Perhaps they devolved over the past millennium? Wikipedia says they "invaded from Australia less than 1,000 years ago."
Or perhaps the invasion force was carefully selected to consist of the most vigorous fliers. Churlish folk may theorise that those were assisted by prevailing winds. I'd advise them to beware inadvertent support of the bird-brain theory. Intelligent design of the invasion force seems just as feasible & descendants make take umbrage…
These large rails much prefer to walk & swim rather than fly. Unfortunately this preference gets lots of them killed on the roads.
I'm struck by how very dinosaur-like they are when they walk or run. They look like mini-raptors, and that frontal shield of theirs somehow just adds to the dinosaur resemblance, for me anyway.
They give me the impression that they didn't have to evolve very far along the chain from a mini-raptor to get to their current shape, though of course that might not be true in their DNA record.
By all accounts they’re pretty tough & stringy. The best recipe is said to be to boil them up with potatoes, kumara, watercress, cabbage & beans, in a pot big enuf to also throw an old gumboot in, for 3 hours. At the end of that time, you throw away the pukeko, and eat the gumboot & the veges. 😐
I thought that recipe was for duck and the best recipes also included some orange juice powder such as the old Raro! I would stick to the boot, pukeko and raro and not put in the 'potatoes, kumara, watercress, cabbage & beans (and carrots)'.
You could cook them up separately and for the next day breakfast have them fried up, yum. Your dinner mates will still be eating the leather boot so there will be lots for you to eat.
The keys are lots of aromatics and stock, an earthenware dish with a tight fitting lid and low and slow cooking.
If you have a Rommertopf or Schlemmertopf you are away laughing.
But! But! They are not real!Birds don’t exist and are really drone replicas installed by the U.S. government to spy on Americans. So watch out G make sure they aren't spying on you.
Like all of the vaccinated I am sure Gezza got a full complement of 5G capability and tracking devices……perhaps these communicate with the drone birds to save the long trip to NZ like the Godwits from Russia have to do……wait wait, hang on a minute am I onto something here?
Just scooting down to my Mum's basement to investigate this.
Unsurprisingly, Natrad continues to confuse "sex" and "gender" and quite frankly this morning's wee gloat session over the passing of legislation allowing biological reality to be sidelined and to allow those who feel they were "assigned the wrong sex at birth" to rectify this 'error' with a mere declaration made me gag on my morning glass of water.
Questions. Is "transphobic misogyny" an actual thing? Is it accurate to describe the submissions of gender critical feminists to the select committee as "gaslighting"?
This is quoting Kerekere, hopefully in the above link.
I am busy today trying to get an aluminium framed window to better fit into where a wooden framed used to be in a small building that was seemingly denied the benefit of spirit levels or squares during it's construction some years ago. To celebrate the passing of this legislation I'd wear a frock for this job…but being well over forty years since I've worn such a garment… Hmmm…lots to ponder methinks.
Careful Rosemary I think you need to take advice on what to wear today, the last thing you want is to unknowingly cause a hate crime by wearing/not wearing a pair of trousers.
I was thinking along the lines of a culturally appropriate kilt…but it is much too hot. A lavalava is an option…but modesty would demand a degree of tightness that would make ladder climbing difficult.
They don't conflate sex with gender, they will continue to pretend that sex don't matter Rosemary. Science got burned on the stake, and Gender is all that they have left now.
I've now had coffee and caught again Natrad's continued promotion of this suspension of reality legislation.
I misquoted Kerekere. She said " trans misogyny" not "transphobic misogyny". A difference, but also probably more demanding of debate.
I am interpreting "trans misogyny" as basically meaning that if you don't accept that trans women are women you are a woman hater. Hmmm…making my square window fit the unsquare hole is way easier that getting my head around this. Frock or no frock.
With all due respect Denis, the law you talk of didn't lead to psychopathic murderers not guilty for the crimes they commit.
A psychopath would never meet the criteria for not guilty by reason of insanity.
This law dates back to the 18800's and was for people who had such an abnormal state of mind they could not be held responsible for their actions. So what thss means is someone who is experiencing delusins e.g that someone is going to kill me, and whose ability to reality test is very limited or non existence. In other words that person really believes their delusions. so usually someone with a spychotic depression or schizophrenia although most people with schizophrenia are not dangerous).
Usually both the defence and the prosecution are able to agree that this person needs to be found not guilty on the basis of insanity. I think the young man in Epsom who killed his parents was found NGBROI. These cases are very very sad
Oh, I see. I didn't realise psychopaths are relatively normal compared to psychotic & schizo folk.
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits.
Denis no problem. People make that mistake all the time. Psychopaths can be very dangerous (or maybe just very good used car salesmen or even politicians) but they are in touch with reality.
The law that treats people who are psychotic at the time of their crimes is a far one. Thee people receive a sentence in a high security forensic hospitl and once their illness is treated have to come to terms with what they have done when unwell.
The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are quite safe. It is a tragic illness. I think they are one of the most marginalized groups in society. Not many people go into to bat for them
Yes funny to talk about gaslighting, which I understand means trying to get someone to doubt their reality (that was in the original movie anyway). Elizabeth who brought in a bill like this. It reminds me of the headline of an item from the UK "Woman charged with indecent exposure for masturbating with her penis out". if that ain't gaslighting I am not sure what is. …………….
Signed: Boy who watched the parade in the Emperors New Clothes.
,ps it was wonderful reading the discussion on Open Mike last night. Weka, Molly, Sabine, Pukish Rogue, Rosemary, Red Logix, Roblogic…….proud of you all. And Sabine your hilarious comment about pro-nnouns and not assuming who was a women in parliament brought. me great joy
I am very serious though. Everyone here should from now on understand that they /them is the way to go.
If they have not declared their identity, they don't have one. And that includes our dear non male leader of the labour party, the non male co-leader and the non – female co- leader of the green party, ditto for maori party, act party and national party.
And just for the record that someone might think that i am trying myself at joking, I am not.
Do not assume gender of anyone unless they have stated theirs and that comes with pronouns.
"A gender neutral or gender inclusive pronoun is a pronoun which does not associate a gender with the individual who is being discussed.
Some languages, such as English, do not have a gender neutral or third gender pronoun available, and this has been criticized, since in many instances, writers, speakers, etc. use “he/his” when referring to a generic individual in the third person. Also, the dichotomy of “he and she” in English does not leave room for other gender identities, which is a source of frustration to the transgender and gender queer communities.
People who are limited by languages which do not include gender neutral pronouns have attempted to create them, in the interest of greater equality." –
I wouldn't give Dr Kerekeres take on things too much time at all.
She seems particularly confused in her PHd thesis where she makes a case for the acceptance of trans people pre-colonial times, but then on page 82 admits there is no evidence for this.
The absurdly revisionist historiography of Māori pseudo-academics like Dr Elizabeth Anne Kerekere is, of course, implicitly taken as holy gospel by the highly paternalistic Pakeha Woke Establishment … a kind of unthinking Noble Savage Romanticisation & Infantalisation of Māori … but these dubious post-modern-influenced narratives don't even remotely cut it among qualified historians … they are purely Presentist … radically re-writing & sanitising Māori history for present-day political purposes.
From attempts to deny the brutal genocide & mass slavery of the Musket Wars to the transformation of pre-Colonial Māori into something resembling a mix of 1960s Flower-Power Hippies & the supposedly ‘unusually-refined sensbilities‘ (LOL) of 21st Century Upper-Middle Pakeha Wokedom.
Sorry, who mentioned Elizabeth Rata & who mentioned Māori Education ?
Perhaps you were replying to someone else ?
As someone who took History through to Post-Grad level – including papers on Historical Methodology & the various Schools of History & a good deal of NZ History – I’m suggesting that activist-Māori pseudo-academics are producing highly dubious, inherently Present-Minded revisionism to buttress contemporary radical Māori political claims.
I was responding to swordfish’s educational background and comments on Maori academia and paternalist woke Pakeha (claims the Labour government is abandoning the white working class).
He has linked to Elizabeth Rata … .
It reminds one of resistance to critical race theory in the USA.
Well, the head of Stonewall says that lesbians who are not interested in having sex with male bodied people who demand that we refer to them as women are "sexual racists". That is why gender identity is a homophobic cult.
Goddess forgive me, but I fell down this bunny hole this morning…earlyish.
…that a trans woman with male genitals is merely a woman with an “unusually shaped vulva,” so no one unprejudiced would make a distinction; and that a woman who is willing to touch a natal woman’s vulva but not a trans woman’s genitals is like a woman who is willing to touch a white woman’s vulva but not a black woman’s.
… But what stands out most is the faith they display in the power of words to override material reality. When a woman is anyone who declares womanhood, the matter of whether that person has genitals that can get an erection, penetrate, impregnate and rape becomes unspeakable. But the genitals themselves do not change.
I had read this before, when it was first published and we were in the early stages on choosing which path we would take on this issue. I had hoped that having the benefit of others' experience of how such legislation could play out in the real world (albeit this particular case is extreme) we would exercise a little caution and include some significant safeguards against such a travesty ever happening here.
I just need to rewrite this for a minute, for the sake of the left wing heterosexual men standing against gender critical feminism who now need to understand that unless they are willing to personally engage with girldick they're transphobic, sexual racist bigots. Wouldn't want them to be surprised by this.
…that a trans woman with male genitals is merely a woman with an “unusually shaped vulva,” so no one unprejudiced would make a distinction; and that a man who is willing to touch a natal woman’s vulva but not a trans woman’s genitals is like a man who is willing to touch a white woman’s vulva but not a black woman’s.
The other option for het men of course is to make the argument for why lesbians should have to engage with girldick but het men shouldn't. Can't wait.
(the Quillette piece is talking about the Yaniv case and beauticians, but we know from lesbians that it applies to sexual relationships as well).
Yes Weka, This might be when we get some cut through, when Het men are accused of be transphobic or trans racist or whatever if they refuse to accept that the women is with a dick isn't a women and they don't want sex with them.
I will wait with bated breath to hear how heterosexual men defend their trans racism.
Your link contains this pearler re Jonathan Yaniv:
Cameron presented evidence to the tribunal that included social-media posts in which Yaniv talked about using women’s public facilities, such as toilets and a gym, and asked for advice on matters of etiquette—such as when it might be appropriate to approach a pre-teen girl to ask for a tampon, or whether it might be okay to accompany such a girl into a stall to show her how to use it. (Yaniv claims that such messages came from hacked accounts, but has provided no proof in this regard.)
I've come to the conclusion that the conflation of 'sex', 'gender' and 'gender identity' is the natural result of someone bullshitting their way through something they don't understand. What they do know is some of the terms, so they throw them into a word soup and hope they are not challenged. Those listening think, hang on, I don't understand, I must be missing something here, but remain quiet because they, too, don't want to seem ignorant.
Kerekere's behaviour during the submission process was appalling. Apparently a group performance because many of the other MPs joined in.
Accusing submitters of 'gaslighting' is the tried and true method of deflecting onto others that which you are doing yourself.
Good luck with the window, Rosemary. I have four old bungalow windows that need to be stripped back and painted before installing them as part of our years long renovation project. I too, will try and find a suitably appropriate 'costume' to acknowledge the significance of the bill.
Kerekere's behaviour during the submission process was appalling. Apparently a group performance because many of the other MPs joined in.
Russell didn't exactly participate in good faith either. Shameful. And as you rightfully point out, the whole pantomime was a textbook display of deflection.
Their granddaughters will not thank them.
Windows…I have three kinds of filler. Skim coat gibstopping compound, quick dry permafill type for the screw and nail holes and the deeper cracks, and a brand new tube of the renovator's best friend…No More Gaps. Despite this I still needed to fashion a long slice of plywood to glue into a seriously wide space. A few coats of paint…
Following on from the above article…"It was revealed Jones spent 6 years in a German prison for sexually abusing a six year old", then became transgender.
For a while I thought the ultimate destination of PoMo would be that we're not allowed to tell the difference between boy and girl anymore. Then I thought maybe we’re not allowed to distinguish between humans and other sentient life and transhumanism would become yesterday’s nonsense flipped into today’s dogma.
But I think I was wrong. "Birds are Not Real" may be intended to be irony – but it's underlying intent is this – words no longer have any meaning.
Grigg – National – “it's just modernising a process that already exists” (an interesting description of moving from a medical status related to anatomy to self-declared gender identity).
And the (it sounds like a nice place) other MP did say gaslighting transphobia and transphobic misogyny. By those she accused of "not submitting accurate information or demonstrating a genuine care for all New Zealanders" – which is the level of gaslighting one can expect from a politician in place of privilege from which to exercise power to suppress dissent (once the hate speech law is about …).
We have been warned – that women can be guilty of misogyny via transphobia, and such is their gaslighting of transphobia.
It is a difficult issue, but expecting everyone to fall into line with an approach taken by government always leads to an abuse of power at some point.
Grigg – National – “it's just modernising a process that already exists” (an interesting description of moving from a medical status related to anatomy to self-declared gender identity).
Words again. We can make them mean whatever we want. The process prior actually involved demonstrating commitment to the change.
Anyone want to lay bets on when the first GCF will see herself up on Charges in NZ?
It is a difficult issue, but expecting everyone to fall into line with an approach taken by government always leads to an abuse of power at some point.
Yep. And if you don't bring people with you they will hate you in the back lash given sufficient cause.
I have a feeling that the long pressured for opening up of the Auckland tourist market is not going to be the cash cow those in the industry, particularly down south, were hoping for. The cancelation list for some of the walks that turn up in our mailbox is quite extensive, not to mention expensive. People are going to be hesitant like when we first opened up to Australia, it then seemed to be mainly Kiwis coming back to see rellies and I think the same will happen with Aucklanders.
I have some Dunedin folk going to visit loved ones in Otago over xmas, and they're actually planning their shopping for groceries and petrol around spots less likely to have Auckland tourists.
I'm starting to think those of us in higher vax rate areas should be welcoming Aucklanders so they don't end up going to Northland or the East Coast where vax rates are low.
But it's a hard ask, given we have almost no community transmission in the South Island. There will be other Christmases.
I'm starting to think those of us in higher vax rate areas should be welcoming Aucklanders so they don't end up going to Northland or the East Coast where vax rates are low.
That's very considerate of you weka, but I suspect some local businesses might be kinda banking on an influx of vaccinated.
A good friend took his fully vaccinated self down to Kaitaia the other day so he could use the Pass he got double jabbed for…being a sociable kind of chap. Lonely he was, as all the usual watering holes were practically bereft of patrons.
Just as well he partied hard last Thursday night… along with half the FFN.
Tbh…I thought there would have been more of the local imbibers fully vaccinated.
Louise Upston has won a significant victory for victims' rights:
Parliament on Wednesday passed the Rights for Victims of Insane Offenders Bill, first introduced into the House by National MP Louise Upston in 2019, which was aimed at providing victims of offenders deemed insane more rights. The bill, which will now become law, changes the court verdict that insane offenders face from “not guilty on account of his or her insanity” to “act proven but not criminally responsible on account of insanity”.
It will also require the victim of the act be notified when a decision has been made to no longer detain the offender, or when the offender has been given unescorted leave from a care facility, and allows the victim to submit on any review of the offender’s detention.
The law has been an ass in deeming psychopathic murderers not guilty of the murders they commit. Everyone knows a murderer actually did it, when the facts prove it. For the law to persist in denial of the facts for decades shows how irrational law is.
And the "National Party bill was passed into law with the help of the Labour Government." Labour deserves our appreciation for their bipartisan consensus decision-making. This collaboration restores faith in our democratic process.
Chris Trotter on the racist response to the roadblocks.
"Why, then, are so many Pakeha so angry? Why, in particular, has the Act Party felt entitled to inflame matters? As someone who was in Parliament when the legislation was being passed, what has prompted the Act Party leader, David Seymour, to declare:
“Labour has snuck a law through Parliament letting iwi run checkpoints. Our weak PM has surrendered basic rights. The Police Commissioner, rather than upholding the law, has given into demands of iwi. Kiwis have a right to move around the country without being stopped by thugs.”
Let’s pick apart this extraordinary statement. Because, astonishingly, just about everything Seymour alleges is false."
This mixes two big issues – outright bald racism, and legislated birthright privilege.
Sure, Seymour is out of line in his depiction of the issue – way out of line. And that sort of rhetoric is inflammatory and dangerous in the exact same way as Trump's ongoing bullshit is.
But, we just keep creating a bigger monster by continuing to legislate different rights for different citizens based on their 'race' and birth.
And that is simply not sustainable in any society. Never has been. Never will be. It is what so many of our ancestors sought to escape in coming here, including the polynesians.
Yet we keep doing it.
It is this which the people are up in arms about. This very particular point.
…..
and a little more… now add to those different classes of citizens a couple more different classes of citizens, the vaccine passed and the un-vaccine passed… oh what a messy web…
*…we just keep creating a bigger monster by continuing to legislate different rights for different citizens based on their ‘race’ and birth.
And that is simply not sustainable in any society. Never has been. Never will be. It is what so many of our ancestors sought to escape in coming here, including the polynesians. Yet we keep doing it.
It is this which the people are up in arms about. This very particular point.
…..
The iwi-run checkpoints are one of those Kiwiland issues that I’m conflicted about. Ignoring Seymour’s inflammatory use of the label “thugs” for the moment, I can see how those on both sides of the argument consider their view to be the righteous, and/or the fair one.
Kiwis are used to travelling the length & breadth of this country on state highways, country roads, & city & town streets, completely unimpeded (save for the odd booze checkpoint or speeding ticket). We’ve done it all our lives.
Suddenly they are faced with small numbers of local Māori demanding – and given – the right to stop motorists & refuse them entry to locales where there are very likely not just Maori, but Māori AND Pākehā.
This is unprecedented. You’d have to go back over 100 years, maybe, to find something like this happening. And back then the setller government would likely be sending out armed constabulary and/or troopers to open the roads & punish rebels acting in breach of the (English-based) law of the land.
To those who believe that Māori knowingly signed up to ALL the people in New Zealand having equal rights & protections under the Crown’s law, this looks like giving one select group, based on their ethnicity, the right to restrict other Kiwis from simoly going where they are otherwise allowed to go & to demand documents & evidence, & potentially to turn them around, which other Kiwis have no right to do.
And the other viewpoint, equally understandable to me, is that this is a deafly pandemic that is likely to hit Māori harder than Pākehā because Māori vax rates are so much lower, particularly, still, in more isolated communities.
This group (not ALL Māori I know agree with them) consider that the Treaty grants them special privileges – in the form of continued rangatiratanga in their own nga rohe (which, it does) – and that they therefore have the clear right under Te Tiriti to act to protect their taonga; & their kaumatua, themselves, their tamariki & their rangatahi.
The government & the Police Commissioner have come down on the side of this 2nd group & given legal rights no other Kiwis have to set up checkpoints.
I really think more needed to be done by the government to explain this decision to other Kiwis. I don’t think it’s the wrong decision. I think it’s an understandable & justifiable one. Were I Māori, I would likely fully support it.
But the optics are bad. it looks like it’s been slipped in under the door when no one was looking to those who think we should all be treated equally under NZ law.
A good analysis gezza and if this was all a temporary measure in response to a crisis – I'd be a lot more sympathetic.
But increasingly we're seeing 'unthinkable' measures slipped in with no debate to deal with a crisis – then morphing into something permanent.
This group (not ALL Māori I know agree with them) consider that the Treaty grants them special privileges – in the form of continued rangatiratanga in their own nga rohe (which, it does) – and that they therefore have the clear right under Te Tiriti to act to protect their taonga; & their kaumatua, themselves, their tamariki & their rangatahi.
Yes. I've seen and heard this in action decades ago, in person. During the 80's I went through a phase of my life that meant I got to visit more marae than I can recall to count. It was a fascinating period during which I learned a great deal, and came away with a deep respect for aspects of what I saw. And some tough lessons learned.
I also along the way encountered the Maori separatists who argued that the iwi chief remain the only legitimate owners of the whole of NZ. And in quiet moments would openly express the desire for all the old tribal borders to be permanently restored. There is not a lot of daylight between these COVID borders – and the granting of this wish.
"the old tribal borders to be permanently restored".
What was the date to be used when deciding where the old boundaries were to be set? Prior to 1840 of course there were no permanent boundaries. They were wherever you had currently settled because you had defeated, and probably killed, the previous residents. For example would you give the descendants of Te Rauparaha the land he controlled in 1820 or in 1840?
Whatever you settle on why should those boundaries be "permanent" instead of being subject to further warfare?
Whatever you settle on why should those boundaries be "permanent" instead of being subject to further warfare?
One clue I've learned to pay attention to over the years – people who advocate for radical change in a general way, but without ever telling you the details of what they have in mind are doing this for a reason.
They know damn well you won't like what they have in mind.
The please satisfy my curiosity. What do you think they really had in mind in terms of the permanence of the boundaries?
I am sure they had in mind that all the land in New Zealand was included somewhere in the carve-up. It was only what could happen later that has me intrigued.
It was a long time ago – but I do clearly recall asking "so what about all the non-Maori living in this country?"
The answer was "You will find Maori to be generous hosts – if you pay the rent". Exact quote from a man who is a current member of the Maori Council and carries considerable political clout. I've seen nothing from him in recent times to resile from this view.
I want to emphasise my acquaintance and involvement with these people at that time was explicitly non-political. I really only came across all this by accident.
In Auckland we have iwi fighting one another over mana whenua status. We have iwi who once transversed the isthmus and blew their nose claiming status over iwi with verified and centuries old connections. Maori colonising Maori. Oh the irony.
I personally like the way Maori leadership are standing up here.
They are in poor regions, but choosing to sacrifice massive economic benefit from sorely needed local tourists, for public health for their people. Courageous.
Getting Maori leaders working side by side with Police for common community good is truly excellent.
Nothing particularly PC or woke about this; just solid communitarian work.
Totally agree and hope it continues and strengthens. Blind adherence to some ideologic principal is no argument against this type of courage and compassion
In it's definition it's a theory or system of social organization based on small self-governing communities.
If Maori leadership at town or iwi level are building up their capacity to stand up proudly and take their kaitiaki place, they are going to need the support of Police.
That little legislative tweak Ardern rushed through this week to help with roadblocks is a long, long way from where that relationship was in the Bolger and Clark years.
We will get news reports of grumpies at checkpoints as the holidays start, but the tv optics of Maori leaders with Police will be very powerful.
And how long before every iwi sets up borders to their own little territories? With Police and Army sent to enforce them.
Think of the rapidly extending list of unthinkable dead rats from just five years ago that we've been forced to swallow in the name of 'safety'. And then tell me I'm hyperventilating.
Ten years ago everyone would have agreed that the idea of men pretending to be women and then claiming to compete against them in sports was a complete nonsense.
Ten years ago the idea of Ngaiti Tuhoe turning Te Urewera in to virtual no-go zone was a 'nonsense'.
All too often yesterday’s ‘nonsense’ is flipped on it’s head and becomes today’s normal.
And exactly what is happening at these 'roadblocks'? Who gets to pass and who does not? Who makes the decisions and how are they accountable for them?
At the current Mercer hard checkpoint, oddly I find Maori reps at our checkpoints a softener to the martial power of the cops and the NZDF who are also there.
in te ao maori you are defined by your birth and by your ancestors
Yes it's called whakapapa. On every marae the tangata whenua all know their lineage and exact spot on the tribal pecking order. Maori society is one of the most precisely calibrated class systems ever created.
Oh and they all know who the descendents of their 'slave' class are.
"Ten years ago the idea of Ngaiti Tuhoe turning Te Urewera in to virtual no-go zone was a 'nonsense'."
I'm afraid that it certainly wasn't seen as nonsense long before that. I knew someone who lived in Whakatane all his life and had been a hunter in Te Urewera. I remember him saying as early as 1990 that is was being made very difficult to continue hunting there and that it was impossible to leave a vehicle safely anywhere in the region while doing so.
Anti vaxxers – horrible, disgusting humans who don’t contribute to society and are holding the country to ransom. Can’t use public services or engage meaningfully any longer and will be prevented by government authority from going anywhere
Māori who won’t get vaccinated – Noble indigenous communities entitled to prevent the free movement of people who are overwhelmingly vaccinated. Checkpoints funded With public money and supported by government authority.
watch labour tank in the polls when the photos of traffic jams and stories of grumpy families with screaming toddlers hit the news outlets and hone harawira stands there telling everyone they are racist for not liking it.
Yes it will be powerful … in its disastrous consequences for Labour when the inevitable ten mile traffic jams occur and the holidays of a million people are ruined by tinpot dictators manning checkpoints like it's east germany or something.
Yes Ad, it makes a complete change, and many of us think the equity of this is excellent.
VTO, think, those entitled holiday makers are going there because, the tangata whenua have not despoiled the beaches, and it is possible to have a lovely beach holiday.
We need to admit equity requires we do more to make an even playing field in Health. It appears some marginal staff go to these areas for the very lack of oversight, and little thought was given to travel times and multi trips to vaccinate a whole family. The mobile clinics should have been there staffed by locals from the outset. DHB's have been silos.
I think living by our Treaty obligations is quite hard for some.
Each Christmas I raise a glass of bubbles to "departed Friends and Family". Two friends were Maori who died very early before they got the pension. Marina said to me, as she was dying with cancer, "Live long Trish, raise a glass to me when you are all together." I do that, and to hear Kiri Allen is clear after a year is great, such good news and that is not often the case with that cancer.
We like many will not have our family together because of covid. Those telling themselves it is because Jacinda Ardern is too cautious should work out how many cases we might have without those regulations. So much self serving rubbish is being promoted based on dollars not lives.
Yes we are stressed but nowhere as stressed as those entering their 4th and 5th lock downs with Omicron on the doorstep.
Each day we should look round at family with comorbidities and or age and be ready to count our blessings. Things are not rosy but they could be far far worse, and some of our problems are scabs being removed from partially healed social sores.
We have come through a time of instant gratification, and even "Consumer" is pivoting to gadgets which have long life and can be repaired. Built in obsolescence is not acceptable any more.
We all say "not enough not fast enough", turning to a better way of living is hard and will impact people who thought they had a birth right of easy passage.
To achieve Policy changes the Government has to take the bulk of the people with them. At the moment people are rather fractious, let us hope summer helps.
Thanks Patricia and well put. Its way past time that this kind of partnership was put into practice and good on the govt to have the courage to support this even in the face of the prevalence of post colonial thinking. This is our unique character and its high time we supported those that only have the wellbeing of their communities at heart.
Well now, who is paying for that economic disaster? No matter, just add it to the tab of 16 billion dollars payable by those who will be left working. Ooops, only government employees left also supported by the tax dollar? No matter, add it to the tab.
Besides, it could be argued that a separate state is being advocated by stealth and time as the virus will engage everybody for decades and we are not just paying for it (the irony is not getting lost here) we are setting a precedent. I sometimes feel our politicians are either really naive or actually not finding any fault with this. Mr Hone Harawira knows exactly what he is doing.
Its actually Aucklanders going on holiday who will be exposed not the other way around. But hey, who is a stickler for facts, eh?
That number has been going up by about $1 billion/week during the Auckland shutdown. But not to worry. Grant knows what he is doing doesn't he? Just don't expect any sort of welfare state to be available for your kids.
Alwynger so if we didn't have a strong economic stimulus we may have less debt but no economic activity.
Take away your blood supply and see how you survive.
Same in an economy keeping the economic activity at a much higher level by simulation means you start rebuilding nearer to where your economy was.
Your idea of not borrowing or QE
Would have seen much more damage to our economy.
Maybe your economic ideas come from Charter schools set up at 2× plus the cost of state schools yet fail and the board members defraud tax payers of $400,000 no enquiry because the Nats ans ACT did not allow for accountability.
Argentina tried your formula of following the purist chicago school economics in 1996 to 97 .It has never recovered.
It's more than your simplistic swipe of course we could have had a cash injection for everybody as well as the Banks but we now operate under new Liberal economics.So we have to follow that system. Which political party offers an alternative that gets more than 1200 votes ,None.
If you go back to the 1930's the main reason the 1929 crash went on for 5 years plus was that banks were allowed to fail.
The point is there has been no 'stimulus'…it is a misnomer. There has been life support… but GDP remains below pre pandemic, the bulk of the Gov 'borrowing' remains unused at the RBNZ and the only 'stimulating' done was to the FOMO of property buyers.
And after all this the same issues remain or have been intensified.
The item you referenced was dated 30 June. That is before the current shutdown which is what I was talking about the I said $1 billion/week. You will note that I said "That number has been going up by about $1 billion/week during the Auckland shutdown"
The borrowing does not include that done by Kaianga Ora which was done in such a way that it was excluded from the Crown Accounts.
The New Zealand National Debt at the end of 2019 was $US 69.28 billion. The estimate for the end of 2021 is $US 123.12 billion. That is an increase of $US 53.84 billion which at today's exchange rate is $NZ 80 billion. That is the increase in the national debt in the last 2 years.
We have been borrowing one hell of a lot of money and our children are going to have to pay it back.
The figure is $350 million a week the govts books are in very good order especially compared to all other economies our economy is in the top 3 in the world.
If we had gone down National and ACT'S policy rabbit hole.Of minimal borrowing no QE.
NZs economy would be amongst the worst performing.
Having to recover from a much smaller base of economic activity takes years and even decades like Argentina.
Key Govt managed to borrow circa $60 billion with no…pandemic to deal…with.
20 billion in one year.
'the previous largest amount ever borrowed in a single financial year – which was almost $20 billion in 2011 in the wake of the global financial crisis, when National's Bill English held the reins.'newshub.
Seymour wants to inflame perceptions that police-iwi collaboration is some sort of constitutional outrage and hopes to provoke a few incidents at the Northland soft border that are worthy of media coverage. A total cynic, he wants back in government and a chance to unleash his libertarian dimwittery on all of us.
As someone who expects to pass through that border several times over summer, I have no problem with locals of whatever hue, culture or interest group being part of the police effort to spot check vaccine passes. The last thing I want is inflammatory lunatics like Seymour making the border a place of simmering racial tension.
As a recent ex member of the NZMCA might I just offer a tiny little bit of motorhomer insider information?
The very vastest majority of NZMCA members get around in certified fully self contained motorhomes/caravans/ and god forbid converted Busses.
Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for one member to have to hobnob with another member whilst staying in the vastest majority of the Ass.'s parkover properties. We all do our necessaries in our own vehicles…which…I might add (and Patricia Bremner will confirm this) will each be parked (by Ass's decree) a full 3 meters from it's neighbour. We were practicing social distancing in the Assoc waay before you lot had ever heard of such a thing.
Any hobnobbing is purely voluntary and given the, ahem, older demographic predominating in the Ass. one would hope in all sincerity we they would have the sense to follow the rules.
Just like last year when the Assoc decided to hurl all members out of the parkover properties (that we fucking well own BTW) for Lockdown 1.0 …this makes no sense and many members are seriously pissed off.
The same codgers members who are celebrating this will also be seen at Pak n Spend on Superday doing their weekly shop with all the other masked folk… vaccinated and not. Go figure.
AFAIK The Government has not mandated vaccine passes for accommodation and campgrounds whatever colour traffic light is lit.
probably time for another association to form. NZMCA supporting Labour's proprosed really fucking classist rules around free camping is pissing a lot of people off.
You (and me too) are a bit late to that party. There are a couple of very enthusiastic groups out there…many members who are refugees from the NZMCA. Long before the Covid shit show there has been deep rumblings regarding the reach demanded by NZMCA…to the point of trying to make themselves the 'one source of truth' with the government on freedom camping and self containment.
Yes I thought that strange at the time Rosemary. It seemed a bit draconian. But Nash does not like Motorhomes much at all. How many belong now? We were 18160.
We are were 32726. What a difference in the paint shade when I ceremoniously removed the wings after 13 years. Last I checked the numbers were well into the 100000s. It is a very, very different club to what is was back in the day when you had to be nominated by another member just to join. In the last few years we converted Bus dwellers were treated like the poor relations. Good thing is that their tupperware containers on wheels are much too flash to go the roads we frequented. The latest issue of the Motorcaravanner features a young mum and her son on the cover heralding the Ass. movement towards inclusivity and more family friendliness. Oh the irony that on the day it was posted out they announced the ban on the unvaccinated. Their cover girl and her young son are now excluded. She sent them a video clip of her cutting up her membership card (they want proof of this to qualify for a fees refund).
Department of Conservation campgrounds and huts will require passes from December 15, and most holiday parks in the Top 10 group will take only vaccinated campers from varying December dates.
Holiday Parks New Zealand chief executive Fergus Brown estimates about 70 per cent of camping grounds so far have mandated passes, and that the number will climb.
"When Mahuta announced the plan in October, the legislation creating the new entities was set to be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year, but the Government was forced to concede on Thursday it would be delayed."
Another day, another thing banned by the Government.
What's next? Ban democracy because it's dangerous?
Except that's kinda already happening. Rule by experts and elite, a technocratic vision for what's good for us if we weren't just such bad little boys and girls. A democracy that is all kratos and little demos.
The unspoken and underlying principle of the Labour Party is now the people can't be trusted and choice is verboten. The people are dumb, the people are dangerous, unsullied and incompetent. Our morality is superior and for the good of the country, must be imposed. And shush, actual concerns of child poverty or living costs are secondary – what matters is you sit down, shut up, and log off from Facebook if you don't like it.
Except we can't "log off" from life under this Government. It pervades every nook and cranny. This morality and governance is little different to Poland or Hungary in the end analysis. A self-righteous Government defending its crusade for the ''greater good'', the public morality. Almost every democracy that slides into soft Authoritarianism does so under the guise of the greater good, the public good, and often to fight a crisis – imagined or exaggerated. China tells its country the Uyghur are dangerous, they need segregating and re-educating – they could be terrorists you see, and are being feed misinformation about the wonderful CCCP.
Hungary is defending its traditional morality, NZ is imposing its "new"morality, with the help of $55 million slush for the way for media. There is little difference in the end, except a more smiley face here.
I've started accepting the use of "Aotearoa" (even though only about 9% want this to replace "New Zealand") because it reflects the new paradigm of our country: it is inexorably heading towards a new regime of soft Authoritarianism and moral coercion. What's best for you, to hear, say, and do, is what we say – you "freedumb", racist peasant.
[I think you are on the wrong site. Try BFD or Kiwiblog – MS]
He could start with his first sentence and a link to whatever it is he thinks the government has banned so we know what he is talking about. Or even just name it.
Our Poverty Action Plan will completely change the way we support people in New Zealand so when people ask for help, they get it. It overhauls the broken welfare system and guarantees that everyone who needs it, no matter what, has a minimum income they can rely on.
Sign on to our plan to show your support for this bold policy for change.
John Bougen, who funded Reefton’s remarkable revival, is furious with anti vaxxers. He is chair of the local Community Board and also a Buller District Councillor.
Mr Bougen needs to organize a quiz night at the pub…that'll liven things up.
A Sydney Pub quiz has dished out some unwanted prizes: 45 Covid-19 infections.
All of those to be diagnosed with Covid-19 have been fully vaccinated.
Details of the potential super-spreader event emerged a day after NSW Health warned about Christmas parties.
“NSW Health is seeing an increased number of cases over the last couple of days, and what we’ve been observing is increased transmission in larger social venues such as pubs, clubs and party settings,” Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
“This is contributing to the increase in cases, and they’re predominantly occurring in vaccinated individuals."
The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off….
It's not that the wheels are falling off, it's that we're playing a game of numbers and time. It makes sense in a place with very low death rates and no hospital overrun to work with the efficacy of our responses for the situation we are in now.
What would interest me about that pub cluster is how many are hospitalised and how many die/get long covid.
As a Righty, I found yesterday infuriating. I am referring to the governments communist legislation ( I don't know how else to describe it from MY perspective) to stop future generations of New Zealanders enjoying cigarettes if they so choose. Worse, current smokers will have to accept smokes with less nicotine.
My old socialist aunt who would make many Lefties on this blog look like Parnell woofters, was fond of saying smokes and beer are the working man's perk. I agree, but would add KFC, Dak and P to the mix.
However, it's not Labour raising my ire. That's typical Lefty legislation(?) My problem is with Luxon's response. He said he agrees with it in principle. Say what! Luxon should be shouting and promising such crap legislation will be repealed before morning tea break. As I suspected – the guy is woke.
The second disappointment was HDA. I hold Heather in high regard, but not once did she ask Ayesha Verrall during an interview '' what the hell the government was doing legislating the future choices young New Zealanders can make.''
The problem here is simple – Labour know what they stand for and are prepared to act. National don't know what they are about. National say the right things but always seem to have a wet finger in the air trying to devine which way the winds of political fortune are blowing.
National should forget courting the mushy middle vote and go hardline. Ironically the way this Labour government is acting makes that a possible political goldmine.
Blade, you are yet another Righty who has no idea of what communism means, aren't you? The minute you find something totalitarian or dictatorial, out comes that communist word, even though it is irrelevant.
When did you give up on the process of learning? (Remember – it is meant to be a life-long process.)
He's not "woke", but your penultimate para is closer to the mark.
I look at it this way. Most of us have a view about smoking, and related laws (you might not be surprised to know mine is very different from yours). We don't need to be MPs, or even very interested in politics, to have an opinion about a common issue. It's been around for decades, everything from sports sponsorship to smoking in bars.
Now I would guess that Luxon has a personal view too (he's 51, how could he not?). I have no idea what it is. If he was this "new broom" that he purports to be, he would be saying the same thing now that he said before he entered politics. Saying, in effect: "Here's my opinion, make of it what you will". But he won't.
Winning the leadership didn't change his views on smoking, or anything else. It only changed his willingness to express them. That's the kind of leader he's going to be, and I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it.
National should be decisive, come out and say tobacco is there, it]s a fact of life and take the heavy taxes off tobacco. The prices of cigarettes would plummet and the freedom and choice people will be happy.
Unfortunately, these kits will be of little use to hard working dairy owners who soon may be out of business because Labour are on a power trip. To be fair, these dairy owners are entitled to go straight on the dole.
I think you might be missing the incremental nature of the ban. Someone born in 2007 ie 14 years old today, will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. They will however be able to smoke them. Their aunty or baby sitter or older brother can buy them for them. Happy now?
By the time the 14 year old is 18, a number of elderly relatives will have passed on, but there will still be many many people able to buy cigarettes and give them to the now 18 year old.
By the time they are in their 60s, we will have run out of people legally allowed to buy cigarettes, but I expect by then tobacco companies will have long folded and we will be smoking home grown (much better for us).
Or they can just vape, but fucked if I know why that's not being regulated as well. Disgusting, breathing in other people's artificially scented peppermint lung vapour.
''I think you might be missing the incremental nature of the ban. Someone born in 2007 ie 14 years old today, will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. They will however be able to smoke them. Their aunty or baby sitter or older brother can buy them for them. Happy now?''
No, the point you are missing has nothing to do with smoking, but everything to do with unnecessary restrictive legislation.
You see, both National and Labour are at base level pragmatists. They are not philosophically consistent. You nail that in your final paragraph.
BTW- I smoked for 25 years. Loved every moment of it, especially that smoke after a good evening meal. But I had to give up and cannot now tolerate being around smokers ( vapers are worse). But…I have no desire to legislate against smokers provided they respect my rights which most do.
This drive for compulsion is where I take a different fork in the road to most posters on this blog.
You see, both National and Labour are at base level pragmatists. They are not philosophically consistent. You nail that in your final paragraph.
It's entirely consistent with mainstream public health positioning, which sees smoking as a serious health issue and doesn't believe that vaping is.
As for compulsion, I have my own limits (I'm uneasy with aspects of the vax mandates and the degree to which people are completely fine with it). But from a public health perspective, smoking damages so many people and costs the state, it's not hard to see the rationales.
I prefer the other approach suggested yesterday, make sale illegal and smokers have to register their addiction and be supplied by the state. Although I know from my own experience that being able to choose one's own brand of cigarette is part of the pleasure.
I am intrigued by this particular ban and will wait to see how it is implemented and what the consequences are. But NZ has been successful in previous anti-smoking policy, so this probably fits in with that. It's a fairly classic personal freedom vs collective good social dilemma.
I'd have more of a problem if they were to make the growing of tobacco illegal.
Wouldn't put it past them, remembering that one of the Nat's former rising stars, ex-MP Todd Barclay, was a lobbyist for big tobacco, although his personal views were strongly 'anti-tobacco'. According to this Stuff article, Bishop (current shadow Leader of the House, and Nat Covid-19 response spokesperson) also worked for Philip Morris before entering parliament.
I wonder how many tourists from countries where smoking is still a "normal" thing will want to come to NZ?
Its an addiction and it is a good idea to curtail it. My concern is that if you stamp it out it will be replaced by something else, juvenile curiosity will not go away.
Nah, mate. You forget your chums are becoming more unpopular by the day. And those baubles for the chattering class before the next election will be paid for with printed money. Now, which group in society is in big trouble at the moment. Let's see… oh, it's the middleclass. We don't count the poor because they have little power. They don't own small businesses.. Aren't nurses or doctors in the health sector. Tourism? let's not go there. Wanting to travel overseas, Lol. That's a lot of pissed off people, TV. They represent middle NZ.
But all this is becoming academic. National may only need to turn up at the next election to win. You may have to accept that.
Conspiracy theories abound in USA and edge into NZ.
The USA youth have started a new one, "Birds Aren’t Real." The claim is that birds are really electronic units created by Government to track the people.
In Pittsburgh, Memphis and Los Angeles, massive billboards recently popped up declaring, “Birds Aren’t Real.”
On Instagram and TikTok, Birds Aren’t Real accounts have racked up hundreds of thousands of followers, and YouTube videos about it have gone viral.
What a neat idea. NZers could try this to counter Qnon and others here. "It’s Gen Z’s attempt to upend the rabbit hole with absurdism."
In September, shortly after a restrictive new abortion law went into effect in Texas, Birds Aren’t Real members showed up at a protest held by anti-abortion activists at the University of Cincinnati. Supporters of the new law “had signs with very graphic imagery and were very aggressive in condemning people,” Mr. McIndoe said. “It led to arguments.”
But the Bird Brigade began chanting, “Birds aren’t real.” Their shouts soon overpowered the anti-abortion activists, who left.
MSD is broken, we need a better system that deals in dignity and equality:
More than half a million New Zealanders are in debt to MSD at an average of $3400, but for Māori that average is almost $1000 more.
Auckland Action Against Poverty's Brooke Pao Stanley said people were taking out these loans just to live.
"If you get a food grant then you don't have to pay that back, but everything else if you require support with rent, bills arrears, if your babies need uniforms, stationary, help with car repairs, all of that becomes debt for you," she said.
The repayments are set at the discretion of MSD staff.
Men on average pay back $11.09 a week, while women on average pay $16.33 a week. When split by ethnicity, Pākehā on average pay $12.78 cents weekly and Māori $16.01 per week.
The figures were obtained by Green MP Ricardo Menendez March, who said it reeks of systemic discrimination.
I disagree, there definitely is a narrative of a worsening society but this is as old as society itself. There are gains and there are losses, but until we collectively reject the party that refuses to fix these issues we can expect the status quo of our economy to continue. We aren't powerless.
It suits the status quo for people to become nihilistic.
The change is there if you look for it:
Here’s how our Poverty Action Plan works for all of us:
A Guaranteed Minimum Income of $325 per week for students and people out of work, no matter what.
A Universal Child Benefit for kids under three of $100 per week.
A simplified Family Support Credit of $190 per week for the first child and $120 per week for subsequent children to replace the Working for Families tax credits with a higher abatement threshold and lower abatement rate.
Additional support for single parents through a $110 per week top-up.
Reforming ACC to become the Agency for Comprehensive Care, creating equitable social support for everyone with a work-impairing health condition or disability, with a minimum payment of 80% of the full time minimum wage.
Changes to abatement and relationship rules so people can earn more from paid work before their income support entitlements are reduced.
A 1% wealth tax for those with a net-worth over $1 million.
And two new top income tax brackets for a more progressive tax system which redistributes wealth.
I think to make a general welfare issue that is actually not paying enough to live on a racial issue is dangerous as it diverts the issue and divides the country further. It also gives the ministers to bide time and get nothing done. Like with so many issues needing attention.
Just on a different issue here, can we look at what the money is spend on? Perhaps those gold plated cigarettes? If you have the habit nothing is left to pay any bills. Who are we kidding…
Avoid hitting them if you can but if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice, your choice is to protect yourself and whoever else is in the car.
Not sure that's an ideal decision – if you hit one, some will just jump in the vehicles that work and pursue. And longer term they'll likely track you down anyway, especially if the one you hit gets seriously hurt.
Locking the doors before stopping is always an option, to avoid the quick "jump in" – but that's a captain hindsight thing. Can take a while to get into the groove of locking when you have to slow down (around campus it was just fecking students jumping in unexpectedly).
Looks to me like dude probably did the things with the least likelihood of getting him seriously beaten.
Comes down to the decision of do you want them in your car or not.
Safety in the short term vs long term I guess, not a situation I'd like to find myself in.
'This led to Jury, 45, and his associates walking onto the road in a bid to flag down vehicles. All were dressed in Mongrel Mob regalia and most were drunk.'
Yeah, I was still assuming they're standing in the middle of the road, so reversing seemed more likely. But I wouldn't be stopping either if I could help it.
Women's self defence classes (taught by feminists) in my 20s is a big part of it. Reading Gavin Debecker a bit later on too.
Biggest problem I have atm is that my car windows are manual not electric. Safer if I drive into a river or the harbour though, lol.
Far too often women will ignore their 'gut feeling' because they don't want to be seen of or thought of as unkind or uncaring.
Agree. I once lied to a guy in a pub, who I kind of knew, who wanted a ride just down the road when he heard me say I was about to go home. Small country pub where it would definitely have been considered rude to say no, but it also felt risky to say no to his face, not because he would have done anything there, but it would have told him I was afraid of him and I didn't want him to know.
I told him I had to make a phone call first and I'd let him know when I was leaving and then I walked outside and got in the car and drove away. No fucking way was I getting in a car with that guy. No rational reason other than my hackles were completely up (which is completely rational).
Probably the other thing that instilled this in me was when I was eight I was sitting in the car waiting for mum to come back from a shop. Middle of town, middle of the day. A group of heavy duty Māori men were walking past, don't remember if they were patched. I don't remember what I did, whether I pointed or laughed or just stared, I think I was probably just staring, but one of them strode towards the front of the car and banged really hard on it while staring right at me. Scared the bejezus out of me, made me much more aware of my social surroundings and how I appear to others.
I had a friend who was gang raped by the mob in her late teens, and heard her opinions about gangs clearly enough. I do still believe in helping people in gangs and gangs generally, because the cycle has to be broken, but I don't see that as incompatible with understanding how dangerous they are.
Read that book last year as part of my research. A great book that is cited as source material for many other publications.
The rape story as told by a victim and dismantled by Becker to show all the warning signs the victim missed was exceptional. So many warning signs missed – so many warning signs most women don't realise.
PS – I'm a little sceptical about women's self defense classes. Many of the moves are unrealistic in a surprise attack situation. The same goes for men's self defence.
'I'm a little sceptical about women's self defense classes. Many of the moves are unrealistic in a surprise attack situation. The same goes for men's self defence.'
What the classes are good for though is getting people to think about situational awareness, about not putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations in the first place
feminist self defensive classes being taught in the 80s were a different beast, don't know if they're still going. I won't talk about the details in a mixed group for obvious reasons, but the value in them is to give women the confidence to act and to predict when that might be necessary.
Yes, points taken. However, I forgot to add this which I think is pertinent to some points raised.
I read an article about how Self Defence classes had gained the woman mentioned much more confidence in her ability to protect herself. She said: " I'm far more confident. Last night I walked across the park to my home without fear.''
As PR states, situational awareness is where it's at. And this poor woman didn't have it. Just as Social Media has given many folk false expectations, women fighting in the MMA has given woman a false sense of their abilities. These MMA woman train 24/7. They are beasts. They become men in a feminine body
''Feminist self defensive classes being taught in the 80s were a different beast, don't know if they're still going.''
Probably not, but something just as bad is Master Chief Tank Todds course. What those women do to a dildo chilled my blood.
There's a difference between self defence classes being run for women, and those being run by feminists.
Without seeing the article I can't comment on the woman's comment, but obviously if one has to walk through a park at night, then not being afraid is a good thing.
Drive enough hours around the same neighbourhood, having to get out and back in every so often – nobody is perfect at locking the doors, men or women. It's a learned behaviour.
And I'm telling you as someone who's had a lot of co-drivers (mostly women, because of the nature of the job), nobody is perfect at keeping the passenger doors locked – yes, not even women.
So I'm not going to be judging the kidnapped driver for that technical slip-up.
yeah, I wasn't talking about the man in the story, or your work colleagues. I don't drive round with the passenger doors locked. I have taught myself to lock the doors in certain situations and it's kind of automatic now. If I'm in my car and a strange man approaches me in a place with no other people around, I will lock the door and wind down the window enough to ask what he wants. Likewise at home when I've lived on my own, if someone comes to the door at night, I will make sure it's locked before asking who it is.
I agree it's learned behaviour. My reading of the man in the story is that he felt somewhat comfortable stopping in that situation and then it got out of hand.
Whereas I read it as someone who was going about their regular day and was reactively trying to process irregular but escalating behaviour. Some people spend so much time trying to understand the situation that's unfolding that they're always behind the 8-ball. I've done it myself. Binary switching from "boring work drive" to "imminent threat" isn't universal.
I brought up locking doors because it was relevant to the incident being discussed. You always lock your doors, fine. Not everyone has that habit.
yes, that was my point. Many women have learned to make it a regular habit because of our particular vulnerability in society. I don't always lock my doors, but am confident I would have in that situation because I've trained myself to act preemptively defensively. It's not foolproof (as I said above, my current car has manual windows, so if any of the passenger windows were down in that situation, locking the doors wouldn't help much).
The guy seemed pretty resilient, although he could be putting on a brave face for the journo as well.
Cool, so in response to the description of this incident and one possible prevention option, you say you and many women already do that so you wouldn't have had that particular escalation path.
Lol, no, I'm saying that my instinctual response would have been to lock the doors. Whether that de-escalated or escalated the situation is another matter. I'm not so arrogant as to assume I would get to determine how things would play out if I had been in the same situation.
I am saying that women have had to think about this in different ways from men, and some of us have been fortunate to be trained into pre-emptive defensive action.
For instance as a woman, I think my risk in that particular situation is different from a man's and that this influences what are good choices in the moment (such that we have).
And yet some men also do that defensive action, and some women don't.
I find these stories useful because it allows one to consider similar situations, and maybe think about options for getting out of those situations with the least risk.
You might want to turn it into a whole other discussion. Have that discussion with someone else.
If I'm not mistaken you suggested that going along with the situation was probably safer than trying to take action to prevent it. I'm saying that's more true for men than women.
Deleted the last bit of my comment because it doesn’t help any of us to go to that level. But suffice to say I will speak as a feminist any time I want.
Well, yes, you are mistaken. I said going along with things as it developed in that situation was probably safer than pr's idea of just running them over.
I also said locking the doors would have changed that situation, but I'm not going to judge the dude for not thinking of that at the time.
And I said what I was not going to talk about, not what you should talk about. Have the convo with someone else, I don't care who.
Why you would want to start that discussion by replying to someone who apparently "wilfully misinterprets" such things is beyond me, anyway.
See the difference is "just run them over" sounds like you think thats my first and only action, as stated previously it isn't so you're wrong
"if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice" is their choice not mine, my first choice is to 'Avoid hitting them if you can' so again you're wrong
If I'm driving and someone jumps in front of my car then thats not my fault, thats on them thats their choice
Just out of curiosity I'm assuming you attend uni, what are you studying?
And I said what I was not going to talk about, not what you should talk about. Have the convo with someone else, I don't care who.
If you don't want to talk with me (or anyone) then don't. But it's pretty hard here to get people to not reply to conversations.
You said,
You might want to turn it into a whole other discussion. Have that discussion with someone else.
Which I took to mean: don't talk to me about feminist perspectives. I'm saying no, I will bring feminist perspectives into any conversation if it's relevant. Have you stopped and thought about what you are actually saying here? Don't talk to me about feminism
Why you would want to start that discussion by replying to someone who apparently "wilfully misinterprets" such things is beyond me, anyway.
I don't think you are wilfully misinterpreting what I am saying, I think you are telling me as feminist to not talk about feminism when talking to you.
Haven't studied in years. The uni is a major employer in dunners. Lots of folks drop in and out of different roles there.
If I'm driving and someone jumps in front of my car then thats not my fault, thats on them thats their choice
From my understanding, most cars have a pedal in the same general area as the "go faster pedal" that essentially has the opposite role.
If you can reasonably avoid hitting hitting the person by using that other pedal, then maybe a little bit of it would be your fault. Like if you rear-end someone, even though they braked suddenly you shouldn't have been following so close.
See the difference is “just run them over” sounds like you think thats my first and only action, as stated previously it isn’t so you’re wrong
Everything after “but” made it sound like you wouldn’t lose much sleep if folks ignored the bit before “but”.
What I'm saying is that I'm not willing to discuss some specific subjects with specifically you at the moment, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take comments I make on another subject altogether and warp them through a lens that I'm not willing to touch with a 50foot pole. Because only last night you explictly said I wilfully misinterpreted a position made with that perspective.
I already ignore great swathes of open mike most days. Now I'm supposed to what – ignore replies to my own damned comments because you want to twist them into something else?
I'm not even being a petulant teen and demanding you never reply to my comments ever again, nor am I packing a sad and stomping offline forever. But at the moment, some topics create nothing but friction when I get involved, and I can't be bothered with that hassle right now.
If someone wants to talk about what I'm cool with talking about, great. If they want to twist my comments into another debate, respectfully, my comments were absolutely not about that, and that is a discussion I'm not getting involved in.
I'd appreciate it, pretty please and with sugar on top, if my reply tab didn't get filled up with things I do not care to bother with, because I might miss a reply in a discussion I do want to participate in (be it something of significance that I won't apparently fuck up, or merely some pleasantly meaningless diversion).
The Mob were on the road by the sounds of things. Also sounds like he wasn't initially scared of stopping for them, but only when he realised what they wanted did he become concerned. So maybe he's been around gangs before.
I support the police generally but love is suggesting that I believe the police can do no wrong and shouldn't be questioned so I want Millsy to put up some evidence
I'm being realistic. The cops cannot protect everyone. In some cases they are probably bought off by the gangs (sad, but true). Running over a patched Mongerel Mob member is not a great life choice. Especially if you work somewhere that houses them en masse.
[RL: You made a personal claim about PR who has called you on it. Put up or shut up.]
Also sounds like he wasn't initially scared of stopping for them, but only when he realised what they wanted did he become concerned. So maybe he's been around gangs before.
Odds are from details in the article he's a local and works for a large forestry company, probably in a technical or supervisory role.
I think one of the scam methods with these sites is for randos to set up to receive donations for a legitimate cause (or similar to), then pocket the cash.
This one, fortunately, was set up by a friend of the family who could tell them that the money was raised in a day.
The photograph shows a young person that clearly needs medical help. What it does not show is whether it is a person that was photographed at that stage some time ago and did in fact receive the medical help needed, or what country the person was in, or any other details to demonstrate that it is not a fraud, or even whether there are other reasons why cessation of assistance was appropriate.
The givealittle organisation hopefully does vet requests for assistance. I did not say that it is a fraud, but if the content is true, I am concerned at the cessation of NZ public health assistance for this young person.
The link given by McFlock below indicates that the story is indeed true, and the givealittle page indicates that over $134,000 has now been raised.
It is not as if the results of treatment will have been unknown to medical staff until a sudden event; this case has been ongoing for years. Is it a case of too much bureaucracy? Too rigid budgets with insufficient discretion? Or are there facts that the public is not aware of? A health system that relies on charitable donations for expensive procedures.is not what New Zealanders expect.
This prick showed no remorse. He only became emotional when his uncle turned his back on him. The take away from this is people like him ( and there are many) have no remorse when it comes to killing/harming Europeans. Europeans just don't register on their radar.
There is a very large portion of Maori that would have no problem seeing the back of Europeans. And who's stoking the flames of separatism ? Well, it's the Labour coalition.
“Talley’s is suing Television New Zealand over a series of stories in recent months about allegations of health and safety breaches at some of its worksites.
The company said it has filed proceedings in the High Court at Auckland today, saying the stories were false and defamatory.
After the initial stories went to air in July, Talley’s said it contracted former Police Commissioner Mike Bush to investigate the allegations.
The company said Bush found the assertions in the stories were either taken out of context, overstated or already identified, and action was under way to address them, or they had already been remedied.
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
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The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
Workers at a major ASB contact centre in Auckland have voted to take strike action and withdraw their labour following disappointing pay negotiations with the employer and an "offer" to workers that would leave them worse off than the previous year. ...
As the government tries to get the country back on track with a school phone ban, Tara Ward has an idea for where they should turn their attention to next.New Zealand students returned to school on Monday morning, but their cellphones did not. The government’s new phone ban began ...
The Labour Party is demanding Peters be stood down, saying "he's embarrassed the country" with a "totally unacceptable" attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. ...
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance, whose members were victims of a China-backed cyber attack, is discussing forming a standing committee to deal with foreign influence. ...
The PSA is concerned that the voluntary redundancies being offered to staff by Stats NZ will impact on the agency’s ability to deliver on its core functions. ...
Results ranged from surprisingly yum to soul-destroying. I love cooking. The kitchen is a hearth of culinary creation, of sensory delights, of gastronomic poetry. I also can’t afford anything nice. Why does a pack of instant noodles and some milk cost ten bucks? I love you, Aotearoa, but I miss ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Police in Solomon Islands are on high alert ahead of the election of the prime minister today. The two candidates for the top job are former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele at the head of the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation, which is ...
He’s fine but it feels like I’m losing a friend and it’s making me bitter. How do I say ‘enough is enough’? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzHey Hera,I’ve recently moved in with a girlfriend, her partner Steve, and his friend. We all live in a lovely little house. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
Labour market figures came in softer than the Reserve Bank had forecast, but they won’t be enough to move the needle on interest rates, 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. Unemployment ...
The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
The Urban Habitat Collective was an attempt to built an innovative new form of apartment building in Wellington. Here’s why it failed, and why the idea could still work, writes co-founder Bronwen Newton. When we started the Urban Habitat Collective in November 2018, we thought we were starting a revolution, ...
Two decades ago this week, a controversial law that attempted to define ownership of the foreshore and seabed prompted a formidable display of outrage and kōtahitanga as 15,000 marched to parliament. Jamie Tahana looks back.‘Hīkoi, hīkoi,” they chanted by the thousands as the biggest Māori march in a generation ...
A Labour Party Member’s Bill aims to plug a culpability gap between manslaughter and health and safety breaches The post New push for corporate killing laws appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Terence O’Brien had the rare and no doubt undesired distinction of rising to one of the most exalted positions in New Zealand diplomacy, then being unceremoniously recalled to Wellington without explanation just when his career was at its zenith. What is perhaps more surprising is that he appears to have ...
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Why has New Zealand slipped from third to 12th on Quality of Death Indexes over the past decade or so? Hospice New Zealand Chief Executive Wayne Naylor has a list of reasons. “We don’t have a current national strategy – the Government hasn’t renewed our 2001 strategy, so we don’t ...
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Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
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Pukeko unfolds its wings after grooming.
They have impressive-looking wings and are strong, but rather, shall we say, inelegant fliers.
Perhaps they devolved over the past millennium? Wikipedia says they "invaded from Australia less than 1,000 years ago."
Or perhaps the invasion force was carefully selected to consist of the most vigorous fliers. Churlish folk may theorise that those were assisted by prevailing winds. I'd advise them to beware inadvertent support of the bird-brain theory. Intelligent design of the invasion force seems just as feasible & descendants make take umbrage…
These large rails much prefer to walk & swim rather than fly. Unfortunately this preference gets lots of them killed on the roads.
I'm struck by how very dinosaur-like they are when they walk or run. They look like mini-raptors, and that frontal shield of theirs somehow just adds to the dinosaur resemblance, for me anyway.
They give me the impression that they didn't have to evolve very far along the chain from a mini-raptor to get to their current shape, though of course that might not be true in their DNA record.
Xmas is coming-what do they taste like?
By all accounts they’re pretty tough & stringy. The best recipe is said to be to boil them up with potatoes, kumara, watercress, cabbage & beans, in a pot big enuf to also throw an old gumboot in, for 3 hours. At the end of that time, you throw away the pukeko, and eat the gumboot & the veges. 😐
Sorry, I forgot, you need carrots in there too. 😐
I prefer an old leather boot myself rather than a gumboot – more chewy.
I thought that recipe was for duck and the best recipes also included some orange juice powder such as the old Raro! I would stick to the boot, pukeko and raro and not put in the 'potatoes, kumara, watercress, cabbage & beans (and carrots)'.
You could cook them up separately and for the next day breakfast have them fried up, yum. Your dinner mates will still be eating the leather boot so there will be lots for you to eat.
Years ago I was reliably informed Pukeko could be 'jugged' and tasted good. The whaea that told me this was sincere when talking about the old ways.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugging
The keys are lots of aromatics and stock, an earthenware dish with a tight fitting lid and low and slow cooking.
If you have a Rommertopf or Schlemmertopf you are away laughing.
https://www.kitchenware.nz/romertopf-cookware-kitchenware-superstore.html
But! But! They are not real! Birds don’t exist and are really drone replicas installed by the U.S. government to spy on Americans. So watch out G make sure they aren't spying on you.
Like all of the vaccinated I am sure Gezza got a full complement of 5G capability and tracking devices……perhaps these communicate with the drone birds to save the long trip to NZ like the Godwits from Russia have to do……wait wait, hang on a minute am I onto something here?
Just scooting down to my Mum's basement to investigate this.
@ mary
Here are my new adopted grand-pooklet quads. They will be only a week old (or less). They'll be showing on this site for 3 months, then drop out.
https://streamable.com/vkzgvs
https://streamable.com/xbejh1
https://streamable.com/5ryqvs
https://streamable.com/8pgb8k
https://streamable.com/x54jpz
Cheers Gezza @(1.2) … enjoy your grandie pooklet quads. They are delightful
Unsurprisingly, Natrad continues to confuse "sex" and "gender" and quite frankly this morning's wee gloat session over the passing of legislation allowing biological reality to be sidelined and to allow those who feel they were "assigned the wrong sex at birth" to rectify this 'error' with a mere declaration made me gag on my morning glass of water.
Questions. Is "transphobic misogyny" an actual thing? Is it accurate to describe the submissions of gender critical feminists to the select committee as "gaslighting"?
This is quoting Kerekere, hopefully in the above link.
I am busy today trying to get an aluminium framed window to better fit into where a wooden framed used to be in a small building that was seemingly denied the benefit of spirit levels or squares during it's construction some years ago. To celebrate the passing of this legislation I'd wear a frock for this job…but being well over forty years since I've worn such a garment… Hmmm…lots to ponder methinks.
Careful Rosemary I think you need to take advice on what to wear today, the last thing you want is to unknowingly cause a hate crime by wearing/not wearing a pair of trousers.
Not wearing a pair of trousers isn't a hate crime but might still get you in trouble with the constabulary.
Can confirm that this is true
I was thinking along the lines of a culturally appropriate kilt…but it is much too hot. A lavalava is an option…but modesty would demand a degree of tightness that would make ladder climbing difficult.
It's complicated.
Is it possible to be non-binary on the wardrobe front?
I am inclined to don a kikoi when it gets real hot. It's the East African version of a lava lava .
If an overweight palangi in ethnic attire is non-binary, I'm ticking them boxes.
Knott if you make it into a nappy
It is early days still, but then maybe in a year or several we have something like this, or not.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2021/jun/10/gender-critical-views-protected-belief-appeal-tribunal-rules-maya-forstater
They don't conflate sex with gender, they will continue to pretend that sex don't matter Rosemary. Science got burned on the stake, and Gender is all that they have left now.
I've now had coffee and caught again Natrad's continued promotion of this suspension of reality legislation.
I misquoted Kerekere. She said " trans misogyny" not "transphobic misogyny". A difference, but also probably more demanding of debate.
I am interpreting "trans misogyny" as basically meaning that if you don't accept that trans women are women you are a woman hater. Hmmm…making my square window fit the unsquare hole is way easier that getting my head around this. Frock or no frock.
With all due respect Denis, the law you talk of didn't lead to psychopathic murderers not guilty for the crimes they commit.
A psychopath would never meet the criteria for not guilty by reason of insanity.
This law dates back to the 18800's and was for people who had such an abnormal state of mind they could not be held responsible for their actions. So what thss means is someone who is experiencing delusins e.g that someone is going to kill me, and whose ability to reality test is very limited or non existence. In other words that person really believes their delusions. so usually someone with a spychotic depression or schizophrenia although most people with schizophrenia are not dangerous).
Usually both the defence and the prosecution are able to agree that this person needs to be found not guilty on the basis of insanity. I think the young man in Epsom who killed his parents was found NGBROI. These cases are very very sad
Oh, I see. I didn't realise psychopaths are relatively normal compared to psychotic & schizo folk.
Trumpian, in contemporary lingo.
Denis no problem. People make that mistake all the time. Psychopaths can be very dangerous (or maybe just very good used car salesmen or even politicians) but they are in touch with reality.
The law that treats people who are psychotic at the time of their crimes is a far one. Thee people receive a sentence in a high security forensic hospitl and once their illness is treated have to come to terms with what they have done when unwell.
The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are quite safe. It is a tragic illness. I think they are one of the most marginalized groups in society. Not many people go into to bat for them
The suspension of reality legislation……..lol lol.
Yes funny to talk about gaslighting, which I understand means trying to get someone to doubt their reality (that was in the original movie anyway). Elizabeth who brought in a bill like this. It reminds me of the headline of an item from the UK "Woman charged with indecent exposure for masturbating with her penis out". if that ain't gaslighting I am not sure what is. …………….
Signed: Boy who watched the parade in the Emperors New Clothes.
,ps it was wonderful reading the discussion on Open Mike last night. Weka, Molly, Sabine, Pukish Rogue, Rosemary, Red Logix, Roblogic…….proud of you all. And Sabine your hilarious comment about pro-nnouns and not assuming who was a women in parliament brought. me great joy
I am very serious though. Everyone here should from now on understand that they /them is the way to go.
If they have not declared their identity, they don't have one. And that includes our dear non male leader of the labour party, the non male co-leader and the non – female co- leader of the green party, ditto for maori party, act party and national party.
And just for the record that someone might think that i am trying myself at joking, I am not.
Do not assume gender of anyone unless they have stated theirs and that comes with pronouns.
I only have one pronoun, it is 'My Lord and Master'
That's how I want everyone to address me
Will do PR. (lord/master). From the boy in the Emperors new Clothes who now identifies as a women (piss/take)
Thats a great start now if you can convince my wife…
Mrs Rogue, by name and nature. I admire that she doesn't automatically fall into line.
Shes a good woman, strong and stroppy
I am 100% sure Mrs R is a good woman and strong and stroppy rules
You sound like you are serious.
Have you/are you declaring yours and what is the setting for declarations?
Just on social media for now, its all you need to do in this day and age
Sorry, Pucky, but pronouns are words that stand in place of a noun.
Lord and Master are both nouns, not pronouns. Permission declined.
In Vino,
The word pronoun no longer means what you think. (Par for the course).
PR doesn't have to use the dinosaur meaning of the word pronoun to create his own in the interest of "greater equality."
University of Wisconsin explains:
Always knew In Vino was a bigot
Yeah…it's a growing demographic, which I may or may not be a part of. If only I could see around my big head)
Still not using your pronouns though, PR.
But I identify as Lord and Master
i am not, use they them and get over it.
I wouldn't give Dr Kerekeres take on things too much time at all.
She seems particularly confused in her PHd thesis where she makes a case for the acceptance of trans people pre-colonial times, but then on page 82 admits there is no evidence for this.
.
The absurdly revisionist historiography of Māori pseudo-academics like Dr Elizabeth Anne Kerekere is, of course, implicitly taken as holy gospel by the highly paternalistic Pakeha Woke Establishment … a kind of unthinking Noble Savage Romanticisation & Infantalisation of Māori … but these dubious post-modern-influenced narratives don't even remotely cut it among qualified historians … they are purely Presentist … radically re-writing & sanitising Māori history for present-day political purposes.
From attempts to deny the brutal genocide & mass slavery of the Musket Wars to the transformation of pre-Colonial Māori into something resembling a mix of 1960s Flower-Power Hippies & the supposedly ‘unusually-refined sensbilities‘ (LOL) of 21st Century Upper-Middle Pakeha Wokedom.
.
Elizabeth Rata is of course the expert on Maori education.
.
.
Sorry, who mentioned Elizabeth Rata & who mentioned Māori Education ?
Perhaps you were replying to someone else ?
As someone who took History through to Post-Grad level – including papers on Historical Methodology & the various Schools of History & a good deal of NZ History – I’m suggesting that activist-Māori pseudo-academics are producing highly dubious, inherently Present-Minded revisionism to buttress contemporary radical Māori political claims.
Elizabeth Rata is a pakeha
.
I know.
I was responding to swordfish’s educational background and comments on Maori academia and paternalist woke Pakeha (claims the Labour government is abandoning the white working class).
He has linked to Elizabeth Rata … .
It reminds one of resistance to critical race theory in the USA.
.
Swordfish I respect and accept your assessemnt of this
Probably a presumption from Samoan culture (which may have developed post any cultural connection).
Well, the head of Stonewall says that lesbians who are not interested in having sex with male bodied people who demand that we refer to them as women are "sexual racists". That is why gender identity is a homophobic cult.
"sexual racists"
Goddess forgive me, but I fell down this bunny hole this morning…earlyish.
…that a trans woman with male genitals is merely a woman with an “unusually shaped vulva,” so no one unprejudiced would make a distinction; and that a woman who is willing to touch a natal woman’s vulva but not a trans woman’s genitals is like a woman who is willing to touch a white woman’s vulva but not a black woman’s.
… But what stands out most is the faith they display in the power of words to override material reality. When a woman is anyone who declares womanhood, the matter of whether that person has genitals that can get an erection, penetrate, impregnate and rape becomes unspeakable. But the genitals themselves do not change.
I had read this before, when it was first published and we were in the early stages on choosing which path we would take on this issue. I had hoped that having the benefit of others' experience of how such legislation could play out in the real world (albeit this particular case is extreme) we would exercise a little caution and include some significant safeguards against such a travesty ever happening here.
I just need to rewrite this for a minute, for the sake of the left wing heterosexual men standing against gender critical feminism who now need to understand that unless they are willing to personally engage with girldick they're transphobic, sexual racist bigots. Wouldn't want them to be surprised by this.
The other option for het men of course is to make the argument for why lesbians should have to engage with girldick but het men shouldn't. Can't wait.
(the Quillette piece is talking about the Yaniv case and beauticians, but we know from lesbians that it applies to sexual relationships as well).
Yes Weka, This might be when we get some cut through, when Het men are accused of be transphobic or trans racist or whatever if they refuse to accept that the women is with a dick isn't a women and they don't want sex with them.
I will wait with bated breath to hear how heterosexual men defend their trans racism.
Misogyny, harassment and extortion in one 'unholy package', still attached to the groin of Yaniv.
Some of those women closed their single income source due to this.
Your link contains this pearler re Jonathan Yaniv:
And for a look at those 'not gonna happen' misuse of self-id by non-dysphoric bad actors, a blank video.
For the rest of us, a sample of what has happened in the ladies.
https://youtu.be/zwUe7-4-_TY
I get the feeling that the lefties who support this never think about things like this.
some don't know (probably many). Others do and make some pretty interesting arguments in support of it. Others refuse to look.
'Others refuse to look'
– Yeah basically this
"Sexual racists". Do these people ever listen to themselves
The worlds going nuts, Rosemary.
I've come to the conclusion that the conflation of 'sex', 'gender' and 'gender identity' is the natural result of someone bullshitting their way through something they don't understand. What they do know is some of the terms, so they throw them into a word soup and hope they are not challenged. Those listening think, hang on, I don't understand, I must be missing something here, but remain quiet because they, too, don't want to seem ignorant.
Kerekere's behaviour during the submission process was appalling. Apparently a group performance because many of the other MPs joined in.
Accusing submitters of 'gaslighting' is the tried and true method of deflecting onto others that which you are doing yourself.
Good luck with the window, Rosemary. I have four old bungalow windows that need to be stripped back and painted before installing them as part of our years long renovation project. I too, will try and find a suitably appropriate 'costume' to acknowledge the significance of the bill.
Kerekere's behaviour during the submission process was appalling. Apparently a group performance because many of the other MPs joined in.
Russell didn't exactly participate in good faith either. Shameful. And as you rightfully point out, the whole pantomime was a textbook display of deflection.
Their granddaughters will not thank them.
Windows…I have three kinds of filler. Skim coat gibstopping compound, quick dry permafill type for the screw and nail holes and the deeper cracks, and a brand new tube of the renovator's best friend…No More Gaps. Despite this I still needed to fashion a long slice of plywood to glue into a seriously wide space. A few coats of paint…
https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/lisa-jones-sexually-assaulted-female-stranger-she-followed-in-melbourne/news-story/1d1330396c4aae18638e725a7a8a6a2e
And I have been jesting, but this……………….
Following on from the above article…"It was revealed Jones spent 6 years in a German prison for sexually abusing a six year old", then became transgender.
I wonder which prison Jones will be housed in?
For a while I thought the ultimate destination of PoMo would be that we're not allowed to tell the difference between boy and girl anymore. Then I thought maybe we’re not allowed to distinguish between humans and other sentient life and transhumanism would become yesterday’s nonsense flipped into today’s dogma.
But I think I was wrong. "Birds are Not Real" may be intended to be irony – but it's underlying intent is this – words no longer have any meaning.
A onesie even has a hood to keep the dust off your head.
The pertinent quotes
Grigg – National – “it's just modernising a process that already exists” (an interesting description of moving from a medical status related to anatomy to self-declared gender identity).
And the (it sounds like a nice place) other MP did say gaslighting transphobia and transphobic misogyny. By those she accused of "not submitting accurate information or demonstrating a genuine care for all New Zealanders" – which is the level of gaslighting one can expect from a politician in place of privilege from which to exercise power to suppress dissent (once the hate speech law is about …).
We have been warned – that women can be guilty of misogyny via transphobia, and such is their gaslighting of transphobia.
It is a difficult issue, but expecting everyone to fall into line with an approach taken by government always leads to an abuse of power at some point.
Grigg – National – “it's just modernising a process that already exists” (an interesting description of moving from a medical status related to anatomy to self-declared gender identity).
Words again. We can make them mean whatever we want. The process prior actually involved demonstrating commitment to the change.
Anyone want to lay bets on when the first GCF will see herself up on Charges in NZ?
Yep. And if you don't bring people with you they will hate you in the back lash given sufficient cause.
I have a feeling that the long pressured for opening up of the Auckland tourist market is not going to be the cash cow those in the industry, particularly down south, were hoping for. The cancelation list for some of the walks that turn up in our mailbox is quite extensive, not to mention expensive. People are going to be hesitant like when we first opened up to Australia, it then seemed to be mainly Kiwis coming back to see rellies and I think the same will happen with Aucklanders.
Not just Aucklanders.
I have some Dunedin folk going to visit loved ones in Otago over xmas, and they're actually planning their shopping for groceries and petrol around spots less likely to have Auckland tourists.
I'm starting to think those of us in higher vax rate areas should be welcoming Aucklanders so they don't end up going to Northland or the East Coast where vax rates are low.
But it's a hard ask, given we have almost no community transmission in the South Island. There will be other Christmases.
I'm starting to think those of us in higher vax rate areas should be welcoming Aucklanders so they don't end up going to Northland or the East Coast where vax rates are low.
That's very considerate of you weka, but I suspect some local businesses might be kinda banking on an influx of vaccinated.
A good friend took his fully vaccinated self down to Kaitaia the other day so he could use the Pass he got double jabbed for…being a sociable kind of chap. Lonely he was, as all the usual watering holes were practically bereft of patrons.
Just as well he partied hard last Thursday night… along with half the FFN.
Tbh…I thought there would have been more of the local imbibers fully vaccinated.
it's certainly going to be interesting to see how the summer plays out on a number of fronts.
Louise Upston has won a significant victory for victims' rights:
The law has been an ass in deeming psychopathic murderers not guilty of the murders they commit. Everyone knows a murderer actually did it, when the facts prove it. For the law to persist in denial of the facts for decades shows how irrational law is.
And the "National Party bill was passed into law with the help of the Labour Government." Labour deserves our appreciation for their bipartisan consensus decision-making. This collaboration restores faith in our democratic process.
That's a really nice way to start the day
Good result. Good to see cooperation on something so needed.
Good spotting Dennis.
That sounds like a good thing.
Opps Denis I reply to your link about your comment.
I hadn't realised the current lack of unicorns was due to a previous episode of climate-change denial…
Noah's saying, "Last chance" but the ramp has already been raised.
Noah became a drunkard once the rain stopped and the floodwaters receded.
Probably felt bad about that unicorn thing.
I'm a bit more concerned with what happened later after the rains stopped
Its almost like they landed in Southland
It's a theory scholars have argued over for centuries and still nobody knows for sure.
(I certainly made a good job of camouflaging that ark of mine!)
Not good enough.
It can still be seen at Waipapa Point.
Dammit!
Chris Trotter on the racist response to the roadblocks.
"Why, then, are so many Pakeha so angry? Why, in particular, has the Act Party felt entitled to inflame matters? As someone who was in Parliament when the legislation was being passed, what has prompted the Act Party leader, David Seymour, to declare:
“Labour has snuck a law through Parliament letting iwi run checkpoints. Our weak PM has surrendered basic rights. The Police Commissioner, rather than upholding the law, has given into demands of iwi. Kiwis have a right to move around the country without being stopped by thugs.”
Let’s pick apart this extraordinary statement. Because, astonishingly, just about everything Seymour alleges is false."
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2021/12/keeping-out-virus-of-racism.html
This mixes two big issues – outright bald racism, and legislated birthright privilege.
Sure, Seymour is out of line in his depiction of the issue – way out of line. And that sort of rhetoric is inflammatory and dangerous in the exact same way as Trump's ongoing bullshit is.
But, we just keep creating a bigger monster by continuing to legislate different rights for different citizens based on their 'race' and birth.
And that is simply not sustainable in any society. Never has been. Never will be. It is what so many of our ancestors sought to escape in coming here, including the polynesians.
Yet we keep doing it.
It is this which the people are up in arms about. This very particular point.
…..
and a little more… now add to those different classes of citizens a couple more different classes of citizens, the vaccine passed and the un-vaccine passed… oh what a messy web…
*…we just keep creating a bigger monster by continuing to legislate different rights for different citizens based on their ‘race’ and birth.
And that is simply not sustainable in any society. Never has been. Never will be. It is what so many of our ancestors sought to escape in coming here, including the polynesians. Yet we keep doing it.
It is this which the people are up in arms about. This very particular point.
…..
The iwi-run checkpoints are one of those Kiwiland issues that I’m conflicted about. Ignoring Seymour’s inflammatory use of the label “thugs” for the moment, I can see how those on both sides of the argument consider their view to be the righteous, and/or the fair one.
Kiwis are used to travelling the length & breadth of this country on state highways, country roads, & city & town streets, completely unimpeded (save for the odd booze checkpoint or speeding ticket). We’ve done it all our lives.
Suddenly they are faced with small numbers of local Māori demanding – and given – the right to stop motorists & refuse them entry to locales where there are very likely not just Maori, but Māori AND Pākehā.
This is unprecedented. You’d have to go back over 100 years, maybe, to find something like this happening. And back then the setller government would likely be sending out armed constabulary and/or troopers to open the roads & punish rebels acting in breach of the (English-based) law of the land.
To those who believe that Māori knowingly signed up to ALL the people in New Zealand having equal rights & protections under the Crown’s law, this looks like giving one select group, based on their ethnicity, the right to restrict other Kiwis from simoly going where they are otherwise allowed to go & to demand documents & evidence, & potentially to turn them around, which other Kiwis have no right to do.
And the other viewpoint, equally understandable to me, is that this is a deafly pandemic that is likely to hit Māori harder than Pākehā because Māori vax rates are so much lower, particularly, still, in more isolated communities.
This group (not ALL Māori I know agree with them) consider that the Treaty grants them special privileges – in the form of continued rangatiratanga in their own nga rohe (which, it does) – and that they therefore have the clear right under Te Tiriti to act to protect their taonga; & their kaumatua, themselves, their tamariki & their rangatahi.
The government & the Police Commissioner have come down on the side of this 2nd group & given legal rights no other Kiwis have to set up checkpoints.
I really think more needed to be done by the government to explain this decision to other Kiwis. I don’t think it’s the wrong decision. I think it’s an understandable & justifiable one. Were I Māori, I would likely fully support it.
But the optics are bad. it looks like it’s been slipped in under the door when no one was looking to those who think we should all be treated equally under NZ law.
Yep, well put gezza.. while I have great sympathy for the relevant iwi, the optics and the reality are terrible.
This, together with the 3-waters, is a massive vote loser for labour for all of those reasons.
I fear for the next election
A good analysis gezza and if this was all a temporary measure in response to a crisis – I'd be a lot more sympathetic.
But increasingly we're seeing 'unthinkable' measures slipped in with no debate to deal with a crisis – then morphing into something permanent.
This group (not ALL Māori I know agree with them) consider that the Treaty grants them special privileges – in the form of continued rangatiratanga in their own nga rohe (which, it does) – and that they therefore have the clear right under Te Tiriti to act to protect their taonga; & their kaumatua, themselves, their tamariki & their rangatahi.
Yes. I've seen and heard this in action decades ago, in person. During the 80's I went through a phase of my life that meant I got to visit more marae than I can recall to count. It was a fascinating period during which I learned a great deal, and came away with a deep respect for aspects of what I saw. And some tough lessons learned.
I also along the way encountered the Maori separatists who argued that the iwi chief remain the only legitimate owners of the whole of NZ. And in quiet moments would openly express the desire for all the old tribal borders to be permanently restored. There is not a lot of daylight between these COVID borders – and the granting of this wish.
"the old tribal borders to be permanently restored".
What was the date to be used when deciding where the old boundaries were to be set? Prior to 1840 of course there were no permanent boundaries. They were wherever you had currently settled because you had defeated, and probably killed, the previous residents. For example would you give the descendants of Te Rauparaha the land he controlled in 1820 or in 1840?
Whatever you settle on why should those boundaries be "permanent" instead of being subject to further warfare?
Whatever you settle on why should those boundaries be "permanent" instead of being subject to further warfare?
One clue I've learned to pay attention to over the years – people who advocate for radical change in a general way, but without ever telling you the details of what they have in mind are doing this for a reason.
They know damn well you won't like what they have in mind.
The please satisfy my curiosity. What do you think they really had in mind in terms of the permanence of the boundaries?
I am sure they had in mind that all the land in New Zealand was included somewhere in the carve-up. It was only what could happen later that has me intrigued.
It was a long time ago – but I do clearly recall asking "so what about all the non-Maori living in this country?"
The answer was "You will find Maori to be generous hosts – if you pay the rent". Exact quote from a man who is a current member of the Maori Council and carries considerable political clout. I've seen nothing from him in recent times to resile from this view.
I want to emphasise my acquaintance and involvement with these people at that time was explicitly non-political. I really only came across all this by accident.
In Auckland we have iwi fighting one another over mana whenua status. We have iwi who once transversed the isthmus and blew their nose claiming status over iwi with verified and centuries old connections. Maori colonising Maori. Oh the irony.
I personally like the way Maori leadership are standing up here.
They are in poor regions, but choosing to sacrifice massive economic benefit from sorely needed local tourists, for public health for their people. Courageous.
Getting Maori leaders working side by side with Police for common community good is truly excellent.
Nothing particularly PC or woke about this; just solid communitarian work.
Is "communitarian" going to be the public policy buzzword of 2022?
Totally agree and hope it continues and strengthens. Blind adherence to some ideologic principal is no argument against this type of courage and compassion
I agree with Ad here, but am a little puzzled by his/your use of "communitarian" – are you able to expand/specify?
A euphemism for communism?
In it's definition it's a theory or system of social organization based on small self-governing communities.
If Maori leadership at town or iwi level are building up their capacity to stand up proudly and take their kaitiaki place, they are going to need the support of Police.
That little legislative tweak Ardern rushed through this week to help with roadblocks is a long, long way from where that relationship was in the Bolger and Clark years.
We will get news reports of grumpies at checkpoints as the holidays start, but the tv optics of Maori leaders with Police will be very powerful.
Agreed.
Well the great escape of the petri dishes from Ak for the 15th is cancelled.
https://climatereanalyzer.org/wx/fcst/?mdl_id=gfs&dm_id=ausnz-ced&wm_id=prcp-mslp-gph500
Tawhirimatea will decide the outcome.
And how long before every iwi sets up borders to their own little territories? With Police and Army sent to enforce them.
Think of the rapidly extending list of unthinkable dead rats from just five years ago that we've been forced to swallow in the name of 'safety'. And then tell me I'm hyperventilating.
Nonsense!
Why?
Ten years ago everyone would have agreed that the idea of men pretending to be women and then claiming to compete against them in sports was a complete nonsense.
Ten years ago the idea of Ngaiti Tuhoe turning Te Urewera in to virtual no-go zone was a 'nonsense'.
All too often yesterday’s ‘nonsense’ is flipped on it’s head and becomes today’s normal.
And exactly what is happening at these 'roadblocks'? Who gets to pass and who does not? Who makes the decisions and how are they accountable for them?
The NZPolice have the handcuff and charge powers.
Iwi are there for support.
At the current Mercer hard checkpoint, oddly I find Maori reps at our checkpoints a softener to the martial power of the cops and the NZDF who are also there.
The NZPolice have the handcuff and charge powers. Iwi are there for support.
So exactly who has created these checkpoints? And who is accountable for the decisions made to pass or not?
it depends on your birth red…
like so much else today…
………
and some tangential,,, in te ao maori you are defined by your birth and by your ancestors
which is the antithesis of the pakeha approach
the complete antithesis
whereby jack is as good as his master and your birth and your ancestors are shunned as a defining component of your being
this clash isn't even acknowledged today – te ao maori and te ao pakeha are at complete and total odds in this most basic of human arenas…
(sorry, gone off track a bit, but it relates)
in te ao maori you are defined by your birth and by your ancestors
Yes it's called whakapapa. On every marae the tangata whenua all know their lineage and exact spot on the tribal pecking order. Maori society is one of the most precisely calibrated class systems ever created.
Oh and they all know who the descendents of their 'slave' class are.
"Ten years ago the idea of Ngaiti Tuhoe turning Te Urewera in to virtual no-go zone was a 'nonsense'."
I'm afraid that it certainly wasn't seen as nonsense long before that. I knew someone who lived in Whakatane all his life and had been a hunter in Te Urewera. I remember him saying as early as 1990 that is was being made very difficult to continue hunting there and that it was impossible to leave a vehicle safely anywhere in the region while doing so.
Anti vaxxers – horrible, disgusting humans who don’t contribute to society and are holding the country to ransom. Can’t use public services or engage meaningfully any longer and will be prevented by government authority from going anywhere
Māori who won’t get vaccinated – Noble indigenous communities entitled to prevent the free movement of people who are overwhelmingly vaccinated. Checkpoints funded With public money and supported by government authority.
watch labour tank in the polls when the photos of traffic jams and stories of grumpy families with screaming toddlers hit the news outlets and hone harawira stands there telling everyone they are racist for not liking it.
Well done – I had to read it twice to get the irony.
Yes it will be powerful … in its disastrous consequences for Labour when the inevitable ten mile traffic jams occur and the holidays of a million people are ruined by tinpot dictators manning checkpoints like it's east germany or something.
Yes Ad, it makes a complete change, and many of us think the equity of this is excellent.
VTO, think, those entitled holiday makers are going there because, the tangata whenua have not despoiled the beaches, and it is possible to have a lovely beach holiday.
We need to admit equity requires we do more to make an even playing field in Health. It appears some marginal staff go to these areas for the very lack of oversight, and little thought was given to travel times and multi trips to vaccinate a whole family. The mobile clinics should have been there staffed by locals from the outset. DHB's have been silos.
I think living by our Treaty obligations is quite hard for some.
Each Christmas I raise a glass of bubbles to "departed Friends and Family". Two friends were Maori who died very early before they got the pension. Marina said to me, as she was dying with cancer, "Live long Trish, raise a glass to me when you are all together." I do that, and to hear Kiri Allen is clear after a year is great, such good news and that is not often the case with that cancer.
We like many will not have our family together because of covid. Those telling themselves it is because Jacinda Ardern is too cautious should work out how many cases we might have without those regulations. So much self serving rubbish is being promoted based on dollars not lives.
Yes we are stressed but nowhere as stressed as those entering their 4th and 5th lock downs with Omicron on the doorstep.
Each day we should look round at family with comorbidities and or age and be ready to count our blessings. Things are not rosy but they could be far far worse, and some of our problems are scabs being removed from partially healed social sores.
We have come through a time of instant gratification, and even "Consumer" is pivoting to gadgets which have long life and can be repaired. Built in obsolescence is not acceptable any more.
We all say "not enough not fast enough", turning to a better way of living is hard and will impact people who thought they had a birth right of easy passage.
To achieve Policy changes the Government has to take the bulk of the people with them. At the moment people are rather fractious, let us hope summer helps.
Thanks Patricia and well put. Its way past time that this kind of partnership was put into practice and good on the govt to have the courage to support this even in the face of the prevalence of post colonial thinking. This is our unique character and its high time we supported those that only have the wellbeing of their communities at heart.
Thanks Subliminal.
Like most things 'communitarianism' is in the eye of the beholder….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communitarianism
Take your pick.
Well now, who is paying for that economic disaster? No matter, just add it to the tab of 16 billion dollars payable by those who will be left working. Ooops, only government employees left also supported by the tax dollar? No matter, add it to the tab.
Besides, it could be argued that a separate state is being advocated by stealth and time as the virus will engage everybody for decades and we are not just paying for it (the irony is not getting lost here) we are setting a precedent. I sometimes feel our politicians are either really naive or actually not finding any fault with this. Mr Hone Harawira knows exactly what he is doing.
Its actually Aucklanders going on holiday who will be exposed not the other way around. But hey, who is a stickler for facts, eh?
We are all paying for it.
Currently about $60b in the hole for future generations to pay off.
That number has been going up by about $1 billion/week during the Auckland shutdown. But not to worry. Grant knows what he is doing doesn't he? Just don't expect any sort of welfare state to be available for your kids.
Alwynger so if we didn't have a strong economic stimulus we may have less debt but no economic activity.
Take away your blood supply and see how you survive.
Same in an economy keeping the economic activity at a much higher level by simulation means you start rebuilding nearer to where your economy was.
Your idea of not borrowing or QE
Would have seen much more damage to our economy.
Maybe your economic ideas come from Charter schools set up at 2× plus the cost of state schools yet fail and the board members defraud tax payers of $400,000 no enquiry because the Nats ans ACT did not allow for accountability.
Argentina tried your formula of following the purist chicago school economics in 1996 to 97 .It has never recovered.
What economic stimulus?
You mean the billions borrowed to speculate on the RE market?
It's more than your simplistic swipe of course we could have had a cash injection for everybody as well as the Banks but we now operate under new Liberal economics.So we have to follow that system. Which political party offers an alternative that gets more than 1200 votes ,None.
If you go back to the 1930's the main reason the 1929 crash went on for 5 years plus was that banks were allowed to fail.
The point is there has been no 'stimulus'…it is a misnomer. There has been life support… but GDP remains below pre pandemic, the bulk of the Gov 'borrowing' remains unused at the RBNZ and the only 'stimulating' done was to the FOMO of property buyers.
And after all this the same issues remain or have been intensified.
Pat $30billion of QE spent $60 billion of stimulation has been spent .
The GDP of NZ was one of only 3 countries not to shrink in the Pandemic.
GDP
https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/gdp
"Expenditure incurred against appropriations created as a result of the response to COVID-19
We have released data on the appropriated amounts and actual expenditure incurred in respect of COVID-19 related appropriations. See Cumulative expenditure for these appropriations to 30 June 2021 totals $22.1 billion."
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/budgets/covid-19-funding-allocation-expenditure
@Pat 4.36pm
Just two items you may care to include (or not).
The item you referenced was dated 30 June. That is before the current shutdown which is what I was talking about the I said $1 billion/week. You will note that I said "That number has been going up by about $1 billion/week during the Auckland shutdown"
The borrowing does not include that done by Kaianga Ora which was done in such a way that it was excluded from the Crown Accounts.
The New Zealand National Debt at the end of 2019 was $US 69.28 billion. The estimate for the end of 2021 is $US 123.12 billion. That is an increase of $US 53.84 billion which at today's exchange rate is $NZ 80 billion. That is the increase in the national debt in the last 2 years.
We have been borrowing one hell of a lot of money and our children are going to have to pay it back.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/531824/national-debt-of-new-zealand/
@Tricledrown at 4.21pm
That is simply not true. Have a look at the link Pat gave at 4.36 pm.
The NZ GDP has dropped in each of the last 2 years. (At least it is estimated to have dropped this year as the year hasn't (quite) finished)
The figure is $350 million a week the govts books are in very good order especially compared to all other economies our economy is in the top 3 in the world.
If we had gone down National and ACT'S policy rabbit hole.Of minimal borrowing no QE.
NZs economy would be amongst the worst performing.
Having to recover from a much smaller base of economic activity takes years and even decades like Argentina.
If that was a billion a week the debt levels would be much higher.
Total debt IMF figures in NZ dollars $102 billion $50 billion less than your statista estimates.
When you compare pats with yours there is a massive discrepancy.
Pats figures are only relative to some time before June 30 when the reporting period finished.
Then QE is not included and returns a profit for tax payers hence over all borrowing Cost's are well down.
Since the Second round more money has been spent reading through treasury out of the $60 billion only $5.1 hasn't been spent.
5 months have past since the full treasury report .
According to the IMF our govt debt is at approx $102 billion 30.1% of gdp.
Lower much lower than the worst case scenario.
It is a waste of time trying to debate with you when you do not give the source of the numbers you put down. If you want to debate put down links to where you say your claimed data is reported. Otherwise I think we are entitled to believe you just made the numbers up.
Even Treasury admit that the NZ Govt debt was $103.3 billion on 1 April 2021
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/04/government-debt-now-exceeds-100-billion-more-than-70-percent-on-pre-covid-19.html
Key Govt managed to borrow circa $60 billion with no…pandemic to deal…with.
20 billion in one year.
'the previous largest amount ever borrowed in a single financial year – which was almost $20 billion in 2011 in the wake of the global financial crisis, when National's Bill English held the reins.'newshub.
Seymour wants to inflame perceptions that police-iwi collaboration is some sort of constitutional outrage and hopes to provoke a few incidents at the Northland soft border that are worthy of media coverage. A total cynic, he wants back in government and a chance to unleash his libertarian dimwittery on all of us.
As someone who expects to pass through that border several times over summer, I have no problem with locals of whatever hue, culture or interest group being part of the police effort to spot check vaccine passes. The last thing I want is inflammatory lunatics like Seymour making the border a place of simmering racial tension.
Tide turning in the US.
https://twitter.com/tomdinki/status/1469016330821111815
That is brilliant.
good on them
fucking brilliant.
Choosing a camping ground.
https://twitter.com/angew/status/1469027557957795841
"negging" – that's a significant word.
As a recent ex member of the NZMCA might I just offer a tiny little bit of motorhomer insider information?
The very vastest majority of NZMCA members get around in certified fully self contained motorhomes/caravans/ and god forbid converted Busses.
Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for one member to have to hobnob with another member whilst staying in the vastest majority of the Ass.'s parkover properties. We all do our necessaries in our own vehicles…which…I might add (and Patricia Bremner will confirm this) will each be parked (by Ass's decree) a full 3 meters from it's neighbour. We were practicing social distancing in the Assoc waay before you lot had ever heard of such a thing.
Any hobnobbing is purely voluntary and given the, ahem, older demographic predominating in the Ass. one would hope in all sincerity
wethey would have the sense to follow the rules.Just like last year when the Assoc decided to hurl all members out of the parkover properties (that we fucking well own BTW) for Lockdown 1.0 …this makes no sense and many members are seriously pissed off.
The same
codgersmembers who are celebrating this will also be seen at Pak n Spend on Superday doing their weekly shop with all the other masked folk… vaccinated and not. Go figure.AFAIK The Government has not mandated vaccine passes for accommodation and campgrounds whatever colour traffic light is lit.
https://www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/covid-19-protection-framework/accommodation-services/
probably time for another association to form. NZMCA supporting Labour's proprosed really fucking classist rules around free camping is pissing a lot of people off.
You (and me too) are a bit late to that party. There are a couple of very enthusiastic groups out there…many members who are refugees from the NZMCA. Long before the Covid shit show there has been deep rumblings regarding the reach demanded by NZMCA…to the point of trying to make themselves the 'one source of truth' with the government on freedom camping and self containment.
Had its day.
Are the $200K motorhome crowd still happy with them or are they going off them too?
Yes I thought that strange at the time Rosemary. It seemed a bit draconian. But Nash does not like Motorhomes much at all. How many belong now? We were 18160.
We
arewere 32726. What a difference in the paint shade when I ceremoniously removed the wings after 13 years. Last I checked the numbers were well into the 100000s. It is a very, very different club to what is was back in the day when you had to be nominated by another member just to join. In the last few years we converted Bus dwellers were treated like the poor relations. Good thing is that their tupperware containers on wheels are much too flash to go the roads we frequented. The latest issue of the Motorcaravanner features a young mum and her son on the cover heralding the Ass. movement towards inclusivity and more family friendliness. Oh the irony that on the day it was posted out they announced the ban on the unvaccinated. Their cover girl and her young son are now excluded. She sent them a video clip of her cutting up her membership card (they want proof of this to qualify for a fees refund).Hidihi campers!
More on campground responses to Covid threat. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/127228499/more-campgrounds-ban-unvaccinated-campers-but-experts-fear-a-summer-spread
Merry Christmas
"The Government has delayed the next stage of its controversial Three Waters reforms until next year"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/controversial-three-waters-reforms-delayed-until-next-year/BME5RUNDIH4NANKB2G3K2OX52Q/
What, like, a couple-a-weeks-and-a-bit?
(disclaimer: I'm a supporter of the 3 Waters proposal).
"When Mahuta announced the plan in October, the legislation creating the new entities was set to be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year, but the Government was forced to concede on Thursday it would be delayed."
Never look a gift horse in the mouth
I never do.
Who, in their right mind, would gift some one – a horse!!
White elephant, maybe, but – a horse??
A lamb or a tree Robert, now that would be useful. My thumbs up below was in support of 3 waters.
I wouldn't say no if someone gifted me a horse.
There is a saying in the TB breeding industry….find someone you don't like and give them a….broodmare'.
Same Robert.
Holidays beckon and no one wants to work?
Another day, another thing banned by the Government.
What's next? Ban democracy because it's dangerous?
Except that's kinda already happening. Rule by experts and elite, a technocratic vision for what's good for us if we weren't just such bad little boys and girls. A democracy that is all kratos and little demos.
The unspoken and underlying principle of the Labour Party is now the people can't be trusted and choice is verboten. The people are dumb, the people are dangerous, unsullied and incompetent. Our morality is superior and for the good of the country, must be imposed. And shush, actual concerns of child poverty or living costs are secondary – what matters is you sit down, shut up, and log off from Facebook if you don't like it.
Except we can't "log off" from life under this Government. It pervades every nook and cranny. This morality and governance is little different to Poland or Hungary in the end analysis. A self-righteous Government defending its crusade for the ''greater good'', the public morality. Almost every democracy that slides into soft Authoritarianism does so under the guise of the greater good, the public good, and often to fight a crisis – imagined or exaggerated. China tells its country the Uyghur are dangerous, they need segregating and re-educating – they could be terrorists you see, and are being feed misinformation about the wonderful CCCP.
Hungary is defending its traditional morality, NZ is imposing its "new"morality, with the help of $55 million slush for the way for media. There is little difference in the end, except a more smiley face here.
I've started accepting the use of "Aotearoa" (even though only about 9% want this to replace "New Zealand") because it reflects the new paradigm of our country: it is inexorably heading towards a new regime of soft Authoritarianism and moral coercion. What's best for you, to hear, say, and do, is what we say – you "freedumb", racist peasant.
[I think you are on the wrong site. Try BFD or Kiwiblog – MS]
Christ on a bike Gordon insert an actual fact somewhere.
An actual credible link or two would stop you looking like an unhinged nutjob.
He could start with his first sentence and a link to whatever it is he thinks the government has banned so we know what he is talking about. Or even just name it.
https://www.greens.org.nz/support_our_poverty_action_plan
Have a read of the Poverty Action Plan and sign the petition to support rebuilding our welfare system in a way that doesn't involve two tiers.
John Bougen, who funded Reefton’s remarkable revival, is furious with anti vaxxers. He is chair of the local Community Board and also a Buller District Councillor.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/300474317/antivaxers-creating-an-appalling-state-of-affairs-in-reefton-community-board-chairman-says
A Buller District Councillor, "furious with anti vaxxers"?
Will wonders never cease??
Mr Bougen needs to organize a quiz night at the pub…that'll liven things up.
A Sydney Pub quiz has dished out some unwanted prizes: 45 Covid-19 infections.
All of those to be diagnosed with Covid-19 have been fully vaccinated.
Details of the potential super-spreader event emerged a day after NSW Health warned about Christmas parties.
“NSW Health is seeing an increased number of cases over the last couple of days, and what we’ve been observing is increased transmission in larger social venues such as pubs, clubs and party settings,” Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
“This is contributing to the increase in cases, and they’re predominantly occurring in vaccinated individuals."
The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off….
Astra Zeneca is less efficient. Perhaps they were older folk in need of their booster?
Meanwhile in NZ,
https://twitter.com/covid19nz/status/1468771112150614023
It's not that the wheels are falling off, it's that we're playing a game of numbers and time. It makes sense in a place with very low death rates and no hospital overrun to work with the efficacy of our responses for the situation we are in now.
What would interest me about that pub cluster is how many are hospitalised and how many die/get long covid.
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/89-eligible-people-now-fully-vaccinated-95-community-cases-2-deaths-56-people-hospital-4-icu
Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (30 cases / 57%);
partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (12 cases / 23%);
fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (9 cases/ 17%);
unknown (2 cases / 4%)
yes, the vaccinated people are a much lower % of hospitalisations in an area where most people are vaccinated (nearly 80%).
It would be also nice to have unvaccinated and not eligible separated as they are two distinct categories.
Simpson's Paradox Rosemary.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/126883892/covid19-how-raw-vaccine-and-case-data-can-be-very-misleading
As a Righty, I found yesterday infuriating. I am referring to the governments communist legislation ( I don't know how else to describe it from MY perspective) to stop future generations of New Zealanders enjoying cigarettes if they so choose. Worse, current smokers will have to accept smokes with less nicotine.
My old socialist aunt who would make many Lefties on this blog look like Parnell woofters, was fond of saying smokes and beer are the working man's perk. I agree, but would add KFC, Dak and P to the mix.
However, it's not Labour raising my ire. That's typical Lefty legislation(?) My problem is with Luxon's response. He said he agrees with it in principle. Say what! Luxon should be shouting and promising such crap legislation will be repealed before morning tea break. As I suspected – the guy is woke.
The second disappointment was HDA. I hold Heather in high regard, but not once did she ask Ayesha Verrall during an interview '' what the hell the government was doing legislating the future choices young New Zealanders can make.''
The problem here is simple – Labour know what they stand for and are prepared to act. National don't know what they are about. National say the right things but always seem to have a wet finger in the air trying to devine which way the winds of political fortune are blowing.
National should forget courting the mushy middle vote and go hardline. Ironically the way this Labour government is acting makes that a possible political goldmine.
Oh, grow up, Blade!
(Kindly meant 🙂
Parnell?
" I hold Heather in high regard"
You what??
I hold Heather in high regard. Don't tell me you are in Jessica and Tova's fan club?
Hold on… Jesse and Kanoa's fan club? Oh, I give up.
" Don't tell me you are…"
I won't.
You hold "Heather" in "high regard"?
Why???
Blade, you are yet another Righty who has no idea of what communism means, aren't you? The minute you find something totalitarian or dictatorial, out comes that communist word, even though it is irrelevant.
When did you give up on the process of learning? (Remember – it is meant to be a life-long process.)
You should read my comment again. I'm always open to suggestions.
He's not "woke", but your penultimate para is closer to the mark.
I look at it this way. Most of us have a view about smoking, and related laws (you might not be surprised to know mine is very different from yours). We don't need to be MPs, or even very interested in politics, to have an opinion about a common issue. It's been around for decades, everything from sports sponsorship to smoking in bars.
Now I would guess that Luxon has a personal view too (he's 51, how could he not?). I have no idea what it is. If he was this "new broom" that he purports to be, he would be saying the same thing now that he said before he entered politics. Saying, in effect: "Here's my opinion, make of it what you will". But he won't.
Winning the leadership didn't change his views on smoking, or anything else. It only changed his willingness to express them. That's the kind of leader he's going to be, and I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it.
At 51, he's a new broom?
Sure. He swept Judith under the carpet.
She swept herself and from there, she can nip at Luxon's ankles until he bleeds 🙂
at the very least…a 'Higher bRoom'!
National should be decisive, come out and say tobacco is there, it]s a fact of life and take the heavy taxes off tobacco. The prices of cigarettes would plummet and the freedom and choice people will be happy.
Yeah mate and they should lead back in petrol to!
Cigarettes – soon to be worth more than gold in Aotearoa. Everyone will be in on the action. Gee, thanks Labour. You gormless control freaks.
Folks, get this kit before they are BANNED!
https://www.gentlemenscorner.co.nz/gcgrowyourowntobacco.html
Unfortunately, these kits will be of little use to hard working dairy owners who soon may be out of business because Labour are on a power trip. To be fair, these dairy owners are entitled to go straight on the dole.
I think you might be missing the incremental nature of the ban. Someone born in 2007 ie 14 years old today, will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. They will however be able to smoke them. Their aunty or baby sitter or older brother can buy them for them. Happy now?
By the time the 14 year old is 18, a number of elderly relatives will have passed on, but there will still be many many people able to buy cigarettes and give them to the now 18 year old.
By the time they are in their 60s, we will have run out of people legally allowed to buy cigarettes, but I expect by then tobacco companies will have long folded and we will be smoking home grown (much better for us).
Or they can just vape, but fucked if I know why that's not being regulated as well. Disgusting, breathing in other people's artificially scented peppermint lung vapour.
''I think you might be missing the incremental nature of the ban. Someone born in 2007 ie 14 years old today, will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. They will however be able to smoke them. Their aunty or baby sitter or older brother can buy them for them. Happy now?''
No, the point you are missing has nothing to do with smoking, but everything to do with unnecessary restrictive legislation.
You see, both National and Labour are at base level pragmatists. They are not philosophically consistent. You nail that in your final paragraph.
BTW- I smoked for 25 years. Loved every moment of it, especially that smoke after a good evening meal. But I had to give up and cannot now tolerate being around smokers ( vapers are worse). But…I have no desire to legislate against smokers provided they respect my rights which most do.
This drive for compulsion is where I take a different fork in the road to most posters on this blog.
It's entirely consistent with mainstream public health positioning, which sees smoking as a serious health issue and doesn't believe that vaping is.
As for compulsion, I have my own limits (I'm uneasy with aspects of the vax mandates and the degree to which people are completely fine with it). But from a public health perspective, smoking damages so many people and costs the state, it's not hard to see the rationales.
I prefer the other approach suggested yesterday, make sale illegal and smokers have to register their addiction and be supplied by the state. Although I know from my own experience that being able to choose one's own brand of cigarette is part of the pleasure.
I am intrigued by this particular ban and will wait to see how it is implemented and what the consequences are. But NZ has been successful in previous anti-smoking policy, so this probably fits in with that. It's a fairly classic personal freedom vs collective good social dilemma.
I'd have more of a problem if they were to make the growing of tobacco illegal.
Wouldn't put it past them, remembering that one of the Nat's former rising stars, ex-MP Todd Barclay, was a lobbyist for big tobacco, although his personal views were strongly 'anti-tobacco'. According to this Stuff article, Bishop (current shadow Leader of the House, and Nat Covid-19 response spokesperson) also worked for Philip Morris before entering parliament.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9988402/Who-is-Nationals-Todd-Barclay
I wonder how many tourists from countries where smoking is still a "normal" thing will want to come to NZ?
Its an addiction and it is a good idea to curtail it. My concern is that if you stamp it out it will be replaced by something else, juvenile curiosity will not go away.
If we stamp out smoking tobacco, goodness only knows what those feckless yoofs will take up!!
Wool carding?
Egg-spinning?
Why, when I was a boy….
Can't wait to get rid of booze.
Nah, mate. You forget your chums are becoming more unpopular by the day. And those baubles for the chattering class before the next election will be paid for with printed money. Now, which group in society is in big trouble at the moment. Let's see… oh, it's the middleclass. We don't count the poor because they have little power. They don't own small businesses.. Aren't nurses or doctors in the health sector. Tourism? let's not go there. Wanting to travel overseas, Lol. That's a lot of pissed off people, TV. They represent middle NZ.
But all this is becoming academic. National may only need to turn up at the next election to win. You may have to accept that.
Looks like Act is your reluctant new home.
At the next opinion poll, make sure you support them into the 20% realm.
"My old socialist aunt who would make many Lefties on this blog look like Parnell woofters"
Hang on, I am presently domiciled in Parnell! (it's a relative's house, I could never afford it)
Authoritarian is probably the better term. National probably see Luxon's job as to stay centrist and leave the right wing libertarian vote to go ACT.
Conspiracy theories abound in USA and edge into NZ.
The USA youth have started a new one, "Birds Aren’t Real." The claim is that birds are really electronic units created by Government to track the people.
What a neat idea. NZers could try this to counter Qnon and others here. "It’s Gen Z’s attempt to upend the rabbit hole with absurdism."
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/technology/birds-arent-real-gen-z-misinformation.html
Further from the link ianmac posted above
I don't think it will…fly.
https://youtu.be/4-OrVQaqkg0
I like country and shes quite attractive but that song is…something else.
MSD is broken, we need a better system that deals in dignity and equality:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/457626/maori-beneficiaries-facing-higher-weekly-debt-repayments-to-msd
Beneficiaries generally lack financial literacy and continue to be preyed on by resellers and loan sharking.
Some ethnic groups still have the $100 loan =$20 a week ,interest ,until paid off=never.
Seen a woman with a stack of eftpos cards at the ATM…
Clamping down on those shopping trucks helps,but alot of car and household goods dealers still rip beneficiaries off shamelessly.
Our governmental support system shouldn't behave like predatory lenders with discriminatory repayment rates.
All roads lead to the usury of the embedded rentier …society,that continues to get…worse.
I disagree, there definitely is a narrative of a worsening society but this is as old as society itself. There are gains and there are losses, but until we collectively reject the party that refuses to fix these issues we can expect the status quo of our economy to continue. We aren't powerless.
So you don't agree that property/the rentier society is where unequal outcomes originate?
What are the gains from a rentier society?
I disagree that society continues to get…worse.
The gains are the moves against the continuation of said rentier society. The contradictions society has accepted can and are being re-examined.
News to me.
It suits the status quo for people to become nihilistic.
The change is there if you look for it:
https://www.greens.org.nz/support_our_poverty_action_plan
There is: Renters United!
And: Income-Related Rents 4 ALL
And: ONE Union
And their: UTU for Workers campaign
Beneficiaries generally lack adequate income to live on and have to resort to whatever way they can to pay rent and buy food/clothing.
Whose cards were they?
The people who she loaned money to.
She would draw their money out…keep her interest and hand the rest over.
When they paid off the loan…they get their card back.
yeah, that's fucked up.
I think to make a general welfare issue that is actually not paying enough to live on a racial issue is dangerous as it diverts the issue and divides the country further. It also gives the ministers to bide time and get nothing done. Like with so many issues needing attention.
Just on a different issue here, can we look at what the money is spend on? Perhaps those gold plated cigarettes? If you have the habit nothing is left to pay any bills. Who are we kidding…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127219114/at-least-27-years-in-jail-for-eli-epiha-who-murdered-constable-matthew-hunt
my apologies for yesterday. this is more like it
Its a start
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127243264/terrified-motorist-commandeered-by-mongrel-mob-to-tow-brokendown-car
I don't like victim blaming and maybe there was a good reason but why did you stop?
Yep, I would have kept going, even if it was in reverse.
Yep dont't stop, keep going.
Avoid hitting them if you can but if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice, your choice is to protect yourself and whoever else is in the car.
Not sure that's an ideal decision – if you hit one, some will just jump in the vehicles that work and pursue. And longer term they'll likely track you down anyway, especially if the one you hit gets seriously hurt.
Locking the doors before stopping is always an option, to avoid the quick "jump in" – but that's a captain hindsight thing. Can take a while to get into the groove of locking when you have to slow down (around campus it was just fecking students jumping in unexpectedly).
Looks to me like dude probably did the things with the least likelihood of getting him seriously beaten.
Comes down to the decision of do you want them in your car or not.
Safety in the short term vs long term I guess, not a situation I'd like to find myself in.
'This led to Jury, 45, and his associates walking onto the road in a bid to flag down vehicles. All were dressed in Mongrel Mob regalia and most were drunk.'
So others drove off but he stopped
Maybe they just got better at blocking the road.
Maybe the other drivers assessed the situation more quickly, or had doors that were already locked.
But hitting them will only piss off their mates.
Yeah, last thing anyone needs is a Mongerel Mob price on their head.
Thats in the future, what about right there and then.
Right there and then, you might get out of it with a lot of fear and a demanded tow to their destination.
Given the choice of shit flavour to eat, I'll do the tow rather than looking over my shoulder in the future.
You do you.
If they were flagging down traffic with guns, fair call. But dickheads in the road, you kinda need to stop for them.
as a woman I would totally have locked all the doors before stopping, wouldn't even have had to think about that.
I guess next move is to try and back up, and if that fails, dial 111.
If you find yourself in that situation please never stop.
You stop you'll be surrounded, drive forward you'll hit someone, reverse you'll hit someone
Then they can easily break a window or something
Yeah, I was still assuming they're standing in the middle of the road, so reversing seemed more likely. But I wouldn't be stopping either if I could help it.
Good.
Far too often women will ignore their 'gut feeling' because they don't want to be seen of or thought of as unkind or uncaring.
F**k that shit, protect yourself first and foremost
(I know you know this but this is for anyone else reading this that doesn't get it)
Totally.
When faced with an unknown threat you have to survive it moment to moment. It's no use worrying about what might happen tomorrow if you're dead today.
Exactly
Women's self defence classes (taught by feminists) in my 20s is a big part of it. Reading Gavin Debecker a bit later on too.
Biggest problem I have atm is that my car windows are manual not electric. Safer if I drive into a river or the harbour though, lol.
Agree. I once lied to a guy in a pub, who I kind of knew, who wanted a ride just down the road when he heard me say I was about to go home. Small country pub where it would definitely have been considered rude to say no, but it also felt risky to say no to his face, not because he would have done anything there, but it would have told him I was afraid of him and I didn't want him to know.
I told him I had to make a phone call first and I'd let him know when I was leaving and then I walked outside and got in the car and drove away. No fucking way was I getting in a car with that guy. No rational reason other than my hackles were completely up (which is completely rational).
Probably the other thing that instilled this in me was when I was eight I was sitting in the car waiting for mum to come back from a shop. Middle of town, middle of the day. A group of heavy duty Māori men were walking past, don't remember if they were patched. I don't remember what I did, whether I pointed or laughed or just stared, I think I was probably just staring, but one of them strode towards the front of the car and banged really hard on it while staring right at me. Scared the bejezus out of me, made me much more aware of my social surroundings and how I appear to others.
I had a friend who was gang raped by the mob in her late teens, and heard her opinions about gangs clearly enough. I do still believe in helping people in gangs and gangs generally, because the cycle has to be broken, but I don't see that as incompatible with understanding how dangerous they are.
Good (and informative) story, I just hope it didn't stir up bad feelings for you.
Cheers
nah, all good. It's useful to be able to reflect on why I learned the things I did.
Gavin de Becker – ''How Dangerous Men Think''
Read that book last year as part of my research. A great book that is cited as source material for many other publications.
The rape story as told by a victim and dismantled by Becker to show all the warning signs the victim missed was exceptional. So many warning signs missed – so many warning signs most women don't realise.
PS – I'm a little sceptical about women's self defense classes. Many of the moves are unrealistic in a surprise attack situation. The same goes for men's self defence.
Oops. The Gift Of Fear by Gavin de Becker.
How Dangerous Men Think by Brent Sanders ( ex Kiwi cop)
'I'm a little sceptical about women's self defense classes. Many of the moves are unrealistic in a surprise attack situation. The same goes for men's self defence.'
What the classes are good for though is getting people to think about situational awareness, about not putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations in the first place
Sort of like what Weka is talking about
feminist self defensive classes being taught in the 80s were a different beast, don't know if they're still going. I won't talk about the details in a mixed group for obvious reasons, but the value in them is to give women the confidence to act and to predict when that might be necessary.
Yes, points taken. However, I forgot to add this which I think is pertinent to some points raised.
I read an article about how Self Defence classes had gained the woman mentioned much more confidence in her ability to protect herself. She said: " I'm far more confident. Last night I walked across the park to my home without fear.''
As PR states, situational awareness is where it's at. And this poor woman didn't have it. Just as Social Media has given many folk false expectations, women fighting in the MMA has given woman a false sense of their abilities. These MMA woman train 24/7. They are beasts. They become men in a feminine body
''Feminist self defensive classes being taught in the 80s were a different beast, don't know if they're still going.''
Probably not, but something just as bad is Master Chief Tank Todds course. What those women do to a dildo chilled my blood.
Dunedin School of Combat for the win!
She said: " I'm far more confident. Last night I walked across the park to my home without fear.''
Yeah this, is the park the safest way home, if not then why go that way, why put yourself in that situation.
two things.
There's a difference between self defence classes being run for women, and those being run by feminists.
Without seeing the article I can't comment on the woman's comment, but obviously if one has to walk through a park at night, then not being afraid is a good thing.
That was my point, PR. Too many crap courses that will get people killed.
I agree with you. Over confidence can be a very bad thing.
Drive enough hours around the same neighbourhood, having to get out and back in every so often – nobody is perfect at locking the doors, men or women. It's a learned behaviour.
I'm telling you I've already learned it. As a woman.
And I'm telling you as someone who's had a lot of co-drivers (mostly women, because of the nature of the job), nobody is perfect at keeping the passenger doors locked – yes, not even women.
So I'm not going to be judging the kidnapped driver for that technical slip-up.
yeah, I wasn't talking about the man in the story, or your work colleagues. I don't drive round with the passenger doors locked. I have taught myself to lock the doors in certain situations and it's kind of automatic now. If I'm in my car and a strange man approaches me in a place with no other people around, I will lock the door and wind down the window enough to ask what he wants. Likewise at home when I've lived on my own, if someone comes to the door at night, I will make sure it's locked before asking who it is.
I agree it's learned behaviour. My reading of the man in the story is that he felt somewhat comfortable stopping in that situation and then it got out of hand.
Whereas I read it as someone who was going about their regular day and was reactively trying to process irregular but escalating behaviour. Some people spend so much time trying to understand the situation that's unfolding that they're always behind the 8-ball. I've done it myself. Binary switching from "boring work drive" to "imminent threat" isn't universal.
I brought up locking doors because it was relevant to the incident being discussed. You always lock your doors, fine. Not everyone has that habit.
yes, that was my point. Many women have learned to make it a regular habit because of our particular vulnerability in society. I don't always lock my doors, but am confident I would have in that situation because I've trained myself to act preemptively defensively. It's not foolproof (as I said above, my current car has manual windows, so if any of the passenger windows were down in that situation, locking the doors wouldn't help much).
The guy seemed pretty resilient, although he could be putting on a brave face for the journo as well.
Cool, so in response to the description of this incident and one possible prevention option, you say you and many women already do that so you wouldn't have had that particular escalation path.
Lol, no, I'm saying that my instinctual response would have been to lock the doors. Whether that de-escalated or escalated the situation is another matter. I'm not so arrogant as to assume I would get to determine how things would play out if I had been in the same situation.
I am saying that women have had to think about this in different ways from men, and some of us have been fortunate to be trained into pre-emptive defensive action.
For instance as a woman, I think my risk in that particular situation is different from a man's and that this influences what are good choices in the moment (such that we have).
And yet some men also do that defensive action, and some women don't.
I find these stories useful because it allows one to consider similar situations, and maybe think about options for getting out of those situations with the least risk.
You might want to turn it into a whole other discussion. Have that discussion with someone else.
If I'm not mistaken you suggested that going along with the situation was probably safer than trying to take action to prevent it. I'm saying that's more true for men than women.
Deleted the last bit of my comment because it doesn’t help any of us to go to that level. But suffice to say I will speak as a feminist any time I want.
Well, yes, you are mistaken. I said going along with things as it developed in that situation was probably safer than pr's idea of just running them over.
I also said locking the doors would have changed that situation, but I'm not going to judge the dude for not thinking of that at the time.
And I said what I was not going to talk about, not what you should talk about. Have the convo with someone else, I don't care who.
Why you would want to start that discussion by replying to someone who apparently "wilfully misinterprets" such things is beyond me, anyway.
'idea of just running them over.'
Seriously, you miss the part where I said 'Avoid hitting them if you can'?
…" but if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice, your choice is to protect yourself and whoever else is in the car."
You know what they say about everything before the word "but".
Theres a big difference between avoid them if you can and just run them over
I'm sure even you might be able to see that
bugger all difference between "just run them over" and "if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice", though
Again you are wrong
See the difference is "just run them over" sounds like you think thats my first and only action, as stated previously it isn't so you're wrong
"if one won't get out of your way then thats their choice" is their choice not mine, my first choice is to 'Avoid hitting them if you can' so again you're wrong
If I'm driving and someone jumps in front of my car then thats not my fault, thats on them thats their choice
Just out of curiosity I'm assuming you attend uni, what are you studying?
If you don't want to talk with me (or anyone) then don't. But it's pretty hard here to get people to not reply to conversations.
You said,
Which I took to mean: don't talk to me about feminist perspectives. I'm saying no, I will bring feminist perspectives into any conversation if it's relevant. Have you stopped and thought about what you are actually saying here? Don't talk to me about feminism
I don't think you are wilfully misinterpreting what I am saying, I think you are telling me as feminist to not talk about feminism when talking to you.
Haven't studied in years. The uni is a major employer in dunners. Lots of folks drop in and out of different roles there.
From my understanding, most cars have a pedal in the same general area as the "go faster pedal" that essentially has the opposite role.
If you can reasonably avoid hitting hitting the person by using that other pedal, then maybe a little bit of it would be your fault. Like if you rear-end someone, even though they braked suddenly you shouldn't have been following so close.
Everything after “but” made it sound like you wouldn’t lose much sleep if folks ignored the bit before “but”.
Can you apply for a refund?
@weka
What I'm saying is that I'm not willing to discuss some specific subjects with specifically you at the moment, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take comments I make on another subject altogether and warp them through a lens that I'm not willing to touch with a 50foot pole. Because only last night you explictly said I wilfully misinterpreted a position made with that perspective.
I already ignore great swathes of open mike most days. Now I'm supposed to what – ignore replies to my own damned comments because you want to twist them into something else?
I'm not even being a petulant teen and demanding you never reply to my comments ever again, nor am I packing a sad and stomping offline forever. But at the moment, some topics create nothing but friction when I get involved, and I can't be bothered with that hassle right now.
If someone wants to talk about what I'm cool with talking about, great. If they want to twist my comments into another debate, respectfully, my comments were absolutely not about that, and that is a discussion I'm not getting involved in.
I'd appreciate it, pretty please and with sugar on top, if my reply tab didn't get filled up with things I do not care to bother with, because I might miss a reply in a discussion I do want to participate in (be it something of significance that I won't apparently fuck up, or merely some pleasantly meaningless diversion).
for my quals? lol pretty funny.
It would be even funnier if I hadn't narrowly missed out on fuckall fees, BUT at the moment I'm still getting student loan deductions.
See how the word "but" worked there? I learnified that in a communications paper I studied /sarc
Going off your postings on here I can see why you added the sarc tag
The Mob were on the road by the sounds of things. Also sounds like he wasn't initially scared of stopping for them, but only when he realised what they wanted did he become concerned. So maybe he's been around gangs before.
Or maybe hes been led to believe they aren't as bad as people say, that they're just like the Rotarians or lions club
lol, I doubt it.
Bet he won't be stopping again in the future
Would you have run them over then?
I will not stop for gangs trying to pull me over because my safety is more important than theirs
if they were standing in the middle of the road, what would you do?
I'd take all reasonable steps to avoid the person, without stopping.
Despite Pucky's love for the boys in blue, they cannot, (and sometimes, will not) protect him from a Mongerel Mob hit.
Link, evidence or apology please
Link, evidence or apology please for what?
'Despite Pucky's love for the boys in blue'
I support the police generally but love is suggesting that I believe the police can do no wrong and shouldn't be questioned so I want Millsy to put up some evidence
I'm being realistic. The cops cannot protect everyone. In some cases they are probably bought off by the gangs (sad, but true). Running over a patched Mongerel Mob member is not a great life choice. Especially if you work somewhere that houses them en masse.
[RL: You made a personal claim about PR who has called you on it. Put up or shut up.]
Still waiting for the link, evidence or apology Millsy
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/the+boys+in+blue
https://www.healthline.com/health/being-in-love
Partners who love each other are not allowed to provide evidence in a court case because
a – they do not believe that the other can do any wrong.
b – marriage is a sacrament
c – they may be involved in a conspiracy
d –
To be honest, I wouldnt stop for anyone, even if they here Lions club or Rotarians. You never know what might happen,
Smartest thing you've ever said
To be fair, there isn't a lot of competition.
Also sounds like he wasn't initially scared of stopping for them, but only when he realised what they wanted did he become concerned. So maybe he's been around gangs before.
Odds are from details in the article he's a local and works for a large forestry company, probably in a technical or supervisory role.
I have been invited to contribute towards a worthwhile cause:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-brittany-get-surgery
How did we get to this! Who has authority to refuse treatment in a public hospital – let alone refuse to complete treatment already started!
On the other hand, perhaps we do not have the whole story – do these sites vet carefully all the projects seeking donations that get posted?
Did you look at that photograph? You are surely not suggesting in that last sentence that she may not really need the operation?
I think one of the scam methods with these sites is for randos to set up to receive donations for a legitimate cause (or similar to), then pocket the cash.
This one, fortunately, was set up by a friend of the family who could tell them that the money was raised in a day.
So that life-changing problem solved. The wider problem is why they had to adopt american methods of healthcare funding in the first place.
The photograph shows a young person that clearly needs medical help. What it does not show is whether it is a person that was photographed at that stage some time ago and did in fact receive the medical help needed, or what country the person was in, or any other details to demonstrate that it is not a fraud, or even whether there are other reasons why cessation of assistance was appropriate.
The givealittle organisation hopefully does vet requests for assistance. I did not say that it is a fraud, but if the content is true, I am concerned at the cessation of NZ public health assistance for this young person.
The link given by McFlock below indicates that the story is indeed true, and the givealittle page indicates that over $134,000 has now been raised.
It is not as if the results of treatment will have been unknown to medical staff until a sudden event; this case has been ongoing for years. Is it a case of too much bureaucracy? Too rigid budgets with insufficient discretion? Or are there facts that the public is not aware of? A health system that relies on charitable donations for expensive procedures.is not what New Zealanders expect.
Two deaths from covid. That's terrible for the families. It takes the total deaths in New Zealand to 44 (I think.)
As a contrast, Alabama, the state closest in population to NZ, has a 7 day average of 9 and their total deaths are 16, 203.
No doubt some morons somewhere can gather and spew their lunatic ravings about how the Government has totally mishandled things.
This prick showed no remorse. He only became emotional when his uncle turned his back on him. The take away from this is people like him ( and there are many) have no remorse when it comes to killing/harming Europeans. Europeans just don't register on their radar.
There is a very large portion of Maori that would have no problem seeing the back of Europeans. And who's stoking the flames of separatism ? Well, it's the Labour coalition.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127219114/at-least-27-years-in-jail-for-eli-epiha-who-murdered-constable-matthew-hunt
The takeaway? For you it seems to be that Epiha would not have shot a brown skinned cop. Now is that racism in him? Or racism in you?
Oh, he would have shot a Browny, no doubt. But a special hatred is saved for white folk in my opinion.
Look and learn. I know hundreds – repeat hundreds- who want out.
https://www.maorirangersecuritydivision.com/
I’m 7/8 Irish heritage, 1/8 Norwegian heritage, Ngati Pākehā thru & thru, 3rd generation native to Kiwiland.
Do you mind me asking your ancestors’ ethnicity, Blade?
Roughly half Scots/ English. Half Maori with a dash of Spanish.
Whoops. 😮
“Talley’s is suing Television New Zealand over a series of stories in recent months about allegations of health and safety breaches at some of its worksites.
The company said it has filed proceedings in the High Court at Auckland today, saying the stories were false and defamatory.
After the initial stories went to air in July, Talley’s said it contracted former Police Commissioner Mike Bush to investigate the allegations.
The company said Bush found the assertions in the stories were either taken out of context, overstated or already identified, and action was under way to address them, or they had already been remedied.
TVNZ has refused to comment.”