Open mike 10/10/09
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6:00 am, October 10th, 2009 - 20 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags: play nice
We’re trying a daily “Open mike”.
This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you…
20 comments on “Open mike 10/10/09 ”
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Customs Minister Casey Costello has praised the work of Customs’ Child Exploitation Operations Team (CEOT) for their commitment to combat the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. This specialist team in Customs features in an hour-long documentary, Unmasking the Monsters, which airs tonight on TVNZ 1. “It’s important that Customs has taken this ...7 hours ago - Prime Minister’s scholarships awarded
New Zealand is strengthening its global connections with Asia and Latin America, as 119 individual recipients have been awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships for education experiences abroad, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Expanding New Zealand’s global engagement through world-class international education is a key government priority,” Ms Simmonds ...8 hours ago
- Climate Minister to see Antarctica research first-hand
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is travelling to Antarctica on Monday to see the impacts of climate change first-hand and see New Zealand’s scientific work on the ice. “Antarctica is under increasing pressure from climate change, with rapid changes to the Antarctic ice sheet, ice shelves, sea ice, and biodiversity now ...13 hours ago
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Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...3 days ago
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- District Court Judge appointed
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- Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
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The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...4 days ago
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- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...5 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...6 days ago
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The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...6 days ago
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Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...6 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...6 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...6 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...6 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...6 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...6 days ago
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- Health survey results to help drive change
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- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...6 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...7 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...7 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...7 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...1 week ago
- Greens capitulate, announcing they will ‘wave through’ Labor’s Help to Buy and Build to Rent h...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government has stared down the Greens over its Help to Buy and Build to Rent housing legislation, with the minor party announcing late Monday it will “wave through” the legislation in the Senate this ...2 hours ago - After nearly 10 years of debate, COP29’s carbon trading deal is seriously flawed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Dooley, Senior Research Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne Negotiators at the COP29 climate conference in Baku have struck a landmark agreement on rules governing the global trade of carbon credits, bringing to a close ...2 hours ago
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Commissioner Richard Chambers says it will make responding to crime in the CBD faster and more effective. ...5 hours ago - Cristopher Luxon and Police Commissioner announce new Auckland police station
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The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Locked-out Auckland bus drivers offer to drive school children for free on Monday
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10602399
Don’t know who’s handling their PR strategy but they’re bloody good.
NZ Bus on the other hand have only succeeded in looking belligerent and intransigent.
He He infratil will be fuming.
If Auckland bus fares are anything like here in Dunedin I would have thought it easy enough and small enough for much more than $1.80/hr/driver to be added to each fare to cover the cost for NZ Bus … better than loosing $150T a day while there are no services. Management are being stupid and unhelpful from what I hear on National Radio from their spokesperson.
where’s the strident defense of acc entitlements now?
The “blow-out” is just the same tired juking of the numbers we saw last time Smith tried this. I may post on it at some stage this weekend.
Yea thought ACC was struggling, but not quite this much! Few suggestions:
1. Get rid of the free physio cover for injuries that have occurred on the sports field.For other accidents/injuries cover should not be free. Perhaps 50% subsidised.
2. Require that everyone contribute into a personal accident cover savings account held by the IRD. If operations or physio are needed then funds from this savings account can be used. Any funds left in this savings account when you reach 65 get paid out to you in full.
The nice thing about the current system is that it doesn’t really matter how you got your injury, you are covered so that you get the best treatment and get back to work quickly.
Taking this away could have a chilling effect on how people enjoy themselves in their free time.
You mean to say that the over 65yo don’t injure themselves? 🙂 Any funds that are collected need to be part of a person’s estate as ACT suggests.
Healthcare should be fully subsidised for those over 65. The problem with the current system is no one feels like they are spending their own money when they make unnecessary visits to the doctor/physio etc. If you the money coming out of your funds you might not get the abuse of the system that we currently see.
What is it with the Espiners ? Did an environmentalist bully them at school?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/on-the-house/
What is it with the Espiners? did they get bullied at school by an environmentalist or something?
Last week we had Guyan Conduct a shocking interview with Meteria
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2009/10/sorry-was-i-still-talking-while-you-were-interrupting/
and now Colin pops out a complete load of twaddle
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/on-the-house/2949774/Green-grow-the-rushes
I just love the way he equates the Greens with the English rort
Meteria did not help things with her poor performance without answering some valid questions (from memory there wwere only 2 subjects – International Trade and the Housing ). What is an interviewer suppose to do when questions asked do not tie up with the reply or avoidance of the question.
As someone said “Espiner had ADD in the interview,”
he never gave Met chance to speak without interrupting
And yes “free trade” might not be as free as you think eh ?
in my experience never trust anyone who calls themselves colin.
signed: MIke
Nice little glimmer on the US msm networks.
MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan and Mark Ames discussing ‘corporate communism’, a term coined to describe the rorting of the US economy by the banking and health care industries.
(Links to another worthwhile Dylan Ratigan slot where he crucifies Betsy ‘ Death Panel’ McCaughey)
Anyway, in the comments below the piece, someone (comment 4) points out that what is happening is essentially Italian Fascism and there is no need to invent a new phrase, but as another commentator wryly notes,(comment 6) fascists feel proud and strong about being called fascists, but corporate commie pinko fags?
For all his “more market” stance, Brian Gaynor continues to be the average punter’s best business columnist in New Zealand. In today’s piece he offers sage advice for those individuals silly enough to consider investing in the New Zealand sharemaket and spells out in simple language one of the myriad murky ways of the financial world.
I second BLiP’s recommendation. You could just about throw away all those books in investing if you read Gaynor’s column. You’ll also start to feel quite thirsty 🙂
The Myer float is interesting. They’re flogging it to death in Australia, of course, with ads which seem to be trying to imply that you’ll get to meet Jennifer Hawkins at the AGMs if only you’ll buy a share or two.
Thankfully sager minds such as I aren’t lured by this sort of nonsense.
We’re waiting till David Jones needs a cash top-up in the hope they’ll offer to send Miranda Kerr round to our house with a copy of the prospectus.
The Employers And Manufacturers Association advocates state censorship as a solution to the problems concerning the s92A of the Copyright Act.
Who cares about pesky civil liberties when they interfere with business, eh?
And now for something completely different!
Sad, in many ways, that the Israeli blockade of Gaza has led to this.
Thankyou for the link Toad 🙂 Let’s hope the Obama Nobel prize gives him enough edge to solve the problem over there. We were rather more hopeful back in February when nominations were made than I am now.