issues. Hugn Rennie KC has said the council legal advice is incorrect. The council advice is that having delegated an action the delegator is unable to act itself. This advice is contrary to well established legal precedent that was around when I was involved with Boards with stautory repsosilites 'back in the day'. This was that the delegator was able to either rescind in part or in whole a delegation or reserve to itself matters within a delegation scheme that it wants to deal with itself.
A short time ago a sewer pipe broke around Bowen street?parliament within walking distance of the place where the meeting is to be held, I think the 'pipes call' in Wgtn as this happened but with water when PM/Simeon Brown fired a shot over the bows of the local authorities over rating increases, and nice to haves at the LGA conference in August.
As we wait now there has been a security alert where the meeting is to be held.
Work is required clearly on the iwi rep issue as to whether selected reps have a vote at the full council and to clarify the delegation issue, yet again
Rumour has it, beltway rumours are endemic here, that the Chief Ombudsman and Audit are waiting in the wings to act should 'something' to happen.
In the meantime the issue has united many who other would seen as not being able to unite working on a best for Wellington point of view.
Quick question regarding WordPress with the "wp-comments-post.php" suffix lprent. A lot of corporates block this on their firewalls, any easy fix for that?
It is true that the British/or their ancestors have been at war every day for the past 3000 years making the British the most violent race in world history. Simple fact.
You continue spouting simplistic factoids, e.g., the British are not a race and nor are Māori for that matter. I don’t think you’re that smart after all.
Exactly. Though ironically, there was a time when the British regarded their control of large parts of the world as evidence of the superiority of the British 'race'. Koina is therefore repeating a fallacious understanding of 'race' that was first popularised by white supremacists.
Incognito, when I evaluate the 'feel' of Belladonna's comment, to me there is a strong subtext of 'race' to their statements. So while koina may not use the correct language according to definition, I believe koina has captured the intent of BD's comments accurately.
And Maori also had a society that was heavily interconnected and stabilised by family alliances and strategic marriages. Plus Maori culture gave rise, via Parihaka (which was reported in the Commonwealth press, inspiring Ghandi in South Africa), to an international movement of peaceful, non-violent protest.
As for Te Rauparaha epitomising Maori culture; by extension of your judgement, therefore Hitler epitomises German culture. Get real. It's either a whole culture, or a 'great man' – you cannot pick and choose from case to case.
You seem to be drinking at the eugenics well of pitting one culture against another, to claim superiority for a narrow range of European Enlightenment values which skipped large parts of the actual political reality.
This is the sort of cod history that will be more and more amplified by Seymour and others in the mess of Te Tiriti debate.
By all means continue in your misguided defense of living standards in Victorian England. Perhaps you can put up some life expectancy stats from the 1800s to 1880s?
Realizing that there is a 90% hole in 90% of all historical " accounts" pre 1900 has served me well. 99% of "history" and it is "his "story is about the 1% of the upper classes while every one else is ignored. When I first went to England in 1977 having been "taught" how Britain was the the birth of a great empire I was shocked because to my eyes England looked like a slum and most of the people lived in poverty. Where was the great Empire? I stopped watching TV 1 news in 1974 (Only one TV channel in those days) because I realized there was no news just right wing White propaganda. So realizing that 90% of what people tell me is either B/S or so badly skewed I rarely believe any thing any one tells me and I question everything. So by the time I was ten years old I realized that 90% of the White "accounts" of the "history " of these lands were so riddled with holes and drenched in White prejudice and were simply propaganda to justify the illegal White invasion.
I find koina's statements in this conversation to be a perfectly justifiable world view, based on their own experience, especially when critiquing Britain based on what they lived through there. I may not agree with all they say, but it shows up narrow-mindedness to write off all koina says to an ignorance of the world and how it works 'according to Belladonna'.
I'll put up the life expectancy stats of Victorian England, when you put up the life expectancy stats of 18th century Maori.
I won't hold my breath.
Actually, putting up those stats might be quite easy – almost as easy as holding one’s breath. I recall Anne Salmond writing about some such in the early 90s – there's a citation link embedded in this paper.
Salmond’s 1991) comparative ethnography of early contact argues that, despite differences in population, culture and technology in Britain and Aotearoa, Māori health was likely better and longevity quite similar:
… Europeans lived about as long as pre-European Māori, but overall … they were more prone to disease and quite often less well fed. (Salmond 1991, p. 48)
I was asked for life expectancy in Victorian England.
Yes, but you asked for "the life expectancy stats of 18th century Maori", and said you wouldn't be holding your breath, in your typically respectful manner.
It was that request of yours I was responding to – why it this so difficult?
You haven't given any statistics of life expectancy for 18th century Maori – just an opinion.
And one which is contradicted by other sources (see earlier comment)
I'm still not holding my breath. For the very simple reason that they don't exist. A pre-literate culture (regardless of the high cultural level), simply doesn't collect or record statistics on anything.
' Liverpool, England’s second largest city and its second port, with a population of 376,000 in 1851, was infamous for its high mortality rates, and life expectancy was as low as 28 years in the period 1838-44. Manchester, only slightly smaller than Liverpool in size, experienced similarly low levels of life expectancy in the mid-nineteenth century, but also experienced more rapid improvements. Manchester and Liverpool provide some support for the argument that large northern industrial and manufacturing cities experienced much worse conditions, and higher mortality rates, than their slower-growing southern counterparts.'
If you think that births and deaths in Britain's noisome Victorian slums were accurately recorded, then dream on. Working back from rural parish registers does not properly measure pre-census Britain's population either.
Are you then equating the life experience of people in Victorian Liverpool or Manchester, with pre-European NZ. Hardly a ringing endorsement….. People living in the worst slums in Britain had the same life-expectancy as 18th century Maori.
There were huge population influxes to Northern England from the Irish escaping the potato famine. Picking Manchester and Liverpool is purposefully picking the worst cities.
(But that sets me up for a recommendation – North and South (2004) – a romance set amongst strife between the mill owners and mill workers in Manchester (in disguise) just after that time period. Lots of great actors and a reminder why unions are needed.)
The potato famine was in 1845-52, outside the timeframe quoted.
And I do remember reading in some NZ history or other that NZ Maori population was close to the limit of the food resources available. Which is why people ground their teeth down to the nerves eating fern root in some areas.
And why Maori were extremely quick to pick up agriculture and horticulture, and benefit from food plants introduced by incoming Europeans.
You picked out two particular years with the implication that their were many similar years. Given you mentioned 1851 specifically, the potato famine fits within the timeframe. According to Wikipedia, in 1851, 20% of Liverpool's population was Irish.
My point was that these cities were atypical compared to other English cities for this and other reasons.
Actually, I can across an interesting reference. Basically, it says that a more virulent strain of scarlet fever increased death rates in children to such an extent that the average life expectancy dropped. But also other things mattered "including the Irish famine and the epidemiological effects of rising population densities and connectedness,".
Davenport RJ. Urbanization and mortality in Britain, c. 1800-50. Econ Hist Rev. 2020 May;73(2):455-485. doi: 10.1111/ehr.12964. Epub 2020 Feb 21. PMID: 32355360; PMCID: PMC7186836.
Of course, now I got so interested in the story that I've forgotten what point I was trying to argue.
In December 2020 Salmond expressed optimism that a worldview for New Zealand based on key concepts such as aroha (‘love’) and kaitiakitanga (‘guardianship’) could build relationships, not just between people, but also with the living world.
…
As New Zealand prepared for a general election in 2023, Salmond questioned whether either Chris Hipkins or Christopher Luxon as leaders of the two main political parties in the country were being "honest and long-sighted, or cynical or expedient…[in developing policies]…to address climate change at pace and scale".
As I said, there is a divergence of opinion – quoting Te Ara.
Salmond is an academic with a defined opinion (one you clearly agree with).
And very clearly, her opinions are well to the left of centre – given that she equates Hipkins with Luxon.
If that's your definition of centrist, I'm no longer amazed that you appear to regard everyone else as some form of right wing.
This particular ‘analysis’ of yours is revealing – using such "respectful centrist" logic, wouldn't it make just as much sense to write:
And very clearly, her [Salmond's] opinions are well to the right of centre – given that she equates Luxon with Hipkins.
Given Salmond's resolute rejection of Seymour's claim to basing his Treaty Principles Bill on her work, it is very clear that she's not an ACT supporter.
Centrists are usually better placed to place commentary more accurately on the left/right spectrum. Marxists are hampered by the fact that virtually all commentary is right-wing from their perspective.
Honestly B, it's no more nonsensical than your original wording in your comment @ 3:38 pm yesterday. In that comment, you clearly state that Salmond’s opinions are well to the left of centre, and your ‘evidence’ is “that she equates Hipkins with Luxon.”
Imho, you just can't get your head around it is all, and that's OK – a righty might have more difficult with this than a centrist.
And Europe's 16th, 17th and early 18th century the wars of religion?
(The Thirty Years War alone claimed the lives of around a third of Germans, in the territory of Brandenburg close to half the population perished, and in some areas populations declined by an estimated two thirds.)
and (with greater violence) afterwards.
Now do the Napoleonic Wars, the population of France declined by an estimated 10%, the numerous French/Anglo/Spanish/Prussian/Russian/minor duchy tiffs, assorted uprisings, revolutions, and colonial conquests, and the mechanised killing sprees of the 20/21st C.
If you want to discuss the massive death tolls – we should also include the Soviet Union and China, not to mention Pol Pot.
According to Te Ara, the pre-European population of NZ was somewhere between 100K and 200K – a 20,000 death toll – is right on par with the Napoleonic Wars.
And Britain's administration in the Great Famines of Ireland and India, where millions died while Britain continued food exports from those countries for profit.
And the Armenian massacre (genocide) committed by Turkey in the early years of the 20th century.
The point is, that wars happen. And have historically happened.
The proportional death toll of Maori during the Musket Wars is equivalent to some of the worst of them. The death toll during the NZ wars, doesn't even make the top 10,000.
Or, is somehow Maori vs Maori territorial aggression OK; but British vs Maori territorial aggression is not.
BTW: If you think that 19th century Britain was the "worst living conditions on planet earth" – your ignorance is laughable.
I think you are missing some important points. Iwi and Hapū have historically had distinctly different understandings of and practices around injustice. The British largely ignored these and imported their own and embedded them into custom, policy and law.
The point isn't that Māori were good and Brits were bad. It's that the Brits had the bigger stick and were able to forceable remove much from Māori. It's not valid to suggest that Māori vs Māori warfare is analogous to British vs Māori. Colonisation is in the power dynamics.
My understanding of Māori invasions on other Iwi was that while it was brutal (that's the reality of warfare), and there were degrees of what might be called colonisation, and there wasn't the obliteration of people and culture that we've seen from the British and other Europeans. Again, not because Māori were virtuous and the whiteys were evil, but because of different values and cultural practices. Once you get to empire building, colonisation is viable. When you live in a island far from everywhere else and you are living a paleolithic/neolithic reality, the kinds of imperialism the Brits were doing is a death sentence for everyone.
And sure, I'd like to see the Romans held accountable for the colonisation of the Brits, or the English of the Scots. If someone can make a compelling case, why not? I doubt it would look much like NZ Treaty settlements and such, but at core is decolonisation of culture and making sure that people are ok.
Koina certainly over-eggs the pudding, and I agree the statements about the UK are off, but the central point remains. Māori suffered great injustice, and there is a move in NZ currently to cement than in rather than remedying it.
I certainly agree that one of the gravest injustices was as the result of the NZ colonial government deliberately breaching their own laws in relation to Maori land.
But the English have had wave after wave of colonisation – Celts, Romans, Vikings, Jutes, Angels, Saxons, Normans. Try dis-entangling that. And how long should the last lot of colonizers live there before getting compensation from the next group of colonizers.
And who are the Romans that the English should get compensation from? To be Roman was to be a citizen of an Empire not an ethnicity. The empire no longer exists. And what about the technology and economic uplift from the wealth and trade the Romans bought to England. Should they get some recompence for the roads they built that still exist or are the basis for those that exist today? https://www.mylearning.org/stories/roman-roads/1502
There is a cool video by mapmen explaining why English names are so hard to pronounce – by looking at which migrant group named them – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNzqgU7na4
Dog eat dog is a philosophical position that I hope we have moved on from since Roman, or even Victorian, times. Sweeping the idea of reparations under the carpet benefits the dominant culture. But have a look, one million Maori make too big a lump there.
I am pointing out the silliness of trying to get recompence from the Roman Empire, which no longer exists, for a group of people who can't now be distinguished from further waves of colonisation and invasion.
And that the "English" were violently colonised many, many times.
Got it in one, weka, well said. I was thinking about why I reacted so strongly to Belladonna's critique of kiona, who mainly put up quite factual statements about the Waikato invasion of Maori land, with a touch of emotion against the British.
As weka says, the dynamics of colonisation are not the dynamics of general societal violence. The analogy that came to my mind last night was saying it's OK to rape someone who has a promiscuious lifestyle, because they already have a lot of sex.
But weka said it so much more elegantly than me, of course.
The Guardian describes the implementation of UNDRIP, which gathers momentum there.
What we started here in NZ, but moving along. There's a critique of NZ's pathway, too.
"“In 2019, the expert mechanism was invited into New Zealand to give advice on how to implement the declaration. We recommended legislation, reporting mechanisms and an action plan, similar to what’s happening in BC now. And there was work in New Zealand on the action plans, but the weakness was they didn’t do legislation first.”
While 'special' groups get targetted funding from the government: Like the Gumboot Friday grant to Mike King.
Big HairyNews (from 33 min ) discuss the Auditor General's finding that the grant did not follow due process.
Mike King 'made big hits on Jacinda's government' through media contacts before the election, according to Chewie. He didn’t get funding from Labour because he didn’t fill in the paperwork to do so correctly.
“Funding to supplier, vs funding to specific policies” is not transparent democracy, according to the AG.
'Opt-out' clause used to justify lack of procurement process for Gumboot Friday funding
The chair of the charity behind the initiative says the level of scrutiny it has faced has been "devastating" and there was an assumption that the organisation must have done something "dodgy".
Naomi Ballantyne…is Chair
Also….
Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad was also critical of the way Gumboot Friday was funded.
"I'd like us to ensure that whenever funding decisions are being made in the youth mental health space, that we're doing that in a holistic way."
Asked whether that had been the case with this funding she said: "I don't think so."
"It was somewhat unusual to see that one organisation show up in the coalition agreement.
One understands why the effects of colonisation are often front-of-mind. They are frequently appalling. That said, a greater focus on the causes of colonisation in different periods of history, particularly post 16th Century, may help to refine more appropriate contemporary political understanding and responses.
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Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
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 from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Mediawatch -Trump's alarmed the world with trade tariffs, turning off aid and proposing to take over Gaza. But New Zealand's had diplomatic drama in the news too - with the media in the middle of it. ...
By Rachel Helyer Donaldson, RNZ News journalist New Zealand should be robust in its response to the “unacceptable” situation in Gaza but it must also back its allies against threats by the US President, says an international relations academic. Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman said the rest ...
A Christchurch man who lost 55 relatives in three Israeli airstrikes on Gaza says his remaining family will never leave, despite a US proposal to remove them. ...
Asia Pacific Report A national Palestine advocacy group has hit back at critics of its “genocide hotline” campaign against soldiers involved in Israel’s war against Gaza, saying New Zealand should be actively following international law. The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) dismissed a “predictable lineup of apologists for Israel” for ...
ACT Party leader David Seymour said he wrote to police about the treatment of Philip Polkinghorne because it's an electorate MP's job to pass on the concerns of their constituents. ...
MEDIAWATCH:By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter By the time US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on China and Canada last Monday which could kickstart a trade war, New Zealand’s diplomats in Washington, DC, had already been deployed on another diplomatic drama. Republican Senator Ted Cruz had said on social ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says New Zealand is asking for too much oversight over its deal with China, which is expected to be penned in Beijing next week. Brown told RNZ Pacific the Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship was reciprocal. “They certainly did ...
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 Byelections occurred on Saturday in the Victorian state seats of Prahran and Werribee. The Liberals gained Prahran from the Greens by a ...
A long time ago, Brian Turner wrote a poem in which, among the mountains, as he slept on a river flat … My speechless ancestors played like mice among my dreamsand he woke to the river running over my bed of stone. I have come to know that where a ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
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 Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
Search is back.
Complete rewrite using a different technique (SphinxQL with mysqli calls rather than the older API).
Still has a few flaws that I will correct at some point. Mostly to make it easier to find a particular page.
The usual extended query syntax still applies for those who are interested.
https://sphinxsearch.com/docs/current.html#extended-syntax
The fields exposed are
@title
@author
@body
@category (haven’t tested that myself)
@isPage (untested)
@isPost (untested)
@isComment (untested)
Bit of an issue with putting quotes – it keeps adding a backslash to the quote characters. That will be easy to fix.
@category thinktank
works. But multi-word categories do not.
fails on
@category monetary policy
@category "monetary policy"
@category ^monetary policy$
Has quite a few quirks on mobile. I'll ignore those because the theme is due to get upgraded shortly. Mobile will disappear and it will just be an flexing attribute of the theme.
Functional on both Mozilla and Chrome browsers.
Yeah, just a bit quirky.
I felt a bit cold yesterday when fighting asp.net/c#, and woke with a stuffy head this morning so had sick day and read a three books in bed between naps then idled with some comments.
But I did some work on it this evening.
Fast enough, especially when you consider that I'm passing the content to sphinx search to figure out the snippets for each line. Works best on the simple searches.
Why is there radio silence on tory and wellington council wanting to sell wellington airport 🛫 🛬 yet it was such a big deal when auckland were thinking of it??
International Passenger numbers? and revenue
Number of international passenger movements 2023
Auckland Airport 8,555,112
Christchurch Airport 1,262,287
Dunedin Airport 212
Queenstown Airport 835,196
Wellington Airport 710,154
No one in the Green Party has the courage to criticise the Green Party Mayor.
Also doesn't help that a chunk of the current minority shareholder Infratil – who will buy it – is now run by James Shaw.
And of course Tim Brown the Wellington Councillor was previously Chair of Wellington Airport and was also a longtime senior player in Infratil.
Well at 2.00pm a Special General meeting of the WCC is taking place called by a majority of councillors in an effort to rescind the decision to sell the shares….Greens, Labour and some independents. Nikau wi Neera a Green councilor who is one who opposes the sale and wants it overturned, is apparently coming under tremendous personal/family pressure from his Aunt who is one of the two iwi reps. One of the iwi reps is not acting to recuse themselves on a conflict of interest, where the iwi is planning to buy the shares should the sale proceed and neither is Tim Brown who works for Infratil.
In addition the Mayor is saying that the proposed resolution has to go to a committee on which the the two Iwi reps have been given a vote and not to the full Council because of 'delegation' issues. Hugn Rennie KC has said the council legal advice is incorrect. The council advice is that having delegated an action the delegator is unable to act itself. This advice is contrary to well established legal precedent that was around when I was involved with Boards with stautory repsosilites 'back in the day'. This was that the delegator was able to either rescind in part or in whole a delegation or reserve to itself matters within a delegation scheme that it wants to deal with itself.
A short time ago a sewer pipe broke around Bowen street?parliament within walking distance of the place where the meeting is to be held, I think the 'pipes call' in Wgtn as this happened but with water when PM/Simeon Brown fired a shot over the bows of the local authorities over rating increases, and nice to haves at the LGA conference in August.
As we wait now there has been a security alert where the meeting is to be held.
Work is required clearly on the iwi rep issue as to whether selected reps have a vote at the full council and to clarify the delegation issue, yet again
Rumour has it, beltway rumours are endemic here, that the Chief Ombudsman and Audit are waiting in the wings to act should 'something' to happen.
In the meantime the issue has united many who other would seen as not being able to unite working on a best for Wellington point of view.
Quick question regarding WordPress with the "wp-comments-post.php" suffix lprent. A lot of corporates block this on their firewalls, any easy fix for that?
On the comment form? Should be easy enough to divert through something else. Ummm maybe something like 'thestandard.org.nz/process-contribution/'
I will have a look around the site for other generated outputs.
Drat. I need another notebook.
Otago University has dropped down the university rankings.
Could throwing heaps of money at a new logo, then making academic staff redundant, have something to do with that?
And Auckland University has dropped too.
The Cheatie
The simple truth.
!840. At least 90% of the British people are feudal slaves and
living in the worst living conditions on planet earth.
A few escape their horror prison.
Feb 1840 Waitangi.
British are heavily out numbered by Tangata whenua.
The British stall for time.
British make huge promise to Tangata Whenua .
By 1865 British bring in 14,000 trained soldiers.
Waikato refuse to sell land .
So British send in 14,000 British soldiers against 2000 Waikato.
After furious battles Waikato withdraw south
British invade and steal more than a million acres.
Then they do the same in the Taranaki.
Invade butcher massacre steal destroy.
Like the British did all around the world for 300 years.
Governor Grey who orders invasions becomes a Knight.
The year 2000 a small group of Pakeha make tiny apology .
Pakeha pay 1% compensation.
2023 Whites withdraw apology and take back the 1% compensation.
Pakeha call this One people One country Justice for all.
Just like Maori had been doing to each other in NZ, both before the Europeans arrived and (with greater violence) afterwards.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/musket-wars
Don't see Ngāti Toa issuing apologies and compensation for the (very successful) warfare carried out by Te Rauparaha.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t74/te-rauparaha
Or, is somehow Maori vs Maori territorial aggression OK; but British vs Maori territorial aggression is not.
BTW: If you think that 19th century Britain was the "worst living conditions on planet earth" – your ignorance is laughable.
Just like Maori had been doing to each other in NZ, both before the Europeans arrived and (with greater violence) afterwards.
They couldn't just buy land from one another: they didn't have any money. They had never heard of fractional reserve banking.
It is true that the British/or their ancestors have been at war every day for the past 3000 years making the British the most violent race in world history. Simple fact.
You continue spouting simplistic factoids, e.g., the British are not a race and nor are Māori for that matter. I don’t think you’re that smart after all.
Exactly. Though ironically, there was a time when the British regarded their control of large parts of the world as evidence of the superiority of the British 'race'. Koina is therefore repeating a fallacious understanding of 'race' that was first popularised by white supremacists.
Perpetuating these same narratives either shows a lack of understanding or a disingenuous agenda.
These narratives avoid nuanced understanding and encourage and enforce perceptions of divisive distinctions.
By one’s words we can recognise their thinking although not necessarily their motives.
Incognito, when I evaluate the 'feel' of Belladonna's comment, to me there is a strong subtext of 'race' to their statements. So while koina may not use the correct language according to definition, I believe koina has captured the intent of BD's comments accurately.
High on irony.
And Maori also had a society that was heavily interconnected and stabilised by family alliances and strategic marriages. Plus Maori culture gave rise, via Parihaka (which was reported in the Commonwealth press, inspiring Ghandi in South Africa), to an international movement of peaceful, non-violent protest.
As for Te Rauparaha epitomising Maori culture; by extension of your judgement, therefore Hitler epitomises German culture. Get real. It's either a whole culture, or a 'great man' – you cannot pick and choose from case to case.
You seem to be drinking at the eugenics well of pitting one culture against another, to claim superiority for a narrow range of European Enlightenment values which skipped large parts of the actual political reality.
This is the sort of cod history that will be more and more amplified by Seymour and others in the mess of Te Tiriti debate.
By all means continue in your misguided defense of living standards in Victorian England. Perhaps you can put up some life expectancy stats from the 1800s to 1880s?
Musket Wars: total (estimated) death toll, around 20,000
https://teara.govt.nz/en/musket-wars/page-1
NZ Wars: total (estimated) death toll from both sides, around 3,000
https://teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars
Te Rauparaha is simply one example of a very successful warrior chieftain – there are literally dozens of others.
You seem to be drinking from the eugenics well, of justifying violence from one culture, while condemning it from another.
I'll put up the life expectancy stats of Victorian England, when you put up the life expectancy stats of 18th century Maori.
I won't hold my breath.
Realizing that there is a 90% hole in 90% of all historical " accounts" pre 1900 has served me well. 99% of "history" and it is "his "story is about the 1% of the upper classes while every one else is ignored. When I first went to England in 1977 having been "taught" how Britain was the the birth of a great empire I was shocked because to my eyes England looked like a slum and most of the people lived in poverty. Where was the great Empire? I stopped watching TV 1 news in 1974 (Only one TV channel in those days) because I realized there was no news just right wing White propaganda. So realizing that 90% of what people tell me is either B/S or so badly skewed I rarely believe any thing any one tells me and I question everything. So by the time I was ten years old I realized that 90% of the White "accounts" of the "history " of these lands were so riddled with holes and drenched in White prejudice and were simply propaganda to justify the illegal White invasion.
Yep. Your posts are certainly illustrating that ignorance is serving you well. No need to worry about facts, you have right on your side. /sarc/
I find koina's statements in this conversation to be a perfectly justifiable world view, based on their own experience, especially when critiquing Britain based on what they lived through there. I may not agree with all they say, but it shows up narrow-mindedness to write off all koina says to an ignorance of the world and how it works 'according to Belladonna'.
I'm sure you do.
Given that Koina has specifically said that he discounts virtually all historical evidence – really there is no point in debating them.
The facts koina stated on the Waikato war are all correct.
Actually, putting up those stats might be quite easy – almost as easy as holding one’s breath. I recall Anne Salmond writing about some such in the early 90s – there's a citation link embedded in this paper.
Two worlds: First meetings between Maori and Europeans, 1642-1772
https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-hauora-maori-i-mua-history-of-maori-health/page-1
Opinion, not statistics.
I was asked for life expectancy in Victorian England. It was around 40-45 years.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/articles/howhaslifeexpectancychangedovertime/2015-09-09
Te Ara’s estimate for Maori pre-European contact, is 28-30. Of course, this is only opinion as well. There are no statistics for this period.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-hauora-maori-i-mua-history-of-maori-health/page-1
Yes, but you asked for "the life expectancy stats of 18th century Maori", and said you wouldn't be holding your breath, in your typically respectful manner.
It was that request of yours I was responding to – why it this so difficult?
You haven't given any statistics of life expectancy for 18th century Maori – just an opinion.
And one which is contradicted by other sources (see earlier comment)
I'm still not holding my breath. For the very simple reason that they don't exist. A pre-literate culture (regardless of the high cultural level), simply doesn't collect or record statistics on anything.
The figure of life expectancy you give, Belldonna, is an aggregate.
From a study of demographics measurement in the UK
' Liverpool, England’s second largest city and its second port, with a population of 376,000 in 1851, was infamous for its high mortality rates, and life expectancy was as low as 28 years in the period 1838-44. Manchester, only slightly smaller than Liverpool in size, experienced similarly low levels of life expectancy in the mid-nineteenth century, but also experienced more rapid improvements. Manchester and Liverpool provide some support for the argument that large northern industrial and manufacturing cities experienced much worse conditions, and higher mortality rates, than their slower-growing southern counterparts.'
If you think that births and deaths in Britain's noisome Victorian slums were accurately recorded, then dream on. Working back from rural parish registers does not properly measure pre-census Britain's population either.
Are you then equating the life experience of people in Victorian Liverpool or Manchester, with pre-European NZ. Hardly a ringing endorsement….. People living in the worst slums in Britain had the same life-expectancy as 18th century Maori.
There were huge population influxes to Northern England from the Irish escaping the potato famine. Picking Manchester and Liverpool is purposefully picking the worst cities.
(But that sets me up for a recommendation – North and South (2004) – a romance set amongst strife between the mill owners and mill workers in Manchester (in disguise) just after that time period. Lots of great actors and a reminder why unions are needed.)
The potato famine was in 1845-52, outside the timeframe quoted.
And I do remember reading in some NZ history or other that NZ Maori population was close to the limit of the food resources available. Which is why people ground their teeth down to the nerves eating fern root in some areas.
And why Maori were extremely quick to pick up agriculture and horticulture, and benefit from food plants introduced by incoming Europeans.
You picked out two particular years with the implication that their were many similar years. Given you mentioned 1851 specifically, the potato famine fits within the timeframe. According to Wikipedia, in 1851, 20% of Liverpool's population was Irish.
My point was that these cities were atypical compared to other English cities for this and other reasons.
Actually, I can across an interesting reference. Basically, it says that a more virulent strain of scarlet fever increased death rates in children to such an extent that the average life expectancy dropped. But also other things mattered "including the Irish famine and the epidemiological effects of rising population densities and connectedness,".
Davenport RJ. Urbanization and mortality in Britain, c. 1800-50. Econ Hist Rev. 2020 May;73(2):455-485. doi: 10.1111/ehr.12964. Epub 2020 Feb 21. PMID: 32355360; PMCID: PMC7186836.
Of course, now I got so interested in the story that I've forgotten what point I was trying to argue.
Belladonna only considers the life expectancy of the elite to be relevant.
Unlike Muttonbird, I consider everyone's life expectancy to be relevant.
For sure, Dame Anne Salmond's opinions aren't everyone's cuppa tea.
Now there's a political centrist.
As I said, there is a divergence of opinion – quoting Te Ara.
Salmond is an academic with a defined opinion (one you clearly agree with).
And very clearly, her opinions are well to the left of centre – given that she equates Hipkins with Luxon.
If that's your definition of centrist, I'm no longer amazed that you appear to regard everyone else as some form of right wing.
And one you disagree with?
This particular ‘analysis’ of yours is revealing – using such "respectful centrist" logic, wouldn't it make just as much sense to write:
The truth will set you free
Given Salmond's resolute rejection of Seymour's claim to basing his Treaty Principles Bill on her work, it is very clear that she's not an ACT supporter.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/dame-anne-salmond-takes-act-leader-david-seymour-to-task-over-his-claims-that-her-work-supports-his-treaty-call/2TJ7YYJ4BVHDZPRJYKIEAKFPOA/
So your re-wording is simply nonsense.
Centrists are usually better placed to place commentary more accurately on the left/right spectrum. Marxists are hampered by the fact that virtually all commentary is right-wing from their perspective.
Most accurately, Salmond is someone who has interacted with the modern Maori world, and studied its past, for decades.
Honestly B, it's no more nonsensical than your original wording in your comment @ 3:38 pm yesterday. In that comment, you clearly state that Salmond’s opinions are well to the left of centre, and your ‘evidence’ is “that she equates Hipkins with Luxon.”
Imho, you just can't get your head around it is all, and that's OK – a righty might have more difficult with this than a centrist.
And Europe's 16th, 17th and early 18th century the wars of religion?
(The Thirty Years War alone claimed the lives of around a third of Germans, in the territory of Brandenburg close to half the population perished, and in some areas populations declined by an estimated two thirds.)
Now do the Napoleonic Wars, the population of France declined by an estimated 10%, the numerous French/Anglo/Spanish/Prussian/Russian/minor duchy tiffs, assorted uprisings, revolutions, and colonial conquests, and the mechanised killing sprees of the 20/21st C.
/
Amazingly, none of those happened in NZ.
If you want to discuss the massive death tolls – we should also include the Soviet Union and China, not to mention Pol Pot.
According to Te Ara, the pre-European population of NZ was somewhere between 100K and 200K – a 20,000 death toll – is right on par with the Napoleonic Wars.
And Britain's administration in the Great Famines of Ireland and India, where millions died while Britain continued food exports from those countries for profit.
And the Armenian massacre (genocide) committed by Turkey in the early years of the 20th century.
The point is, that wars happen. And have historically happened.
The proportional death toll of Maori during the Musket Wars is equivalent to some of the worst of them. The death toll during the NZ wars, doesn't even make the top 10,000.
I think you are missing some important points. Iwi and Hapū have historically had distinctly different understandings of and practices around injustice. The British largely ignored these and imported their own and embedded them into custom, policy and law.
The point isn't that Māori were good and Brits were bad. It's that the Brits had the bigger stick and were able to forceable remove much from Māori. It's not valid to suggest that Māori vs Māori warfare is analogous to British vs Māori. Colonisation is in the power dynamics.
My understanding of Māori invasions on other Iwi was that while it was brutal (that's the reality of warfare), and there were degrees of what might be called colonisation, and there wasn't the obliteration of people and culture that we've seen from the British and other Europeans. Again, not because Māori were virtuous and the whiteys were evil, but because of different values and cultural practices. Once you get to empire building, colonisation is viable. When you live in a island far from everywhere else and you are living a paleolithic/neolithic reality, the kinds of imperialism the Brits were doing is a death sentence for everyone.
And sure, I'd like to see the Romans held accountable for the colonisation of the Brits, or the English of the Scots. If someone can make a compelling case, why not? I doubt it would look much like NZ Treaty settlements and such, but at core is decolonisation of culture and making sure that people are ok.
Koina certainly over-eggs the pudding, and I agree the statements about the UK are off, but the central point remains. Māori suffered great injustice, and there is a move in NZ currently to cement than in rather than remedying it.
Thanks for a rational response, Weka.
I certainly agree that one of the gravest injustices was as the result of the NZ colonial government deliberately breaching their own laws in relation to Maori land.
And this is subject to redress.
But the English have had wave after wave of colonisation – Celts, Romans, Vikings, Jutes, Angels, Saxons, Normans. Try dis-entangling that. And how long should the last lot of colonizers live there before getting compensation from the next group of colonizers.
And who are the Romans that the English should get compensation from? To be Roman was to be a citizen of an Empire not an ethnicity. The empire no longer exists. And what about the technology and economic uplift from the wealth and trade the Romans bought to England. Should they get some recompence for the roads they built that still exist or are the basis for those that exist today? https://www.mylearning.org/stories/roman-roads/1502
There is a cool video by mapmen explaining why English names are so hard to pronounce – by looking at which migrant group named them – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNzqgU7na4
Is that Hobson's Pledge you pledge to?
Dog eat dog is a philosophical position that I hope we have moved on from since Roman, or even Victorian, times. Sweeping the idea of reparations under the carpet benefits the dominant culture. But have a look, one million Maori make too big a lump there.
I am pointing out the silliness of trying to get recompence from the Roman Empire, which no longer exists, for a group of people who can't now be distinguished from further waves of colonisation and invasion.
And that the "English" were violently colonised many, many times.
Got it in one, weka, well said. I was thinking about why I reacted so strongly to Belladonna's critique of kiona, who mainly put up quite factual statements about the Waikato invasion of Maori land, with a touch of emotion against the British.
There is no question that it was a blatant land-grab, and was even seen as so by some Europeans at the time.
As weka says, the dynamics of colonisation are not the dynamics of general societal violence. The analogy that came to my mind last night was saying it's OK to rape someone who has a promiscuious lifestyle, because they already have a lot of sex.
But weka said it so much more elegantly than me, of course.
Co-governance and de-colonisation in British Columbia.
The Guardian describes the implementation of UNDRIP, which gathers momentum there.
What we started here in NZ, but moving along. There's a critique of NZ's pathway, too.
"“In 2019, the expert mechanism was invited into New Zealand to give advice on how to implement the declaration. We recommended legislation, reporting mechanisms and an action plan, similar to what’s happening in BC now. And there was work in New Zealand on the action plans, but the weakness was they didn’t do legislation first.”
Fast tracking unfunded projects.
Why not a New Zealand based gondola to an elevator to the moon?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_space_elevatormoon
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/530319/fast-track-list-the-favoured-projects-that-could-be-pie-in-the-sky
Meanwhile in today's New Zealand many community groups lack funding.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/community-advocate-dave-letele-to-shut-down-south-auckland-foodbank-citing-costs/ZLUQERNVSFAWTMD2TKBLPBBUSI/
While 'special' groups get targetted funding from the government: Like the Gumboot Friday grant to Mike King.
Big HairyNews (from 33 min ) discuss the Auditor General's finding that the grant did not follow due process.
Mike King 'made big hits on Jacinda's government' through media contacts before the election, according to Chewie. He didn’t get funding from Labour because he didn’t fill in the paperwork to do so correctly.
“Funding to supplier, vs funding to specific policies” is not transparent democracy, according to the AG.
Luxon ‘blamed officials’.
Naomi Ballantyne…is Chair
Also….
Naomi Ballantyne….nothing to see here. Much
Mike King..unaware. Oh right….
We have a government that doesn't care about you unless you are either:
1. A farmer,
2. A landlord,
3. An urban boomer, or
4. A rich lister.
One understands why the effects of colonisation are often front-of-mind. They are frequently appalling. That said, a greater focus on the causes of colonisation in different periods of history, particularly post 16th Century, may help to refine more appropriate contemporary political understanding and responses.
That focus might usefully address the consequences of, for example, Dependency Theory, which shifted the focus of causation from a “universal” system of accumulation (Capitalism) to a spatial process of region/state against region/society (for example, Core-Periphery).