Labour have announced they are cutting their communication staff levels in half. Goff said this will demonstrate Labour are serious about cutting unnecessary spending and thought they should put their money where their mouth is – towards more essential spending priorities like KiwiSaver handouts. Goff also hoped that by cutting their spin in half they would only look half as desperate.
Grrr PeteG when you make a troll like comment how about you back it up with a link so we can confirm that what you are saying is true.
Besides if this is what Goff is planning then I totally agree. There is nothing worse than PR produced naff. The meaning is never clear and it sanitises and glosses over the important points. It would be much better for Goff to say it the way it is.
The last great PM communicator was David Lange. He used his own words and spoke simply but clearly. The current imposter is the direct opposite.
David Lange was vacuous. That booming voice and commanding manner got him a long way in politics, of course—but he was intellectually indolent, and he was consistently outsmarted and manipulated by far sharper ideologues like Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble, David Caygill, Mike Moore and Michael Bassett.
Because he wasn’t a deep or coherent thinker, Lange couldn’t counter their takeover of the government. In 1989, he realised his helplessness and just gave up.
I commented that he was an exceptional speaker M, however to say he was vacuous is clearly garbage. While some of the policies of his government may have been formulated and led by others in his cabinet to suggest he was vacuous is patently absurd.
…to suggest he was vacuous is patently absurd.
Lange presided over the dismantling, destruction and selling off of much of this country’s public sector. In all that time, he occasionally wrung his hands in public—the “cup of tea”—but he did nothing, in spite of being opposed to what was being done. That was because he lacked the knowledge and depth of learning to challenge the likes of Douglas and Caygill.
In fact, Lange himself enthusiastically set about the attack on the public education sector. He failed to coherently explain himself whenever he was pinned down for a comment; he once in desperation hissed at a woman teacher to “piss off” when she had the temerity to ask him a question in public.
John Key is rightly regarded as vacuous by the liberal left, but he is no worse informed on any subject than Lange was.
Not my impression of Lange. In his areas he was very sharp.
In economics he unfortunately left it to those he thought were more qualified. Often a good idea, but not when you are dealing with dogmatic idealoges.
In economics he unfortunately left it to those he thought were more qualified. Often a good idea, but not when you are dealing with dogmatic idealoges.
Not my impression of Lange. In his areas he was very sharp.
Impressions are surface features only. Superficially, Lange was plausible. If you analyze what he said—and the worshipful talk about his “oratory” pretty much cancelled that at the time—there was little of depth or sophistication. In many ways, he was a fatter, pakeha version of what many people in the U.S. fell for in 2008.
In economics he unfortunately left it to those he thought were more qualified.
He was asleep at the wheel. Because Lange did not think, or even care, about economic and political theory, he was unable to stand up to the doctrinal marauders in his cabinet.
“I thought it was obvious I was lying/taking the piss.”
That applies to most of your comments, Pete, so the confusion over this one is understandable. Anyway, the fact is that Goff really is getting rid of his PR advisors … by making them successful Labour party candidates.
Finally : Sick of John Key? Bill English? Gerry Brownlee? How much more bullshit artistry do you want? Unfortunately they are protected by their crony media lap-dog ‘journalists’.
Question: When does a youth become a man?
16? 17? 18? 19? Apparently the British police have just arrested two men – a 17 year old and a 19 year old. If they were at school, they would be boys. Apparently this age does not necessarily make you eligible to buy alcohol, or vote, but you can fire a machine gun.
Ah, so a 17 year old is a teenager, a boy, an adolescent, a youth, a man, and now an adult (and to a much older generation, might even be classed as a youngster). No wonder they are a confused age group.
Why the sudden interest in Clifford Bay as a ferry terminal? I thought this was killed off years ago, is Steven Joyce trying to make a diversion? If so what from? The budget? Or is it that some overseas company is wanting taxpayers’ money for their private project?
A comment on the stuff site says that every time the interislander has it’s port fees up for renewal, they start talking about alternative terminals being built, as a way to ensure the fees don’t rise too much.
I would think that if that has been the case in the past, this specific threat has gone a lot further than any in the past have.
I suspect one of the reasons for moving it will be that they won’t be able to get the ferries up Tory channel any more, once it’s full of salmon farms.
First they came…” is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The text of the quotation is usually presented roughly as follows:
First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
I know many of you have probably seen this before but it’s the first time I have and history makes it all the more poignant. We could easily add the words beneficiaries, preschoolers, young families, university students, Maori, environmentalists etc( in no particular order)
Feel free to add to the list….Surely a tipping point will be reached!
If you think New Zealand is anything like Germany in that era you haven’t any idea how lucky you are to live in this country in this time. Yes, we should be vigilant and fight to retain freedoms. But we should appreciate how different it is to the difficult times all preceding generations have lived in.
I have relations who lived in the Sudetenland in the 1930’s. I visited them last year. They talked a bit about what it was like back then. Very hard times. They said that at the end of the war the Americans arrived just in time, otherwise they think they would have been annihilated. Instead they were marched out of their homeland, forever.
Guessing, but that makes you German and Catholic, if thats the case it explains a lot, you probably think where mostly a bunch of Communists trying to start a revolution.
I’m neither, related by marriage, nominally Anglican as a child, practically atheist.
Someone I know well lived in West Berlin in the 70s to early 80s, experienced border security often and visited East Berlin a number of times so saw both sides. The East was generally sad, drab and depressing. Failed.
“about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.”
“…history makes it all the more poignant. We could easily add the words beneficiaries, preschoolers, young families, university students, Maori, environmentalists etc( in no particular order)
Feel free to add to the list….Surely a tipping point will be reached!”
It’s standard under Godwin’s Law – “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.”
Godwin has argued that overuse of Nazi and Hitler comparisons should be avoided, because it robs the valid comparisons of their impact.
The situation today is nothing like the social and political situation in 1930s Germany, or the rest of Europe, or New Zealand. We have legitimate concerns but they are piddling when compared to many other countries now, and from the past.
I think what was said in 2008, pre-election, is quite relevant to the government, post-election.
However comparing something that Phil Goff said in 1982 about the government in 80’s really doesn’t have terribly much relevance 20 years later. I thought this would have been obvious, but apparently not.
I’m pretty sure they’re aiming for the 1530s actually or, perhaps, the 1130s. You know, before the Magna Carta was signed. Rule by the rich for the rich and whatever the rich say goes.
It is a real shame that the Nact government don’t look back to 1984 because HISTORY is repeating itself. In 1984 the deficit was 21.5 billion due to overseas borrowing. Nine years earlier Muldoon killed compulsory superannuation. Even though Muldoon did not sell off assests the Nact government are scheming to sell off what Muldoon borrowed money for (energy projects).
Nact have put the country back 25 years. The most depressing aspect is that back then people had jobs, not like now. I am wondering how long it is going to take Nact to freeze wages?
Latest news reporting Govt borrowing $380m per week.
Disastrous handling of the country’s finances by currency trading wizard Prime Mismanagement.
What’s the next gamble with the blood and sweat of the Kiwi working poor?
Yes and also if the employer has to contribute more to Kiwisaver it is likely that a pay increase will be minimal.
As mentioned below the government are borrowing 380 million a week. I heard that they are stock piling money as the interest rate is lower than it has been.
Anyone who was around age twenty in the mid 1980s would see how screwed the country now is because of the level of debt, the cost of housing/rent, low wages and the most concerning, denial by the government that they are failing those on a low income.
Anyone who was around age twenty in the mid 1980s would see how screwed the country now is
That might explain why roughly 700,000 NZ born Kiwis have fled and are now living in Australia. That figure is equivalent to around 1 in 6 of the people still left in NZ now, bailing on this country tomorrow. Disastrous.
Try turning on the wysiwyg editor with the check box under the edit box. It has link button that looks like a chain. Select some text, press that, and paste the link into the dialog box that pops up.
Otherwise there is a section in the FAQ at the top of the pages to do the text version. Look for simple HTML
So after the house I’m in having survived with pretty much negligible (very minor contents) damage through all of the quakes thus-far, last night’s 5.3 quake has slightly warped one of the doors/door frames in the bathroom so it doesn’t shut cleanly any more. All of the other doors in the house are fine. Go figure.
Gutted to see so many of my favourite buildings are gone/going, including the building I would most liked to have owned in the city, Edison Hall. Plus all the shops in Sydenham I used to frequent, the cafes in High St, the pubs and clubs along Colombo and Manchester Streets, all gone. Mind you, it seems the New Excelsior may survive in some form. A small blessing for the thirsty.
I prefer people to just paste the URL. I do not like opening unknown web sites. Not a problem from most of the people here, but not a good ideas on the web generally.
Top Gear’s offensive stereotyping has gone too far, says STEVE COOGAN
As a huge fan of Top Gear. I normally regard the presenters’ brand of irreverence as a part of the rough and tumble that goes with having a sense of humour. I’ve been on the show three times and had a go at their celebrity-lap challenge, and I would love to receive a fourth invite. But I think that’s unlikely once they have read this. If, however, it makes the Lads question their behaviour for a second – ambitious, I know – it will be worth it.
I normally remain below the parapet when these frenetic arguments about comedy and taste break out. But this time, I’ve had enough of the regular defence you tend to hear – the tired line that it’s “just a laugh”, a bit of “harmless fun”.
Some of the Lads’ comments again, in case you missed them. “Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus, with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat” (Richard Hammond). Mexican food is “sick with cheese on it” (James May).
Jeremy Clarkson added to the mirth by suggesting that the Mexican ambassador (a certain Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza) would be so busy sleeping he wouldn’t register any outrage. (He wasn’t and he did.)
OK, guys, I’ve got some great ideas for your next show. Jeremy, why not have James describe some kosher food as looking like “sick with cheese on it”? No? Thought not. Even better, why not describe some Islamic fundamentalists as lazy and feckless?
Feel the silence. They’re all pretty well organised these days, aren’t they, those groups? Better stick to those that are least problematic.
Old people? Special needs? I know – Mexicans! There aren’t enough of them to be troublesome, no celebrities to be upset. And most of them are miles and miles away.
[deleted]
[lprent: Please don’t quote the whole damn article in the comments section – it isn’t a frigging clipping area. You have the link. All you need to do is to quote enough to get people to go to look at it. In fact just what I did, and you’re just lucky that I was interested enough in the article to do so. Even better would be to put your own content in to say why people should read it. ]
Interesting little piece from Rodney Hide in 2000, I found re the hounding of Ian Mutton by the IRD. In it Hide talks about Section 81 which denies the taxpayer access to the reasons why they are being hounded.
Now why does ‘denies the taxpayer access to the reasons why they are being hounded.’ sound familiar? Perhaps if I changed the word ‘hounded’ to ‘fired’, ‘taxpayer’ to ’employee taxpayer’ and added the words ‘ninety days’, maybe even the idiotological NActMUs would get it.
New Zealand has “chairmanship” of a bid to change the Royal succession laws.
The claim, made by Lord McNally in the House of Lords earlier this year, was this morning confirmed by Prime Minister John Key.
In January, Lord McNally told the House of Lords: “There have been consultations … the previous Administration initiated discussions among Commonwealth countries. Those discussions are proceeding under the chairmanship of the New Zealand Government and we will continue to keep the matter under consideration.”
We immediately sent an Official Information Act (OIA) request to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to find out exactly what was going on…
New Zealand Ministers are not involved in chairing or leading any discussions about proposals to amend the Act of Settlement and the laws of succession.
It appears that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet lied to an OIA request.
Hattip: I/S via Twitter
HARDTALK: NO KIWI REPUBLIC ON KEY’S WATCH
Meanwhile, Key revealed he personally opposes New Zealand becoming a republic.
That’s no real surprise either – conservatives seem inherently incapable of imagining a society without their special people at the top giving commands to the rest of the populace.
Not really. All part of the hierarchical mindset – the people at the top give the commands or the commands are given in their name. It the concept that someone must have authority and that people below them and in the chain of command are then acting with that authority. John Key and most of National will see their authority as being an extension of the queens office.
History does not repeat, it ryhmes (Mark Twain). Funny how we are 100% clean green when it comes to minning, agriculture etc.. how odd. Do we want our cake and eat it as well… i.e. the tourists flocking to see the 100% Pure Brand…
We just have to look back at Li Lin Fu and see the parallels …Honey-Mouthed And Dagger-Hearted (Kou Mi Fu Jian & Pin Yin kǒu mì fù jiàn):
In 742 AD., a capable minister called Li Shi Zhi was favored by the Emperor of Tang. Li Lin Fu pretended not to care, but in fact was trying to find ways to damage him. One day, Li Lin Fu told Li Shi Zhi about some gold that was hidden over in Hua Mountain, and Li Shi Zhi, as Li Lin Fu expected, soon proposed to the Emperor worried about the decrease of the state revenue to mine the gold deposits.
The Emperor then asked Li Lin Fu for his opinion, Li Lin-fu acted very indifferently, saying “I knew about the gold mine a long time ago, and I didn’t tell it to your Majesty on purpose.”
“Why?” said the king in surprise.
“According to Taoist principles, Hua Mountain is in the place where all of Your Majesty’s auspicious aurora are gathered. Any damage to that area will certainly be harmful to your health and state. Who is it that brings out such a foolish idea? ”
Hearing this, the Emperor thought that Li Shi Zhi was not as considerate as Li Lin Fu, and later demoted the former to remote area.
The Environmental Defence Society has expressed concern about aspects of the announcements on freshwater made at the Prime Minister’s press conference today.
“The key concern is that the National Policy Statement, which will become law shortly, has been watered down from the version recommended by the Board of Inquiry last year,” said EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.
So in other words, he who controls the law or standards in this case, controls the truth….
Unbelievable! Actually, come to think of it, it’s not unbelievable—Key’s cynicism and arrogance are hardly a surprise. Note his airy dismissal of scientists—“they’re just like lawyers”—and his scoffing attitude throughout.
Stephen Sackur looks like a second-rater when he goes up against superior intellects—but against Key, Sackur is clearly in the ascendant.
Martyn Payne, a UK migrant who invested his life savings of $700,000 and six years of his life into turning a struggling Northland garage into a thriving business employing seven people was kicked out of New Zealand on April 23rd.
His appeal to Kate Wilkinson, the Associate Immigration Minister, that medical evidence supplied showed he would not be a drain on the New Zealand health service was declined. Kate Wilkinson has stated she will not review this case unless there is new evidence, ignoring additional reports from a doctor and a heart specialist sent to her confirming Payne’s stance.
Is this good for New Zealand?
Is Wilkinson sending a message to entrepreneurs around the world?
Do you think Martyn Payne has been treated fairly.
If people can attend – to both find out what is going on plus be there in support – that would be great!
Fellow ‘Public Watchdog’ Lisa Prager and myself each have 10 minutes to address the Auckland Council Property CCO (Auckland Council Properties Ltd – ACPL) about the lack of transparency regarding the ‘interests’ of the unelected Board and staff; information publicly available pertaining to properties administered by the ACPL; and public involvement in the decision-making process as to which properties are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ and whether or not they should be ‘disposed of’:
‘OPEN LETTER’
10 May 2011
Dear Emma,
Thank you for confirming my 10 minutes ‘speaking rights’ to address the ‘Public Forum’ of the upcoming Auckland Council Property Ltd (ACPL) meeting to be held on:
The subject matter of my ‘deputation’, will include:
1) As a publicly-acknowledged ‘anti-corruption’ campaigner, having attended two internationally significant ‘anti-corruption’ conferences, I am concerned at the apparent lack of structural openness, transparency and accountability in the ACPL ‘framework’.
a) Where is a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’ for the unelected Board of ACPL CCO appointees and staff responsible for property and procurement?
(How can ‘conflicts of interest’ be avoided if ‘interests’ are not declared beforehand?
Do any unelected Board of ACPL appointees and staff responsible for property and procurement, have links with property developers, business associates/investors/ individuals who could take pecuniary advantage of such connections?)
b) What audit processes have been established by the Auckland Council, to ensure ‘Council control’ over this ACPL ‘Council Controlled Organisation’, in order to prevent the above-mentioned potential ‘conflicts of interest’ ?
c) What audit processes are/have been carried out by ‘independent statutory third party ‘Public Watchdogs such as the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) to double-check that there are ‘open, transparent and accountable’ processes in place to help prevent such potential ‘conflicts of interest’?
d) Has the ACPL entered into contracts with the private sector for any goods or services?
e) Is there a central ‘Register of Contracts’, publicly-available, which details for public scrutiny: the name of the consultant/contractor; the scope, term and value of the contract?
f) How many staff employed by the ACPL are ‘in-house’ employees as opposed to ‘contracted’, or ‘temporary’ employees, and how much money is being spent on each category?
g) j) Where is the publicly-available ‘list’ of ALL property administered by the ACPL, with the following information?
i) Property name.
ii) Physical street address.
iii) Property history (how did it become a ‘council’ property – ie: was it BEQUESTED, and if so – for what purpose).
iv) Who is currently using this property and for what purpose.
v) If property is unused – for how long has this been the case.
h) What is the mechanism by which it is decided which Auckland Council ‘properties’ are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’?
i) Given that ALL Auckland Council property assets are supposedly owned by citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region – by what process do we ‘the public’ ‘have a say’ in determining which Auckland Council ‘properties’ are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’?
j) What is the ‘consultation’ process that is/will be carried out by the ACPL with citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region before ANY Auckland Council property assets are sold?
________________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
I have a meeting or I would have been there to support you. If you have a network I suggest you send them an email and get them to reply with their support for your quest. Then you can stand up and say ‘I am not the only person asking these questions. I have xxxxxx emails in support of me. They also want to know that their assets are not going to be sold.’
I’m sure your network will encompass mine.
This Property CCO does not have the right to sell our assets. The CCOs were not democratically elected. The first bill taking control over Auckland Assets was forced through without access to select committee or a Government run citizen vote.
If you have a network, Penny, your network will have their own networks which will cover New Zealand, and once they know how the government has betrayed Aucklanders and intend to stab other New Zealanders in the back through their once democratic councils, then they will support your fight against the Auckland Property CCO. ECAN knows all about being assassinated by the likes of Hide, Shipley, David Carter and his brother and signed off by Key and Douglas.
Bernard Hickey: Havens for rich tax avoiders will cripple NZ
NZ Herald Sunday May 8, 2011
It really is scary to say this, but I honestly believe Key thinks New Zealand Inc is his business, but not serious business. He’s playing it for fun. He’s got other income so if New Zealand Inc falls over, he can move on to his other businesses.
Meanwhile he’s rerouting all money into the accounts of the already wealthy to buy their support for his knighthood.
Then when NZ is totally fxxked, he will of course not be pm and will be able to buy up large before leaving for Hawaii or the next placement.
And me? I’m going to find it very hard to forgive any of my NAct friends for causing it by voting him in, whether 2008 or worse in 2011.
Key and his hordes are going to cause massive and divisive damage in this country. But that was always the plan. Divide the masses and control the treasury.
There are many questions concerning the inappropriate use of tax-payer money by Prime Minister John Key as well as questions about conflicts of interest in regards to his investment portfolio that need answering. Not only does john Key avoid any investigation into allegations that our NZSAS is in breach of international laws, he avoids any responsibility for his and his fellow MPs misappropriations and lies. This head in the sand mentality must end for New Zealand to have any chance of restoring our democracy. What follows is a Statement by Dayle Takitimu sent to the Gisborne Herald – Challenging John Keys Dishonesty.
All ‘consultations’ with JKeyll should be videotaped and any corruption of the discussion by JKeyll should be forced upon media who can be prosecuted for printing lies and misleading people.
Wish we did have laws that held the media accountable for publishing lies and untruths then we might start to see actual real investigative reporting rather than the present method of reporting by the printing unquestioned press release.
todd: I suspect that since many in the population believe that Maori concerns are insignificant and Key believes he can afford to go with the more popular dismissal of the concerns. He may also believe that the Maori Party are not going to be an asset after the Election should by then even exist , and can be dismissive.
But that position is a dangerous risk. Shows a lack of trustworthiness.
God this guy takes the cake.
“The Labour Party has the same front bench as the one that was thrown out in 2008.” Now correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t Dunne a minister for six years of that government. Wasn’t he a member of the Labour Party in the 1980’s. So, in that case, which front bench needs refreshing, Labour’s or United Future’s. Peter Dunne, in another profession, might be classified as a “swinger”.
Bill English on Checkpoint…approx 5:30pm this evening…
Discussing the defecit, comparing the government attitude to borrowings to what a householder would do, “you cant sell part of the house to reduce your borrowings”
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Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
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Labour have announced they are cutting their communication staff levels in half. Goff said this will demonstrate Labour are serious about cutting unnecessary spending and thought they should put their money where their mouth is – towards more essential spending priorities like KiwiSaver handouts. Goff also hoped that by cutting their spin in half they would only look half as desperate.
Grrr PeteG when you make a troll like comment how about you back it up with a link so we can confirm that what you are saying is true.
Besides if this is what Goff is planning then I totally agree. There is nothing worse than PR produced naff. The meaning is never clear and it sanitises and glosses over the important points. It would be much better for Goff to say it the way it is.
The last great PM communicator was David Lange. He used his own words and spoke simply but clearly. The current imposter is the direct opposite.
Lange was a great speaker, had him speak at functions a number of times after he’d retired and he was exceptional every time.
David Lange was vacuous. That booming voice and commanding manner got him a long way in politics, of course—but he was intellectually indolent, and he was consistently outsmarted and manipulated by far sharper ideologues like Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble, David Caygill, Mike Moore and Michael Bassett.
Because he wasn’t a deep or coherent thinker, Lange couldn’t counter their takeover of the government. In 1989, he realised his helplessness and just gave up.
I commented that he was an exceptional speaker M, however to say he was vacuous is clearly garbage. While some of the policies of his government may have been formulated and led by others in his cabinet to suggest he was vacuous is patently absurd.
…to suggest he was vacuous is patently absurd.
Lange presided over the dismantling, destruction and selling off of much of this country’s public sector. In all that time, he occasionally wrung his hands in public—the “cup of tea”—but he did nothing, in spite of being opposed to what was being done. That was because he lacked the knowledge and depth of learning to challenge the likes of Douglas and Caygill.
In fact, Lange himself enthusiastically set about the attack on the public education sector. He failed to coherently explain himself whenever he was pinned down for a comment; he once in desperation hissed at a woman teacher to “piss off” when she had the temerity to ask him a question in public.
John Key is rightly regarded as vacuous by the liberal left, but he is no worse informed on any subject than Lange was.
Not my impression of Lange. In his areas he was very sharp.
In economics he unfortunately left it to those he thought were more qualified. Often a good idea, but not when you are dealing with dogmatic idealoges.
Which pretty much means any economist these days.
Not my impression of Lange. In his areas he was very sharp.
Impressions are surface features only. Superficially, Lange was plausible. If you analyze what he said—and the worshipful talk about his “oratory” pretty much cancelled that at the time—there was little of depth or sophistication. In many ways, he was a fatter, pakeha version of what many people in the U.S. fell for in 2008.
In economics he unfortunately left it to those he thought were more qualified.
He was asleep at the wheel. Because Lange did not think, or even care, about economic and political theory, he was unable to stand up to the doctrinal marauders in his cabinet.
I thought it was obvious I was
lyingtaking the piss.“I thought it was obvious I was lying/taking the piss.”
That applies to most of your comments, Pete, so the confusion over this one is understandable. Anyway, the fact is that Goff really is getting rid of his PR advisors … by making them successful Labour party candidates.
That is counting against Labour, believe me. The people are sick of bullshit artists.
Finally : Sick of John Key? Bill English? Gerry Brownlee? How much more bullshit artistry do you want? Unfortunately they are protected by their crony media lap-dog ‘journalists’.
I’d like to see more honest hard working capable politicians in all parties.
What about you?
“honest hard working capable politicians”
That rules out John Key then. Three strikes against him.
Question: When does a youth become a man?
16? 17? 18? 19? Apparently the British police have just arrested two men – a 17 year old and a 19 year old. If they were at school, they would be boys. Apparently this age does not necessarily make you eligible to buy alcohol, or vote, but you can fire a machine gun.
I see the Herald describes the age group as “teenagers” and “males”… while RNZ describes it as “men”.
I think 17 is usually the age when you can be trialed as an adult.
Make that: “TRIED as an adult.”
Thank you, Sensei.
どういたしまして。
Ah, so a 17 year old is a teenager, a boy, an adolescent, a youth, a man, and now an adult (and to a much older generation, might even be classed as a youngster). No wonder they are a confused age group.
Why the sudden interest in Clifford Bay as a ferry terminal? I thought this was killed off years ago, is Steven Joyce trying to make a diversion? If so what from? The budget? Or is it that some overseas company is wanting taxpayers’ money for their private project?
A comment on the stuff site says that every time the interislander has it’s port fees up for renewal, they start talking about alternative terminals being built, as a way to ensure the fees don’t rise too much.
I would think that if that has been the case in the past, this specific threat has gone a lot further than any in the past have.
I think moving the terminal is a great idea.
I suspect one of the reasons for moving it will be that they won’t be able to get the ferries up Tory channel any more, once it’s full of salmon farms.
First they came…” is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The text of the quotation is usually presented roughly as follows:
First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
I know many of you have probably seen this before but it’s the first time I have and history makes it all the more poignant. We could easily add the words beneficiaries, preschoolers, young families, university students, Maori, environmentalists etc( in no particular order)
Feel free to add to the list….Surely a tipping point will be reached!
You will enjoy this then LynW
Thank you MrSmith, you understood my point completely.
If you think New Zealand is anything like Germany in that era you haven’t any idea how lucky you are to live in this country in this time. Yes, we should be vigilant and fight to retain freedoms. But we should appreciate how different it is to the difficult times all preceding generations have lived in.
peteG you’re are just making shit up again and I suspect you are just trying to lead us down the Godwin’s law trail as well.
I have relations who lived in the Sudetenland in the 1930’s. I visited them last year. They talked a bit about what it was like back then. Very hard times. They said that at the end of the war the Americans arrived just in time, otherwise they think they would have been annihilated. Instead they were marched out of their homeland, forever.
We grizzle about fuck all in comparison.
The daily suffering of the people in this video is the closest modern version of what the Jewish people in Europe suffered in the 1930s…
Guessing, but that makes you German and Catholic, if thats the case it explains a lot, you probably think where mostly a bunch of Communists trying to start a revolution.
We are the Revolution.
I’m neither, related by marriage, nominally Anglican as a child, practically atheist.
Someone I know well lived in West Berlin in the 70s to early 80s, experienced border security often and visited East Berlin a number of times so saw both sides. The East was generally sad, drab and depressing. Failed.
Sad, drab and depressing. And yet, apparently still preferable to being in a reunited, capitalist Germany .
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,634122,00.html
Oh for Pete’s sake, that’s probably your most desperate comment yet.
No-one is saying NZ is like Germany in the 30s you moron. Sheesh what a retard.
Why don’t you read from the start before making a prat of yourself.
I did you idiot, it was your comment at 11.57 am I replied to.
Well aware of the historical relevance and I reiterate that you’re a moron if you think anyone is comparing NZ to 1930s Germany.
(Except you that is.)
Try LynW’s comment at 8.43am.
“about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.”
“…history makes it all the more poignant. We could easily add the words beneficiaries, preschoolers, young families, university students, Maori, environmentalists etc( in no particular order)
Feel free to add to the list….Surely a tipping point will be reached!”
It’s standard under Godwin’s Law – “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.”
The situation today is nothing like the social and political situation in 1930s Germany, or the rest of Europe, or New Zealand. We have legitimate concerns but they are piddling when compared to many other countries now, and from the past.
Pete catch up. As I said I’m well aware of the origins of the words.
Saying the same analysis can apply to the strategies followed by other govts is not the same thing as saying NZ today is like Germany in the 30s.
If I’m wrong, then you need to show where someone has equated the two. If you can’t, you pulled your criticism out of your arse.
That you haven’t been able to pinpoint such an equating in your last two comments says it all IMO but feel free to try again.
You’re up to same old felix. Try someone else.
Or better, try to contribute something useful.
That’s right Pete, I’m up to the same old calling you on your bullshit.
And you’re up to the same old squirming to avoid admitting the truth.
If I’m wrong, prove me wrong. It should be so easy.
ps I’ll be AFK so you’ll have all day.
Remember this:
On Working for Families, Mr English was overheard on the tape suggesting it would need to be “sorted out” once National was in government.
The comments came only a week after National promised to keep the system in place.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/565277
That was in August 2008 – most of the world has moved on from then.
Do you want to set in concrete everything Goff has said since 1982?
It would be very mixed concrete.
I think what was said in 2008, pre-election, is quite relevant to the government, post-election.
However comparing something that Phil Goff said in 1982 about the government in 80’s really doesn’t have terribly much relevance 20 years later. I thought this would have been obvious, but apparently not.
National made promises about Kiwisaver. Promises that they seem to be about to renounce.
“That was in August 2008 – most of the world has moved on from then.”
Except you of-course PeteG, your lot will have us back in the 1930s pretty soon.
I’m pretty sure they’re aiming for the 1530s actually or, perhaps, the 1130s. You know, before the Magna Carta was signed. Rule by the rich for the rich and whatever the rich say goes.
It is a real shame that the Nact government don’t look back to 1984 because HISTORY is repeating itself. In 1984 the deficit was 21.5 billion due to overseas borrowing. Nine years earlier Muldoon killed compulsory superannuation. Even though Muldoon did not sell off assests the Nact government are scheming to sell off what Muldoon borrowed money for (energy projects).
Nact have put the country back 25 years. The most depressing aspect is that back then people had jobs, not like now. I am wondering how long it is going to take Nact to freeze wages?
no need to freeze wages that are shrinking…….
Latest news reporting Govt borrowing $380m per week.
Disastrous handling of the country’s finances by currency trading wizard Prime Mismanagement.
What’s the next gamble with the blood and sweat of the Kiwi working poor?
Yes and also if the employer has to contribute more to Kiwisaver it is likely that a pay increase will be minimal.
As mentioned below the government are borrowing 380 million a week. I heard that they are stock piling money as the interest rate is lower than it has been.
Anyone who was around age twenty in the mid 1980s would see how screwed the country now is because of the level of debt, the cost of housing/rent, low wages and the most concerning, denial by the government that they are failing those on a low income.
That might explain why roughly 700,000 NZ born Kiwis have fled and are now living in Australia. That figure is equivalent to around 1 in 6 of the people still left in NZ now, bailing on this country tomorrow. Disastrous.
Can someone help we with inserting links please , Browser safari , mac os x
Try turning on the wysiwyg editor with the check box under the edit box. It has link button that looks like a chain. Select some text, press that, and paste the link into the dialog box that pops up.
Otherwise there is a section in the FAQ at the top of the pages to do the text version. Look for simple HTML
Thanks
Although I find that the link button is just greyed out for me, even with the WISIWYG editor on! Don’t know why…
So after the house I’m in having survived with pretty much negligible (very minor contents) damage through all of the quakes thus-far, last night’s 5.3 quake has slightly warped one of the doors/door frames in the bathroom so it doesn’t shut cleanly any more. All of the other doors in the house are fine. Go figure.
Probably pay to get it checked Lanth. It won’t be a load bearing frame, but it could be an indicater of stress elsewhere in the house.
On a related matter, I had a look through this list:
http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/demolitions/
Gutted to see so many of my favourite buildings are gone/going, including the building I would most liked to have owned in the city, Edison Hall. Plus all the shops in Sydenham I used to frequent, the cafes in High St, the pubs and clubs along Colombo and Manchester Streets, all gone. Mind you, it seems the New Excelsior may survive in some form. A small blessing for the thirsty.
I’m renting, so not really my problem 🙂
Will tell the landlords next time I see them (they live in a house on the front of the section so shouldn’t take long).
Mr Smith
(a href=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/565277)English taped(/a)
replace ( and ) with < >
English taped
Tried that exactly Joe. But don’t understand “replace ( and ) with “
Replace the ( symbol and the ) symbol with the lesser and greater symbols that dwell above the comma and full stop.
I just paste the URL, saves faffing about and works. Then everyone can clearly see what you’re linking to, as well.
I prefer people to just paste the URL. I do not like opening unknown web sites. Not a problem from most of the people here, but not a good ideas on the web generally.
It will also tend to get you into auto-moderation periodically. But we’re pretty good at releasing those in reasonable time frame.
Humour, a German TV station gets it wrong.
😆
Key softens up
Try again to link
Hooray! I get it!
(blockquote)your quote(/blockquote)
(p)(i)your itallics(/i)(p)
(strong)your bold text(/strong)
(strike)your strike through text(/strike)
your itallics
your bold text
your strike through texthttp://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/05/top-gear-offensive-steve-coogan?intcmp=239
[deleted]
[lprent: Please don’t quote the whole damn article in the comments section – it isn’t a frigging clipping area. You have the link. All you need to do is to quote enough to get people to go to look at it. In fact just what I did, and you’re just lucky that I was interested enough in the article to do so. Even better would be to put your own content in to say why people should read it. ]
Coogan is a legend.
Indeed he is….
has HEAD OFFICE fixed this election yet or is the branch manger gonna have to do his own dirty work to keep primeministering.
Interesting little piece from Rodney Hide in 2000, I found re the hounding of Ian Mutton by the IRD. In it Hide talks about Section 81 which denies the taxpayer access to the reasons why they are being hounded.
Now why does ‘denies the taxpayer access to the reasons why they are being hounded.’ sound familiar? Perhaps if I changed the word ‘hounded’ to ‘fired’, ‘taxpayer’ to ’employee taxpayer’ and added the words ‘ninety days’, maybe even the idiotological NActMUs would get it.
http://www.act.org.nz/news/ombudsmen-give-taxpayers-greater-ird-rights
NZ steers future of Royal succession
hmmmmm…
Official Information Act: succession response
It appears that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet lied to an OIA request.
Hattip: I/S via Twitter
That’s no real surprise either – conservatives seem inherently incapable of imagining a society without their special people at the top giving commands to the rest of the populace.
The New Zealand Government is much bigger than just the department of the prime minister and cabinet, you know.
I’m pretty sure you’ll find that such an action as discussing the monarchy succession laws comes under the PMs list of responsibilities.
“…special people at the top giving commands to the rest of the populace.”
A bit silly, Draco. What were the last five commands the Queen gave to us?
Not really. All part of the hierarchical mindset – the people at the top give the commands or the commands are given in their name. It the concept that someone must have authority and that people below them and in the chain of command are then acting with that authority. John Key and most of National will see their authority as being an extension of the queens office.
BBC Hard Talk: New Zealand PM John Key: ‘We are 100% pure’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9480610.stm
History does not repeat, it ryhmes (Mark Twain). Funny how we are 100% clean green when it comes to minning, agriculture etc.. how odd. Do we want our cake and eat it as well… i.e. the tourists flocking to see the 100% Pure Brand…
We just have to look back at Li Lin Fu and see the parallels …Honey-Mouthed And Dagger-Hearted (Kou Mi Fu Jian & Pin Yin kǒu mì fù jiàn):
In 742 AD., a capable minister called Li Shi Zhi was favored by the Emperor of Tang. Li Lin Fu pretended not to care, but in fact was trying to find ways to damage him. One day, Li Lin Fu told Li Shi Zhi about some gold that was hidden over in Hua Mountain, and Li Shi Zhi, as Li Lin Fu expected, soon proposed to the Emperor worried about the decrease of the state revenue to mine the gold deposits.
The Emperor then asked Li Lin Fu for his opinion, Li Lin-fu acted very indifferently, saying “I knew about the gold mine a long time ago, and I didn’t tell it to your Majesty on purpose.”
“Why?” said the king in surprise.
“According to Taoist principles, Hua Mountain is in the place where all of Your Majesty’s auspicious aurora are gathered. Any damage to that area will certainly be harmful to your health and state. Who is it that brings out such a foolish idea? ”
Hearing this, the Emperor thought that Li Shi Zhi was not as considerate as Li Lin Fu, and later demoted the former to remote area.
It gets worse, check this out:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1105/S00126/freshwater-announcements-need-to-go-further.htm
The Environmental Defence Society has expressed concern about aspects of the announcements on freshwater made at the Prime Minister’s press conference today.
“The key concern is that the National Policy Statement, which will become law shortly, has been watered down from the version recommended by the Board of Inquiry last year,” said EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.
So in other words, he who controls the law or standards in this case, controls the truth….
Jonkey has moved on from lying to just us. He’s now lying to the whole world.
I also LOVED the bit where he considers scientific facts as “just one man’s opinion”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9480610.stm
Unbelievable! Actually, come to think of it, it’s not unbelievable—Key’s cynicism and arrogance are hardly a surprise. Note his airy dismissal of scientists—“they’re just like lawyers”—and his scoffing attitude throughout.
Stephen Sackur looks like a second-rater when he goes up against superior intellects—but against Key, Sackur is clearly in the ascendant.
Martyn Payne, a UK migrant who invested his life savings of $700,000 and six years of his life into turning a struggling Northland garage into a thriving business employing seven people was kicked out of New Zealand on April 23rd.
His appeal to Kate Wilkinson, the Associate Immigration Minister, that medical evidence supplied showed he would not be a drain on the New Zealand health service was declined. Kate Wilkinson has stated she will not review this case unless there is new evidence, ignoring additional reports from a doctor and a heart specialist sent to her confirming Payne’s stance.
Is this good for New Zealand?
Is Wilkinson sending a message to entrepreneurs around the world?
Do you think Martyn Payne has been treated fairly.
Info, links and petition here:
http://www.move2nz.com/support_martyn_payne.aspx
This person seems to be suitable for the Govt buy a passport scheme. –
What happened to the woman from India? with 2 NZ born children in the BOP area? who was being deported as an overstayer about 6 months ago?
I wonder if he would be allowed to stay if he was Chinese…
10 May 2011
UPCOMING AUCKLAND ‘EVENT’!
If people can attend – to both find out what is going on plus be there in support – that would be great!
Fellow ‘Public Watchdog’ Lisa Prager and myself each have 10 minutes to address the Auckland Council Property CCO (Auckland Council Properties Ltd – ACPL) about the lack of transparency regarding the ‘interests’ of the unelected Board and staff; information publicly available pertaining to properties administered by the ACPL; and public involvement in the decision-making process as to which properties are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ and whether or not they should be ‘disposed of’:
‘OPEN LETTER’
10 May 2011
Dear Emma,
Thank you for confirming my 10 minutes ‘speaking rights’ to address the ‘Public Forum’ of the upcoming Auckland Council Property Ltd (ACPL) meeting to be held on:
Thursday 12 May 2011
9.30am,
Bancorp Offices,
Qantas House,
Level 11,
191 Queen Street,
Auckland City.
The subject matter of my ‘deputation’, will include:
1) As a publicly-acknowledged ‘anti-corruption’ campaigner, having attended two internationally significant ‘anti-corruption’ conferences, I am concerned at the apparent lack of structural openness, transparency and accountability in the ACPL ‘framework’.
a) Where is a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’ for the unelected Board of ACPL CCO appointees and staff responsible for property and procurement?
(How can ‘conflicts of interest’ be avoided if ‘interests’ are not declared beforehand?
Do any unelected Board of ACPL appointees and staff responsible for property and procurement, have links with property developers, business associates/investors/ individuals who could take pecuniary advantage of such connections?)
b) What audit processes have been established by the Auckland Council, to ensure ‘Council control’ over this ACPL ‘Council Controlled Organisation’, in order to prevent the above-mentioned potential ‘conflicts of interest’ ?
c) What audit processes are/have been carried out by ‘independent statutory third party ‘Public Watchdogs such as the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) to double-check that there are ‘open, transparent and accountable’ processes in place to help prevent such potential ‘conflicts of interest’?
d) Has the ACPL entered into contracts with the private sector for any goods or services?
e) Is there a central ‘Register of Contracts’, publicly-available, which details for public scrutiny: the name of the consultant/contractor; the scope, term and value of the contract?
f) How many staff employed by the ACPL are ‘in-house’ employees as opposed to ‘contracted’, or ‘temporary’ employees, and how much money is being spent on each category?
g) j) Where is the publicly-available ‘list’ of ALL property administered by the ACPL, with the following information?
i) Property name.
ii) Physical street address.
iii) Property history (how did it become a ‘council’ property – ie: was it BEQUESTED, and if so – for what purpose).
iv) Who is currently using this property and for what purpose.
v) If property is unused – for how long has this been the case.
h) What is the mechanism by which it is decided which Auckland Council ‘properties’ are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’?
i) Given that ALL Auckland Council property assets are supposedly owned by citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region – by what process do we ‘the public’ ‘have a say’ in determining which Auckland Council ‘properties’ are deemed ‘surplus to requirements’?
j) What is the ‘consultation’ process that is/will be carried out by the ACPL with citizens and ratepayers of the Auckland region before ANY Auckland Council property assets are sold?
________________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
Penny Bright
I have a meeting or I would have been there to support you. If you have a network I suggest you send them an email and get them to reply with their support for your quest. Then you can stand up and say ‘I am not the only person asking these questions. I have xxxxxx emails in support of me. They also want to know that their assets are not going to be sold.’
I’m sure your network will encompass mine.
This Property CCO does not have the right to sell our assets. The CCOs were not democratically elected. The first bill taking control over Auckland Assets was forced through without access to select committee or a Government run citizen vote.
If you have a network, Penny, your network will have their own networks which will cover New Zealand, and once they know how the government has betrayed Aucklanders and intend to stab other New Zealanders in the back through their once democratic councils, then they will support your fight against the Auckland Property CCO. ECAN knows all about being assassinated by the likes of Hide, Shipley, David Carter and his brother and signed off by Key and Douglas.
Unknown Earthquake Effect #10;
New beaches courtesy of rockfall into the sea.
Bernard Hickey: Havens for rich tax avoiders will cripple NZ
NZ Herald Sunday May 8, 2011
It really is scary to say this, but I honestly believe Key thinks New Zealand Inc is his business, but not serious business. He’s playing it for fun. He’s got other income so if New Zealand Inc falls over, he can move on to his other businesses.
Meanwhile he’s rerouting all money into the accounts of the already wealthy to buy their support for his knighthood.
Then when NZ is totally fxxked, he will of course not be pm and will be able to buy up large before leaving for Hawaii or the next placement.
And me? I’m going to find it very hard to forgive any of my NAct friends for causing it by voting him in, whether 2008 or worse in 2011.
Key and his hordes are going to cause massive and divisive damage in this country. But that was always the plan. Divide the masses and control the treasury.
Our Prime Minister is Corrupt
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/our-prime-minister-is-corrupt.html
There are many questions concerning the inappropriate use of tax-payer money by Prime Minister John Key as well as questions about conflicts of interest in regards to his investment portfolio that need answering. Not only does john Key avoid any investigation into allegations that our NZSAS is in breach of international laws, he avoids any responsibility for his and his fellow MPs misappropriations and lies. This head in the sand mentality must end for New Zealand to have any chance of restoring our democracy. What follows is a Statement by Dayle Takitimu sent to the Gisborne Herald – Challenging John Keys Dishonesty.
Todd,
All ‘consultations’ with JKeyll should be videotaped and any corruption of the discussion by JKeyll should be forced upon media who can be prosecuted for printing lies and misleading people.
Wish we did have laws that held the media accountable for publishing lies and untruths then we might start to see actual real investigative reporting rather than the present method of reporting by the printing unquestioned press release.
todd: I suspect that since many in the population believe that Maori concerns are insignificant and Key believes he can afford to go with the more popular dismissal of the concerns. He may also believe that the Maori Party are not going to be an asset after the Election should by then even exist , and can be dismissive.
But that position is a dangerous risk. Shows a lack of trustworthiness.
The country is, frankly, over and dunne with Peter:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4985054/Dunne-burns-bridges-with-Labour
God this guy takes the cake.
“The Labour Party has the same front bench as the one that was thrown out in 2008.” Now correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t Dunne a minister for six years of that government. Wasn’t he a member of the Labour Party in the 1980’s. So, in that case, which front bench needs refreshing, Labour’s or United Future’s. Peter Dunne, in another profession, might be classified as a “swinger”.
– Newsroom news flash –
“Leading Monarchy Changes – The Prime Minister is lobbying for Monarchy changes to remove discrimination based on gender and religion.”
For fish and chips sake, leave them to it. Focus on relevant issues that really matter in NZ.
Bill English on Checkpoint…approx 5:30pm this evening…
Discussing the defecit, comparing the government attitude to borrowings to what a householder would do, “you cant sell part of the house to reduce your borrowings”
Does this mean asset sales are off the agenda?
Another Winston Pearler Good grief hes even talking about peak oil.
I reckon hes been hanging out on the Standard
And now for something completely different. 😆