Financial terrorists strike Christchurch, thousands with wrecked dwellings held hostage, Terrorists demand $500 million ransom from the government. As the crisis unfolds the terrorists demands are expected to increase to $1 billion.
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John Balmforth AMI head, says they have enough to pay out on all their earthquake damage policy claims – estimated cost, $1 billion.
AMI has $600 million of reinsurance cover and about $500m in cash and investments which would be enough to cover all claims, but would leave the company financially strapped.
AMI chief executive John Balmforth:
“We have not had events of this magnitude before. But we had $600 million reinsurance for the first event and we have another tranche of $600 million we can draw down on and another tranche of $400 millon we can draw down on,” he said.
Bamforth said AMI “had no issues meeting its commitments” “There will be increases in premiums nationally. I think these will be across the board, that’s just going to be a flow-on effect,” Balmforth said AMI was backed by some of the largest international reinsurers based in Bermuda and other parts of the world. Claims would be met. “I’m completely confident we can cover this. I’ve had messages from reinsurers offering support and saying they are ready to assist.”
In my opinion, it is probable that an honest effort by AMI to meet their commitments without government help would seriously effect AMI’s position in the insurance market. By paying their bills like an honest citizen would by necessity entail serious downsizing by AMI, with a resulting loss in market share, even complete collapse.
But so be it. It is not their money, it was deposited with them by their policy holders for just such an event. So rather than pay back their policy holders with ‘their’ money AMI gets to keep it, and we the taxpayer pay out instead?
So, How does this work again?
The Government comes up with eye watering amounts of public money to allow a bankrupt private company to avoid it’s responsibilities and continue to be a major player in the insurance market, ensuring that this corporate will be around to reap the higher premiums that John Balmforth speaks of.
Tax paid Social Welfare to big companies and private investors, comes at the expense of the Social Insurance Policies that this money was supposed to provide for.
So when families are poorly housed and children get sick and their parents can’t afford the medical bills, and they get sicker. They can comfort their children, by relating to them the warm fuzzy fairy tale ending for AMI that Mum and Dad helped pay for.
“So darling the government propped up a bankrupt private insurance company, they did this by bankrupting the state, so despite your Mummy and Daddy and Grandma and Granddad paying taxes all their lives, that is the reason why you can’t get into the public hospital.”
With not even the flimsy excuse that AMI was part of the outrageous Deposit Guarantee scheme… What possible moral justification can the government give for this bailout?
I read 2 stories in Stuff’s Business section this morning on Tax Havens. The stories are not that prominent on the site, but they show a significant process that is part of the way the global financial/money system works to maintain and extend the wealth gap. The articles point to the way Tax Havens are an essential part of this system, Where the Rich… Get Richer:
BRITISH AUTHOR Nicholas Shaxson wants you to forget everything you think you know about tax havens. The author of Treasure Islands believes even calling them tax havens is a misnomer.
They should be called “obligation havens”, he says, because dodging tax is just one of many obligations the world’s rich and crooked avoid by using them.
…
But back to the the global financial crisis. Havens allowed toxic brews of subprime loans to be mixed, repackaged and sold away from the eyes of regulators, Shaxson said. They allowed companies to grow and take on vastly more risk than regulators realise because they could see only a part of the operations of multi-nationals such as Lehman Brothers.
Shaxson dismisses pro-haven cheerleaders who claim they keep politicians honest by capping the tax they can impose on their citizens. Tax havens are for the rich, the criminal and the powerful, and opposed to the interests of the rank and file of society, who can’t afford the lawyers, accountants and tax advisers to take advantage of them, he said.
This and the second article, on the NZ government’s opposition to a UN initiative to tackle tax haven abuse say that NZ is also being used as a tax haven by some of the wealthy in other countries.
Shaxson, who has become famous following the publication of Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men Who Stole the World, said New Zealand is letting down the developing world.
He has also revealed that New Zealand has a growing reputation as an offshore haven itself. He predicts New Zealand will appear on the Tax Justice Network’s Financial Secrecy Index by 2013.
He has also revealed that New Zealand has a growing reputation as an offshore haven itself. He predicts New Zealand will appear on the Tax Justice Network’s Financial Secrecy Index by 2013.
Sounds like a nice little thing to pin on National / Key.
Lynn: the quote button is even more munted today, I can’t turn it off at all. It looks like you’ve changed how the enter key works – it used to insert a paragraph break (that could eventually stop the block quote), but now it only does line feeds and so can’t be used to break out of quote mode. I took your suggestion of selecting the text to be quoted and hitting the quote button, but it doesn’t work. Clicking the unquote button just unquotes the whole block.
Wikipedia – not necessarily the most reliable of sources – currently categorises NZ as a tax haven because it:
“…does not tax foreign income derived by NZ trusts settled by foreigners of which foreign residents are the beneficiaries. Nor does it tax the foreign income of new residents for four years. No capital gains tax.”
Should the tax reductions have been reversed because of the Christchurch earthquakes? No – it’s absurd to think that immediately an event occurs taxes are tweaked. At the very least it takes time to evaluate and implement significant monetary changes.
Should the tax reductions be reconsidered? Yes, this year’s budget is an appropriate time to announce any changes if they are thought necessary, but they are problematic, it’s unlikely the GST rate will be dropped back down, or taken off selected categories, so increasing taxes risks further stalling a struggling economy.
So you would rather wreck our public and social services then?
Tell me Peter, how many hospitals did National close between 1990-99 and how many did Labour close between 1999 and 2008?
Ill tell you. When labour put taxes up in 1999, the money went into HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES. No hospital closed after 1999. But you are quite happy to have solo mother live on the street, and have American style health care so the rich can pay a few dollars less in tax.
And given that you have opposed wage increases for workers (I suppose you want wages to go back to 1999 levels like Don Brash does), you see a future of misery for people
But you are quite happy to have solo mother live on the street, and have American style health care so the rich can pay a few dollars less in tax.
Bullshit. I have never suggested anything like that.
* I support a fair welfare state.
* I have never mentioned an American style health system here, and have never supported an American style health system.
And given that you have opposed wage increases for workers
Bullshit again. I have never suggested anything like that. I have questioned why the amount of $15 per hour is being claimed to being some magical fix, I have never seen yet anyone justify that over any alternate amount. No data to support it.
Go and do some of your own research like you did the other day. There should be plenty on Union websites (try CTU for a start maybe). From memory the Unions want it pegged around 66% of the median wage which is more than $15.
$15 just happens to be the minimum wage in Oz, must have been suggested to close that gap 😀
Good on Ya Felix. I also see no point in replying to the repetitive time-wasting and frankly overly distractive slogans that are spewing from the right. Personally I want to concentrate on far more interesting events,
Like sharing the information that is already out there
Like getting every voter i know to not vote for any of the major parties
CERRA has a lot to answer for and I for one do not see the point in voting for people who voted against Democracy
I am beginning to believe NZ must sacrifice this election and send a very clear message to the troughers, shape up or piss off
I am fairly confident that the thousands and thousands of people who actually run the country will welcome the opportunity to do their job without seasoned MP’s constantly twisting the rules, changing the game-plan and generally shitting on NZ again and again and again
Pete, either we raise taxes to cover the shortfall in the budget now due to the earthquake, or we borrow the money.
If we borrow the money, we have to pay interest on it. The amount borrowed + the interest must be paid back at a future date, from taxes. So we either pay taxes on the principal now, or we pay taxes on the principal and interest over time.
Therefore refusing to raise taxes now, for this one-off event, will cost us more over time.
It would still require an increase in taxes so that the government can redirect our resources into fixing up that damaged by the disaster. As I’ve said, money is not a resource.
DTB,
I agree with you but to be honest I’d rather pay taxes towards helping the people in Christchurch and things Kiwi’s need than taxes to pay the banksters interest on money they created out of thin air.
It’s a tricky balancing act Lanthanide, with no guarantee that whatever is chose is the right mix. Taxing more runs the risk of stifling a recovery which runs the risk of lowering the tax take or keeping it low for longer.
It’s easy to say “we should raise taxes”, or “we should borrow more” (as Helen Kelly suggested on Q+A this morning), but those who make the decisions have a lot more complexities to consider.
And as Jon Johansson said on Q+A this morning this government is only pragmatic within its ideological straight jacket. The point being made that this government has ignored the complexities and is ruling out even temporary tax increases in favour of its ideologically based solutions.
There is very little evidence for the supply side nonsense you are peddling. Cuts run exactly the same risk you are talking about, so it’s a wash in that respect.
That point was reinforced in the discussion with English when he was talking about Treasury advice around the benefits of privatisation. Treas was saying that there is very little evidence that the private sector would run the companies any better, and Old Bill could only fall back on dogma.
It would be nice to think that this government was ‘considering the complexities’, but as the panel agreed on Q+A there are concerns that they are not, and little evidence that they are.
Don’t worry Jim Nald: The panel dealt to him afterwards. Good to see Helen Kelly on the panel and a ‘respectful’ Paul Holmes who didn’t interrupt her once.
I agree Anne. I nearly didn’t turn on the programme but figured there was not much else on for my morning cuppa! Holmes was much better by staying more in the background: I normally can’t stand his opinionated nonsense. Espiner asked harder questions than the usual patsy, but what was most interesting for me was English trotted out his usual ideological nonsense, but his eyes and general lack of enthusiasm suggested he no longer believed it.
but his eyes and general lack of enthusiasm suggested he no longer believed it.
Now that is interesting. Maybe he’s waking up to the fact that ideology doesn’t trump reality – it was his ideological plan that prevented NZ coming out of recession after all. Not that I’m holding my breath about it.
I dreaded checking out Q&A online and thought I might have needed to take some sedatives first (perhaps, like Holmes, who was administered some today before the cameras started rolling?) before viewing the Guyon-English interview: http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/sunday-april-10-4108966/video
This lodge was in the news 3 years ago, there was a huge fuss over it Labour promised to do something about it, but then everything died down, and National got in, and people there still live in misery. And as rents skyrocket, and landlords get more choosy about what tenants they choose to house, and as Housing NZ wash there hands of more and more people, and start kicking more and more tenants out, squalid boarding houses, are going to grow and grow.
Housing Minister Phil Heatley said: “We’re there to help people who need a state house – not those who would like a state house.”
From the Herald article.
I am in a 2 bedroom State House, and I want a transfer, because although I need subsidised housing (on UB), I don’t need two bedrooms. But I am currently having a huge battle with HNZ over other issues, so a transfer is way down the list for me. Survival mode. Honestly any of the families in that article could have this place, if I had my way. But I am just managing to survive myself! I wish I could help one of those families. I wish even more, that the NACT government would do what it’s supposed and help all of them!
The National Government offer to bailout AMI to the tune of more than a Billion dollars. The privately owned company has had financial difficulty since the Christchurch Earthquake and improper re-insurance. In light of the South Canterbury Finance hash and despite the Treasury advising John Key that South Canterbury Finance was never compliant with the scheme…
Wendy Pye, NZ literacy entrepreneur, was on Chris Laidlaw on Radionz this morning. People like her should get listened to, she has been a business and educational plan success, has a good product doing good things around the world. that magic word ‘exporter’. Not ‘dairy producer’, but ‘advanced high-end products producer’.
She has an excellent take on NZ, business and the export market as she has been round long enough to have wide experience with successes and failures, and how to survive both. She is held at arms length by Min of Education though embraced by other achievement focussed governments. This seems to follow from what I see is a negative attitude amongst NZs to trying anything new, stepping out from the known. And one of the problems is that the bureaucrats and academics are concerned about dealing with private enterprise. I think they can’t differentiate between having Macdonalds sponsoring schools and successful, experienced non-religious or narrowly ideological companies focussed solely on educational tools.
I referred to NZ negativity in the waka controversy which idea suffered death from a thousand whiny criticisms from contributors here, ie I don’t like plastic, Maori can’t make good decisions about showing their culture. Wendy’s products appear to have received less than positive treatment probably with the same mindset. I thought also of Peter Snell, such a success but not embraced and drawn back to this country – he has been in Texas for years.
BTW Texas is planning a new wide-ranging project for literacy. Here at the bottom of the world we have tight-minded smug middle-class Ann Tolley whose low horizon is viewed from a entrenched trench, choosing National Standards as her lead initiative in schools. Yet Wendy Pye points out our good record in literacy, the problem being the large ‘tail’ of non-readers, prevented from obtaining worthwhile work and achieving prosperity by their lack of literacy, and that most of our jail inmates bear this disadvantage.
Yeah, but I found myself getting increasingly bored as Laidlaw and Pye started going on endlessly about the alleged ‘tall-poppy syndrome’ in this Country. The same old scolding of the New Zealand public for not treating entrepreneurs as some sort of Super-Heroes. Yawwwwnnnnn.
The Mainfreight genius talking on the Dimpost wants less bureaucracy and regulation. Isn’t that firm where sweet Jenny Shipley presides? Pollies from NACT get consolation so often with the old saying ‘When one door closes, another opens’ don’t they?
D..Damn
You may be tired of the tall poppy syndrome being mentioned but facing it becomes more relevant as we move through the decade and I think it is time for a change.
We need to be as supportive of our entrepreneurs and successful projects of all types that are beneficial to the country, as we are of sports people. They work hard to help themselves trying for personal success; sound, innovative businesses that achieve success help the country.
But nor should we forget the people who enable them to achieve that success. We shouldn’t enable entrepreneurs to succeed at the expense of their employees’ rights to fair pay and fair treatment for fair work.
I have always approved Mat McCartens opinions and I admire the way he overcame a bad speech impediment .However these days he seems to spend more time attacking the Labour Party and in particular Phil Goff. What the hell is he playing at? The enemy is the Tory Party.,The only conclusion I can come up with is that there is a personal vendeta going on with Phil,Goff.Get back on Board Matt its going to be hard enough to win the next election with out you attacking Labour at every opportunity .
The enemy is the Tory Party.
Seems that the purpose of having a Labour Party is to enable people on low to average wages to earn sufficient to have a full life, and bring in country-wide policies that are good for all. To get this requires that Labour wins, but merely winning is not enough for a left-wing party to achieve – the policies, the direction, the vision, the problem-solving need to follow.
So, if Labour get roughly their current level of support (low 30’s) could there be only one or two new list MPs? (plus several from “safe” electorate seats?)
It doesn’t look very inspiring – no noticeable new names apart from Andrew Little. If Labour lose, there’s going to be a big clear out for 2014 (Barker, Horomia, King, Mallard, Goff etc).
At the time of writing, The Poll on that page puts Lab/G/NZ1 combined vote of 387 higher than M/UF/ACT/Nat 316.
Ideally that would be indicative of the long term trend. Lets see what One News has to say tonight on their poll.
Actually, the Labour list looks to me like a reasonable mix of relative newbies (class of 2008) and experienced MPs. It looks like there is a gradual turn-over of new MPs, which is for the best, rather than a radical clean-out of ALL the old hands.
When are people going to start complaining about foreign banks deciding our economic future for us? Saturday, 9 April 2011, 2:26 pm Press Release: The Nation‘THE NATION’
GEORGE FRAZIS – Westpac New Zealand CEO Interviewed by DUNCAN GARNER
Duncan Let’s talk about the state of the economy in the wake of the AMI decision and how does the country afford this rescue package and the bail out of South Canterbury Finance for that matter? Well some say we can’t afford it and we can’t afford to keep bailing out bad business decisions, they say if we do we’ll go broke. So how close are we to going broke? The Chief Executive of Westpac New Zealand George Frazis is with me now.
There’s a small baby step each Kiwi can make for a real difference –
Walk away from foreign banks
And put money into locally owned banks like TSB Bank and Kiwibank
Go on. Do it now.
Open an account with http://www.tsbbank.co.nz or http://www.kiwibank.co.nz,
then move funds and mortgage into either.
I don’t think National have done anything to suggest they would try and privatise Kiwibank. Remember, this is a voter cautious, slow action or no action government. Any proposed asset sales are likely to clearly signposted pre election. If Labour have a strategy of vehemently opposing a modest number of partial asset sales it may reinforce the perception they are just exaggeration junkies.
Actually, vehement is not the best description, passion and enthusiasm may be wrongly inferred – going through the motions of loudly protesting for the sake of it may be more appropriate.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/562746
2008 – and since then Key has had to categorically deny they’d sell while he is PM
“Mr English refers to the voters’ view of “that nice man John Key” and his appeal to “Labour-plus” voters – people who believed National would let them keep all Labour’s money, with more on top.
He also refers to needing to “sort out” Working for Families and suggests National will sell Kiwibank “eventually, but not now”.”
That is well worth the read and so very close to the truth. We’re expected to worship the businessmen whether they’re capable of what’s expected of them or not.
Paula Bennett on people having to go through a budgeting exercise before applying for a hardship grant:
“They could go online and fill out a budgeting form”
Right, like all Decile 1 households have a computer. What fucking planet is she on?
Two intrepid dudes encounter stray animals, torn apart roads and deserted settlements as they film their trip to measure the radiation from 30 km out to 1.5 km away from Fukushima.
“They’re banging porn stars and you’re getting the crabs”
“While the Republicans, the party of millionaires, is shutting the government down because they can’t have a tax-free world. As Paul Ryan says, ‘It’s not a budget it’s a cause’, like slavery…”
When will The Standard email me the bank account number so that I can make monthly cash donations?
Will be good to be provided with a pdf version of “best of the week’s” posts (maybe including comments from others) so that they can be printed on A3 or A4.
I would be willing to stand at street corners or outside supermarkets for a few hours on Fri-Sun and sell them (with money being deposited back into The Standard’s bank account) or to give away. The point is to encourage the wider dissemination of the issues raised by TS.
Whadyareckon?
Will be good to be provided with a pdf version of “best of the week’s” posts (maybe including comments from others) so that they can be printed on A3 or A4.
This has been commented on before – you’re quite welcome to put one together. I believe others already do pass out copies.
Guess I can just copy and paste or print out separate, selected pieces but
I’d prefer to have an official or endorsed pdf version for hard copies to be printed …
It’s amazing to think that I was born into a republican, conservative, christian, homeschooling family in the middle of the Bible Belt. How far I’ve come since then. After learning more about the world, and having to actually work for a living, I have rejected all of the economic philosophies that I was taught as part of that community. If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that the only true lazy, corrupt welfare queens living off of handouts are believers in conservative economics.
Yes Draco, scrolled down and read that particular comment and it wondered how many more peiople were coming to the same realisation in America.
Still, I think it’s going to take maybe 50% of Ameicans on food stamps before they’re angry enough to do something about it and figuratively eviserate the GOPlets.
You know M, it is amazing that in the wealthiest country in the world they appear to not understand the disaster of their own Health system. The strange story from the “pole-axed Rethuglican” that the British Health System was and example of failure because “his sister couldn’t get an epidural because they thought she was too fit.” Aha. There you have it if the Brit Health system don’t want to give you an epidural so the System is a complete failure. Huh?
I think NZ has one of the least expensive with the finest effectiveness in the World. (Unless you believe it when Tony Ryall that it is a disaster.)
Yes ianmac, NZ’s system isn’t perfect and there are medical disasters that make my blood boil but I’d rather have “socialist” health care than the bloated, corrupt and “loaded dice” system where every possible avenue is explored to turn down a legitimate insurance claim.
I also believe the epidural refusal was if not a complete fabrication then a definite stretching of the truth. Having had epidurals for both my kids as I had a 20-hour and a 12-hour labour there are few situations where a woman cannot have one provided there is time and I would hope that most obstetricians would not be so sadistic as to refuse one. Even if a woman is chided about having one she should go all out to have one if she wants it – screaming down the birthing ward would probably be enough to convince a reluctant doctor.
When my youngest was born she had a ABO incompatibilty problem and the treatment she received in neonatal was first class. I hate to imagine what parents in the US would pay for such treatment although I’m sure Tony and his mob are working overtime to bring about such a situation.
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There really is not much about Paula Bennett concerning her career trajectory, the policies she promoted, and most importantly, the socio-economic effect this had upon New Zealand (and particularly the most vulnerable in this, our oft-cited “egalitarian” society of this country) that can be said now that hasn’t already been ...
Don Franks Poverty, inequality – really – aren’t politicians paid to sort that stuff ? Why can’t they just get it together and come up with something fair and sensible? A cold rainy 2020 morning, a headline showed promise. “Green Party’s $8b plan would guarantee an income of $325 a ...
A guest repost by Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) staff attorney Augusta Wilson. Fundraising is not the objective of this article but readers may wish to know that CSLDF is currently conducting a summer fundraiser to support defense of research scientists and research integrity from anti-science interference by politicians and industrial interests. The COVID-19 pandemic ...
Helloy… My name is Todd Muller and I am the leader of the National Party of New Zealand. Many people come up to me on the street and ask me who I am. I’m often walking through Tauranga, or in a mall in suburban Auckland, or maybe even a farmers’ ...
The US state of Mississippi has finally voted to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag. Good. Its appalling that it was put there in the first place, but even more appalling that it took so long to remove it. Its basicly as if a German Länder still had ...
No one could have predicted when David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was passed by Parliament last November that the referendum required to bring the legislation into force would be held against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic. Since then, the mounting tally of casualties around the world ...
Paul GoldsmithYou can often tell just how effective a progressive policy proposal will be by how much the right wing criticise it. The more socially beneficial, the more vitriolic and unhinged they seem to become.That was the case when the Green Party announced their Poverty Action Plan yesterday. The response ...
Back at the beginning of April, when we had much else on our minds, I wrote this post urging some caution in interpreting the results of the latest Horizon poll, conducted in February, on voting intentions in this year's cannabis referendum, which was paid for by Helius Therapeutics.I wrote that ...
Over the weekend the Greens made their first election policy announcement, and promised transformational change: a more progressive tax system, with new rates applying to incomes of $100,000 and $150,000; a new wealth tax on net wealth over $1 million; and a guaranteed minimum income to eliminate poverty. Its bold, ...
Story of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Global Warming Is Melting Our Sense of Time Satellite image of smoke from active fires burning near the ...
. . Plague town? There are two things right now in Aotearoa New Zealand that are guaranteed to piss people off. Firstly, it’s National playing silly-bugger politics with the covid-19 pandemic. This cost Simon Bridges his job as National’s Leader. Lately, Michael Woodhouse has been playing fast and loose with ...
Tertiary fees in New Zealand versus Australia: Fees Are Important, but not as Important as Financing In Australia, the Education Minister Dan Tehan has proposed an overhaul of the existing higher education funding system to offer 39,000 additional study places by 2023 and 100,000 by 2030. The proposal has been ...
The latest opinion poll forecasts a landslide win by Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party, but when taken alongside other polling, it illustrates New Zealand politics remains volatile and the contest is still very open. According to the Colmar Brunton poll published by TVNZ last night, Labour would easily romp back ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 21 through Sat, June 27, 2020Editor's ChoiceFacebook creates fact-checking exemption for climate deniers Facebook is "aiding and abetting the spread of climate misinformation,” said Robert Brulle, an ...
The images and reports delivered to us by the world’s media leave us in no doubt that the rest of the world is still in the grip of a coronavirus pandemic that shows no signs of slackening, but is actually uncontrolled and picking up pace in many countries; and even ...
Minister of Health - David ClarkIf you follow politics at all in New Zealand, David Clark is likely a name you’re a bit familiar with. The current Minister of Health is perhaps the most disliked Member of Parliament at the moment, which amongst very stiff competition is really saying something. ...
SUNDAY JUNE 28Beat the Chasers (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). Judging by the tweets, which is probably a bad idea, over lockdown, all of New Zealand found itself in front of The Chase every night at 5pm. It is a brilliant fomat: hardly anyone wins any money ...
SATURDAY JUNE 27Banksy and the Rise of Outlaw Art (Sky Arts, Sky 017, 8.00pm). There was graffiti before Banksy, but perhaps his pungent political messages hit home a bit harder. Anyways, a doco about his influence on street art featuring a bunch of cool people.SUNDAY JUNE 28Beat the Chasers (TVNZ 1, ...
We have been assailed by Fox News-style headlines, lurid stories of “a breach!”. An almost nuclear level disaster on the horizon scream, “Fiasco!” here, “Hero to Zero!” there… Oh quick, panic everyone!This has fueled an unbelievably stupid environment of panic among some, and spurred useless, counterproductive political ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters A massive dust storm formed over the Sahara Desert last week and invaded the Caribbean over the June 20-21 weekend, bringing dangerous levels of air pollution and low visibility to the islands. The dust is accompanied by a large amount ...
Will the Covid Crisis lead to a dramatic redirection for New Zealand and the World? A hinge in history occurs where the past and present are connected but they point in different directions. Big hinges are rare but crucial in the development of humankind. Not in Narrow Seas identifies six. ...
RNZ reports that Refining NZ is considering shutting down Marsden Point and effectively turning itself into a fuel distribution service. The problem they're immediately trying to address is that running a refinery is expensive, and it is cheaper just to import processed fuel. But there's a longer-term problem too: climate ...
We all know that the COVID-19 virus is a terrible infectious disease that has already caused untold misery and numerous deaths around the world. Nearly half a million people have already died, and those are just the cases we know about.But how bad could things actually get exactly?Today, the NZ ...
This essay by Alex Hochuli examines the global phenomena of BLM protests . He is a freelance writer and research consultant based in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the co-host of the global politics podcast, Aufhebunga Bunga, and co-author of the forthcoming Politics at the End of the End of History (Zero ...
Are You Still Here? Just like his colleague, Phil Twyford – of KiwiBuild fame – David Clark juts out his chin and shamelessly apportions blame to everybody but himself. Even worse, he has turned viciously on Ashley Bloomfield, the nearest approximation to a competent, decent, humble and accountable public servant ...
. . 20 June The bad news: Aotearoa New Zealand has two new cases of covid-19. The good news: the two cases were picked up at an Auckland quarantine facility. The terrifying news: had the story of the two women leaving quarantine without testing not broken four days ...
Willing Victims: What would all those Americans in MAGA hats be left with if they abandoned Trump? Just the sick feeling of having been cheated. Just the knowledge that the man in the White House is nothing more than a shape-shifting New York grifter; and that they have always been ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Like an earthquake rumbling down the San Andreas Fault, Jeff Gibbs’ and Michael Moore’s controversial film “Planet of the Humans” tore a rift through the environmental movement, a rift its leaders would not yearn for in an election year. After activists have spent ...
There have been a number of articles written about the voting in the final statges of the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill, during which National MPs voted alongside the Green Party to force a change that would prevent the removal of sentenced prisoners from the Electoral Roll. You can ...
Last night should have been a cause for muted celebration in Parliament. The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Bill’s final passage through the House partially erases a stain on New Zealand’s democratic system. It’s a drum I’ve been beatingfor thepast decade, but denying all sentenced prisoners the right to vote is a ...
Jordan WilliamsIt’s pretty obvious to all and sundry that the Taxpayers Union, run by Jordan Williams, isn’t really a union at all. Instead it’s a small lobby group for privileged white folk, namely the old fools behind the scenes of the corrupt and largely defunct Act Party.With an incorrectly attributed ...
Last year, I highlighted a secrecy problem with the government's Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill. The Bill would establish a new class of public entity, "special purpose vehicles", to hide debt from local government balance sheets fund infrastructure such as roads and sewers in "high-growth" councils. The SPVs would collect ...
Both the leader of the opposition Todd Muller and University of Auckland Professor Des Gorman have gone on the record as saying they suspect Covid-19 is spreading in the community in New Zealand once again. Let me explain why I don’t agree with them. As best I can tell there ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau is pleased to be confirmed today as the party’s candidate for the Rotorua electorate. Speaking at the Rotorua AGM for New Zealand First, Mr Tabuteau said this is an election that is incredibly important for the people of Rotorua. “The founding principles of New ...
The Human Rights Commission’s PRISM report on the issues impacting people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) provides an excellent programme of work for future governments to follow, say the Greens. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the trans-Tasman bubble had not been jeopardised after aborder botch-upresulted in New Zealand having two active cases of COVID-19. On Friday, Mr Peters told RNZ's Morning Report he had heard from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that borders for trans-Tasman travel would open by ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said today he was pleased the army was now running the quarantine and isolation process - up until now it has been the Ministry of Health. Peters told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that the army knew how to introduce and follow protocols and instil discipline. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First MP and Minister for Defence and Veteran’s Affairs Ron Mark has confirmed his bid for the Wairarapa seat.“The Coalition Government has done a lot of good work throughout the Wairarapa, but many constituents have told ...
New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its next tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. We’re proud to announce these hardworking New Zealanders that have put their hand up to fight for a commonsense and resilient future.Jamie Arbuckle – Kaikoura Mark Arneil – Christchurch Central Jackie ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence A massive joint effort between New Zealand Government agencies, employers, and the Vanuatu Government is underway to repatriate over 1000 Vanuatu nationals stranded in New Zealand, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years. The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to ...
The Government has opened an urgent response fund to support schools and early learning services to get children and young people back on track after the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we are seeing improvements in attendance under Alert Level 1 Ministry of Education data shows that attendance rates in our schools ...
The law to boost the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by speeding up resource consenting on selected projects has passed its second and third readings in the House today. “Accelerating nationwide projects and activities by government, iwi and the private sector will help deliver faster economic recovery and ...
Five port-related projects in Whanganui will receive a $26.75 million Provincial Growth Fund investment to support local economic recovery and create new opportunities for growth, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is a significant investment that will support the redevelopment of the Whanganui Port, a project governed ...
Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery will receive an investment of up to $12 million administered by the Provincial Growth Fund to support its redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The project is included in a $3 billion infrastructure pipeline announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Shane Jones yesterday. ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $2.5 million into three Te Ara Mahi programmes to support Manawatū-Whanganui jobseekers and employees to quickly train and upskill, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Up to 154 local people will be supported into employment within the first year by these ...
This morning I have formally tendered my resignation as Minister of Health, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. Serving as Minister of Health has been an absolute privilege – particularly through these extraordinary last few months. It’s no secret that Health is a challenging portfolio. I have given ...
Scholarships for 57 early-career agricultural emissions scientists from 20 developing countries is another example of New Zealand’s international leadership in primary sector sustainability, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor, announcing the scholarships today, says hundreds of applications were received for this fourth round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme (Climate, Food ...
A project to help rejuvenate the Horowhenua town of Foxton will receive a Provincial Growth Fund investment of $3.86 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This funding for the Foxton Regeneration project will be used to make the well-known holiday town even more attractive for visitors and ...
Moa bones and other sub-fossil remains of extinct species are set to have improved protection with proposals to prevent the trade in extinct species announced the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “We have lost too many of our native species, but these lost species, such as moa, remain an ...
The Government’s free and healthy school lunches programme moves south for the first time creating jobs for around 30 people in Otago and Southland. “Eighteen schools with 3000 students are joining the programme – 11 have already begun serving lunches, and seven are preparing to start during Term 3. This is ...
Thousands of Kiwi jobs and investment in New Zealand productions will be protected through a screen sector support package announced today by Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford and Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi. The package also includes investment in broadcasting ...
The Government has established a new $10 million fund for the domestic events sector to help save jobs and protect incomes as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, Minister of Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. This funding from Budget 2020 follows talks with the event sector designed to ...
The Government has taken another step in its commitment to making sure New Zealanders get a fairer deal at the petrol pump with the introduction of legislation to improve competition in the retail fuel market, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. “The fuel market study that this Government ordered ...
New Zealand has joined a global initiative that aims to enable all countries to access a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. The COVAX Facility was recently launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Alliance includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank ...
From today new legislation takes effect to both restore the right to legal representation at the start of a Care of Children (CoCA) dispute in the Family Court, and allow parties to those proceedings to access legal aid where eligible. During a visit to the Family Court in Auckland today, ...
Home-based early childhood education (ECE) subsidised by the government will transition to a fully qualified workforce by 2025 to ensure better and more consistent quality, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “Quality early learning helps provide children with a strong foundation for their future,” Chris Hipkins said. From 1 January ...
The new Criminal Cases Review Commission | Te Kāhui Tātari Ture (CCRC) has started work and can now independently investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “Even though we have appeal rights and safeguards against unsafe convictions, from time to time our justice system does get things wrong. The design of the ...
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou Ki a koutou Te Āti Awa, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, ngā mana whenua o te rohe nei, tēnā koutou Ko Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa ki ngā take o te Ao (NZIIA), Ko te Rōpū Tohu Tono ...
The Government’s increase to paid parental leave kicks in today with another 4 weeks taking New Zealand up to a full 6 months (26 weeks, up from 22 weeks) leave for new parents, and the maximum weekly payment will increase by $20pw, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. ...
A new package of infrastructure investments will help kick-start the post-COVID rebuild by creating more than 20,000 jobs and unlocking more than $5 billion of projects up and down New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones today outlined how the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today expressed the New Zealand Government’s deep disappointment at the passage by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of a national security law for Hong Kong. “New Zealand has consistently emphasised its serious concern about the imposition of this legislation on Hong Kong without inclusive ...
More jobs and more family time with newborns are the centrepiece of a suite of Government initiatives coming into effect today. July 1 is a milestone day for the Government as a host of key policies take effect, demonstrating the critical areas where progress has been made. “The Coalition Government ...
Environment Minister David Parker has today “called in” Auckland’s application to the Waikato Regional Council to take an extra 200 million litres of water a day from the lower reaches of the Waikato River for Auckland drinking water and other municipal uses. The call-in means the application has been referred ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced today that New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 will go ahead using virtual digital platforms. Mr Peters said the global disruption caused by COVID-19, including resultant border restrictions, had been the major factor in the ...
The start of construction on a new link road between Matakana Road and State Highway 1 will create jobs and support the significant population growth expected in the Warkworth area, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced today. Transport Minister Phil Twyford said construction of the Matakana Link ...
The Government is prioritising its latest investment in PPE for frontline health workers, including staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities, Health Minister David Clark says. “With no community transmission of COVID-19 our response now has a firm focus on keeping our border safe and secure. “We must ensure that ...
The Parihaka Papakāinga Trust in Taranaki will receive up to $14 million for a new visitor centre and other improvements at the historic settlement that will boost the local economy and provide much-needed jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little have ...
Protections for workers who are employees of one employer but working under the direction of another business or organisation have come into force, closing a gap in legislation that made the personal grievance process inaccessible for some workers, says Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “This Government is working hard to ...
A range of improvements are already underway to address issues identified in the rapid review of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine system released today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. The review was commissioned just over a week ago to identify and understand current and emerging risks to ensure the end-to-end ...
The important brown kiwi habitat around Whakatāne will receive added protection through an Iwi-led predator free project announced by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. “The Government is investing nearly $5 million into Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s environmental projects with $2.5 ...
An extra 4,000 tonnes of offcuts and scraps of untreated wood per year will soon be able to be recycled into useful products such as horticultural and garden mulch, playground safety surfacing and animal bedding as a result of a $660,000 investment from the Waste Minimisation Fund, Associate Environment Minister ...
The Governor-General has referred Scott Watson’s convictions for murder back to the Court of Appeal, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Mr Watson was convicted in 1999 of the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. His appeal to the Court of Appeal in 2000 was unsuccessful, as was his ...
A new five-year funding agreement for the Reserve Bank will mean it can boost its work to protect New Zealanders’ finances, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “New Zealand has a strong and stable financial system. Financial stability is an area that we are not prepared to cut corners for, particularly ...
A law change has been introduced to make it easier for forgotten funds in institutional accounts to be returned more easily to their rightful owners. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has introduced an amendment to the Unclaimed Money Act 1971. It will update the rules controlling forgotten sums of money held ...
Festival for the Future Live will kick off its 10th annual event on Monday 13 July, in what is touted to be the most international digital summit ever hosted from New Zealand. With speakers from The United Nations Development Programme and The Obama ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The Lokataru Legal and Human Rights Foundation says there are two problems with the Indonesian police which have developed during the era of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration. These two problems are “politicisation” and “police professionalism”. “Perhaps it’s still the same as the problem before, particularly ...
By RNZ Pacific A sit-in has been held outside the French High Commission in French Polynesia to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the first nuclear weapons test at Moruroa. The demonstration was organised by the anti-nuclear group Association 193 which again decried the recent law change tightening compensation criteria for ...
David Goldsmith, a 52-year-old dad from Christchurch, is starting his month-long hunger strike outside Parliament on Monday as a drastic call for climate change action AR: Hunger strikes are mostly known from prisons – that’s drastic. DG: Yes, it’s ...
The biggest news site in New Zealand, and the country’s fifth biggest site overall, Stuff has embarked on an experiment in dropping the use of Facebook and Instagram. It has been launched ‘in the context of the international Boycott Facebook movement’, according to a memo leaked to The Spinoff. A leaked ...
After the Labour's annual conference, pundits were quick to criticise Jacinda Ardern for taking a 'self-congratulatory tone' in her remarks, but the PM says that was not her intent at all. ...
A global study is under way to compare how information about Covid-19 is delivered by authorities and the media, and how it is understood and used by people in different countries. University of Canterbury (UC) population health expert Professor Philip ...
It’s time to get ready to vote in the 2020 General Election and referendums. “It’s less than three months now until the election on 19 September when you choose the people and parties that represent you in Parliament. There will also be two referendums ...
If you’re like most New Zealanders, you probably don’t know the name of the country’s most powerful judge. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of, writes University of Otago law lecturer Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere. Here’s a test for you: name New Zealand’s chief justice. Click on the link to find ...
If enough New Zealanders continued to work from home on a regular basis, the country could easily save the same amount of carbon emissions as taking 35,000 cars off the road, according to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. The analysis ...
There are many groups within NZ including the Green Party that are calling for the legalisation of marijuana for personal/medicinal use and my question for them is: - How can they reconcile that stand with the negative environmental effects from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Moore, Director of The Australian National University Institute for Space and the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre, Australian National University With all of the immense challenges we face on Earth this year, space can feel like an afterthought. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Notley, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media, Western Sydney University Today we release the findings from our new research into how young Australians consume and think about news media. Following a summer of bushfires and during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Thwaites, Chair, Monash Sustainable Development Institute & ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University The global Sustainable Development Report 2020, released this week in New York, ranks Australia third among OECD countries for the effectiveness of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, beaten by ...
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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Ian Cummings - Independent Candidate Ian Cummings is pleased to announce he will be campaigning as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election to provide voters with a credible alternative and more effective voice on issues that matter ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Stories raise themes of political accountability, investigation launched after active case details leaked, and frustrating infrastructure failures hurt Auckland water system.There have been several stories involving the theme of political accountability for mistakes in recent days. So for a lead today, ...
As New Zealand’s top artistic gymnast, Maia Fishwick, heads back to the US to join her college team, the Aggies, she tells Suzanne McFadden her rise has been an against-the-odds story. Maia Fishwick was told she was too old to be a good gymnast. She was seven. This was a kid who obviously had a ...
Oranga Tamariki's refusal to acknowledge systemic issues within the organisation is intolerable, writes social worker and social work researcher John Darroch Recently Newsroom published an article based on interviews with practising social workers who described systemic issues within Oranga Tamariki. As a social worker, and post-graduate student conducting research into statutory ...
As Serena Jones faces incurable cancer, she wants to add something personal to the end-of-life choice debate Seven years ago I was told I had a 25 percent chance of living five years without the cancer returning; two years ago I was given 12 months to live. Plainly the up-coming ...
Advocacy group Sea Shepherd steps up its moves to push for US ban on New Zealand seafood over Māui dolphin protection A US ban on New Zealand seafood could be three to four weeks away after Sea Shepherd filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Earlier this year, the marine advocacy group ...
David Clark has become the oldest of ritual objects: a scapegoat, writes Dr Deane Galbraith and Dr Ben Schonthal The casting out of David Clark has been a spectacle of biblical proportions. We mean that quite literally. The Health Minister’s mistakes were serious and the media is right to hold our ...
Labour's scaled-down party conference was still an opportunity for Jacinda Ardern to show how loved she is by her fans - and make the case for why her Government should keep on moving to a second term Looking around the packed room at Te Papa in Wellington, it was hard ...
Stacy Gregg and Nicky Pellegrino conclude their podcast series, and interview Tayi Tibble. Wellington poet Tayi Tibble was 23 years old when she won the Ockham for best first book of poetry for Poukahangatus. Of Te Whanau ā Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, Tayi’s poems speak to beauty, activism, power ...
A new petition calling for an end to religious instruction in primary schools is part of a renewed campaign to make state schooling truly secular, reports Emily Writes.Few people know about Section 54 of the Education and Training Bill, but Tanya Jacob does. That’s why she has authored a petition ...
Combatting climate change as a healthcare organisation involves more than simply reducing its carbon footprint, writes David Galler. It means seeing climate change and wellbeing as intertwined – and that what’s good for the environment is always good for health.This pandemic, as overwhelming as it is, will eventually pass. But ...
A list of infrastructure projects handpicked for border exemptions is either a hasty cut and paste job or a sign we can't build anything without foreign labour. ...
A New Zealand-made ad featuring porn stars that encourages parents to talk to their children about what they're seeing online has gone viral - and sparked a world-wide conversation. The campaign that features two naked actors has reached more than 22 million viewers around the world and is being retold in ...
Parliament's independent MP has been accused of pandering to anti-vaccine activists after he started a petition and introduced a bill against what he calls "forced vaccination". ...
Changes to Covid-19 testing criteria may see fewer New Zealanders being tested - but there is some confusion about how the rules are being applied Health Minister Chris Hipkins has promised to put officials on notice about providing Covid-19 tests for those who want them, following confusion after changes to ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Philippines Anti-Terrorism Law, Vice-President Leni Robredo has pushed for safeguards so that the controversial measure would not be abused, reports Rappler. In her weekly radio show with co-host Ely Saludar, Robredo noted that she does not oppose the law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Developments in Melbourne on Saturday are more important, and certainly of more interest to the public, than what has happened in Eden-Monaro. Anthony Albanese is set to struggle over the line in the Labor seat, ...
The House - Parliament had to speed through a bill adjusting a law which enables some prisoners to vote. Daniela Maoate-Cox explains how and why they did it. ...
The campaign to stop the Department of Conservation exterminating tahr in national parks is gathering increasing public support, with nearly 40,000 people signing the petition calling for a halt to DOC’s plans. The Change.org petition was started ...
DATE: Sunday, 5th July 2020 TIME: 15:00 LOCATION: Taylor Preston's, Centennial Highway, Wellington On Sunday, Wellington Animal Save will be bearing witness to animals on their way to slaughter, outside Taylor Preston's slaughterhouse. ...
Local Government’s Regional Sector are welcoming an announcement today of over $162 million in central government funding for 22 regional and unitary council Jobs for Nature projects, saying the strong support is an endorsement of the return on ...
Political editor Justin Giovannatti reports from Te Papa, where the prime minister today addressed Labour’s 2020 Congress.Jacinda Ardern looked to slap a Labour sticker on the team of five million with the launch today of the party’s Covid-19 recovery plan, at an event which serves as the unofficial kickoff to ...
Kelvin Davis stole the show at Labour’s 2019 conference with a hilarious speech about the formation of the coalition government. The party’s oft-underestimated deputy leader was again in the spotlight this year, but with a more solemn yet at times impassioned address outlining the country’s Covid-19 sacrifices. Here is the text: Anne Guenole. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash University The Victorian government’s decision to “close and contain” nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne represents a significant escalation in the fight against COVID-19. Under the ...
By Grace Auka-Salmang in Port Moresby Key findings from the 2016 to 2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey reveals that 56 percent of women aged 15 to 49 in PNG have experienced physical violence around the age of 15. And 28 percent have experienced sexual violence. Also 18 ...
The New Zealand Herald recently published a column which criticises its own record on race. Teuila Fuatai explains why she felt she had to call out the paper that commissioned her. In the column, freelance journalist Teuila Fuatai detailed her concerns about the Herald’s record on race and her efforts to ...
Dunedin writer Victor Billot farewells retiring National MP Paula Bennett.Working Class Hero I came up the hard way in Taupo, you see, surviving off Weetbix (just occasionally.) I waited tables then knocked off a degree, perhaps with the help of a state subsidy. Then a man with a ...
Three of the country's biggest seafood companies have broken ranks with the rest of the sector and declared their support for cameras on fishing boats. ...
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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
In the wake of lockdown, Volunteering New Zealand is calling on people to reshape the way they think about volunteering. To unite with whānau, friends and workmates to make a group commitment to a community or cause that matters to them. Covid-19 ...
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Call it last, call it the foundation: Georgie Dansey is 84th on the Labour Party list for the 2020 election. Here she explains how she got there.What does it take to come last on the Labour list? It’s a bit of a story, so if you’re feeling tl;dr then just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At Saturday’s Eden-Monaro byelection, Labor’s Kristy McBain currently leads the Liberals’ Fiona Kotvojs by a 50.7-49.3 projected margin in The Poll Bludger’s Eden-Monaro election page. This page has all the ...
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*Watch the full video in the player below*In the first 48 hours of life, blood from newborn New Zealand babies is taken and tested. Most parents will never hear back. For others, it’s life-changing, and life-saving. Frank Film investigates. Performed 48 hours after birth, it’s a medical procedure ...
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Open mike 10/04/2011 
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Financial terrorists strike Christchurch, thousands with wrecked dwellings held hostage, Terrorists demand $500 million ransom from the government. As the crisis unfolds the terrorists demands are expected to increase to $1 billion.
No charges to be laid.
‘
John Balmforth AMI head, says they have enough to pay out on all their earthquake damage policy claims – estimated cost, $1 billion.
AMI has $600 million of reinsurance cover and about $500m in cash and investments which would be enough to cover all claims, but would leave the company financially strapped.
AMI chief executive John Balmforth:
“We have not had events of this magnitude before. But we had $600 million reinsurance for the first event and we have another tranche of $600 million we can draw down on and another tranche of $400 millon we can draw down on,” he said.
Bamforth said AMI “had no issues meeting its commitments” “There will be increases in premiums nationally. I think these will be across the board, that’s just going to be a flow-on effect,” Balmforth said AMI was backed by some of the largest international reinsurers based in Bermuda and other parts of the world. Claims would be met. “I’m completely confident we can cover this. I’ve had messages from reinsurers offering support and saying they are ready to assist.”
In my opinion, it is probable that an honest effort by AMI to meet their commitments without government help would seriously effect AMI’s position in the insurance market. By paying their bills like an honest citizen would by necessity entail serious downsizing by AMI, with a resulting loss in market share, even complete collapse.
But so be it. It is not their money, it was deposited with them by their policy holders for just such an event. So rather than pay back their policy holders with ‘their’ money AMI gets to keep it, and we the taxpayer pay out instead?
So, How does this work again?
The Government comes up with eye watering amounts of public money to allow a bankrupt private company to avoid it’s responsibilities and continue to be a major player in the insurance market, ensuring that this corporate will be around to reap the higher premiums that John Balmforth speaks of.
Tax paid Social Welfare to big companies and private investors, comes at the expense of the Social Insurance Policies that this money was supposed to provide for.
So when families are poorly housed and children get sick and their parents can’t afford the medical bills, and they get sicker. They can comfort their children, by relating to them the warm fuzzy fairy tale ending for AMI that Mum and Dad helped pay for.
“So darling the government propped up a bankrupt private insurance company, they did this by bankrupting the state, so despite your Mummy and Daddy and Grandma and Granddad paying taxes all their lives, that is the reason why you can’t get into the public hospital.”
With not even the flimsy excuse that AMI was part of the outrageous Deposit Guarantee scheme… What possible moral justification can the government give for this bailout?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10717709
capcha – “damages”
I read 2 stories in Stuff’s Business section this morning on Tax Havens. The stories are not that prominent on the site, but they show a significant process that is part of the way the global financial/money system works to maintain and extend the wealth gap. The articles point to the way Tax Havens are an essential part of this system, Where the Rich… Get Richer:
This and the second article, on the NZ government’s opposition to a UN initiative to tackle tax haven abuse say that NZ is also being used as a tax haven by some of the wealthy in other countries.
press enter at end of the quoted block, back arrow or click to the end of the quoted block and click on the quote button again.
Wikipedia – not necessarily the most reliable of sources – currently categorises NZ as a tax haven because it:
“…does not tax foreign income derived by NZ trusts settled by foreigners of which foreign residents are the beneficiaries. Nor does it tax the foreign income of new residents for four years. No capital gains tax.”
Should the tax reductions have been reversed because of the Christchurch earthquakes? No – it’s absurd to think that immediately an event occurs taxes are tweaked. At the very least it takes time to evaluate and implement significant monetary changes.
Should the tax reductions be reconsidered? Yes, this year’s budget is an appropriate time to announce any changes if they are thought necessary, but they are problematic, it’s unlikely the GST rate will be dropped back down, or taken off selected categories, so increasing taxes risks further stalling a struggling economy.
So you would rather wreck our public and social services then?
Tell me Peter, how many hospitals did National close between 1990-99 and how many did Labour close between 1999 and 2008?
Ill tell you. When labour put taxes up in 1999, the money went into HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES. No hospital closed after 1999. But you are quite happy to have solo mother live on the street, and have American style health care so the rich can pay a few dollars less in tax.
And given that you have opposed wage increases for workers (I suppose you want wages to go back to 1999 levels like Don Brash does), you see a future of misery for people
Bullshit. I have never suggested anything like that.
* I support a fair welfare state.
* I have never mentioned an American style health system here, and have never supported an American style health system.
Bullshit again. I have never suggested anything like that. I have questioned why the amount of $15 per hour is being claimed to being some magical fix, I have never seen yet anyone justify that over any alternate amount. No data to support it.
Why $15?
Go and do some of your own research like you did the other day. There should be plenty on Union websites (try CTU for a start maybe). From memory the Unions want it pegged around 66% of the median wage which is more than $15.
$15 just happens to be the minimum wage in Oz, must have been suggested to close that gap 😀
Actually Pete you’ve stated several times that you don’t believe in minimum standards of living except as determined by the market.
What usually happens now is you demand that I show evidence, then I post a link to you spewing some awful heartless bile, then you stop replying.
But it’s very boring so I don’t think I’ll bother anymore.
Good on Ya Felix. I also see no point in replying to the repetitive time-wasting and frankly overly distractive slogans that are spewing from the right. Personally I want to concentrate on far more interesting events,
Like sharing the information that is already out there
Like getting every voter i know to not vote for any of the major parties
CERRA has a lot to answer for and I for one do not see the point in voting for people who voted against Democracy
I am beginning to believe NZ must sacrifice this election and send a very clear message to the troughers, shape up or piss off
I am fairly confident that the thousands and thousands of people who actually run the country will welcome the opportunity to do their job without seasoned MP’s constantly twisting the rules, changing the game-plan and generally shitting on NZ again and again and again
You just keep making things up felix. It’s not achieving much, us it.
Pete, either we raise taxes to cover the shortfall in the budget now due to the earthquake, or we borrow the money.
If we borrow the money, we have to pay interest on it. The amount borrowed + the interest must be paid back at a future date, from taxes. So we either pay taxes on the principal now, or we pay taxes on the principal and interest over time.
Therefore refusing to raise taxes now, for this one-off event, will cost us more over time.
Or we take back our right to print our own money and tell the money masters f*&k off and say no to the sin of usury. Our work our wealth.
It would still require an increase in taxes so that the government can redirect our resources into fixing up that damaged by the disaster. As I’ve said, money is not a resource.
DTB,
I agree with you but to be honest I’d rather pay taxes towards helping the people in Christchurch and things Kiwi’s need than taxes to pay the banksters interest on money they created out of thin air.
So would I.
Me too.
It’s a tricky balancing act Lanthanide, with no guarantee that whatever is chose is the right mix. Taxing more runs the risk of stifling a recovery which runs the risk of lowering the tax take or keeping it low for longer.
It’s easy to say “we should raise taxes”, or “we should borrow more” (as Helen Kelly suggested on Q+A this morning), but those who make the decisions have a lot more complexities to consider.
And as Jon Johansson said on Q+A this morning this government is only pragmatic within its ideological straight jacket. The point being made that this government has ignored the complexities and is ruling out even temporary tax increases in favour of its ideologically based solutions.
There is very little evidence for the supply side nonsense you are peddling. Cuts run exactly the same risk you are talking about, so it’s a wash in that respect.
That point was reinforced in the discussion with English when he was talking about Treasury advice around the benefits of privatisation. Treas was saying that there is very little evidence that the private sector would run the companies any better, and Old Bill could only fall back on dogma.
It would be nice to think that this government was ‘considering the complexities’, but as the panel agreed on Q+A there are concerns that they are not, and little evidence that they are.
All the evidence over the last 50 years shows that too low taxes stifle the economy more than too high taxes do.
That is clearly put Lanthanide. I can’t see how the wishful thinkers about reduced taxes regularly here can pop up like corks again with their tripe.
Actually, it’s absurd not to. How else is the country going to pay to fix things up?
My friend tells me Double Dipstick has been mouthing more billshit bullshit claptrap craptrap on Q&A.
Don’t worry Jim Nald: The panel dealt to him afterwards. Good to see Helen Kelly on the panel and a ‘respectful’ Paul Holmes who didn’t interrupt her once.
Job well done. 🙂
I agree Anne. I nearly didn’t turn on the programme but figured there was not much else on for my morning cuppa! Holmes was much better by staying more in the background: I normally can’t stand his opinionated nonsense. Espiner asked harder questions than the usual patsy, but what was most interesting for me was English trotted out his usual ideological nonsense, but his eyes and general lack of enthusiasm suggested he no longer believed it.
Now that is interesting. Maybe he’s waking up to the fact that ideology doesn’t trump reality – it was his ideological plan that prevented NZ coming out of recession after all. Not that I’m holding my breath about it.
I dreaded checking out Q&A online and thought I might have needed to take some sedatives first (perhaps, like Holmes, who was administered some today before the cameras started rolling?) before viewing the Guyon-English interview:
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/sunday-april-10-4108966/video
And Holmes’ discussion with the panel:
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/sunday-april-10-4108966/video?vid=4109852
Helen Kelly is exceptionally outstanding.
The future of housing in Auckland
This lodge was in the news 3 years ago, there was a huge fuss over it Labour promised to do something about it, but then everything died down, and National got in, and people there still live in misery. And as rents skyrocket, and landlords get more choosy about what tenants they choose to house, and as Housing NZ wash there hands of more and more people, and start kicking more and more tenants out, squalid boarding houses, are going to grow and grow.
This will be the price of National’s prosperity.
Why is that lodge still standing? It should have been knocked down and the owners fined years ago.
From the Herald article.
I am in a 2 bedroom State House, and I want a transfer, because although I need subsidised housing (on UB), I don’t need two bedrooms. But I am currently having a huge battle with HNZ over other issues, so a transfer is way down the list for me. Survival mode. Honestly any of the families in that article could have this place, if I had my way. But I am just managing to survive myself! I wish I could help one of those families. I wish even more, that the NACT government would do what it’s supposed and help all of them!
RIP Sidney Lumet
Here is the unforgettable “we’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore.”
I hope you’re with me on that.
The week that was
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/04/week-that-was.html
The National Government offer to bailout AMI to the tune of more than a Billion dollars. The privately owned company has had financial difficulty since the Christchurch Earthquake and improper re-insurance. In light of the South Canterbury Finance hash and despite the Treasury advising John Key that South Canterbury Finance was never compliant with the scheme…
Wendy Pye, NZ literacy entrepreneur, was on Chris Laidlaw on Radionz this morning. People like her should get listened to, she has been a business and educational plan success, has a good product doing good things around the world. that magic word ‘exporter’. Not ‘dairy producer’, but ‘advanced high-end products producer’.
She has an excellent take on NZ, business and the export market as she has been round long enough to have wide experience with successes and failures, and how to survive both. She is held at arms length by Min of Education though embraced by other achievement focussed governments. This seems to follow from what I see is a negative attitude amongst NZs to trying anything new, stepping out from the known. And one of the problems is that the bureaucrats and academics are concerned about dealing with private enterprise. I think they can’t differentiate between having Macdonalds sponsoring schools and successful, experienced non-religious or narrowly ideological companies focussed solely on educational tools.
I referred to NZ negativity in the waka controversy which idea suffered death from a thousand whiny criticisms from contributors here, ie I don’t like plastic, Maori can’t make good decisions about showing their culture. Wendy’s products appear to have received less than positive treatment probably with the same mindset. I thought also of Peter Snell, such a success but not embraced and drawn back to this country – he has been in Texas for years.
BTW Texas is planning a new wide-ranging project for literacy. Here at the bottom of the world we have tight-minded smug middle-class Ann Tolley whose low horizon is viewed from a entrenched trench, choosing National Standards as her lead initiative in schools. Yet Wendy Pye points out our good record in literacy, the problem being the large ‘tail’ of non-readers, prevented from obtaining worthwhile work and achieving prosperity by their lack of literacy, and that most of our jail inmates bear this disadvantage.
Yeah, but I found myself getting increasingly bored as Laidlaw and Pye started going on endlessly about the alleged ‘tall-poppy syndrome’ in this Country. The same old scolding of the New Zealand public for not treating entrepreneurs as some sort of Super-Heroes. Yawwwwnnnnn.
Danyl @ The dim post wonders if the reason our business leaders have difficulty with the “red tape” is because they’re stupid.
The Mainfreight genius talking on the Dimpost wants less bureaucracy and regulation. Isn’t that firm where sweet Jenny Shipley presides? Pollies from NACT get consolation so often with the old saying ‘When one door closes, another opens’ don’t they?
Yup, call it the “revolving door” of jobs or sinecure between NACTs, rich elites and big business.
D..Damn
You may be tired of the tall poppy syndrome being mentioned but facing it becomes more relevant as we move through the decade and I think it is time for a change.
We need to be as supportive of our entrepreneurs and successful projects of all types that are beneficial to the country, as we are of sports people. They work hard to help themselves trying for personal success; sound, innovative businesses that achieve success help the country.
But nor should we forget the people who enable them to achieve that success. We shouldn’t enable entrepreneurs to succeed at the expense of their employees’ rights to fair pay and fair treatment for fair work.
Anyone needing a laugh should look at Kiwiblog, if you can stand the stench.
There’s some cove keeps impersonating me and taking DPF to task. What a bloody cheek!
A new dawn in Egypt……..
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/10/us-egypt-protest-idUSTRE73754M20110410
I have always approved Mat McCartens opinions and I admire the way he overcame a bad speech impediment .However these days he seems to spend more time attacking the Labour Party and in particular Phil Goff. What the hell is he playing at? The enemy is the Tory Party.,The only conclusion I can come up with is that there is a personal vendeta going on with Phil,Goff.Get back on Board Matt its going to be hard enough to win the next election with out you attacking Labour at every opportunity .
Hes attacking Labour because he sees whats wrong and how to fix it, maybe Labour need to start listening
Labour’s list has been announced:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4869855/Labours-party-list-for-November-election
So, if Labour get roughly their current level of support (low 30’s) could there be only one or two new list MPs? (plus several from “safe” electorate seats?)
It doesn’t look very inspiring – no noticeable new names apart from Andrew Little. If Labour lose, there’s going to be a big clear out for 2014 (Barker, Horomia, King, Mallard, Goff etc).
Oh well.
At the time of writing, The Poll on that page puts Lab/G/NZ1 combined vote of 387 higher than M/UF/ACT/Nat 316.
Ideally that would be indicative of the long term trend. Lets see what One News has to say tonight on their poll.
Actually, the Labour list looks to me like a reasonable mix of relative newbies (class of 2008) and experienced MPs. It looks like there is a gradual turn-over of new MPs, which is for the best, rather than a radical clean-out of ALL the old hands.
Cat and Dolphins playing together
When are people going to start complaining about foreign banks deciding our economic future for us?
Saturday, 9 April 2011, 2:26 pm
Press Release: The Nation ‘THE NATION’
GEORGE FRAZIS – Westpac New Zealand CEO
Interviewed by DUNCAN GARNER
Duncan Let’s talk about the state of the economy in the wake of the AMI decision and how does the country afford this rescue package and the bail out of South Canterbury Finance for that matter? Well some say we can’t afford it and we can’t afford to keep bailing out bad business decisions, they say if we do we’ll go broke. So how close are we to going broke? The Chief Executive of Westpac New Zealand George Frazis is with me now.
Hey Jum from Jim
There’s a small baby step each Kiwi can make for a real difference –
Walk away from foreign banks
And put money into locally owned banks like TSB Bank and Kiwibank
Go on. Do it now.
Open an account with http://www.tsbbank.co.nz or http://www.kiwibank.co.nz,
then move funds and mortgage into either.
Jim, if NACT is returned then I don’t think we’ll have Kiwibank.
Bugger. You’re right.
But we should move our money into locally owned banks while they are around anyway. If not now, when?
I don’t think National have done anything to suggest they would try and privatise Kiwibank. Remember, this is a voter cautious, slow action or no action government. Any proposed asset sales are likely to clearly signposted pre election. If Labour have a strategy of vehemently opposing a modest number of partial asset sales it may reinforce the perception they are just exaggeration junkies.
Actually, vehement is not the best description, passion and enthusiasm may be wrongly inferred – going through the motions of loudly protesting for the sake of it may be more appropriate.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/562746
2008 – and since then Key has had to categorically deny they’d sell while he is PM
“Mr English refers to the voters’ view of “that nice man John Key” and his appeal to “Labour-plus” voters – people who believed National would let them keep all Labour’s money, with more on top.
He also refers to needing to “sort out” Working for Families and suggests National will sell Kiwibank “eventually, but not now”.”
Brian Goulds latest post on how we revere business leaders:
http://www.bryangould.net/id149.html
That is well worth the read and so very close to the truth. We’re expected to worship the businessmen whether they’re capable of what’s expected of them or not.
Paula Bennett on people having to go through a budgeting exercise before applying for a hardship grant:
“They could go online and fill out a budgeting form”
Right, like all Decile 1 households have a computer. What fucking planet is she on?
Salon: Right winger + hard time = compassion.
Some of the most eloquent advocates for prison reform are conservatives who find themselves behind bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHWvbisFg0I&feature=player_embedded
Two intrepid dudes encounter stray animals, torn apart roads and deserted settlements as they film their trip to measure the radiation from 30 km out to 1.5 km away from Fukushima.
Bill Maher – Shine My Shoes Fuckface II
“They’re banging porn stars and you’re getting the crabs”
“While the Republicans, the party of millionaires, is shutting the government down because they can’t have a tax-free world. As Paul Ryan says, ‘It’s not a budget it’s a cause’, like slavery…”
Luvvit.
Hey Lynn
When will The Standard email me the bank account number so that I can make monthly cash donations?
Will be good to be provided with a pdf version of “best of the week’s” posts (maybe including comments from others) so that they can be printed on A3 or A4.
I would be willing to stand at street corners or outside supermarkets for a few hours on Fri-Sun and sell them (with money being deposited back into The Standard’s bank account) or to give away. The point is to encourage the wider dissemination of the issues raised by TS.
Whadyareckon?
This has been commented on before – you’re quite welcome to put one together. I believe others already do pass out copies.
Guess I can just copy and paste or print out separate, selected pieces but
I’d prefer to have an official or endorsed pdf version for hard copies to be printed …
Want to see pole-axed Rethuglican?
This guy could not find one good point to refute universal healthcare in the US:
Comment by dch3348
Says it all really.
Yes Draco, scrolled down and read that particular comment and it wondered how many more peiople were coming to the same realisation in America.
Still, I think it’s going to take maybe 50% of Ameicans on food stamps before they’re angry enough to do something about it and figuratively eviserate the GOPlets.
You know M, it is amazing that in the wealthiest country in the world they appear to not understand the disaster of their own Health system. The strange story from the “pole-axed Rethuglican” that the British Health System was and example of failure because “his sister couldn’t get an epidural because they thought she was too fit.” Aha. There you have it if the Brit Health system don’t want to give you an epidural so the System is a complete failure. Huh?
I think NZ has one of the least expensive with the finest effectiveness in the World. (Unless you believe it when Tony Ryall that it is a disaster.)
Yes ianmac, NZ’s system isn’t perfect and there are medical disasters that make my blood boil but I’d rather have “socialist” health care than the bloated, corrupt and “loaded dice” system where every possible avenue is explored to turn down a legitimate insurance claim.
I also believe the epidural refusal was if not a complete fabrication then a definite stretching of the truth. Having had epidurals for both my kids as I had a 20-hour and a 12-hour labour there are few situations where a woman cannot have one provided there is time and I would hope that most obstetricians would not be so sadistic as to refuse one. Even if a woman is chided about having one she should go all out to have one if she wants it – screaming down the birthing ward would probably be enough to convince a reluctant doctor.
When my youngest was born she had a ABO incompatibilty problem and the treatment she received in neonatal was first class. I hate to imagine what parents in the US would pay for such treatment although I’m sure Tony and his mob are working overtime to bring about such a situation.