I am a trenchant critic of this timid majority Labour Govt. for not facing up to the biggies such as mega state house build etc…but…I can still celebrate the useful reforms that have proceeded such as school lunch implementation.
For those that may not know, Kaitaia based Bells Produce including its Pukepoto market gardens, mentioned as a supplier in the article, is now owned and operated by the commercial arm of Far North Iwi Te Rarawa as they like others in Tai Tokerau move into horticulture.
If you're doing any project that requires electronic components, the lead times are not pretty at the moment. Chipaggedon is a thing and it's spreading across the board.
Quick tip, any large orders, tell your vendor as far out as possible to help them with planning. Then work with them to prioritise the items you need. Chip shortage is going to hit everyone and everything.
…"Facebook is now removing groups and pages which discourage people from getting vaccinated regardless of whether the content is true…."
I can't find any printed article that specifically states that this is what Facebook intends, although there are any number berating Facebook for failing to eradicate vaccine 'disinformation and misinformation'.
It is a concern that it is considered to be the best line of attack to suppress truth when the Official Narrative is losing ground.
Hannah said the anti-vaccination leaflet often arrived in people’s letter boxes at the same time as official Covid-19 information on the vaccine plan.
“Which is really concerning, because obviously it creates a sense of like-for-like,” she said.
Data suggested the people heading anti-vaccination groups were closely related to anti-1080 efforts, gun control, and anti-5G, Hannah said.
“All of these hot-button issues are interconnected and the people who are spearheading these conversations on social media and at public events are talking to each other.”
The gist of my post, Incognito, is that Facebook considers deplatforming groups disseminating truth an appropriate response to any content that discourages vaccination.
Do you think this is a good idea? Are you comfortable with this level of censorship?
Who determines what facts/truths are acceptable?
Simply pulling up just one of many of the 'oooh this is really scary stuff because it is not what the government is telling us!!!' quotes is just dodging the issue.
Its core medical knowledge. Its not really up for dispute over whether its factual.
As well its in FB terms and conditions that they can moderate opinions….. in this instance that dispute core medical knowledge…like a supermarket can search your bags as a condition of entry . They decide.
Yes – this is a tough one. This is the kind of discussion I really don't know how to resolve and is very difficult for public health authorities to manage.
One I agree that we have zero information on the long-term safety of these new generation vaccines. That health authorities don't want us thinking about this is not reassuring at all.
Secondly there is good reason to be concerned about the evolutionary pressure we're putting the virus under by vaccinating during a pandemic. Again zero long-term information is available.
And thirdly there is a reasonable possibility that these highly targeted vaccines will not only be less effective against new mutations, but that they may even block the action of latter more broadly acting ones that could be developed.
And finally – are we comfortable with the idea that maybe we'll be needing annual booster shots as we do with seasonal flu?
All these are open questions that we just don't have good answers for at present at a population level, but for the time being for any individual the risk of harm from a vaccine is orders of magnitude lower than the risk of getting serious COVID. The only way we will get solid information is by watching places like the UK and Israel which have taken the lead with aggressive vaccination campaigns. So far Israel is looking good – but it's early days yet to say anything much about the longer term impacts.
Here's my plan – I avoid crowds in indoor spaces, I'm still taking 2000 IU VitD daily, I have a small stock of Ivermectin as an emergency measure only, and I'm booked for an AZ shot later this week.
Yes, good informed discussion is needed, as always. Are Social Media such as FB and Twitter the right place to enable and ‘moderate’ and even lead this? Are they conducive to healthy or harmful [pun] debate?
Not all those vaccines are “new generation”.
Your second point is academic and has been surpassed by events, e.g. in the UK and Israel and other places around the World. NZ cannot watch from down under and expect to be immune from any consequences of mass vaccinations elsewhere. How long should we wait?
Your third point is also a research question that cannot be answered in a meaningful way by lay-people.
I’d imagine that people who are at higher risk from Covid would be more comfortable with yearly vaccinations like for the flu than people who think they are bulletproof. Are you talking about individual or population level?
Seeding doubts and keeping or turning people vaccine ‘hesitant’ might well lead to negative consequences and open Pandora’s box to problems down the track.
While the subject is kinda irrelevant the actions are chilling.
I am surprised how quickly nuance, tolerance and the willingness to hear a dissenting voice has gone from exchanges or debates. Thus us particularly true here on TS.
While it was occuring before, the Trump presidential nomination and election really exaserbated things.
Some (lots), are quick to label conspiracy theory, add an ad hom and walk away.
Yes. Way too easy to be reactive biff toys about and exit stage left than think about stuff – because there's so much damn stuff to think about. It's as much mental health as it is ignorance. And yes, Trump has a lot to do with it. Willingly or not, he got us all to stamp our feet petulantly and act a little less mature.
If you query the vaccine… the historical anti-vaxxers spring to mind, many of which were deeply steeped in idiocy, and are a danger to public health.
And of course, the tinfoil hat type anti-vaxxer will be absolutely LOVING this, where, as RL points out (3.1.1.2) there are questions to be made.
By the time you've qualified genuine concerns you're already being shouted down and nobody wants to know. Because FEAR. Genuine, palpable, background level fear, all this time. We want off this ride.
So freaking messy. To me it seems the virus is already proving adept at staying ahead of our efforts, because we are not working together as a race we are self obsessed. We're disjointed by geography, tech levels, economics, politics, patents, religious beliefs and breakdown of trust in institutions.
That's misleading (kills 50% of infected – when you're discussing covid 'side effects') so let's clarify a bit.
Mucormycosis kills 50% of people who get it. It is rare, it is not contagious.
It is rare as it requires a weak immune system to overcome. Recovering covid patients have weakened immunity via the virus and some medication… and so mucormycosis is, as one would predict, more prevalent in covid patients.
This seems largely restricted to India where environmental conditions favour the fungi. It's a perfect storm of conditions right there right now.
It could possibly be an issue in other areas of similar climate. Where health systems are not overwhelmed air filtration and temperature control where patients are recovering could reduce infection rates considerably.
To me, the main issue in many debates on sensitive and complex issues is that people assume equivalence of voices, i.e. the veracity and validity of their opinions, arguments, and even facts are equal. In almost all cases, this not the case, which is almost (!) impossible to accept for some (…). This doesn’t mean that one voice should be silenced, so to speak, but it does mean that that voice may not have and cannot demand equal weight in the debate and ultimately in the decision(s).
Governments have a legal and moral duty to govern and act in the best interest of all people, which in practice means in the interest of many. In almost all cases this allows people to choose, at least in a free and democratic country. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is a binary decision, but it is not a purely individual one. If I choose to get vaccinated I won’t harm anybody else. OTOH, if I refuse to get vaccinated I might cause harm to somebody else, in future, when I catch the infectious disease and spread it to others. If I cannot get vaccinated, e.g. because of a pre-existing medical condition, I’d really like it if everybody else whom I might get into contact with chooses to get vaccinated, but can I demand this from them? Similar thoughts apply to climate change, for example, where harm to others may eventuate and occur in the next generation.
Can't argue with any of that (apart from the idea that a vaccinated person can't harm anyone else, but I don't wanna get bogged down in that…).
What I was getting at is our new found propensity to other, to pop people into a category therefore to not have to listen. eg pointing out inconsistencies in 'The Russians!' stories makes you a Putin fan.
With that in mind, Cheers for your efforts in moderating this place, I don't always agree with what goes on, then again the ref hardly ever gets praised.
I have to be brutally honest with you; I don’t know how I should deal with your situation and take into consideration (the) mitigating circumstances, knowing what I know now about you. It weighs on my mind.
Moderators are not cannot be mind readers or psychologists, for example, and they don’t know the personal history & situation of commenters. When I do know something about them, e.g. because of what they have divulged in their comments, I tend to give them more slack.
It is never personal, despite what some seem to think, but to me it is somewhat of a poisoned chalice moderating comments by other people. I wanted to put this on record here.
Judge Mahon said the mother believed anyone could read the information on the Internet and reach an informed view, and she did not accept the expert’s view before her own.
“In other words, the mother’s Internet research, which had found multiple sources of data opposed to vaccination, meant she could have an opinion which could carry the same weight with the court as that of the expert.
“She felt that her detailed Internet search of articles on the issues enabled her to reach her own, equally as authoritative conclusions on the risks of immunisations for her children.”
Oooooohhhhh, don’t get me started! I’m a strong advocate of sharing knowledge and knowledge (re)sources but some of these should not be freely shared. In such cases, I’m more than happy to stay ignorant and if knowledge is power then all power to the cognoscenti; too much knowledge can be dangerous.
New age shaman, antivaxer, covid denier, white supremacist, neo-nazi, Q-anon conspirators, inhabiting the same online chat groups, involved in the storming of the US capital building.
In the real world and online.
Should they be treated the same?
Experts say at present there is no conclusive evidence to comment on the impact that this variant can have on vaccines but the presence of E484K mutation in it is a cause for concern.
E484K is a major immune escape variant and is also found in a number of emerging lineages across the world. Immune escape variants are those mutations that help the variant to evade the immune system and possibly result in compromising vaccine efficacy.
A WHO official said Monday it is reclassifying the highly contagious triple-mutant Covid variant spreading in India as a “variant of concern” at the global level.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead for Covid-19, said the agency will provide more details in its situation report Tuesday.
The more times a virus replicates, the greater the chance for individually low-probability viable mutations to occur. Which will be selected for, or against, by environmental pressures. Even if people care nothing for the wellbeing of others, surely they can see that; no one is safe from SARS-CoV-2 until everyone is safe from that virus?
I have typed that paragraph (or similar) many time over the last year, though it always seems to bear repeating. But as a decaying cherry oozing on top of your triple-layered cake, Sabine; there is also this peril for Indian infected:
A rare black fungus that invades the brain is being increasingly seen in vulnerable patients in India, including those with Covid-19, as the health system continues to struggle in the midst of the pandemic…
Covid-19 was creating conditions for the infection to take hold. People’s immune systems were being compromised by the virus, and mucormycosis was being seen in particular in patients who also have diabetes.
“We give a lot of high dose steroids now to people with Covid-19 if they end up in intensive care as the steroids help to treat inflammation, but the steroids unfortunately also suppress your immune system.
“So that’s why we don’t like giving steroids to patients longer than we absolutely have to. We’re trying to decrease your inflammation with the steroids but that actually means your ability to fight normal infections, like fungus, is also compromised.”
Fortunately, it looks like NonSteroidal-AntiInflammatory Drugs (eg ibuprofen) are not associated with negative health outcomes for COVID. Though this study is more about nonprescribed usage in Britain, so may not be generalizable to therapeutic NSAID use in India.
Hipkins has come out swinging… saying that plenty of coverage of the public servants pay proposals are inaccurate . hes never used word 'freeze'
'I'd completely reject the notion that this is austerity. Saying that we want the people on the lowest incomes to do disproportionately better than those on the highest incomes when it comes to spending additional money on salaries is not austerity. It's the opposite of it."
He also introduced new language for discussing the pay restraint’s bands.
“The guidance breaks down three categories for public sector pay, ‘lift’ (those at $60,000 or below), ‘adjust’ (those between $60 and $100,000) and ‘hold’ (those above $100,000).”
This was the directive by dear Grant yesterday, i guess the memo got around, now if the pesky journalists and nurses and doctors and other non understanding people would just do as they are told. tsk tsk tsk. No candy for them.
Adjust, because what public service employees need is their pay to be specially reviewed by the PSA for exemplary service to earn any salary adjustment.
And they have apparently decided that money will be saved over all despite measures specifically to Lift incomes below 60k.
Now, if only Chippie could have explained himself more clearly the whole missunderstanding could be avoided. In fact he could probably still redeem himself by announcing systematic above inflation increases for everyone on under 60k instead (which is surely what he meant to say), though treasury would have a hope of costing that up correctly, and it doesn't sound like a cost saving.
When they get hold of a dictionary, it should become apparent why, the public correctly equates cost savings with austerity.
'I'd completely reject the notion that this is austerity. Saying that we want the people on the lowest incomes to do disproportionately better than those on the highest incomes when it comes to spending additional money on salaries is not austerity. It's the opposite of it."
Just a one word description of Hipkins' statement above – rhetoric!
The root of the word [rhetoric] is from Greek ῥητορικὴ [τέχνη] roughly meaning 'the art of speech'. We haven't learned much valuable new stuff over what they knew about one thousand years ago. Doh!
The problem with that version is that there was zero media interest in public service pay until the govt announced this was an area of cost saving (an idea which came from out of nowhere).
When this started it was started by Chris and Grant and it will go away again when they announce above inflation pay hikes for those under 60k which will grow the public sector wage bill, not shrink it.
When the only general labour market announcement that anyone appears to have taken any notice of what sounds like an austerity wage freeze – the problem just may not vanish under spin. Nothing to rein in the rest of the wild west labour market.
But hey we are putting places aside for so called "critical" workers to keep that pesky labour market under control. So much for training locals and creating workable jobs for them. Doesn't sound like the importing employers are required to train locals either. Plus some of them seem to want the government to meet the costs of them coming with more handouts to them.
I am in situation that i find conflicting. I have a possum in the are that i see every now and then on the fences of our properties. Very funny actually when it freezes and pretends to be dead. To some extend the ugly beaast is cute.
I guess i should shoot it or something, and I am not gonna lay traps as there are other critters about. Chances are they too are considered a pest. What to do?
But yes, this country needs to get rid of fences and replace them with hedges.
One thing that i miss is the 'common' right to get to places crossing farm land in a respectable way, as we have in mainland Europe. Yes, fences are used but not to the extend as i have seen here. The mind can not comprehend. The tractor roads that criss cross fields (not for cattle) are used by bicylists, hikers, and link from village to villages, very much like many of the old pilgrim routes. Here the tractor is on the Motorway competing for space with the cyclist. The mind can not comprehend.
And hedges, fruit bearing hedges would be such a good solution at least to the visual aspect of the fences, and yes, the environment.
I guess unless we introduce the human species back into its natural habitat nothing much will change. We need to be taught how to be wildlings again.
Yeh! Bring back the gorse hedges of yesteryear. Such a glorious golden look. They early settlers were so thoughtful when they brought in gorse as a hedge plant.
On second thoughts, as someone who lives in Wellington and has spent decades trying to keep it out of my garden, I think I would prefer that they stick to wire fences.
In the meantime I think you should shoot the bloody possums. If you are allowed to buy a rifle of course.
Europe ain't the UK. We have a lot of hedges in Europe and non of them are gorse. In fact the only time i have ever seen that plant is here in NZ. And besides it has its uses as it is a good nursery plant for other more desirable trees. Its nature makes it a hostile environment for pests that would otherwise munch these saplings away.
How can any police officer not be aware that they should probably ease back on the choke holds after the Chauvin trial? But apparently Taupō cops are just that clueless – even when being filmed:
Witness Terina Wall was walking down Ruapehu St at about 4:26pm the day of the arrest when she saw a group of youths standing outside with three officers. She told Newshub when she got there, there was "no disruption" coming from the teens, nor was there any swearing.
The boy seen in the video was standing at the window and asking officers for his vape back before they restrained him, Wall says. He wasn't trying to make physical contact with police…
The part of the incident shown in the video happened after all but one of the boys was detained by police and were in the police car. The 14-year-old's mother said in a message to a relative the teens were detained for having "fake guns with the orange tips". Wall says she didn't see or hear any imitation guns.
When the teen was pinned to the ground, all Wall says she heard was him shouting "you're hurting me".
"That's when I started yelling at police saying you don't need to put that much pressure on his neck," she says.
"He wasn't trying to get away from the cops, he was just trying to tell him he was hurting. He was just trying to keep himself safe."
The teen was "going with the motions" and wasn't trying to resist arrest, she adds. Police put his knee on the teen's neck not once but twice during the incident.
So did the police just mistake vapes for guns and then refuse to admit their error? Sure the (no angel, blah blah blah) 14year old kid was never going to get the vape back, as it is illegal for them to have been sold it. But the police officer was supposedly the adult in that situation.
Also, if you are in the area; "a peaceful protest against "lawless behaviour" has been organised for May 22 at 1pm outside Taupō Police Station".
So did the police just mistake vapes for guns and then refuse to admit their error?
if the police mistakes vapes with orange tips for guns 'with orange tips?' then the police needs to be send back to police school and shown the difference of vapes and guns.
I honestly doubt that they misunderstood, and it should scare us if they did.
I had high hopes for the Police with the appointment of the new commissioner but they are fast fading.
This story, the video I posted a day or so ago of an officer kicking a handcuffed guy on the ground in the head and earlier, in April, the cop shoving a teen to the ground after a verbal exchange. (The youngster was stationery, telling the cop not to call his girlfriend a skank).
Accountability, extra training and support/mentoring are needed.
& within the last hour, there's this (again with a 14year old kid!):
14-year-old was bitten as he ran away from the car he was driving in rural south of Hamilton two years ago.
The IPCA report noted the young person spent two days in hospital after being bitten on his leg by the dog.
It said the injury was "severe" and he may need skin grafts in future.
IPCA chair Judge Colin Doherty said the level of offending did not warrant a police dog being deployed to bite him.
"While there was no issue with police using the dog to track him, the offending that he had possibly been involved in was not at a level that warranted a police dog being deployed to bite him," he said.
Though Waikato police are still making excuses; "fast-moving and dynamic situation" seems to be the goto line these days. There is no mention of any penalty, or even retraining, for the doghandler who sent their beast to maul a child.
This judge has actually handed down a decent sentence – over 8 years in jail (probably only serve half of that for good behavior???). But still serves him right.
About time they gave a decent sentence to a fraudster. They do far more than simple economic damage. They damage trust and create rifts. They sow doubt and confusion by their very nature con-artists. And they're never guilty, like the creep in the story who stole 17M and thinks he's all good.
I've dealt with a couple of these. Sociopaths – and every mug who's not learnt hard lessons climbs right up their ass. Then communities become divided as the fallout begins to emerge. They take sides, while the con artist takes all.
"the biggest fraud in New Zealand tax history. The penalty needed to be suitably high. The offending involved a high degree of planning and premeditation and only stopped when Bracken became aware it had been detected."
and he gets 8 years?…
This is a tricky one for me as I'm not big on Prison or long sentences…but seeing as this is the system we have ..how on earth is the sentence so low?
Great to see the IRD catching these crooks. His attitude so typical. Falsified documents "I did nothing wrong" …. "It was my company" lol lol Pull the other one.
His assumption of being beyond the law is just staggering, Jimmy. These words seem like they come from a Bundy acolyte "sovereign citizen":
Bracken told the court he had always done what his accountants and his bank had asked.
“I really tried hard to get it 100 per cent right … I can put my hand on heart and say that. I don’t consent to sentencing and being kidnapped … I want to go home to my family. I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said…
Bracken’s wife Margaret Bracken told the judge the family felt like Bracken was being kidnapped and the decision on his punishment should be up to his hapū.
“You have no rights,” she told the judge.
Justice Lang said Bracken had not presented any evidence to contradict the Crown case, and he rejected Bracken’s assertion that it was a legal entity that had offended, not him, and he shouldn’t be jailed.
“Sadly the courts are required to sentence people to prison every day of the week. You are no exception to that process,” Justice Lang said.
Though (if he is not lying through his teeth), if any bank, or accountant, did assist him in running his tax-scam; surely they should be in court right alongside Bracken?
Problem is people of this nature will gladly destroy others lives to maintain their illusion of self. He'd throw whole firms of accountants to the wolves if it lessened his sentence.
IRD can follow the money rightly enough. If others are involved they'll know.
This angle keeps popping up … its fairly recent angle that some nutters believe you have to 'give consent' for being arrested or charged over offences.
His claims about following the advice of banks and accountants has to be seen in that light, its a fantasy world hes living in.. Criminal proceeds action now follows and they will find out they will be loosing practically everything
Maybe they are confused with the right to not consent to medical treatment, manwhocannotdienz?
That happened to me the other week; with police coming over and detaining me on my doorstep for an hour until an ambulance arrived and tried to cart me off. But they eventually stopped pressuring me after I got them to accept that I didn't consent, and to admit that I wasn't under arrest. Basically for being an inconvenience in persistently seeking medical help elsewhere.
Anyway, there is likely to be a fair bit of overlap between; sovereign citizens, anti-vaxxers, and other conspiracy theorists. Importantly, though the internet does facilitate international communication, and mass-movements; you should always check your local laws before proceeding on the basis of any plan developed overseas.
(1)If any person is found wandering at large in any public place and acting in a manner that gives rise to a reasonable belief that he or she may be mentally disordered, any constable may, if he or she thinks that it would be desirable in the interests of the person or of the public to do so,—
(a) take that person to a Police station, hospital, or surgery, or to some other appropriate place; and
(b)arrange for a medical practitioner to examine the person at that place as soon as practicable.
I was neither mentally disordered, nor in a public place, so that didn't apply – still good to know though. This; Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, is what I was referring to:
Your rights under the code include…
a right to make an informed choice and give your informed consent before you undergo a test, procedure or treatment
a right to be treated with respect and dignity, taking into account your cultural needs and values
Where had you been before 'they arrived on your doorstep'…they dont just turn up out of the blue and single you out.
‘Basically for being an inconvenience in persistently seeking medical help elsewhere.’
I wonder why they wouldnt treat you. Personality disorders are usually not ‘treatable’
I don't mind the snideness too much; just because something is implied, doesn't mean it has to be inferred just so, without some creative misunderstanding. And I did make a (Phantom comic) pop culture reference/ mangling of GWWNZ's pseudonym earlier – so you could say I was asking for it.
'Hundred' doesn't ring a bell, nor the medieval vibe.
Robert Menard had his child removed from his custody because he refused to fill out a birth certificate. He went away and studied law.
One of the foundations seems to stem from Black's Law Dictionary and its definition of a person, a fictional construct. This is separate from the flesh and blood entity.
Once a birth certificate is filled out a 'strawman' is created so the state (another fiction) can interact with it. Adherents to the Freeman way of thinking separate themselves from this fiction.
Ah, ok, a different flavour. That would be the "Justice Lang said Bracken had not presented any evidence to contradict the Crown case, and he rejected Bracken’s assertion that it was a legal entity that had offended, not him, and he shouldn’t be jailed." bit.
Doesn't seem to have worked out for this one. So legally sharp he cut himself.
Shocking there are serious consequences. Hopefully a sign of things to come, but more likely a reaction to the defendant suggesting that as a Maori he should be treated differently.
John Bracken submitted false invoices for more than $133 million over four years. Bracken, 55, ran the scam through his company Bracken Enterprises Ltd, which led to him receiving $17.4 million in GST refunds that he was not entitled to…
Crown lawyer Megan Mitchell said the crime called for a high sentence as it was the largest crime of its kind. She said the fraud was “repetitive and involved a high degree of planning and premeditation” and Bracken only stopped offending when he became aware it had been detected. She said about $12m of property had been restrained and efforts to recover this were underway but were being “vigorously opposed” by Bracken.,,
The evidence did not disclose how Bracken used the funds he stole, but this may become clear through court action underway under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act….
The Crown also said the company falsely claimed to have exported the products it received to the Pacific Islands. That meant the company was entitled to claim input tax credits for the products it purchased, and it was not required to pay output tax on the product it sold overseas (the sale of goods for export is a zero-rated activity for GST purposes).
Bracken would withdraw cash from BEL’s account, or obtain a bank cheque made out to himself or the company. He would then immediately re-deposit those funds into another company account, or an account he operated in the name of “Mobile Veges”. This “crude but effective scheme” enabled the company to falsely claim it had purchased product worth more than $133 million and exported nearly all of it over the four years….
There is ongoing court action against the Brackens under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act by the Commissioner of Police in relation to their assets, including their farm at Matawai, near Gisborne, valued at about $7 million.
It is interesting the avenues open to business to evade legitimate tax. Where there could be problems that need careful thought is ibn confiscating their land, if there is a Maori connection. He was wearing a jersey with Mitre 10 logo. Is that a subtle hint for one source of some wonky invoices?
I have a feeling that it is by no means NZ's largest fraud – those would be real estate trading for capital gain, without paying tax. The estimate of the proportion of tax due on capital gains in property trades that was actually paid (prior to recent changes) was 25%. Doesn't take many houses or farms at current prices to run the sums pretty high.
I saw that. They have had 18 months to train people and get their act together. As do the rest of the employers. Far better that they are allowed cheap labour to undermine the market with Labour helping.
– employers who would rather exploit immigrants rather than train Kiwis
– rental investors and dairy farmers who reply on untaxed capital gains rather than revenue
– employers that spin simple tasks into Winz supported 12 week mandatory courses that disguise unpaid labour as 'work experience' (eg Z and their how to pump petrol in 12 weeks)
And so on and on
And what has this 'transformational' government done? Labour now represents an over educated middle class rather than workers.
A look at the article also shows employers are trying to get the government to pay some of the quarantine costs. Same government that wants to freeze public sector salaries. So there is no way they will want to pay for this now is there. In fact with the pay freeze they will need to say "no" to everything won't they.
I'm not sure that there is much of an over educated middle class left in the workforce. The whole of the public service seems pretty much upset. This same government that couldn't raise taxes on high earners or on trusts.
But as someone from the unions has pointed out. Pay in the public sector has to be negotiated not imposed by edict from above.
Talk about burning political capital. Labour have just made a huge bonfire of theirs.
Yep, and just to be clear, how many properties does Ardern and her partner own now? This is the waif that 7 years ago stated she could not afford to buy a house in Auckland.
And in 2009 was spouting 'comrade' repeatedly in a speech at the Youth Socialist Conference. Hmm. Just another middle class wanna be. Like Che Guevara and Uncle Ho, she pretends to be one of us, but never was or will be. Just wants to screw us to make her mark.
Care to divulge your public sources? As above, all I can find is a family home in Mt Albert.
Is your first comment also from public information? The As far as aI know answer does not cut the mustard. Is it still three? What are your sources?
Your answer is now “Who knows”. Exactly. I don’t believe that you do know.
How then are we to take the exaggerations of your comments about the PM’s speech as a young socialist? Got a reference for that so that we can check how far you exaggeration goes?
What austerity for public servants . Most are on pay scales which increase yearly to highest grade
'Post-Primary Teachers Association Auckland regional chair and teacher Michael Cabral-Terry said pay grades stopped at Grade 11 with an annual salary of $90,000.
No, but for a graduate trained professional with years of service it isn't luxury either. Remember the days when a teacher at the top of the basic scale earned the same as a backbench MP?
Oh that one. Thats because Mps 'salary' didnt show all sorts of perks they had as part of the job. There was a gold plated super ,extra allowances and so on ( cheap grog at Bellamys). All was changed to be as part of visible salary package now
A heck of a lot of profit goes into trusts taxed at the lower rates – hence the spike in numbers for salary & wage earners at $70k. The rate over $180k is up but frankly it is a token. It will catch the high earner who works for someone else – so corporate management but also the highly skilled professional. It won't get the profits from owner operated companies nor I suspect most overseas owned entities. There is room in this space for a much higher take. Nor have we ever had a complete list of all who claimed the wages subsidy.
But hey austerity for government wages is so much more important.
“Yummy Fruit Company general manager Paul Paynter said the ongoing need for MIQ was a "train wreck" for growers.
We have already spent $600,000 to bring 82 RSE workers through MIQ," he said.
We are already 20 per cent up on labour costs. Our total labour bill for the year is more than $20 million. It's a complete train wreck."
This is what happens when big companies buy up and amalgamate our farms. Better NZ stayed with owner operated family farms who along with their family got the work done without fuss.
Ask yourself which way is more sustainable? Which way is “the NZ way “?
Considering the dire access to secure housing problem (which is exacerbated by many factors), and the (to my mind) pitiful increase in benefits that have been indicated by government, I thought of a possible way to slightly alleviate (not solve) the pressure on both issues, although it will unfortunately not be a universal benefit.
If eligible for this method, you can have up to four boarders each paying $191/wk, and as long as the income derived from this method is more than your outgoings for mortgage interest, maintenance, food, utilities – then there is no tax to pay.
As many of us know, this option has been used and mis-used by many over the years…
But the reality is … that is approximately $40,000 tax free/annum. To get this in the hand at the second level tax rate of 17.5%, you would need to be earning around $48,000. A fairly big windfall for those who were already in a position to be able to purchase, and one that continues each year.
Yet we penalise beneficiaries for any earnings at a threshold that still do not lift them out of poverty.
One of the primary forms of support and savings we can offer friends and families in financial distress is to make place for them to stay. This choice is not available to those in state housing or on benefits. Make changes to allow this to happen, and here's the kicker, without impacting on the eligibility for state housing OR reducing the amount any/or all received in terms of income.
To my mind, one of the fundamental tools for addressing housing in NZ is vast amounts of state (not social) housing being built. Addressing poverty requires – alongside other methods – increasing the income of beneficiaries. Whatever has been signalled by this government makes the assumption that many before it have made and many have accepted – that those who are currently unhoused and in financial difficulties can stay in statis until the promises are delivered. This is a comforting lie. Many will have their quality of life diminish, and some will die not seeing any alleviation.
Changing one of the many punitive measures of those on income support – in this way, may mean that housing (for the interim) can be used more efficiently, and beneficiaries – at long last – can utilise one of the tools that many others have had access to – and IRD approval of – pooling resources and sharing expenses to alleviate financial hardship.
At least until something concrete is achieved… I'm sure that many more instant regulatory changes may offset the built-in delay of some of the proposals.
Molly all the best with that idea. I wonder if we ran such ideas onto paper and posted to at least five pollies, including housing and welfare and PM and Dep PM and ? surely one would get by the barrier staff.
Also if boarding or flatting the cost of foot, electricity, etc can be deducted from the rent to be declared, or they used to take off just 20% and put the rest as income, or was it the other way round.
Whatever, the idea seems to ensure that benies never get ahead – ‘grind the b….s down’ is the general rallying cry, behind any PR smiles.
In fact they do carry RNZ. And on Sky Channel 83 they often carry "news" and commentary from the state propaganda units Deutsche Welle and France 24. The sun never sets, and rust never sleeps, on the Brutish Murdoch Empire.
Maybe the IT department was making another point completely. Something along the lines that you suggest above. Likely that they could have been working all hours during pandemic for zero reward. The management would have clicked on it too – wondering why there were bonus payments going out. If it was a troll – great one.
But did people click on the link because they would click on any link, or did they work to confirm that the email had in fact been sent by their employer – as is actually was?
My employer's IT department does a similarly inconsistent stupidity – repeatedly sends emails warning about spam and links, and then sends emails about mailbox issues with links to resolve them. And no, it wasn't a tease – they did it honestly.
All the company in the link did was confirm to people that they can recognise legitimate emails from their employer – whether they can, or not.
My favourites used to come from the HR department who didn't appear to have much computer savvy so would send unsigned messes with attachments or who would be asking for inappropriate personal details not legal under employment law. A quick report and onforward to the IT Phishing department was mega satisfying.
Given the HR level I imagine most people clicked in hope because it had been sent internally?
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
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 Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
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 ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
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. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I am a trenchant critic of this timid majority Labour Govt. for not facing up to the biggies such as mega state house build etc…but…I can still celebrate the useful reforms that have proceeded such as school lunch implementation.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/kaitaia-college-serving-nutritious-cuisine-only-as-school-lunch-programme-expands-in-northland/NU3TIEX4HIUKERYQ6MFEBRAQ6Q/
For those that may not know, Kaitaia based Bells Produce including its Pukepoto market gardens, mentioned as a supplier in the article, is now owned and operated by the commercial arm of Far North Iwi Te Rarawa as they like others in Tai Tokerau move into horticulture.
If you're doing any project that requires electronic components, the lead times are not pretty at the moment. Chipaggedon is a thing and it's spreading across the board.
Quick tip, any large orders, tell your vendor as far out as possible to help them with planning. Then work with them to prioritise the items you need. Chip shortage is going to hit everyone and everything.
It maybe just a matter of choosing the right supplier and remaining on the good friend/ customer list.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2112407/illegal-rare-earth-mining-surges-in-myanmar
As well as tiles, whiteware, anything with kitchens, and anything complex around the house.
No doubt there will be cheering from some at the news that the toxic waste dump that is most of Facebook is going to be even more bereft of fact.
Wee snippet in the 7am news on Natrad this morning… (find it here at 5.20) https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/news-bulletin/story/2018794963/radio-new-zealand-news
…"Facebook is now removing groups and pages which discourage people from getting vaccinated regardless of whether the content is true…."
I can't find any printed article that specifically states that this is what Facebook intends, although there are any number berating Facebook for failing to eradicate vaccine 'disinformation and misinformation'.
It is a concern that it is considered to be the best line of attack to suppress truth when the Official Narrative is losing ground.
Wow! The Official Narrative, no less!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300292070/antivax-leaflet-campaign-being-investigated-by-advertising-standards-authority
The gist of my post, Incognito, is that Facebook considers deplatforming groups disseminating truth an appropriate response to any content that discourages vaccination.
Do you think this is a good idea? Are you comfortable with this level of censorship?
Who determines what facts/truths are acceptable?
Simply pulling up just one of many of the 'oooh this is really scary stuff because it is not what the government is telling us!!!' quotes is just dodging the issue.
Its core medical knowledge. Its not really up for dispute over whether its factual.
As well its in FB terms and conditions that they can moderate opinions….. in this instance that dispute core medical knowledge…like a supermarket can search your bags as a condition of entry . They decide.
….dispute core medical knowledge …
What dispute? Facebook said .."regardless of whether the content is true".
You said yourself
'I can't find any printed article that specifically states that this is what Facebook intends,"
Now you say its what Facebook intends to do…..
The link is also gone…must have been fake news that caught RNZ out
RNZ link still seems to be there and working!?
Here’s another written piece: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57051691
It’s complicated …
Not this one which was the link mentioned …yes its working but it says 'content removed'
Very strange, it's working for me![surprise surprise](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/omg_smile.png)
Yes , crossed wires
True content can be presented in a manner that is just as misleading as false content.
That's why the old oath was "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth".
Yes – this is a tough one. This is the kind of discussion I really don't know how to resolve and is very difficult for public health authorities to manage.
One I agree that we have zero information on the long-term safety of these new generation vaccines. That health authorities don't want us thinking about this is not reassuring at all.
Secondly there is good reason to be concerned about the evolutionary pressure we're putting the virus under by vaccinating during a pandemic. Again zero long-term information is available.
And thirdly there is a reasonable possibility that these highly targeted vaccines will not only be less effective against new mutations, but that they may even block the action of latter more broadly acting ones that could be developed.
And finally – are we comfortable with the idea that maybe we'll be needing annual booster shots as we do with seasonal flu?
All these are open questions that we just don't have good answers for at present at a population level, but for the time being for any individual the risk of harm from a vaccine is orders of magnitude lower than the risk of getting serious COVID. The only way we will get solid information is by watching places like the UK and Israel which have taken the lead with aggressive vaccination campaigns. So far Israel is looking good – but it's early days yet to say anything much about the longer term impacts.
Here's my plan – I avoid crowds in indoor spaces, I'm still taking 2000 IU VitD daily, I have a small stock of Ivermectin as an emergency measure only, and I'm booked for an AZ shot later this week.
Yes, good informed discussion is needed, as always. Are Social Media such as FB and Twitter the right place to enable and ‘moderate’ and even lead this? Are they conducive to healthy or harmful [pun] debate?
Not all those vaccines are “new generation”.
Your second point is academic and has been surpassed by events, e.g. in the UK and Israel and other places around the World. NZ cannot watch from down under and expect to be immune from any consequences of mass vaccinations elsewhere. How long should we wait?
Your third point is also a research question that cannot be answered in a meaningful way by lay-people.
I’d imagine that people who are at higher risk from Covid would be more comfortable with yearly vaccinations like for the flu than people who think they are bulletproof. Are you talking about individual or population level?
Seeding doubts and keeping or turning people vaccine ‘hesitant’ might well lead to negative consequences and open Pandora’s box to problems down the track.
The Official Narrative must prevail, at all cost. Right?
This seems like a good place to drop this cute little shanty![heart heart](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/heart.png)
I am with you on this Rosemary.
While the subject is kinda irrelevant the actions are chilling.
I am surprised how quickly nuance, tolerance and the willingness to hear a dissenting voice has gone from exchanges or debates. Thus us particularly true here on TS.
While it was occuring before, the Trump presidential nomination and election really exaserbated things.
Some (lots), are quick to label conspiracy theory, add an ad hom and walk away.
Yes. Way too easy to be reactive biff toys about and exit stage left than think about stuff – because there's so much damn stuff to think about. It's as much mental health as it is ignorance. And yes, Trump has a lot to do with it. Willingly or not, he got us all to stamp our feet petulantly and act a little less mature.
If you query the vaccine… the historical anti-vaxxers spring to mind, many of which were deeply steeped in idiocy, and are a danger to public health.
And of course, the tinfoil hat type anti-vaxxer will be absolutely LOVING this, where, as RL points out (3.1.1.2) there are questions to be made.
By the time you've qualified genuine concerns you're already being shouted down and nobody wants to know. Because FEAR. Genuine, palpable, background level fear, all this time. We want off this ride.
So freaking messy. To me it seems the virus is already proving adept at staying ahead of our efforts, because we are not working together as a race we are self obsessed. We're disjointed by geography, tech levels, economics, politics, patents, religious beliefs and breakdown of trust in institutions.
Herd immunity will require some herding.
We The Beeple, another worry is side effects which are ramping up. "Black Mould" which kills 50% of the infected is now happening in India.
Sorry Sabine missed seeing your contribution on this
That's misleading (kills 50% of infected – when you're discussing covid 'side effects') so let's clarify a bit.
Mucormycosis kills 50% of people who get it. It is rare, it is not contagious.
It is rare as it requires a weak immune system to overcome. Recovering covid patients have weakened immunity via the virus and some medication… and so mucormycosis is, as one would predict, more prevalent in covid patients.
This seems largely restricted to India where environmental conditions favour the fungi. It's a perfect storm of conditions right there right now.
It could possibly be an issue in other areas of similar climate. Where health systems are not overwhelmed air filtration and temperature control where patients are recovering could reduce infection rates considerably.
Spot on WTB, especially yr last paragraph. So easy to see where we are different from each other, don't want to acknowledge our commonalities.
Probably why I enjoy the soil, food, gardening and permaculture threads. Despite gardening being a VERY political act.
To me, the main issue in many debates on sensitive and complex issues is that people assume equivalence of voices, i.e. the veracity and validity of their opinions, arguments, and even facts are equal. In almost all cases, this not the case, which is almost (!) impossible to accept for some (…). This doesn’t mean that one voice should be silenced, so to speak, but it does mean that that voice may not have and cannot demand equal weight in the debate and ultimately in the decision(s).
Governments have a legal and moral duty to govern and act in the best interest of all people, which in practice means in the interest of many. In almost all cases this allows people to choose, at least in a free and democratic country. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is a binary decision, but it is not a purely individual one. If I choose to get vaccinated I won’t harm anybody else. OTOH, if I refuse to get vaccinated I might cause harm to somebody else, in future, when I catch the infectious disease and spread it to others. If I cannot get vaccinated, e.g. because of a pre-existing medical condition, I’d really like it if everybody else whom I might get into contact with chooses to get vaccinated, but can I demand this from them? Similar thoughts apply to climate change, for example, where harm to others may eventuate and occur in the next generation.
Kids are beginning to win court cases against their governments for failure to protect them by not acting on climate change.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/09/europe/climate-lawsuits-governments-intl-cmd/index.html
How will governments protect their citizens if many citizens refuse protection? Will the fear of lawsuits promote enforcement?
It's an interesting conundrum.
Can't argue with any of that (apart from the idea that a vaccinated person can't harm anyone else, but I don't wanna get bogged down in that…).
What I was getting at is our new found propensity to other, to pop people into a category therefore to not have to listen. eg pointing out inconsistencies in 'The Russians!' stories makes you a Putin fan.
With that in mind, Cheers for your efforts in moderating this place, I don't always agree with what goes on, then again the ref hardly ever gets praised.![wink wink](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)
Hehe. I totally deserved my last wee 'break'.
Respect!
I have to be brutally honest with you; I don’t know how I should deal with your situation and take into consideration (the) mitigating circumstances, knowing what I know now about you. It weighs on my mind.
Moderators are not cannot be mind readers or psychologists, for example, and they don’t know the personal history & situation of commenters. When I do know something about them, e.g. because of what they have divulged in their comments, I tend to give them more slack.
It is never personal, despite what some seem to think, but to me it is somewhat of a poisoned chalice moderating comments by other people. I wanted to put this on record here.
Cheers!
Moderators don’t always agree either among each other about what goes on here. That’s life but we all try our best and can always do better.
…but it does mean that that voice may not have and cannot demand equal weight…
Ah! The old 'all truths are equal but some are more equal than others' argument.
Must jot that down on the barn wall.![wink wink](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)
Calling everything that is said a 'truth' does not end well.
Timely. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/125082710/mums-internet-research-on-vaccines-doesnt-make-her-an-expert-court-decides
Nope.
https://ourplnt.com/i-did-my-own-research/#axzz6uXjKe6qo
Oooooohhhhh, don’t get me started! I’m a strong advocate of sharing knowledge and knowledge (re)sources but some of these should not be freely shared. In such cases, I’m more than happy to stay ignorant and if knowledge is power then all power to the cognoscenti; too much knowledge can be dangerous.
Thank you, and indeed very timely. Judges end up having to make some of the toughest decisions that one can imagine.
New age shaman, antivaxer, covid denier, white supremacist, neo-nazi, Q-anon conspirators, inhabiting the same online chat groups, involved in the storming of the US capital building.
In the real world and online.
Should they be treated the same?
New Covid mutation.
https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/what-is-triple-mutant-variant-of-covid19-virus-bengal-strain-details-1793991-2021-04-22
and a sobering read on India by Arundhati Roy
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/28/crime-against-humanity-arundhati-roy-india-covid-catastrophe?fbclid=IwAR0p9ImUGZfubcrWxXL0QbIQuxp8A1P9lM0gm4PcB28MvTg1rO9DCSYPh6E
and this in regards to the new mutation
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/10/who-classifies-triple-mutant-covid-variant-from-india-as-global-health-risk-.html
The more times a virus replicates, the greater the chance for individually low-probability viable mutations to occur. Which will be selected for, or against, by environmental pressures. Even if people care nothing for the wellbeing of others, surely they can see that; no one is safe from SARS-CoV-2 until everyone is safe from that virus?
I have typed that paragraph (or similar) many time over the last year, though it always seems to bear repeating. But as a decaying cherry oozing on top of your triple-layered cake, Sabine; there is also this peril for Indian infected:
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/may/11/what-is-the-dangerous-black-fungus-being-seen-in-covid-patients-in-india-mucormycosis
Fortunately, it looks like NonSteroidal-AntiInflammatory Drugs (eg ibuprofen) are not associated with negative health outcomes for COVID. Though this study is more about nonprescribed usage in Britain, so may not be generalizable to therapeutic NSAID use in India.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(21)00104-1/fulltext
Hipkins has come out swinging… saying that plenty of coverage of the public servants pay proposals are inaccurate . hes never used word 'freeze'
'I'd completely reject the notion that this is austerity. Saying that we want the people on the lowest incomes to do disproportionately better than those on the highest incomes when it comes to spending additional money on salaries is not austerity. It's the opposite of it."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300303904/government-in-damage-control-over-public-sector-pay-freeze-ahead-of-meeting-with-union
This was the directive by dear Grant yesterday, i guess the memo got around, now if the pesky journalists and nurses and doctors and other non understanding people would just do as they are told. tsk tsk tsk. No candy for them.
Ba, ha ha ha.
Adjust, because what public service employees need is their pay to be specially reviewed by the PSA for exemplary service to earn any salary adjustment.
And they have apparently decided that money will be saved over all despite measures specifically to Lift incomes below 60k.
Now, if only Chippie could have explained himself more clearly the whole missunderstanding could be avoided. In fact he could probably still redeem himself by announcing systematic above inflation increases for everyone on under 60k instead (which is surely what he meant to say), though treasury would have a hope of costing that up correctly, and it doesn't sound like a cost saving.
When they get hold of a dictionary, it should become apparent why, the public correctly equates cost savings with austerity.
Hipkins quote from ghostsww above.
'I'd completely reject the notion that this is austerity. Saying that we want the people on the lowest incomes to do disproportionately better than those on the highest incomes when it comes to spending additional money on salaries is not austerity. It's the opposite of it."
Just a one word description of Hipkins' statement above – rhetoric!
The root of the word [rhetoric] is from Greek ῥητορικὴ [τέχνη] roughly meaning 'the art of speech'. We haven't learned much valuable new stuff over what they knew about one thousand years ago. Doh!
Goes both ways…. the professional class has turned salary whinging to a high art form
[image resized]
The problem with that version is that there was zero media interest in public service pay until the govt announced this was an area of cost saving (an idea which came from out of nowhere).
When this started it was started by Chris and Grant and it will go away again when they announce above inflation pay hikes for those under 60k which will grow the public sector wage bill, not shrink it.
When the only general labour market announcement that anyone appears to have taken any notice of what sounds like an austerity wage freeze – the problem just may not vanish under spin. Nothing to rein in the rest of the wild west labour market.
But hey we are putting places aside for so called "critical" workers to keep that pesky labour market under control. So much for training locals and creating workable jobs for them. Doesn't sound like the importing employers are required to train locals either. Plus some of them seem to want the government to meet the costs of them coming with more handouts to them.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/442297/miq-spaces-for-skilled-workers-dairy-farmers-request-turned-down
Critical workers means that …. not your labourers, fast food workers, truck drivers that were used under the skill shortage category before.
The openings in MIQ hotels arent that great in number to be worth while other than for highly skilled professionals and some technical staff
Yet look how 'critical' fruitpickers suddenly are..
If only the written guidance from the Public Service Commission had actually said that…
I'm with hipkins/the government on this..
putting a hold on pay increases for the highest paid to focus on raising the incomes of the lowest paid seems like an extremely sound idea to me…
(as long as they follow thru on the second part of the prescription tho'..feet to the fire to ensure that..)
and/but they get a 1/10 for their selling of this good idea tho'..
I’m with you on this, Phil 🙂
Farm fences under the spotlight!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/442239/pests-use-farm-fences-as-highways-to-reinvade-native-forests
I am in situation that i find conflicting. I have a possum in the are that i see every now and then on the fences of our properties. Very funny actually when it freezes and pretends to be dead. To some extend the ugly beaast is cute.
I guess i should shoot it or something, and I am not gonna lay traps as there are other critters about. Chances are they too are considered a pest. What to do?
But yes, this country needs to get rid of fences and replace them with hedges.
It's so far down "the list" though, isn't it. In any case, the possums would probably prefer a hedge to a wire (I know I would).
IT should be on top of the list.
One thing that i miss is the 'common' right to get to places crossing farm land in a respectable way, as we have in mainland Europe. Yes, fences are used but not to the extend as i have seen here. The mind can not comprehend. The tractor roads that criss cross fields (not for cattle) are used by bicylists, hikers, and link from village to villages, very much like many of the old pilgrim routes. Here the tractor is on the Motorway competing for space with the cyclist. The mind can not comprehend.
And hedges, fruit bearing hedges would be such a good solution at least to the visual aspect of the fences, and yes, the environment.
I guess unless we introduce the human species back into its natural habitat nothing much will change. We need to be taught how to be wildlings again.
"replace them with hedges".
Yeh! Bring back the gorse hedges of yesteryear. Such a glorious golden look. They early settlers were so thoughtful when they brought in gorse as a hedge plant.
On second thoughts, as someone who lives in Wellington and has spent decades trying to keep it out of my garden, I think I would prefer that they stick to wire fences.
In the meantime I think you should shoot the bloody possums. If you are allowed to buy a rifle of course.
you have heard of hazenut, almonds?
Europe ain't the UK. We have a lot of hedges in Europe and non of them are gorse. In fact the only time i have ever seen that plant is here in NZ. And besides it has its uses as it is a good nursery plant for other more desirable trees. Its nature makes it a hostile environment for pests that would otherwise munch these saplings away.
Oh, alwyn – gorse, really, is that all you can see? I'm reminded somehow, of Eeyore, can't think why…
Question . Why are these people being paid tax payers' money to claim information that anyone working in the field has known for a very long time.
Check out facebook.com/automatedbaitstation The most recent post is about the extraordinary level of reinvasion with data to support it.
How can any police officer not be aware that they should probably ease back on the choke holds after the Chauvin trial? But apparently Taupō cops are just that clueless – even when being filmed:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/05/family-outraged-after-police-officer-puts-knee-on-teenager-s-neck-during-disgusting-arrest-in-taup.html?ref=ves-vid1
So did the police just mistake vapes for guns and then refuse to admit their error? Sure the (no angel, blah blah blah) 14year old kid was never going to get the vape back, as it is illegal for them to have been sold it. But the police officer was supposedly the adult in that situation.
Also, if you are in the area; "a peaceful protest against "lawless behaviour" has been organised for May 22 at 1pm outside Taupō Police Station".
if the police mistakes vapes with orange tips for guns 'with orange tips?' then the police needs to be send back to police school and shown the difference of vapes and guns.
I honestly doubt that they misunderstood, and it should scare us if they did.
I had high hopes for the Police with the appointment of the new commissioner but they are fast fading.
This story, the video I posted a day or so ago of an officer kicking a handcuffed guy on the ground in the head and earlier, in April, the cop shoving a teen to the ground after a verbal exchange. (The youngster was stationery, telling the cop not to call his girlfriend a skank).
Accountability, extra training and support/mentoring are needed.
& within the last hour, there's this (again with a 14year old kid!):
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/442303/use-of-police-dog-to-bite-fleeing-teen-driver-not-justified-ipca
Though Waikato police are still making excuses; "fast-moving and dynamic situation" seems to be the goto line these days. There is no mention of any penalty, or even retraining, for the doghandler who sent their beast to maul a child.
Ahh yes, I heard that too.
My response was when will the animal be put down?
Hard sell what with the prime time
propagandareality tv shows Puppy training or whatever they are called.This judge has actually handed down a decent sentence – over 8 years in jail (probably only serve half of that for good behavior???). But still serves him right.
Nation's biggest tax fraudster who stole $17 million jailed for 8 years and 6 months | Stuff.co.nz
Lets hope it's a decent judge that sentences this bloke from Countdown and ensures the public are safe from him for a long time.
Countdown rep overwhelmed with emotion when speaking about 'traumatic' Dunedin stabbing | Stuff.co.nz
About time they gave a decent sentence to a fraudster. They do far more than simple economic damage. They damage trust and create rifts. They sow doubt and confusion by their very nature con-artists. And they're never guilty, like the creep in the story who stole 17M and thinks he's all good.
I've dealt with a couple of these. Sociopaths – and every mug who's not learnt hard lessons climbs right up their ass. Then communities become divided as the fallout begins to emerge. They take sides, while the con artist takes all.
WTB![yes yes](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/thumbs_up.png)
"the biggest fraud in New Zealand tax history. The penalty needed to be suitably high. The offending involved a high degree of planning and premeditation and only stopped when Bracken became aware it had been detected."
and he gets 8 years?…
This is a tricky one for me as I'm not big on Prison or long sentences…but seeing as this is the system we have ..how on earth is the sentence so low?
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/why-is-tax-evasion-treated-more-gently-than-benefit-fraud/
Great to see the IRD catching these crooks. His attitude so typical. Falsified documents "I did nothing wrong" …. "It was my company" lol lol Pull the other one.
His assumption of being beyond the law is just staggering, Jimmy. These words seem like they come from a Bundy acolyte "sovereign citizen":
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125089267/nations-biggest-tax-fraudster-who-stole-17-million-jailed-for-8-years-and-6-months
Though (if he is not lying through his teeth), if any bank, or accountant, did assist him in running his tax-scam; surely they should be in court right alongside Bracken?
Problem is people of this nature will gladly destroy others lives to maintain their illusion of self. He'd throw whole firms of accountants to the wolves if it lessened his sentence.
IRD can follow the money rightly enough. If others are involved they'll know.
" because he had not consented to being charged."
This angle keeps popping up … its fairly recent angle that some nutters believe you have to 'give consent' for being arrested or charged over offences.
His claims about following the advice of banks and accountants has to be seen in that light, its a fantasy world hes living in.. Criminal proceeds action now follows and they will find out they will be loosing practically everything
Maybe they are confused with the right to not consent to medical treatment, manwhocannotdienz?
That happened to me the other week; with police coming over and detaining me on my doorstep for an hour until an ambulance arrived and tried to cart me off. But they eventually stopped pressuring me after I got them to accept that I didn't consent, and to admit that I wasn't under arrest. Basically for being an inconvenience in persistently seeking medical help elsewhere.
Anyway, there is likely to be a fair bit of overlap between; sovereign citizens, anti-vaxxers, and other conspiracy theorists. Importantly, though the internet does facilitate international communication, and mass-movements; you should always check your local laws before proceeding on the basis of any plan developed overseas.
Where did you get the notion that they had to get your consent to be detained…
Police powers in relation to person appearing to be mentally disordered in public place
(1)If any person is found wandering at large in any public place and acting in a manner that gives rise to a reasonable belief that he or she may be mentally disordered, any constable may, if he or she thinks that it would be desirable in the interests of the person or of the public to do so,—
(a) take that person to a Police station, hospital, or surgery, or to some other appropriate place; and
(b)arrange for a medical practitioner to examine the person at that place as soon as practicable.
I was neither mentally disordered, nor in a public place, so that didn't apply – still good to know though. This; Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, is what I was referring to:
https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/services-and-support/your-rights#:~:text=a%20right%20to%20make%20an,with%20you%2C%20at%20most%20times
I thought there was also something about not being pressured into treatment once you'd refused it, but couldn't see it in that version.
Where had you been before 'they arrived on your doorstep'…they dont just turn up out of the blue and single you out.
‘Basically for being an inconvenience in persistently seeking medical help elsewhere.’
I wonder why they wouldnt treat you. Personality disorders are usually not ‘treatable’
gww 'Personality disorders are usually not ‘treatable’
Are you informed on medical questions then? Or have you personal experience? Otherwise this sounds snide.
I don't mind the snideness too much; just because something is implied, doesn't mean it has to be inferred just so, without some creative misunderstanding. And I did make a (Phantom comic) pop culture reference/ mangling of GWWNZ's pseudonym earlier – so you could say I was asking for it.
Rather than nutter, he may be expressing his own sovereignty a la Freeman On the Land.
Very interesting school of thought, started in Canada and has enthusiasts to in many Commonwealth countries. Quite strong in Northland I believe.
Is that the silliness obsessed with the "hundred", or some other flavour of pseudo-medievalist mythmaking?
'Hundred' doesn't ring a bell, nor the medieval vibe.
Robert Menard had his child removed from his custody because he refused to fill out a birth certificate. He went away and studied law.
One of the foundations seems to stem from Black's Law Dictionary and its definition of a person, a fictional construct. This is separate from the flesh and blood entity.
Once a birth certificate is filled out a 'strawman' is created so the state (another fiction) can interact with it. Adherents to the Freeman way of thinking separate themselves from this fiction.
Ah, ok, a different flavour. That would be the "Justice Lang said Bracken had not presented any evidence to contradict the Crown case, and he rejected Bracken’s assertion that it was a legal entity that had offended, not him, and he shouldn’t be jailed." bit.
Doesn't seem to have worked out for this one. So legally sharp he cut himself.
Shocking there are serious consequences. Hopefully a sign of things to come, but more likely a reaction to the defendant suggesting that as a Maori he should be treated differently.
From stuff article above about giant fraud.
John Bracken submitted false invoices for more than $133 million over four years. Bracken, 55, ran the scam through his company Bracken Enterprises Ltd, which led to him receiving $17.4 million in GST refunds that he was not entitled to…
Crown lawyer Megan Mitchell said the crime called for a high sentence as it was the largest crime of its kind.
She said the fraud was “repetitive and involved a high degree of planning and premeditation” and Bracken only stopped offending when he became aware it had been detected.
She said about $12m of property had been restrained and efforts to recover this were underway but were being “vigorously opposed” by Bracken.,,
The evidence did not disclose how Bracken used the funds he stole, but this may become clear through court action underway under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act….
The Crown also said the company falsely claimed to have exported the products it received to the Pacific Islands. That meant the company was entitled to claim input tax credits for the products it purchased, and it was not required to pay output tax on the product it sold overseas (the sale of goods for export is a zero-rated activity for GST purposes).
Bracken would withdraw cash from BEL’s account, or obtain a bank cheque made out to himself or the company. He would then immediately re-deposit those funds into another company account, or an account he operated in the name of “Mobile Veges”.
This “crude but effective scheme” enabled the company to falsely claim it had purchased product worth more than $133 million and exported nearly all of it over the four years….
There is ongoing court action against the Brackens under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act by the Commissioner of Police in relation to their assets, including their farm at Matawai, near Gisborne, valued at about $7 million.
It is interesting the avenues open to business to evade legitimate tax. Where there could be problems that need careful thought is ibn confiscating their land, if there is a Maori connection. He was wearing a jersey with Mitre 10 logo. Is that a subtle hint for one source of some wonky invoices?
I have a feeling that it is by no means NZ's largest fraud – those would be real estate trading for capital gain, without paying tax. The estimate of the proportion of tax due on capital gains in property trades that was actually paid (prior to recent changes) was 25%. Doesn't take many houses or farms at current prices to run the sums pretty high.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/442297/miq-spaces-for-skilled-workers-dairy-farmers-request-turned-down
Understaffing – Overstocking. All our policies are stuck in the mud. Why should farmers whinge. In winter this is central normal paddock for them.
I saw that. They have had 18 months to train people and get their act together. As do the rest of the employers. Far better that they are allowed cheap labour to undermine the market with Labour helping.
100% agree Red.
this country has some serious attitude problems
– employers who would rather exploit immigrants rather than train Kiwis
– rental investors and dairy farmers who reply on untaxed capital gains rather than revenue
– employers that spin simple tasks into Winz supported 12 week mandatory courses that disguise unpaid labour as 'work experience' (eg Z and their how to pump petrol in 12 weeks)
And so on and on
And what has this 'transformational' government done? Labour now represents an over educated middle class rather than workers.
A look at the article also shows employers are trying to get the government to pay some of the quarantine costs. Same government that wants to freeze public sector salaries. So there is no way they will want to pay for this now is there. In fact with the pay freeze they will need to say "no" to everything won't they.
I'm not sure that there is much of an over educated middle class left in the workforce. The whole of the public service seems pretty much upset. This same government that couldn't raise taxes on high earners or on trusts.
But as someone from the unions has pointed out. Pay in the public sector has to be negotiated not imposed by edict from above.
Talk about burning political capital. Labour have just made a huge bonfire of theirs.
" This same government that couldn't raise taxes on high earners or on trusts"
A total falsehood , the bonfire is your own credibility
'On personal income earned over $180,000 a new top tax rate of 39% will apply – this change affects 2% of earners..
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2020-labour-ups-top-tax-rate-for-high-earners-grant-robertson/2Y4FYWV5GKIAEPPCI4J7PTREPY/
And nothing (other than the brightline shift) on capital gains – the main source of income for the truly wealthy.
Labour – hands off the billionaires, austerity for public servants on $61k.
Yep, and just to be clear, how many properties does Ardern and her partner own now? This is the waif that 7 years ago stated she could not afford to buy a house in Auckland.
And in 2009 was spouting 'comrade' repeatedly in a speech at the Youth Socialist Conference. Hmm. Just another middle class wanna be. Like Che Guevara and Uncle Ho, she pretends to be one of us, but never was or will be. Just wants to screw us to make her mark.
If you don't tell us how many properties, then we are not clear, peter of chch. What is the answer?
As far as I know, three.
This is from public available info. Now? Well who knows.
Public information says only family home in Mt Albert electorate. You are just spreading falsehoods arent you
Care to divulge your public sources? As above, all I can find is a family home in Mt Albert.
Is your first comment also from public information? The As far as aI know answer does not cut the mustard. Is it still three? What are your sources?
Your answer is now “Who knows”. Exactly. I don’t believe that you do know.
How then are we to take the exaggerations of your comments about the PM’s speech as a young socialist? Got a reference for that so that we can check how far you exaggeration goes?
How do you know what the PM’s partner owns?
What austerity for public servants . Most are on pay scales which increase yearly to highest grade
'Post-Primary Teachers Association Auckland regional chair and teacher Michael Cabral-Terry said pay grades stopped at Grade 11 with an annual salary of $90,000.
$90 k isnt austerity
No, but for a graduate trained professional with years of service it isn't luxury either. Remember the days when a teacher at the top of the basic scale earned the same as a backbench MP?
Oh that one. Thats because Mps 'salary' didnt show all sorts of perks they had as part of the job. There was a gold plated super ,extra allowances and so on ( cheap grog at Bellamys). All was changed to be as part of visible salary package now
The hardship for teachers is evident
'An english teacher has been censured after repeatedly shoplifting items such as wine, cheese and face cream from a supermarket.
That is snide gww. You seem to want to put everybody down who thinks here because they don't think just like you.
You didn't think the mental health issue there was relevant enough to mention?
A heck of a lot of profit goes into trusts taxed at the lower rates – hence the spike in numbers for salary & wage earners at $70k. The rate over $180k is up but frankly it is a token. It will catch the high earner who works for someone else – so corporate management but also the highly skilled professional. It won't get the profits from owner operated companies nor I suspect most overseas owned entities. There is room in this space for a much higher take. Nor have we ever had a complete list of all who claimed the wages subsidy.
But hey austerity for government wages is so much more important.
“Yummy Fruit Company general manager Paul Paynter said the ongoing need for MIQ was a "train wreck" for growers.
We have already spent $600,000 to bring 82 RSE workers through MIQ," he said.
We are already 20 per cent up on labour costs. Our total labour bill for the year is more than $20 million. It's a complete train wreck."
This is what happens when big companies buy up and amalgamate our farms. Better NZ stayed with owner operated family farms who along with their family got the work done without fuss.
Ask yourself which way is more sustainable? Which way is “the NZ way “?
Well time to sell up then. If the price is right could be a number of local buyers. No reason why the taxpayer should continue to subsidise them.
Considering the dire access to secure housing problem (which is exacerbated by many factors), and the (to my mind) pitiful increase in benefits that have been indicated by government, I thought of a possible way to slightly alleviate (not solve) the pressure on both issues, although it will unfortunately not be a universal benefit.
For many years, it is been possible for homeowners to use some form of what is now called the standard cost method, to have income derived from boarders exempted from income tax calculations.
If eligible for this method, you can have up to four boarders each paying $191/wk, and as long as the income derived from this method is more than your outgoings for mortgage interest, maintenance, food, utilities – then there is no tax to pay.
As many of us know, this option has been used and mis-used by many over the years…
But the reality is … that is approximately $40,000 tax free/annum. To get this in the hand at the second level tax rate of 17.5%, you would need to be earning around $48,000. A fairly big windfall for those who were already in a position to be able to purchase, and one that continues each year.
Yet we penalise beneficiaries for any earnings at a threshold that still do not lift them out of poverty.
One of the primary forms of support and savings we can offer friends and families in financial distress is to make place for them to stay. This choice is not available to those in state housing or on benefits. Make changes to allow this to happen, and here's the kicker, without impacting on the eligibility for state housing OR reducing the amount any/or all received in terms of income.
To my mind, one of the fundamental tools for addressing housing in NZ is vast amounts of state (not social) housing being built. Addressing poverty requires – alongside other methods – increasing the income of beneficiaries. Whatever has been signalled by this government makes the assumption that many before it have made and many have accepted – that those who are currently unhoused and in financial difficulties can stay in statis until the promises are delivered. This is a comforting lie. Many will have their quality of life diminish, and some will die not seeing any alleviation.
Changing one of the many punitive measures of those on income support – in this way, may mean that housing (for the interim) can be used more efficiently, and beneficiaries – at long last – can utilise one of the tools that many others have had access to – and IRD approval of – pooling resources and sharing expenses to alleviate financial hardship.
At least until something concrete is achieved… I'm sure that many more instant regulatory changes may offset the built-in delay of some of the proposals.
Molly all the best with that idea. I wonder if we ran such ideas onto paper and posted to at least five pollies, including housing and welfare and PM and Dep PM and ? surely one would get by the barrier staff.
Also if boarding or flatting the cost of foot, electricity, etc can be deducted from the rent to be declared, or they used to take off just 20% and put the rest as income, or was it the other way round.
Whatever, the idea seems to ensure that benies never get ahead – ‘grind the b….s down’ is the general rallying cry, behind any PR smiles.
Anyone know how to threaten Sky TV with "cutting the cord"?
I'm not happy with them having Fox News or "The Outsiders" on Australian Sky News and willing to give up Sky Sport etc.
See Youtube clip
How to FINALLY defund Fox News (Brian Tyler Cohen interview)
Sky has also got CNN, Vice, and the Russian, Qatari, and British state broadcasters, which are no less reprehensible than Fox.
Could be worse, they could include RNZ![cheeky cheeky](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/tongue_smile.png)
In fact they do carry RNZ. And on Sky Channel 83 they often carry "news" and commentary from the state propaganda units Deutsche Welle and France 24. The sun never sets, and rust never sleeps, on the Brutish Murdoch Empire.
You could mention some of the many sports streaming sites that carry live sports feeds for free…
British firm sends staff an email promising a bonus for working during the pandemic. Staff click on link, to find that the email was sent by the company's IT department in order to tell staff not to click on links in suspicious emails.
Staff should have known that anything offering thanks and financial rewards would be a con, even if actually sent to them by their employer.
Maybe the IT department was making another point completely. Something along the lines that you suggest above. Likely that they could have been working all hours during pandemic for zero reward. The management would have clicked on it too – wondering why there were bonus payments going out. If it was a troll – great one.
But did people click on the link because they would click on any link, or did they work to confirm that the email had in fact been sent by their employer – as is actually was?
My employer's IT department does a similarly inconsistent stupidity – repeatedly sends emails warning about spam and links, and then sends emails about mailbox issues with links to resolve them. And no, it wasn't a tease – they did it honestly.
All the company in the link did was confirm to people that they can recognise legitimate emails from their employer – whether they can, or not.
Who to believe? A long-neolib effect from too big a dose of neolib plus free-markets with Business setting moral values. What an oxymoron.
My favourites used to come from the HR department who didn't appear to have much computer savvy so would send unsigned messes with attachments or who would be asking for inappropriate personal details not legal under employment law. A quick report and onforward to the IT Phishing department was mega satisfying.
Given the HR level I imagine most people clicked in hope because it had been sent internally?
lol yup
Once I even got a legitimate "your mailbox is almost full please contact us by clicking here" email.
Reported it as spam out of general principle.
Some cheeky bugger just pinched my truck with all my tools can you guess whom Whanau
Hi Eco Maori
I wondered if you like this: We've Come So Far