Jacinda Ardern has declared herself “deeply concerned and incredibly frustrated” over the allegations levelled at a Labour staffer as well as the party investigation into the man, who remains employed by the Labour leader’s office and denies wrongdoing.
The party president says he is “confident I have handled the process in a professional manner”.
The prime minister says she had been assured that no complainant alleged sexual assault or violence. She says the first she learned of the nature of the allegations that Sarah (a pseudonym) insists she raised repeatedly with the Labour Party, was upon reading the Spinoff’s investigation published on Monday.
A crucial question is whether the Labour Party’s position, that it was not informed of the allegations, is tenable. Just as important is whether its process – for example in repeatedly failing to meet complainants’ requests to review the summaries of their oral evidence – is defensible.
They then detail "an incomplete chronology, based on public statements and numerous documents provided to The Spinoff".
They include authentication of the open letter to the prime Minister that emerged yesterday:
An “open letter to the prime minister” is circulated within the party by “Me Too Labour”, an unnamed “group of Labour Party members who are writing to you to urge you to immediately take action regarding the allegations” surrounding the staffer. It makes a series of demands including the resignation of Haworth. The letter, which The Spinoff has verified originates from party members, had by lunchtime attracted more than 100 signatures.
Claims of a false flag or a conspiracy by National don't stack up.
Two of the complainants in an investigation into assault, bullying and harassment by a Labour Party staffer have taken their concerns directly to the man's employer.
The man, who Stuff cannot name for legal reasons, works in the Labour Leader's Office, but is a public servant employed by Parliamentary Service.
A 19-year-old woman, who alleges sexual assault, and a young man, who has accused the staffer of throwing a punch at him, wrote to Parliamentary Service boss Rafael Gonzalez-Montero on Tuesday.
But Gonzelez-Montero says his hands are tied because the accusations do not relate to the man's employment. Neither of the complainants work at Parliament.
That seems an odd avoidance of any responsibility. It is affecting his employment.
The man has not been stood down. But he agreed to work from home after allegations surfaced about his conduct in early August.
This is what we want to ask her: When did she know that the allegations against a staffer in her office were of an alleged sex crime?
She told media yesterday: ”I was informed in the very beginning that the allegations made were not sexual.”
She told RNZ this morning that she found out yesterday.
“The first I’ve seen the complaints of that nature was when I read then." Asked when that was, she said "When I saw them in the Spinoff.”
That is very hard to believe. This has been reported in the media for the last five weeks.
If you believe that yesterday was the first the Prime Minister heard of this, then you must believe that the Prime Minister of this country does not watch, read or listen to the news reported in this country.
That she for the last five weeks has missed every bulletin, newspaper and programme that mentioned the fact this guy is alleged to have committed a sexual crime.
Like this on Newshub: “The Labour Party has been forced to review its own investigation into bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault by a Labour staffer.”
Or this: “Two more of the seven people who laid complaints about bullying, sexual harassment and assault by a Labour staffer have told Newshub about their experience of the department’s internal investigation.”
You have to also believe that the Prime Minister didn’t ask what allegation was so serious that a staffer in her office stopped coming to work five weeks ago.
You also have to square it with this comment she made yesterday in her press conference”:
“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party. But particularly they are not the appropriate place to ever undertake an investigation into a sexual assault. And that would be their view too.”
Why would she say to the Labour Party council that they were not the right people to investigate an alleged sex crime, if she didn’t know the allegations were of a sex crime?
Because she did. She did know.
On the 6th of August, one day after the story broke in the media, Mike Hosking raised it with her right here on this station.
He asked her: "How many people have quit your party as a result of this investigation into this bloke who may or may not have sexual assaulted someone?"
Her response was: “I’m going to be very careful answering that question Mike because this is an inquiry and work is still underway and it is still a party matter.”
Exactly when the Prime Minister knew is important for a bunch of reasons.
Did she fail in her duty of care to staffers and volunteers? Was this supposed to be covered up? But mostly it’s important because this is now about her integrity
It’s becoming increasingly hard to believe her version of events, and possibly this is the first time that we’ve had reason to question Jacinda Ardern’s honesty.
This is not just Ardern's honesty and credibility at stake. Labour's chances in the next election may be severely compromised by this.
It has been claimed that the man facing the allegations is seen by Labour as an important part of their campaign team. He may be more toxic than helpful. It's hard to understand why Ardern can't see this.
In an interview on RNZ's Checkpoint yesterday a man who claims to be the victim of an attempted physical assault and a physical assault indicated the accused man had family connections to the Labour Party.
Protecting him looks increasingly untenable.
[lprent: I’d suggest that you be careful about claiming authentication of that ‘open letter’ here. I read that article and I simply don’t believe it. Apparently nor do many others – 100 people adding to it doesn’t exactly sound like a landslide.
To me it reads exactly like a fake false flag operation. And I never appreciate false news or outright lies being promulgated here. ]
[lprent: That isn’t ‘evidence’. That is statement about seeing a email that is alleged to have been sent. It is simply an allegation and has no evidential authority at all of actually arriving.
And somehow you didn’t refer to this in the same article.
The Labour Party has told The Spinoff that no attachments were received by the investigation chair, and that no one involved in the investigation was aware that any of the people appearing before them was alleging sexual assault.
That places this claim as being a hearsay allegation. If you want to continue commenting here, could you please refrain from making shit up?
The title of that article should be a the subject of a media complaint if anyone can be bothered. ]
President: Nigel Haworth
Senior Vice President: Tracey McLellan
Maori Senior Vice President: Tane Phillips
Women's Vice President: Fleur Fitzsimons
Affiliates Vice President: Chris Flatt
Pacific Island Vice President: Jerome Mika
Youth Vice President: Kaitlyn White
Policy Council Representative: Rachel Boyack
Rainbow Representative: Paul Stevens
Te Kaunihera Maori Representatives: Honey Heemi and Rudy Taylor
General Secretary: Andre Anderson
Parliamentary Leader: Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern MP
Parliamentary Deputy Leader: Hon Kelvin Davis MP
Caucus Secretary: Jan Tinetti MP
Auckland/Northland Representatives: Antonia Verstappen, Simon Mitchell and Jesse Thompson
Waikato/Bay of Plenty Representative: Rosina Taueki
Central North Island Representative: Alan McKenzie
Wellington Representative: Paul Tolich
Northern South Island Representative: Keir Leslie
Otago/Southland Representative: Michael Wilson
The only sanction that these people could to is to remove whoever it is as a party member.
They can’t make a complaint to the police.
They can’t even remove them as a parliamentary employee.
Exactly how is that going to help? It sounds like a completely useless gesture.
As an outsider, trying to establish who was involved in the process – and particularly which people inside the party were allegedly made aware of the nature of the allegations.
That list was news to me. From what you say, Haworth still seems most appropriate to be carrying the can for the party's performance of the process.
And I am not talking about the justice process (which as you say could include police and parliamentary services), just the political one. Who needs anyone to offer the opposition such an easy stick to beat the govt with?
FYI: The presidential role inside the Labour party is
Not a paid position. The secretary is the operational head. The presidential role is mostly about fund raising and keeping factions from each others throats.
Not a HR position. You’d have to look to the secretary for that.
Not operational at all. The Labour party head office at Fraser House is usually something like about 5 people and some volunteers. Run by the secretary. It doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with any of the reported occassions (hard to tell – the journalists appear to brain dead when looking at lines of responsibility)
Not operational at all even inside the NZ Council. The secretary operates that as well
None of what is alleged seems to have had much to do with the Labour party. My biggest complaint about Nigel’s involvement was that he got involved at all. It isn’t part of his role.
If a formal complaint was made to the NZ Council, then the most that they could do would be to sanction someone by excluding them from occasions that they organise and removing their membership.
There isn’t anything hard about understanding that. It is exactly the same as every other organisation.
re the open letter, what would be a reasonable standard of verification? The Spinoff aren't going to reveal sources, but I thought their statement about verification was too light given what is involved. I'd probably be satisfied with a better explanation from them, but I don't know the technicals of how someone would prove to them ownership of a google doc like that.
RNZ Checkpoint has identified the 3 members of the panel as Tracey McLellan, Honey Heemi, and Simon Mitchell (who Heemi told RNZ took the official notes 'because he is a lawyer'). Heemi interview is interesting.
When it comes to such complaints as you mention above about "headlines" is a headline not being sufficiently accurate or reflective or different from the main content enough?
I have often been tempted but an experience with a complaint to Magic Radio reduced my confidence in that action. While the agreed the statement was "incorrect" they maintained it was not, in their opinion" something that the public would have either "noticed" or would have influenced their opinion. By then I was a bit over it after waiting for a response, I think it may be something that should be followed up on and complaints made especially if the media are going to be such a major influence on "opinion" for next year's election.
The use of headlines that contradict or mislead the content is a big bugbear of mine also ! The Hearsay is high on my list of media outlets that engage in this practise
Perhaps it is something to make the time to pursue, I had one on the weekend that caused me to cancel a subscription – and say why – but more should be done than that, time for me to make the effort.
You have all the fight of Labour, Lprent. From a disgustant since 1984. The Left without ideals is nothing. I spotted it then. Yissee, I'm old and am prepared to play the long game for our Country.
They include authentication of the open letter to the prime Minister that emerged yesterday:
If so, the people who posted it could seriously do with some lessons on how to post stuff on the web so that it doesn't look like a personal-data-gathering exercise by unknown agents. Having seen the thing, I wouldn't submit personal info to it regardless of what the Spinoff says.
Oh God, we are going to get a few weeks of hysterical outrage from the beltway and partisan hacks about this.
It is the perfect imbrication of the tangential tribal politics of the liberal elites and oppositional hysteria.
The National party and it's cheerleaders in the media are desperate to weaponise this to try and damage the PM. For them, they want to use this as a stick to beat the PM with forever and forever and forever and forever and forever ad nuseum.
The MSM press gallery and opinionistas have got an issue they can now endlessly (and cheaply) interview their keyboards about without the need to question the bubble the live in and without fear of contradiction by any sort of collision with the reality of the lives of 99% of the population.
The twitterati of the Grey Lynn 500 who are obsessed with identity and sexual politics have found the next thing to be hysterical about forever. Pity the occupiers of Ihumatao, for Alison Mau has now got something far, far more interesting to be outraged about. For these people, no apology is good enough and accusation counts as irrefutable evidence.
Meanwhile, the rest of us just get on with paying the bills and worrying about the economy and wondering why Simon Bridges is such an idiot.
The thing is, it isn't that i am not interested in issues of people lives. But I am more interested in (for example) the accusations of systemic bullying in the police force, or the economic radicalism of Corbynism as it realites to the lives of workers.Why? Because in the first case the police are well funded and professional organisation that has systemic issues that solving can lead to major improvements for lots and lots of people. The second because the potential material benefits to the working poor and precariat are huge – and that is what i am interested in – radical politics, not the ravings of over-privileged liberals.
Political parties are largely run by an assorted collection of the community minded, mild eccentrics, tribal loyalists, political chancers, true believers and party apparatchiks all of whom are mostly under appreciated, undertrained and seldom paid well or at all. How these often dyfunctional organisations – which are, after all, committed to a greater or lesser extent to the democratic process – run themselves is of course of interest. The issue of whether or not our funding laws are fit for purpose is an important story. But not story, or at least not to this level of sanctimony, inappropriate outage and sheer nonsense.
Our media is populated by a materially comfortable middle class for whom all structural questions with the economy or society are already solved . When issues arise they must therefore be attributable to bad behavior or incompetence at the individual level. So they love this sort of sh*t.
It crossed my mind how many of those pursuing this with a zest that has not been seen with the National Party internal inquiry are dependent on these "stories", so many the details are now a bit of a blur, for their income and to maintain, create or increase their public profile.
I find the format of that open letter very odd and likewise wouldn't 'sign' it*. It's possible that it's fake, but it's also possible that it was done by survivors and others who just don't have a good sense of how to do something like that, technically or socially.
*in part because it reminds me of Labour early on who used such online forms around social justice or political issues but also used them to harvest emails. I doubt that is what is happening here but it's unfortunately still a badly done action. This makes me tend to think the form is genuine and comes from Labour people.
The other thing I don't like about the form is that it puts the people 'signing' in a position of being blind to what is going on. They don't know what happens to the information when they click submit, and there is *no way to know if it is genuine or fake or nefarious.
I've seen these kind of forms used on social media for other kinds of justice actions and they're problematic in that they're a system of disempowerment not empowerment, and that's really not a good move given what is going on. The people who set it up probably have a high need for anonymity, which is understandable, but this isn't the way to manage that.
wise words from Marc that applies across the board to ex politicians imo
"You never get a politician on a show like that. Because they believe they are the voice of reason, but in actual fact, there's no streetwise politician, they've just had people fluffing them continuously," he said.
You have zero proof that it is a false flag operation. Just your belief that it could be.
Just as you and PG have zero proof that it isn’t.
As far as I am concerned, if he wants to rely on it here for extravagant claims that it represented a widespread trend inside Labour, then he needs to provide more supporting evidence than a statement by a journalist that some of the 100 people who have signed it are in fact Labour members. Not exactly an expert source.
There are a lot of Labour members. Some have been members for decades. Some have been members for a week. I am one myself for decades. FFS the journo making the claim that it is legit doesn’t even deign to say why they were sure? Did they see a card like the one in my wallet? Or was it just someone saying that they were?
I think that it is most likely to be a false flag operation. So far I haven’t seen ANY evidence that it is or that it isn’t. I have seen evidence that if I wanted to set up a false flag operation is is exactly what I would have done, and exactly what like I seen in the past by dangerous fools like Ben Guerin.
And of course the way the law operates is that an allegation or hearsay doesn’t constitute evidence except on the balance of probabilities basis. In my judgement, the balance of probabilities is that it is probably a false flag operation. So I’m treating it as being one until evidence is provided that it isn’t. Just as I do for any otehr unsustantiated bulklshit that comes off the net.
Well, as you say "In my judgement, the balance of probabilities is that it is probably a false flag operations".
It seems to me that you are mixing up two things here, "burden of proof" and "standard of proof".
Burden of proof requires the person making the allegation to adduce some evidence to support their claim.You have produced none, it is just "in my judgement". Standard of proof is the level of proof that the evidence has to clear. Hence "balance of probabilities" mean evidence that is more likely than not to be true. But you have produced no evidence at all, just your view of the matter.
I would have thought if you are saying something is false on the balance of probability you have to adduce at least some evidence of that. You have admitted it is "in my judgement", but that is not evidence of any sort at all.
By the way hearsay can be admitted as evidence, at least in civil cases, it just may not have that much weight.
I would also note the article in the The Spinoff by Toby Manhire on the timeline has this statement, "The letter, which The Spinoff has verified originates from party members…".
I am certain the The Standard authors and commenters would know that when a reputable journalist makes such an emphatic statement (has verified) about something then it will be true.
The Spinoff staff have clearly done enough research on the open letter that they absolutely know it originated from Labour Party members. They will have probably interviewed the originators of the letter and have seen membership cards, or alternatively they know enough about the people who originated the letter to know they are Labour Party members.
Wayne, I would hope so, that a reputable journalist etc.
But I have been fulminating here about supposedly reputable journalists who don't meet the criterion of journalist in that their writing is loose, inexact and badly edited. I have criticised Hoskings, du Plessis-Allan and Rob Stock within the past week for that.
It is therefore very important to exactly know upon what basis a journalist makes a statement that something is verified. After all it was once verifiable that the earth is flat.
Even you say the Spinoff staff 'probably' acted properly, within reasonable expectations. The thing is we don't know, and it could all be assumptions or hearsay.
It also depends on the English being used as well. The word 'evidence' by itself does not mean that the material is true. It's just evidence, material put forward to justify a case being proposed. It can be true or false.
But most English users assume it means incontrovertible evidence only, not debatable, factually wrong, misinterpreted or misapplied. Therefore it was journalistically dubious to use the word 'evidence' in the headline "Fresh evidence emerges confirming Labour was told of sexual assault allegations on June 11". The misuse of the word by a journalist or editor is compunded by the word 'confirmed'. There is no idea of allegation or of possible error. It is 'confirmed'. Judge, Jury, Guilty as Charged in one headline.
That came from the Spinoff as well, written by' reputable' 'journalist' Alex Casey.
climaction, address the issue, why don't you? I don't care whose daughter she is. She is addressing as you say an important issue of power and proper conduct.
She should be using, ot her editor, whoever wrote the headline, English accurately.
That isn’t a verification – that is an assertion. If they’d explained how they verified…
They will have probably interviewed the originators of the letter and have seen membership cards, or alternatively they know enough about the people who originated the letter to know they are Labour Party members.
See – even you are unsure how they “verified”. You’re having to resort to mere supposition.
I know for a fact where “has verified” has been used by a “reputable journalist” where the verification was just asking for verbal confirmation. I’m sure that we all have. It is like the way that the media also trot out people to comment on the internal workings of Labour who I know haven’t been members or involved for decades, or never have been members or involved.
Forgive my cynicism – but I’m afraid that statement by Toby Manhire is just meaningless waffle. As far as I am concerned if he’d said something like he’d seen the membership cards or he has known that they were Labour members for a decade – but he didn’t eh? And would have been so easy to say that. That tells me the level of veracity he is using.
I've just read this in a paper. " (name) revealed he will be retiring as principal at the end of December. The move comes in the wake of a challenging few months at the (name) college after allegations of sexual abuse involving a teacher".
The principal involved has reached retirement age. He has good reasons to be retiring.
But the phrase "in the wake of' means that there is a consequential component to the resignation. It means more than a simple time sequence.
That was another 'reputable journalist' in paragraph three spreading an allegation which was not at all addressed in the rest of the article. In this case, it was the editor who wrote the article.
There is an Autralian journalist who every time when referring to union leaders calls them a union 'boss' but a leader of a conservative party is propeerly called a 'leader'.
It seems to me that you are mixing up two things here, “burden of proof” and “standard of proof”.
Burden of proof requires the person making the allegation to adduce some evidence to support their claim.
What I am saying is that I see absolutely no evidence that a suspicious object on the net is what it says that it is. Therefore it should be treated as being internet garbage – which is the default action that everyone should always take (and usually do).
If you believe that a anonymous page on the net making claims should be believed, then I will find you some that you should press links on to see how you get along with them. After all by your argument – you can’t determine that they are dangerous until after you have tried them.
However the reporter and PG are making a claim. They are saying that it is a legitimate object. However they are offering no evidence to support their claim. Nor do they appear to have a lot of expertise at making that judgement. To me that makes them unreliable.
By the way hearsay can be admitted as evidence, at least in civil cases, it just may not have that much weight.
Yeah I know. I simply don’t find that their hearsay evidence to support that claim is compelling.
To put it mildly, I am the resident expert on political bullshit on the net around here after watching it for more than a decade. I am also the person in the gun if we have false claims coming out of the comments. So I’m afraid my opinion is the one that counts. This one smells to my internet nose to be exactly like a previous false flag with a little more sophistication on the concealment side. So I treat it exactly the same way. Since the dirty politics fuckwit in my previous post has gone on to be a professional dirty politics fuckwit… I guess my nose keeps proving to be accurate. I’ll trust it.
Arguing about it doesn’t help. All it does is irritate me and waste my time.
Perhaps finding something that convinces me that it worth the risk of having PG make claims that I’m liable for would be a better use of your time than trying to dance on the head of a pin.
Wayne: for your own good – if you encounter a web form asking you to enter your personal information and you can see that the owner of the form is effectively anonymous and doesn't tell you what will be done with your information, you would be unwise to assume you can rely on it for what it purports to be. That way lies identity theft or worse.
Would imagine they wouldn't have clicked on the link to the random form if they didn't trust the person who sent them it.
There seems to be some seriously desperate looking "fending off" going on here in the last couple of days given the seriousness of the accusations, which is at odds with the rhetoric that comes from Labour supporters, when these cases come up any other time
What fending off? I encourage anyone unhappy with Labour's handling of this to let the party know about it, just please don't do it via a dodgy-looking anonymous web form. If you want to send them a message, do it via their contact page at https://www.labour.org.nz/contact-us, or you can email the PM directly at jacinda.ardern@parliament.govt.nz.
Further very unclear thinking from HDPA as reported by Pete George above at #1.
"On the 6th of August, one day after the story broke in the media, Mike Hosking raised it with her right here on this station.
He asked her: "How many people have quit your party as a result of this investigation into this bloke who may or may not have sexual assaulted someone?"
Her response was: “I’m going to be very careful answering that question Mike because this is an inquiry and work is still underway and it is still a party matter.”
Now what does that actually prove? Is it meant to be further proof that Arderne knew of the sexual nature of the allegations? The question from Hosking referred to numbers of members resigning.
I cannot understand the point that HDPA is trying to make here.
Very unclear, and what this issue needs is clarity, not lazy writing and mischief-making.
That's Heather's attempt to go "See?! Look! Labour did… some stuff, and it was bad stuff! Very bad! Naughty Labour! Let's see if we can fling muck about in the vain hope some of it will stick to the PM! She's like the Oracle of Delphi, that Jacinda! She knows all! But she won't admit it! Oh no! Tricksy. Like a hobbit. Dirty Labour!"
It's hysterical flailing. Actually, it's transparent hysterical flailing. Now that Nigel Haworth's ritually disemboweled himself, can we all move on?
"That she for the last five weeks has missed every bulletin, newspaper and programme that mentioned the fact this guy is alleged to have committed a sexual crime."
An alternative scenario is that the PM does not act on media headlines but rather established facts.
I cannot imagine that either HDPA or hoskins are on the PM's list for providers of facts. they certainly are not on mine
I'd like to ask Hoskings, " "How many people have quit listening to your show as a result of these allegations into whether you may or may not be a biased interviewer?"
If he answers "None" then he doesn't know about me.
If he answers "At least one" then he has admitted that it has been said that he is a biased interviewer, hasn't he? If he answers "I don't know" then he is still a biased interviewer.
“It’s important to be clear that none of the complaints the party investigated related to sexual assault. The person leading the original review made it clear to the complainants that the party would never be the appropriate body to handle allegations of that nature and that they would need to be investigated by the police.”
Have any of the alleged victims spoken to police, and how many have approached Paula Bennett? What did the alleged victims expect would happen after approaching Bennett? What expertise does Bennett have in dealing with victims of sexual assault? How has Bennett assisted the alleged victims?
“It’s important to be clear that none of the complaints the party investigated related to sexual assault. The person leading the original review made it clear to the complainants that the party would never be the appropriate body to handle allegations of that nature and that they would need to be investigated by the police.”
Ummph. Clearly I didn’t read that article deeply enough. Which would be pretty much what I would have expected.
Bullying by a staffer employed by parliamentary services which is what the original complaints appear to have been about are barely within the remit of the NZ Council, and will only apply to two aspects…
If the subject of complaints concerned should have access to NZLP volunteers. It sounds like there was a clear effort towards separation.
If they should be a member which doesn’t sound like it was raised. It would have been the subject of the full council.
Reading the article again. It appears that what ‘Sarah’ and ‘Jamie’ is reporting and what the panel from the NZ Council are reporting are two completely different sets of interviews and meetings.
But basically I can’t see any way that the NZ Council could have or would have acted on a sexual assault complaint. They simply don’t have any mandate to do so.
So the Council would only deal with allegations of assault, but not sexual assault.
Thus would ignore evidence submitted about sexual assault.
Thus could assure the PM they were not looking at any allegations of sexual assault – even though some people may be alleging that this has happened and providing such testimony to it.
Sexual assault is a criminal offence. You can’t have vigilante groups (like the NZ Council?) dealing with it. That is unlawful.
Tell me – what exactly do you think the NZLP council can do about any assault? They literally aren’t allowed to deal with things that are in the realm of criminal.
I’d suggest that you campaign for a law change to achieve what you seem to be asking for. The problem comes with what you think that law change should look like, especially when it needs to cover all organisations.
You seem to be missing my point – why was the PM of the view, for months, that no allegations of sexual assault had been made?
As to organisational safety, if an allegation of a serious sexual assault had been made many would act to protect members long before police took the matter to court. In this case the matter is one confused by mixed jurisdiction – place of work and political party are connected but not the same.
Thus the confused interface between the party and the PM – with parliamentary services not even involved, as no complainant was on staff.
Were we not discussing why she was told that, rather then the truth?
1. Because the Council do not investigate criminal matters, it informs the PM it is not investigating criminal matters.
2. The PM informs the media there are NO ALLEGATIONS of criminal matters being investigated by the Council.
3.There were such allegations made, but the Council does not/did not investigate them.
If the allegation is dead on arrival at the Council but lives on for those who testify to it, will the dead parrot come back to life and squawk out a name? For whom the parrot squawks … .
We all knew six weeks out from last election that the LP was a basket case! the country wasn't going to vote for them and I certainly wasn't.
And then there was Jacinda. Suddenly we had an actual caring, empathetic, smart! and appealing person to vote for and I and enough others changed our minds and voted for her. Events have shown that we made the right choice.
But I do not expect miracles. the LP is still a dysfunctional basket case and Jacinda is not going to turn that around with a magic wand. we should not expect her too. If she remains at the helm for long enough things will improve. and you can argue that each major #$%CK up along the way will actually make things better (as long as the right people get the blame!!).
I really don’t think this will affect election 2020 at all. sadly ALL the available parties are shit. There is only Jacinda and the populous will vote for her as there is nothing else.
Its a sad state but here we are and it could be a lot worse!
There is a very important issue going on with the language of how things are being reported here.
I am examining in particular the assertion by HDPA in Pete George's comment at 1 above.
The text reads. "“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party. But particularly they are not the appropriate place to ever undertake an investigation into a sexual assault. And that would be their view too.”
My reading of this quote is that there is a break in the meaning after this two sentences "“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party. "
The next two sentences are, as I read it, a comment by Ardern upon what she siad to the council a month ago. She added on the reference to the sexual allegations as an extension now that she had been informed of the sexual allegations.
The use of the word "would" indicates the conditional nature of the comment, starting at the word "But".
Read the quote like this, instead, to get what I believe Ardern was saying.
"“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party.
But particularly they are not the appropriate place to ever undertake an investigation into a sexual assault.
And that would be their view too.”
The word 'would' indicates that the issue had not been considered by the Council a month ago but refers to the situation now, after disclosure of sexual assault allegations, as to how they 'would' now react.
$25000 to catch an estimated 100 – 200 chickens does sound an awful lot. And it’s not as if the are spread over a very large area: mainly the shopping area and community centre. At dusk they are perched in trees and, you would think, could be rounded up with a minimal of effort.
…makes a good point about paying PAYE, ACC, etc, but HNZ hasn't paid them. My boy is a tradie and I worry that one day this will be him – stressed with no way of avoiding massive losses, kids asking parents if they are ok?
A Russian rapper who describes himself as Vladimir Putin’s best friend has pulled his latest pro-Kremlin music video from YouTube after it set a new record for online unpopularity.
The track, entitled Moscow, was released by Timati on the eve of Sunday’s city council elections in the Russian capital.
…The music video, which featured sweeping images of Moscow’s best-known landmarks, recorded the highest number of dislikes – 1.48m – for a single video on Russian YouTube. It also entered the top 30 most disliked music videos worldwide. It had 85,000 “likes”.
Timati denied allegations that he had been paid by the government to record the track.
…Guf, another rapper who contributed to the now notorious music video, apologised to his fans and said he had not even been aware elections were taking place. Putin’s ruling United Russia party suffered massive losses at Sunday’s city council polls.
south china morning post covers bridges grovelling in china..
'Euan Graham, the executive director of La Trobe University’s Asia department in Melbourne, said the visit set a “new jaw-dropping standard in cringeworthiness for Western politicians visiting China”.
“While the questions were leading, Bridges took up the challenge of buttering up the party with obvious enthusiasm, praising Xi Jinping in such obsequious terms that he sounded like a paid-up party member,” Graham said.'
The leader of the National Party, while in Beijing, went down on his knees and asked for the palace of heaven to grant his wish for New Zealand to become part of a Chinese Commonwealth …
After watching that truly cringeworthy interview, I came away with the impression that Soimon was sort of overcome with, and in awe of, a sense of his own importance!
You know what I mean – 'Someone's listening to me and not making me feel an idiot, I'll say all the nice things I can because they'll actually report what I say. Hey, here I am on the world stage, I matter! Listen to me, don't I sound like a statesman?'
And I wonder if the Chinese spy in our parliament has any private conversations with his paymasters?
Both Bomber and Cactus Kate agree on one point – brand Jacinda is in mortal danger of imploding.
Depending on which view you tend to lean toward either Jacinda has no idea of what is happening within her own inner circle (Bombers take) or she does and looks the other way (Cactus).
It's a bit of both. The play book is to allow the party leader deniability in the cover up. The leader above the fray talks about process and the party waits to see if they can make it go away or not.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has more on her plate to deal with than the prurient and malicious thoughts of you RW coming here. Thank goodness that we don't have a person from your 'set' at the head of our country any more. And long may that continue. Why don't you brand your lot with your chosen brand logo, or get it tattooed on each hand, so we know who not to shake hands with so we can keep all our fingers.
As did I, and will continue to. Just look back at my comments over 10 years.
Greywark seems to be suggesting that you are right wing if you dare to criticise the Prime Minister, the government, or the handling of this sexual assault.
"And what does Jacinda’s brand have to do with getting anything done about these allegations?"
Once the alleged victims went public – nothing. Its as you allude to political fallout.
It is clear the complainants believed that the Labour Party after hearing their testimonies would have acted with empathy and made the necessary changes. The opposite happened.
There are two separate issues at hand. 1/ Will the alleged victim/s give statements to the police ending up in court if the evidence is sufficient. 2/ The fallout within the Labour Party (both wings) as to who knew what and when and if the complainant's assurances are correct, why the sexual assault detail was suppressed.
Agreed about the police – that is where it should have gone in the first place for both the Young Labour camp for something that was clearly unlawful behaviour (the only thing that the NZLP could do was to chanbge procedures to that the opportunity didn’t happen again) and for this one based on what was in the Spinoff article.
The fallout in NZLP is just problematic. NZLP could do something if the allegations related to something that happened at a NZLP event. They can’t do much if it wasn’t as appears to have been the case. The person involved isn’t an employee of the NZLP. Similarly the actions claimed appear to be criminal.
The NZLP has no more ability to deal with sexual assault cases than any other external organisation. Employers can. Police can. Complaints should be directed to them.
Now I’m sure that there will be political fallout from this one. The correct response should be to tighten the complaint procedures to things that the NZLP council can actually do.
That should be clearly written, quite formal, and be signed by the complainant that they know the limits of what could be done.
If anything more is required, then it is a law change that changes the legal requirements for all organisations – one that covers from companies to charities. And includes the legal requirements for the police. Having half-arsed unenforceable coverage for sexual assaults through to bullying behaviour needs to be comprehensive and legislated rather than half arsed, unclear and unenforceable as this current snafu shows.
Isn't this similar to what Louise Nicholas experienced with a senior police officer to whom she took her story – that he was seemingly sympathetic but with the idea of taking it no further?
In the 2013 story 'Louise Nicholas: 'I've gone full circle' she and Police Commissioner announce an initiative where she is helping police and the public in giving guidance on help for victims and family after sexual abuse. Ms Nicholas, a campaigner for victims, has helped police create a brochure which will be given to anyone who reports a sexual crime with the focus on support for survivors and their family and whanau.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10891131 (In it her name was spelt differently, with two variations Nichols and Nicholas! It's hard to get things right it seems.)
The matter of dealing with attitudes to sex and being more open about how it affects our thinking and behaviour needs to be actioned as it is still a leading cause of unhappiness and violence when it should be the opposite. I really like the Hollies 'All I Need is the Air that I Breathe' for the sort of fulfilled and serene feeling that can be the outcome of good sex. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HydvceA1PAI
But of course it is not appropriate to discuss things positively, only to criticise outcomes – an endless and ultimately vicious circle.
Looking in to the background of policing and NZ mores in the Louise Nicholas case brought forward a number of stories. This is one.
The Louise Nicholas saga – Out Of The Shadows The Louise Nicholas saga – Out Of The Shadows by Phil Taylor in 2007
The reporting on sexual matters being covered and uncovered in one location in NZ is an unusually honest and frank nearly stream-of-consciousness piece. It reflects how things are happening in our impoverished degraded society after neolib swept our norms away – our jobs, our sense of agency in our lives, our ability to earn a living wage and have a place of our own to live, and the degraded community that has followed on the heels of the depredations of neolib. The economist dreamers who know nothing about real life and everything about their graphs and charts and computer models with economic 'laws' that are generalised, showing tendencies, and not suitable to be adopted as concrete universal law. But the government has accepted and implemented the neolib theories and the patchy and erratic results are being experienced in a tidal wave over all the country now.
The statement said, until now, the complainants had believed that Mr Haworth had had the best of intentions. "He was like a fatherly figure to us six women and he's let us down."
I'm sorry i haven't time to read the sort of books that you read SPC. I never notice from your comments that they have given you any insight into the depressing problems of today, and future, and still existing ones of the past.
I never notice from your comments that they have given you any insight into the depressing problems of today, and future, and still existing ones of the past.
The comments I have made cannot do that. But then, nor do the comments of others do that for them after they made them either.
Isn’t this similar to what Louise Nicholas experienced with a senior police officer to whom she took her story – that he was seemingly sympathetic but with the idea of taking it no further?
It is not only there. You’ll find that everywhere from HR departments covering corporate arses through to the police. Basically you can’t and shouldn’t depend on authority figures. You need to depend on mandated procedures and avoid shortcuts and fob-offs.
What needs to happen is to find out what the formal complaints procedures are for the actual issue that you’re dealing with and then to follow them rigorously and relentlessly to achieve the desired outcome. Find the review and appeal procedures at the same time and make it very clear that they also will be followed.
In this case, if the allegations were correct, presumably to removing someone from their position that they were exploiting. Unfortunately that will usually expose the complainant to formal and court processes. But really the reason you do this and all other complainant procedures is as much about stopping the repetition of activities on to other people.
lprent Just a musing. Your concerns about ensuring good practice made me think about keeping things clean and fresh and i thought of Quenton Crisp. I'm not a good housekeeper, and the witticisms of this eccentric Brit amused me:-
Quentin Crisp — 'There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse.' from Goodreads quotes.
Your points above show that it is essential to do good housekeeping as you have described. Not to do it from the first can result in the dire outcomes Crisp describes, which cannot be tolerated when it comes to abuse and bullying.
Disagree entirely on housekeeping (I'm on Crisp's side for that one), agree entirely on the bulk of your comment 🙂
I'm involved with a non-profit organisation, on the board. We get a lot of people through the door from members of the public to client organisation to our own staff and volunteers. Thousands a year. So statistically speaking we also get hundreds if not thousands or people who have or will sexually assault others at some time in their lives.
So we have the basic OSH procedures and plans, and we also have procedures and plans for sensitive issues of varying levels (causing discomfort through to to outright criminal complaint). And they're workable procedures with clear action points.
It's part of making a robust organisation, as opposed to ticking boxes to limit personal liability.
We're not perfect – sooner or later shit will happen that we clusterfuck in a catastrophic way – but we can at least plan for the likely hazards.
It seems from reading that piece, that many young NZs don't think much about what people from another English-speaking culture are like. We aren't all the same – as the saying goes from GB Shaw – 'The English and the Americans are two peoples divided by a common language.'
What Waititi said was just right.
"At the end of the day, the reality is we're all losers, and we're all uncoordinated," is another of the filmmaker's pearls of wisdom.
"We're the worst of all of the animals on Earth and there's something quite endearing about that."
Good point. Rosie Carnahan-Darby, an LA-based Kiwi comedy producer, says New Zealanders' "very dry, sarcastic, sardonic, self-deprecating sense of humour" doesn't always translate well in the US.
"Another thing to remember is that as a nation, New Zealand was very isolated for a very long time, so our language and culture has evolved to reflect that," she says, adding that humour from a country other than your own will almost always seem strange.
And washroom, bathroom, toilet, wc. Anyone who has watched USA tv much should know that they are very given to euphemisms for the basic matters of life, and are sort of agin' them? Like they didn't allow even a married couple to be pictured in bed together in the early movies. That's weird. And Canada is a bit like the USA – it has a strong Scottish Christian background too. But in Quebec who knows, those saucy French – now that is another prejudice, misconception, perhaps.
Keep watching – it would be terrible if NZ as we know and love it vanished one day while we were not looking. Oh dear we will say, I didn't know it was so sick, why didn't someone say something, we could have helped, saved it from this terrible end. It is terminal, and we aren't even allowed to give it euthanasia. Now I can't bear to watch.
Officially denied by taxi people, but disabled person on ACC needing assistance from government as promised to citizens are being denied because ACC machine-minds, aggravating alghorithms, won't pay normal rates to meet costs of taxi drivers.
.
The real economy for the people is in small face to face business. It is suffering badly, because of poor decisions that have ignored the domestic economy while going after more glamorous exports, and foreign investors who make everyone feel important when they come and take an interest in us and pick our plums, but these are not the workers in the orchards.
.
More and more money on airports?? When we are worrying about climate change and using less fossil fuels and also what about the principled travellers which will ruin our business, they might cut down on their willingness or ability to travel by air?
Bloody unbelievable. Those of us who are thinking need to set up 24 hour watches so we can keep up with those who dream up these nightmares while we are sleeping.
Party President Nigel Haworth has resigned after Ardern saw correspondence in which "confirms that the allegations made were extremely serious"— Andrea Vance (@avancenz) September 11, 2019
At this point the most benign explanation is that nobody in Labour whose job it was to investigate sexual assault complaints even bothered to read the complaints they received. Such monstrous lack of care should be a firing offence in itself.
Not really – he's the main connection between the party and the caucus.
The investigation was screwed up, and I still think it's 50/50 that the reviewers viewed themselves as restricted solely to reviewing the investigation, rather than raising issues with Ardern.
As for Lew, he seems to think everyone involved is employed by the party or even Ardern, rather than being elected officials.
Hopefully the new president puts some stick about so shit isn't so ossified. And maybe the guy everyone's been complaining about should take a tip from Howarth.
"The investigation was screwed up, and I still think it's 50/50 that the reviewers viewed themselves as restricted solely to reviewing the investigation, rather than raising issues with Ardern."
That's a longbow to draw but ok let us accept they binned any reference to sexual assault …however we have Ardern telling us she asked and sort assurances that none of the claims were of a physical/sexual nature. That gives the investigation panel nowhere to hide, or maybe they did raise it?
They were not investigating sexual assault matters and they told those complainants that such were matters for the police, so while they knew of such allegations, they were not investigating them. And thus they could tell the PM none of the allegations they were investigating involved sexual assault (because they do not investigate those matters).
A male complained he was assaulted when confronting the alleged perp, if he was also told to take that to the police, there would have been less and less for them to investigate and find him culpable for.
The interesting thing is that no one has yet said they were asked to inform the party if they took the matter to police. Did they presume no one would?
The interesting thing is that no one has yet said they were asked to inform the party if they took the matter to police. Did they presume no one would?
Perhaps because it is illegal to interfere in any individuals decision to lay a complaint to the police or interfering with a police investigation. I’d have to look up the acts (which I don’t have time for right now), but I remember running across that several times in various contexts over the decades.
Think it through about what the implications are of having early warning about a complaint being laid.
I don't see being informed, after the fact, of a complaint to police being made, as interfering in the decision to do so.
Or party awareness of this having occurred compromising or interfering with any investigation by police for that matter.
In this matter the party advised people to take matters to police, if it was in fact illegal to influence a persons decision on whether to go to police, the party would surely not have done so.
I'm not sure how proper it would have been to speak to the reviewers like that directly. So who did the assurances come from (hint: probably the guy who just quit).
But either way, sometimes folks in such roles have a very narrow idea of what "professionalism" means in that role, because it's not their usual job.
“This morning I was provided some of the correspondence from complainants written to the party several months ago. It confirms that the allegations made were extremely serious, that the process caused complainants additional distress, and that ultimately, in my view, the party was never equipped to appropriately deal with the issue.
Meanwhile "the PB" is so beside herself with joy, she's decided to treat herself to a new frock and "the Soi" hez dusoided on a noit on the tearn. Insiders say the gNatz are about to ramp up their targeting using a bit of new-found wealth promised on a recent trip to the Whurl's farcetist groan konamy.
Paula Bennett on Twitter.
Haworth has gone but this goes right to the PM. It’s her employee, her senior staff and a senior minister and what they knew when. And of course what Ardern herself knew.
2:29 PM · Sep 11, 2019.
It's probably high time Jacinda got out that Mark Richardson index finger again and directed it towards a few senior public servants and others just along for the ride.
It isn't just Her Madge's opposition that are the problem but sure as shit it seems to be taking an eon for some to realise just where the roadblocks to transformation and kindness are. Often, they're staring them in the bloody face
Terrified because she understands how the rich and their schemes work.
"She's got to be stopped."
Jim Cramer and a @CNBC panel discuss Wall Street executives being absolutely terrified of Elizabeth Warren and how they've never seen anything quite like it before. This is the greatest Warren campaign ad possible. pic.twitter.com/VCrGOfxOX0
Ha, that's brilliant, especially the part where one of the goons noted that the last time government went after the banks in the 1930's, twenty years later in the 50's and 60's they had the most equal income spread ever..
The DP brigade and their media enablers were not going to be satisfied until they had his scalp. My pick is: he took it for an underling or two.. Now they will be after Jacinda's scalp.
Anyone see Soper on the TV stand-up with Jacinda today? Standing over her (almost) shouting hostile questions at her. What an ill mannered creep. She ignored him.
I'm far from convinced it's meaningful. Even your own interest is driven by factionalism, not credible concern for the victim or victims. It's news (to you) because it represents an opportunity to impugn the government, not because the government are supporters of abuse. As such it is a side show, whatever the facts (and I've yet to see them) may be.
Had this issue not been pushed Labour we wouldn't have known about it, had the issue not been aired the victims would not have their chance to speak, if Labour had their way no one would have known about this and the guy would be free to keep on doing what he likes
yessss hold your precious close you P.O.S. and cry your fake tears of concern as you pretend to care – no one is fooled – it makes your true nature shine forth puckwit
Why? PS doesn't have a complaints department and procedures for external people to access. I think that has been standard at every place I've worked at.
If I complain about an employee of an organisation that I'm dealing with then I'd expect that is a problem for their manager and probably then to their HR. It is after all an issue for the organisation if people complain about the behaviour of their employees.
And very frustrating too. As a young woman long before social media a friend told our women's group how she was raped at 16 by her minister. She chose not to tell the police. I was horrified at the thought he was still employed and still likely to hurt someone else. Yet not one of us could go to the police as it was all second hand. Its weighed on my mind. This is similar. Until the victim goes to the police harm will continue to be done.
Marist Brother gets Home D for repeated child sexual abuse? His defence lawyer says the child exploitation porn he possessed had no victims?
With attitudes like these, and the long history of Labours attitude to victim blaming or denial (like in the Darren Hughes case), no wonder Ardern has a see no evil/hear no evil attitude.
She's toast now I think, unless she and Labour start seeing that a kinder and more caring government starts with how the most powerless individuals in society are treated.
That's drawing a long bow comparing those two cases PCnz.
And you're up the creek without a paddle when it comes to Jacinda. Where have you been these past nine months in particular? Or do you have an extraordinarily poor memory?
Anne, Re-reading my post, yes you are right. Linking the Marist Brother to this current situation was wrong of me.
I guess what I was trying to say was that sexual abuse, in general, is still way too casually viewed by many people.
Not sure what you mean in your second comment? I absolutely admire her handling of the mosque shooting. Hope she take a similar approach with this. Maybe she was telling the truth and was misled. Just find that surprising.
Fair enough. I thought you were referring to Jacinda when you mentioned … a kinder more caring government. They are infinitely better then the previous government but still have a way to go.
I went through a similar process to these 'complainants' 25 years ago but it wasn't through a political party although politics was involved. In my case the incidents were more broad-based (and there were sexual connotations as well) but I was terrified. What absolutely shocked me (still does) was the inability of the authorities I approached to be able to comprehend what I was trying to tell them. They were all men and they clearly concluded I was just making shit.
Yes, a way kinder and more caring government for sure. No doubt whatsoever in my mind about that!
Posts, texts etc always miss the nuances that are so important, and it is so easy, for me at least, to not quite convey the subtleties of my message at times. Hope you can understand that and allow me a little grace.
"And yet, these are the rules the young complainants in this latest scandal have had to negotiate their way through: a task made all the more difficult and distressing by the fact that nobody told them what they were. They did not understand that the invitation to come forward with their personal experiences of sexual misconduct was never meant to be taken seriously. They did not grasp that the prime objective of the Labour Party is not to build a better, fairer world, but to win the next election. "
[Your comment was a reply to Anne’s @ 20.2.1.1, which was based on her experience with a similar complaint process. I cannot see how this could be considered as “cheerleading [that] is sickening”. You couldn’t even be bothered to use your own words but instead used Chris Trotter’s, which bear no relevance to Anne’s personal comment and experience and it was mind-numbingly stupid trolling given the recent developments. In any case, I’m going to stop you from trolling this site in general and of women here in particular in order to improve the overall culture here. Banned for three months – Incognito]
I think you'll find Ardern stared evil straight in the face. You, on the other hand, bow deferentially to any POS you think might pimp your precarious position of being a complete prick.
The Standard was a good read. PR and his PR team have fucked it.
[We don’t need (more) personal abuse and insults. Please tone it down – Incognito]
Sorry alwyn – witty, but deficient. Staring evil in the face can only be eyeball to eyeball. Applying makeup, people look anywhere but the eyeball. Little external details, not the essential.
Good quip, but no banana.
I think this indicates your lack of a socially cohesive philosophy..
wow so you are implying that our Prime Minister is evil – sad to see someone so low and useless drop even further but you, alwyn, have managed it – wash your face with lots of soap cos you are dirty
“"I think you'll find Ardern stared evil straight in the face".
Applying her make-up was she?”
I have no rage just disgust with your insinuations including this latest one – "Now just calm down you little adorer of all creatures on the sinister side"
what does that mean in the context of this thread – you think our Prime Minister is a creature from the sinister side?
You rwnj's are manhandling yourself constantly on this – such weaklings, it is no wonder you are fiddling on the hoof.
If you mean she showed brilliant leadership with the mosque shooting, you are right.
But hey, as always wtb, just play the abuse, if that somehow makes you feel.better and you believe it in some strange way forms an argument. And please do not make assumptions about you, as certainly am tempted about you but have.far more respect for you than apparently you have for me, or maybe for anyone that has an opposing view.
My 2 cents, for what its worth…yes I think Ardern was brilliant the way she handled the Chch mosque shooting. However, I believe she has not handled this well at all.
In the last 48 hours Ardern has come across as genuine, apologised publicly and acted promptly and transparently over Haworth. Lots still for the party to front up to but what more could she have done herself at this stage?
"I want a justice system in New Zealand where people feel comfortable coming forward and are listened to, but I also need to ensure the Labour Party lives up to that expectation too."
This. If the main government party can't get this stuff right culturally within their own party then they won't be able to pass or change legislation that delivers a better justice system.
Yep. The media were silent when National was in the spotlight for exactly the same sort of thing – twice in the past year. No screaming headlines. No hysterical commentaries from the likes of Hosking, Soper, HdPA – and others of their ilk. No presidential scalp demanded from the Nats.
Just bought a book from the library 50c – on how opposition from a deadhead, erratic, manic, ambitious politician that no-one in the Labour Party wanted as a leader was replaced by a reluctant Julia Gillard.
And how she was attacked and villified by a nest of media vipers and polly sycophants, for the whole of her time in the position, with attention going onto the latest trumped-up stooory instead of her remarkably good outcomes achieved while working with a Coalition
Sound familiar? Soimon may be a wizard's familiar. Who would the wiz in the background be?
I'll put some quotes later from auuthorKerry-Anne Walsh, Oz reporter of renown and regular on Radionz.
Bullshit. The MSM reported it all yes, but there was no blood-rushing to the head. No hysterics from the usual suspects eg. Hosking and co. And no MSM screaming for heads to roll.
TVNZ so called news these days, is more like a party political broadcast on behalf of the National Party. What are the political affiliations the news editor? Anyone know?
Flickering lights – I've got them at home. Why, what ?? This info that I have come across so far.
I’ve never had this before. I don’t have dimmers just bog standard light fitting hanging from the ceiling. I still use some incandescent bulbs, and one of those was flickering also.
Washington Post says LED can’t flicker. ‘How to stop your LED lights from flickering – The Washington … https://www.washingtonpost.com › business › 2018/07/25 › how-stop-your-l…
Jul 31, 2018 – There’s no flickering. LED bulbs don’t have glowing filaments…..’
LEDs can flicker, it's rare but is usually caused by the LEDs driver or a dimmer switch in the circuit. Even though you don’t always see it all mains powered light sources flicker, whether incandescent, halogen, fluorescent or LED due to our electrical supply being alternate current. Older 230V LEDs are especially affected by the odd flicker, what voltage are yours?
Tried really hard to detect any flicker in my household 230V LEDs ($2 cheapies from Bunnings), using techniques I know I can detect flicker in some other LEDs. Videoing, head movements, variable speed rotating objects. Nothing.
They're warm white, so they're blue leds shining through a lot of yellow phosphor. And because that phosphor emission takes a while to die off, the yellow part of the light might not be flickering significantly even if the underlying blue led actually is flickering. Kinda like a light analogue of an electronic capacitor. On mine, you can definitely see the light fading when they're switched off, unlike the instant-off you get with monochromatic LEDs (such as brake lights).
Don't have any cool white LEDs to check. Maybe they have more noticeable flicker since much more of the output light is directly from the blue LED, rather than absorbed then re-emitted from a yellow phosphor.
I prefer warm white, and find the cool white ones give a stark lab room feel. here is stuff to learn – lumens etc and I have been reading a bit here and there. I like to keep some indcandescents for spares. I think I should do most of my political reading at night – by the time I am finished I am so energised that I am incandescent myself, probably enough to do two rooms.
Mickey B – Ah, silence about that voltage? I have been using Phillips Tornado but got some EV things from Warehouse. And then I got some that have normal round shaped bulbs from the supermarket. I imagine they are all the usual is that 230-240? Anyway I will look in the weekend and try to be more informed.
If you've got flicker in an incandescent bulb, I strongly recommend checking it out carefully. A likely cause is some kind of poor connection, which can than cause arcing and heat. And if it really goes bad, could conceivably start a fire (very very rare, but possible).
With it off, first carefully look for any sign of anything getting hot (just look, don't touch). Yellowing plastic near the socket is a sign. Then turn it on and listen for buzzing and/or crackling noises when it's on. Turn it back off, let it cool, remove the bulb and look at the contacts on the bulb and inside the socket. Check the metal shell for the contacts isn't loose or distorted (both bulb and socket).
If there's nothing visibly faulty, put the bulb back in and check the bulb is a snug fit in the socket and the spring pressure of the contacts feels normal as you install the bulb. (Definitely do not poke at the contacts inside the socket to feel the spring pressure, if you're taking advice from randoms off the webz, you definitely don't know enough about what you're doing to do that safely).
If the bulb and socket all seem good, have a listen for buzzing/crackling noises at the switch, then at the fuse box. If you hear any buzzing/crackling noises anywhere that correspond to malfunctioning electrical stuff, please call a sparky.
edit: Should also mention a rellie moved into a new place that had a bunch up lights with the sockets pointing up rather than hanging down, that were giving problems. Turned out the sockets had filled up with dead bugs attracted by the light.
Thanks Andre – Blinded by the light eh. I have had mice in the ceiling (old house and two layer ceilings – the normal 8 ft and further up in part 11 foot.) I left some rat bars up there to chew on but haven't been up there lately. I hope they aren't chewing on my electric cable. I will have to explore. Have a new ladder so have the stable steps for getting up there.
The buggers will chew your wiring and eat bits of your car. (Some bright spark decided to be all eco-cool and use bio plastic insulation on some of the wiring of a particular brand of car…as if the rats and mice need any encouragement.)
We dealt to our problem with good old fashioned mouse and rat traps. Poison them and they just die and rot in your roof space…after chewing your plastic water pipes to ease their poison induced raging thirst.
Bait the traps with peanut butter…or bacon fat…but especially peanut butter. Might pay to staple a bit of strong string to the rat trap and tie to a nail…they have been known to take off once caught, taking the trap with them.
Sounds ghoulish…but over the past couple of years the rodents have become particularly destructive.
And maybe get your wiring checked…does your flickering light cause the transistor radio to crackle?
Scientific paper on Work Trade Centre 7 collapsing into its own footprint not because of fire but because of “the almost simultaneous failure of every column in the building.” surprise surprise! And yet further amazement that the mainstream media across the globe (with few exceptions) looks the other way https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/09/10/presstitute-blackout-of-9-11-study/
Hooray for tiny house owners in their fight to get some sensible and practical moves from legislators.
MoBIE have got an exemption. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let's have a gander at tiny houses minimum regulations and then let people get an affordable place to live. Is that asking too much from you shiny-seated twits?
…But the fact the houses will be on wheels hits a nerve with tiny house owners like Amberley man Alan Dall, who was told by Hurunui District Council, and then by MBIE, he needed to make his tiny house building code compliant as a fixed-foundation structure.
He maintains it should simply be treated as a vehicle, as should MBIE's houses…
"For a $66,000 one-bedroom tiny house, it would very likely cost them another $20,000 to go through the consent process with council," he said.
Mr Wightman acknowledged that MBIE's houses were for emergency situations, but said New Zealand's housing crisis was also an emergency, for which his tiny houses were a viable solution.
Pity that the ones in the picture were painted a lovely shade of dark grey! They are as near to black as possible, dark grey is the new black, as black heats up too much and the paint splits, same with very dark green, navy. But there are other 'colours' in between black and other darks and white. Couldn't we enjoy our houses and colour them, be happy and look happy even decorate them like Romany ones.
I guess most fiction readers will like Robert Harris, many of whom I hope are men as they are known to be mainly non-fiction readers. He has written another one in a back to the future style I think. Interview:
Robert Harris: The Second Sleep
From Sunday Morning, 10:08 am on 8 September 2019 “All civilisations consider themselves invulnerable; history warns us that none is.” That is the ultimate warning from best-selling author Robert Harris’ latest novel that fictionalises the dangers that await humanity. You can listen plus read a full informative piece about his thinking.
The Second Sleep has all the trappings of a historical novel, and it’s titled after the noted pre-industrial European habit of having two bouts of sleep and waking up in between to complete tasks or socialise.
Readers might be fooled into thinking it’s set in the 15th Century as the book also opens with a young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arriving in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor.
There's a saying about crooked people, that they can't even lie straight in bed. Boorish won't even be able to go to bed by the time the Kingdoms unite against him and bloody England.
Live
Brexit latest news: Parliament may have to be recalled after Scottish court rules Boris Johnson broke law by proroguing
Oh good at least the explanations of the whole caboodle will be explained correctly. Meanwhile the caravan moves on, leaving a pile of camel-doo behind. But hey they don't have camels in the UK. Sorry got that wrong.
Scotland's highest civil court has ruled Boris Johnson's suspension of the UK Parliament is unlawful. A panel of three judges at the Court of Session found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians who were challenging the prime minister's move. The judges said the PM was attempting to prevent Parliament holding the government to account ahead of Brexit.
There are 2 stories, the Right and the Left — dinna complicate matters. More importantly the kicked-overs point of view. We need a power of unity, or the rich will win. And all the failure in the last 40 years was lack of organised resistence to the decisions of the silly rich.
Mmmm. The silly rich have become the filthy rich while the poor are stripped of all their possessions and so poorly paid, with such uncertain and irregular work hours and jobs that many are back in the days leading to the Tolpuddle Martyrs who got transported to Australia for starting a union in the south of England amongst farming workers.
Condolences to Akilisi Pohiva whanau for their loss and to Tonga for the loss of a great Prime minister.
Jacinda doesn't need to stress to much she puts trust in her top staff that is who made a mess of the staff issues.
It will take time for the Muslims people who were at prayer in the Christchurch heal.
I agree national played the parliamentary staffing issues to try and dent Jacinda Star Power. That's correct Willy national had there own scandals and the Coalition Government did try and use it as a tool harm there credibility.
Looks to me like the national skeemers are not fronting up.
Yes I agree the Star power of great celebrities is greatest when use to influence humanity to do positive things for all the Papatuanuku co founders of Friends at Mahi Ka pai.
I'm not impressed with the fishing industry add stating that they only take a certain % percent of our Ika for one we have to trust them that the data is correct ITS NOT like One can not sit on a hill a take count of our fish stock they have to guess some of the data.
Also we have to trust people are reporting there fish catch honestly some will but some people can't help but rip our fish off. Its so easy to set scales to have one kg less per bin. Because of this phenomenon fishing draws in the shady type of business persons there only conscience is MORE MONEY.
They mite say they account for their sly ways but I have no confidence in this.
I have seen right before my eyes our fish stock drop wet fish shell fish.
When I was short in the tooth I could take my whanau walk around the pohatu for half a hour and get a decent kai. After 10 years that Kai Moana disappeared the state will be in a very depressed depleted state now 25 years later. It is good that the fishing industry has dropped there catch tonnage but that is a model that has failed to protect our wild resources in the past I don't believe it's going to work NOW. The Ambulance at the bottom of the hill strategy. I.E harvest the natural stock ya bonanza hard out everyone's creaming it.
Next minute O these things are getting harder to catch let's slow down lower the take on the resource. And most speices collapse and never recovered unless we invest heaps of putea to reseed the wild stock ECT.
For one I can not see that being achieved with Orange Roughy they live very long lives 50 to 150 years and thousands of meters deep for this reason I say 3 %estimated catch rates are to much.
Let's protect our Mana taonga great resources for our Mokopuna and there descending tangata.
I think it's great that our government is making people register there guns and show that there mental health is stable before qualifying to get a gun licence it's about time.
It was needed the 9 million extra funding for Christchurch mental health department especially after the Christchurch desaster Ka pai.
Some people don't care about their workers working in the horticultural and neighbours. industry being affected by the chemicals they apply to their orchards. . Organic is the way to go.
That's was a great legacy The Tonga Prime minister has changing the government to a tangata democracy
I'm. Not giving him any oxygen.
I am very happy that Aotearoa real. History is going to be taught to all our tamariki in Aotearoa THAT will help create happiness and harmony amongst all tangata Ka pai.
That is awesome seeing all the new tangata whenua running for councillors kia kaha
Its great that Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa are receiving a warm reception while they are in China
Kai pai Webster great speach it gives Eco Maori A sore face to see all the Rangatahi rising up and showing there Mana wairua. Even a little tear kia kaha.
We are very pleased to publish this submission is from Lucinda Stoan. She is a social justice activist, mother, and educator, based in Washington State in the US. This detailed and comprehensive source-linked overview of trans issues and what is at stake will be useful for many people, especially in ...
New Zealand's Underarm Banker: It bears recalling that the “independence” of the Reserve Bank Governor was for decades held up by neoliberal capitalists as the most compelling justification for passing the Reserve Bank Act. Interesting, is it not, how the ruling class’s support for the Bank’s independence lasted no longer than ...
Rubbish In, Rubbish Out: Put all this together, and it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that anyone who responds positively to a pollster’s request to “answer a few questions” is just ever-so-slightly weird. Desperately lonely? Some sort of psephological train-spotter? Political party member primed to skew the poll for or against ...
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...
The government has been congratulating itself over the passage of the Zero Carbon Act, which sets out long-term emissions targets. Meanwhile, Climate Action Tracker has the shameful reality: those targets are insufficient:While New Zealand is showing leadership by having passed the world’s second-ever Zero Carbon Act in November 2019, under ...
The government introduced a Racing Industry Bill today. As an urban who horse racing as pointless-to-cruel, and gambling as a tax on stupidity and/or hope, this isn't normally a bill which would interest me in the slightest, beyond grumpiness at more government money for a dying industry. But there is ...
Check. Check. One, two, three, four. Is this thing ON? Hello readers, I logged in last night (yeah, it’s been a while) to mark THE END of the landmark legal case, Jordan Williams v Colin Craig, which (gulp) reached The Supreme Court, in which New Zealand’s most-defamed man was suing the politician he ...
Before The Birth: Israel’s most fervent supporters set their clocks ticking in Biblical times. They cite the kingdoms of David and Solomon as proof that, in the words of the Exodus movie’s theme-song: “This land is mine.” The majority of Israel’s backers, however, start their clocks in 1933 – the year Adolf ...
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...
When it was revealed that NZ First had tried to enrich itself from public office via the Provoncial Growth Fund, the Prime Minister assured us that everything was OK as Shane Jones, the Minister responsible for the fund, had recused himself. Except it seems that that recusal came very late ...
Today is a Member's Day, and probably the last one of the year. After the marathon of the End of Life Choice Act, most of the bills up for debate today are uncontentious. First up is the second reading of Chlöe Swarbrick's Election Access Fund Bill. This will be followed ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has reported back on the government's odious and tyrannical control orders bill. As expected, the fraudulent select committee process has made no significant changes (partly because they couldn't agree, but mostly because it was a stitch-up from the start, with no intention of ...
Yesterday, the government released its draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which will be put to a non-binding referendum at the next election. I'm not a drug policy expert, but Russell Brown is, and he thinks its pretty good. And pretty obviously, it will be a massive improvement on the ...
As you're probably aware, the draft bill outlining the proposed legal cannabis regime to be put to a referendum late next year was published yesterday, and has already attracted a flurry of comment. It's notable that a good deal of the comment is about proposals that aren't actually new.A minimum ...
One of the big problems in New Zealand climate change policy is the government working at cross-purposes with itself. It wants to reduce fossil fuel use, but encourages oil and gas exploration. It wants to reduce transport emissions, but then builds enormous new roads. The problem could be avoided if ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzAccording to the United Nations, food shortages are a threat ...
Last year, the government announced it was ending offshore oil exploration by no longer issuing new permits. The idea was that the industry would then die off as permits expired. Except almost immediately the government revealed its bad faith, by saying they would extend permits and alter conditions to keep ...
The government introduced the Education and Training Bill to Parliament yesterday. Its a massive bill, which replaces both existing Education Acts, as well as various other bits of legislation (including some which are still proceeding through the House). I'll leave the serious analysis to teachers and people who actually know ...
Amelia SharmanThere’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to micro-credentials, those bits of bite-sized learning that can help workers stay on top of technological change. What’s a micro-credential? While definitions vary, micro-credentials can be understood as short courses that allow people to learn new skills or have an existing competency recognised. ...
All Smiles Now: Claire Szabo is taking up her presidential role after serving as the CEO of Habitat For Humanity. Which is absolutely perfect! After KiwiBuild was so comprehensively mismanaged by Phil Twyford, the party has not only elected a new president from a thoroughly respectable not-for-profit, but one who ...
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...
by Daphna Whitmore At Golden Oaks, a luxurious country retreat in the Hudson Valley, pregnant women have the best care money can buy. From the organic food, personalised exercise programmes, private yoga instruction and daily massages Golden Oaks looks like a country lodge for the upper class. Set some time ...
When Labour was running for election in 2017, it felt it needed to demonstrate "fiscal responsibility" and signed itself up to masochistic "budget responsibility rules". It was a fool's errand: the sorts of voters who demand fiscal responsibility are also the sorts of voters who believe that labour can never ...
Writing in Stuff, Joel MacManus looks at what we need to do to meet the Zero Carbon Act's targets. The core of it:1. Convert 85 per cent of vehicles on the road to electric. 2. Eliminate fossil fuels from all industrial heating up to 300 degrees Celsius. 3. Double our ...
Professors Janet Hoek and Richard Edwards, Emeritus Professor Phil Gendall, Jude Ball, Dr Judith McCool, Anaru Waa, Dr Becky FreemanRecent media reports have presented conflicting evidence on youth vaping in NZ. While some NZ school principals report concerns about increasing vaping on school grounds and confiscating vapes, ASH Year ...
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...
Image credit:The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ...
1080 is used to control pests in NZ. Its use is contested by a noisy few. A new report claims high levels of 1080 in rats washed up on a beach. Flora and Fauna of Aotearoa (F&F) won’t name the laboratory that did their testing. It has sparked a hunt ...
What Kind Of Empire? The thing for Kiwis to decide is what kind of empire they want to belong to. The kind that, while offering its own citizens democratic rights, demands absolute obedience from its “friends”? Or, the kind that, while authoritarian at home, takes a relaxed attitude to the ...
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...
Within quick succession, Countdown maths wizard and twitterer Rachel Riley, alleged comedian David Baddiel and prominent lawyer Andrew Julius have all expressed very similar opinions / ideas:
These #3billboards are going round London today, organised by ex-Labour people, horrified by what their party has become. Their principles haven’t changed, they’re ...
So, there have been a bunch of bad polls out for Labour, and even the Leftie's friend, Survation, have recently given the Conservatives a rip-snorting 11% lead. You Gov's much vaunted MRP poll - which pretty much nailed the result in 2015 - is currently predicting a comfortable majority for ...
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to declare a climate emergency:The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The vote came as scientists warned that the world may have already crossed ...
Pure Fear: Worse than Heroin, this drug’s addictive power was terrifying. People under its influence didn’t drift off to Elysium. Nor did it persuade inadequate individuals that they could conquer the world. No, this drug – pure crystal methamphetamine, “P” for short – unlocked the gates of Hell itself. It ...
As the rate of measles infection, and of deaths, continues to climb in Samoa, antivaccination activists infectious disease proponents seem intent on doubling down on their claims about vaccination. (Check pretty much any news-media FB post about measles & you’ll see exactly what I mean.) Unfortunately, some of them have ...
Samoa are experiencing a devastating measles epidemic. It is possible that 2-3% of the population will ultimately be infected by the time it is over. Hopefully the mass immunisation campaign currently under way can mitigate some of this, for many it is too late. The first question many people ask ...
Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer and journalist She runs the Feminist Current website which she founded in 2012. She was a keynote speaker for the Feminism2020 conference in Wellington this month. When Massey University cancelled the original venue booking Feminism2020 was hosted in Parliament by MP David Seymour. Meghan ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Colombia has lived through one week of protests against the economic measures taken by president Duque. What looked like a protest that would fizzle out after its first day on November 21st is still going strong. Part of the reason for the continuance ...
Around a million billion pass through you each second, almost all originating from our sun, but few of them are likely to interact with you enroute. I was reading in a physics magazine earlier in the week about the nature of neutrinos. These are extremely numerous elementary particles, but only ...
By Pallab GhoshThere’s value in covering new research advances, even when the underlying science is unsettled. But there are also risks.The recent announcement that scientists discovered water on the planet K2-18b, 110 light years away, prompted a media swoon. News stories, including a piece written by me, billed ...
I wrote this review a couple of years ago when I was still in the process of getting my head around the politics of transgenderism, and specifically the claim that intersex conditions lend support to the notion that sex is ‘socially constructed’. Since writing this review I have come across ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzHow much does our use of air travel contribute to the ...
Minor planet/asteroid (2309) Mr. Spock is named not for the character in Star Trek, but for a cat that was itself imperturbable, logical, intelligent and had pointed ears. In a preceding blog post I introduced one of my favourite asteroids, (2472) Bradman, and also mentioned (6581) Sobers amongst a few ...
Today the death toll from measles in Samoa rose to 32. All but four of the dead were less than 5 years old. Absolutely terrible, heartbreaking, news. That statistic alone should be enough to give the lie to the common claim by antivaccination activists plague enthusiasts that “measles is a ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh It is late here in Bogotá, almost 11.30pm on Monday the 25th of November as I write this. The day began full of hope with yet more massive marches throughout the country, a mix of the International Day of Non-Violence Against Women and the National Strike. ...
Anti-fluoride activists are rubbing their hands in glee over what they claim is “yet another study” showing fluoride harms the brains of children. But their promotion relies on IQ relationships which the paper’s authors acknowledge disappearing when outliers or other factors are considered. And they completely ignore other relationships ...
The feature below is the conclusion of A History of Economic Thought, whose author was a leading Marxist economist in Russia in the early 20th century, Isaac Ilyich Rubin. The book arose from a course he ran at Moscow University following the Russian Revolution. First published in Russian in 1929, ...
There are many thousands of asteroids with formal names, some humdrum but other more noteworthy (depending on your predilections). One of my favourites, the name of which I was involved in suggesting, is (2472) Bradman, named for the Australian cricketing great. As a minor planet (synonym: asteroid) spotter, I have ...
Tory manifesto: big on austerity, low on promise, non-existent on delivery. The Tories: the party so big on ambition they couldn't be arsed writing a manifesto. MLK: "I have a dream!"BJ: "I'll just have a nap." Labour: Broadband!Tories: Narrow minds! Labour have hope, dreams and ambition. The Tories will save ...
The Ministry of Health has announced that “people under the age of 50 travelling from New Zealand to Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji” are now on the list of national priorities for MMR vaccination. Given the outbreaks of measles in Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji, the Ministry of Health is ...
Hong Kong has been protesting for six months for, demanding democracy, human rights, and an end to police violence. Today, they went to the polls in district council elections - a low-level of government with virtually no power, similar to community boards in New Zealand. But while the positions themselves ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh On Friday 22nd of November a curfew came into effect and troops were deployed on the streets, here in Bogota. It was the first time since September 1977 that a curfew had been imposed on the city. The decision was a cynical pre-planned ...
Meanwhile, while the government is planning to restore voting rights to prisoners, National is promising to turn our prisons into US-style slave-labour camps:The Opposition is proposing compulsory education, training or employment for prisoners who are serving sentences of two years or more. [...] On Sunday, National Party Leader Simon Bridges ...
Excerpts from Being and Being Bought, by Kajsa Ekis Ekman Spinifex Press, 2013. Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book. This is the second part of a synopsis and brief commentary of the book by Daphna ...
Dalmeet Singh ChawlaIn 2008, psychologists proposed that when humans are shown an unfamiliar face, they judge it on two main dimensions: trustworthiness and physical strength. These form the basis of first impressions, which may help people make important social decisions, from who to vote for to how long a ...
Claas Kirchhelle, University of Oxford; Adam Roberts, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Andrew Singer, Centre for Ecology & HydrologyAntibiotics are among the most important medicines known to humankind, but we are running out of this crucial resource. Decisive action is needed if we are to retain access to ...
Things That Make You Go - Hmmmm: “All right. Let me come at this another way. I’m guessing that what you’ve got in that box contains names, dates, bank account numbers – all the details you need to put Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern squarely in the cross-hairs. So, the first ...
Coasters Turn Out In Droves: It’s precisely the widening gulf between those with actual experience of things like guns, chainsaws and drilling machines, and those who regulate their use, that accounts for the angry crowd at Greymouth’s Messenger Park on Sunday, 17 November 2019. In the rarefied atmosphere where decisions ...
There are perennial arguments about the circumstances of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, and in particular whether more than one shooter is required by the evidence (such as the Zapruder film). Those who know little about physics frequently claim that the sharp backwards motion of JFK’s head as ...
Apparently, some people enjoy washing their cars. Each to his or her own, I suppose. I mean, some people like duck shooting, some people follow Coronation Street, and some people’s idea of a good day out is to sit on a grass bank at Seddon Park and watch cricket all ...
Last week we learned that New Zealand First had apparently tried to enrich itself from public office, with a dodgy forestry company linked to a number of NZ First figures sticking its hand out repeatedly for government money. Today in Question Time Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had his ...
Finally, governments seem slowly to be beginning to act on climate change. But its not enough. While they're publicly signing up to targets, they're planning to destroy the world by continuing fossil fuel extraction:The world’s nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas ...
Stuff has begun interviewing NZ First's secret donors, and it turns out that its as bad as we expected. They start with racing industry figure Garry Chittick, who is predictably grumpy about NZ First's coalition choices. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the list of pork NZ First has effectively given its ...
Stag At Bay: Twelve years ago, Winston Peters was still robust enough to come back from the political crucifixion which his political and media enemies had prepared for him. In his seventies now, the chances of a second resurrection are slim. We should, therefore, prepare for the last gasp of ...
Satellites pass over NZ all the time (literally). Here I focus on the 187 Planet Labs ‘Dove’ Earth-imaging satellites, and I show that one can determine in advance where they will be, enabling scientists on the ground to correlate their environmental and other data collection with opportunities to get imaging ...
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Human Rights A critical step has been taken to end gender based violence against women and girls in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Human Rights Jenny Marcroft MP has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Crimes (Definition of Female ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says it's time to recognise market forces haven't led to the expected reduction in Māori smoking rates and try a new approach. The Party had recently invoked the agree to disagree clause in their Coalition Agreement with the Labour Party, and will not support ...
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...
The Coalition Government will be banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, ahead of next year’s general elections. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament and passed under urgency – emphasising the need for such restrictions to safeguard our democracy. The bill introduces a new requirement that party secretaries and ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones opened Taipā's $19 million bridge recently, improving transport infrastructure in the Northland region. The two-lane bridge is 107m long with a 2.5m-wide shared walking and cycling path, and will reduce the congestion that the old one-lane bridge was notorious for. The project had also included ...
The Overseas Investment Office have rejected the application of Mercury Agriculture LP, which is 92 per cent controlled by Canadian interests, to purchase more than 2000 hectares of South Canterbury and Otago land. Mercury wanted to buy 2000ha at Rangitata, 1494ha near Ashburton, 816ha near Cromwell and 212ha near Temuka. ...
This weekend was Labour's 103rd Party Conference! We welcomed over 500 of our Labour whānau in red to Whanganui, where we reflected on the last two years in Government, and looked ahead to 2020 and beyond. We know the long-term challenges facing New Zealand won't be tackled overnight, but we're making ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that the Provincial Growth Fund will invest $9.6 million to seal the final unsealed section of State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumarunui. The Minister said sealing the 12-kilometre gravel section of the highway – also called the “Forgotten World Highway” - through ...
Former Finance Minister and former chair of the Tax Working Group, Sir Michael Cullen, has voiced his support for New Zealand First’s decision to oppose the planned increase in tobacco excise tax. In an interview with The Weekend Collective, he said that increasing the price was no longer effective in ...
Māori are natural storytellers. On the marae we use stories to tell our history, to teach the next generation life lessons and to let people know, in our most creative of ways, who we are and where we have come from. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First has invoked the ‘Agree to Disagree’ provisions of the Coalition Agreement because it cannot support the announced 11.46 percent increase in the tobacco excise from 1 January 2020. “Studies show that the automatic tobacco excise increases are having less effect ...
Taupō-based company Geo40 has made a breakthrough in extracting near battery-grade lithium from geothermal fluid which its says could be a gamechanger. Its chief executive John Worth said the earth mineral was highly prized, with battery-grade lithium selling for US$10,000 (NZ$15,600) a tonne. Geo40 was founded in 2010 to find ...
Crown research institute AgResearch Ltd, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln. However, those plans seem to have been shelved at the request of the Coalition Government. ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving a total of $2.13 million in Provincial Growth Fund funding to lift productivity and create new jobs. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill that the 10 engineering and manufacturing firms would receive funding to assist them with buying equipment that ...
The number of new residents to New Zealand is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades and it has earned the ire of the immigration industry. The industry alleges that 'Trump-style extreme vetting' is being put in place aimed at keeping a lid on immigration numbers. June Ranson, ...
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is one step closer to modernising its fleet after the United States State Department recently approved the sale of five new C-130J Hercules aircraft to New Zealand. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the aircraft, but as a "foreign military ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones wants to create a log barging facility at Hicks Bay and turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. The move would be part of protecting New Zealand's forests from being depleted by India and China, he said. It follows his announcement last week to strengthen ...
New Zealand First supports the changes recommended by the Winter Grazing Taskforce to improve animal welfare outcomes through the winter months, and the establishment of a pan-sector action group to implement them. New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson Mark Patterson says the report highlights areas of concern about the animal ...
Former prime ministers Helen Clark and Sir John Key, formerly from the Labour and National parties respectively, have joined forces in support of New Zealand First’s plan to relocate Auckland's port to Whangārei. While Ms Clark and Sir John spent their political careers on opposite sides of the political divide, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Japan for the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the G20 grouping of countries as one of nine "invited" countries. He has used the opportunity to cast a spotlight on the plight of Pacific countries, calling out countries which still offered subsidies or Government assistance to ...
It's been a great week of progress: we've celebrated Children's Day, we've made communities safer with 1800 new police, and we've seen almost 90% of eligible schools take up Government funding to scrap school donations - taking pressure off the families of more than 416,000 students. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Forestry The Government will further strengthen New Zealand’s wood processing sector as part of our focus on ‘value over volume’ in our forestry industry, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. Minister Jones will today meet with forestry representatives in Northland to signal new measures to help the ...
New Zealand First are celebrating the announcement of an investment of $3.5 million into five new trapping devices. These are a range of bait and trap devices, all designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. NZ First conservation spokesperson Jenny Marcroft says that this latest development will ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Conservation New Zealand First is proud to announce the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has allocated $3.5 million to develop innovative predator control approaches which will reduce the need for repeated 1080 use. $19.5 million of PGF funding was announced for Predator Free 2050 Limited in February ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Police New Zealand First is proud to have delivered on a key Coalition Agreement commitment to adding 1800 new frontline police, with the graduation of Recruit Wing 332 in Porirua today. Law and Order Spokesperson Darroch Ball says increasing police numbers and boosting their resources was one ...
Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third readinginParliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its first reading in Parliament. “Today’s progress takes serious action on the mental health and addiction crisis the country is facing,” says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Jenny Marcroft. “The re-establishment ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries Today the Government announced the delivery of the promise to protect New Zealand interests by applying a new National Interest Test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. This further strengthening of the Overseas Investment Act will ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next ...
The Coalition Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high-risk assets to overseas buyers. Under current Overseas Investment Act (OIA) rules, assets such as ports and airports, telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and ...
Rt Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Allegations raised this morning by Stuff Limited / Fairfax concern a party matter but I am confident that New Zealand First has operated within electoral laws, now and for the last 27 years. Declarable donations were declared to the Electoral Commission. Our ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, is travelling to Germany, Poland, Austria, and Spain next week to bolster New Zealand’s political and trade relationships in Europe. While in Spain, Mr Tabuteau will represent New Zealand at the 14th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid. “New Zealand strongly supports ...
“I’ve spoken to Minister Faafoi, who has apologised for his poor handling of this issue,” Jacinda Ardern said. “I have confidence in Kris as a hardworking and effective Minister, but this should have been dealt with in a much clearer manner, and I’ve made my views on that very clear ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters met with Tongan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa in Wellington today. The pair signed a Statement of Partnership setting out joint priorities for cooperation out to 2023. “We welcomed Prime Minister Tu'i'onetoa on his first visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister. Tonga ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash says his sympathies are with the family of a man who died after being shot by Police in Kurow. “Initial reports are that Police were called by a family member to help the man who was threatening to harm himself,” Mr Nash says. “However ...
Healthier waterways, better productivity and farmer wellbeing are front and centre in a new project involving more than 1000 Southland farmers and growers. Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor today announced that the Thriving Southland Change and Innovation Project is the first region-wide extension programme supported by the $229 million Sustainable ...
Work to look after nature and restore freshwater quality in Te Hoiere/Pelorus River catchment is getting a significant boost, thanks to new Government funding support Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage announced in Canvastown today. “Every New Zealander should be able to swim in their local river without getting sick, and ...
Eight Queen’s Counsel have been appointed under a process that includes the new criterion of a commitment to improving access to justice, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. “The new criterion was included this year. It emphasises that excellence and leadership in the profession can be seen through a wider, community ...
Onslow College in Wellington will get 20 new classrooms for more than 400 students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The much-needed investment will relieve growth pressure the school has been experiencing for some time. Seven existing classrooms which have deteriorated over time will also be replaced, bringing the total ...
More than 250 young New Zealanders will add international experience to their education, thanks to the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and Latin America (PMSLA), Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This round of scholarships supports 252 recent graduates or current students to undertake study, research or internships ...
Consumers will benefit from a more competitive, transparent retail fuel market as a result of changes the Government will be making in response to the findings of the Commerce Commission’s study of the fuel sector. “We accept the Commission’s findings and, as the Prime Minister has said, we’re ready to ...
Five new cancer medicines have now been funded this year, meaning thousands of people have more treatment options PHARMAC has today announced that it has approved two new medicines for funding – fulvestrant for breast cancer and olaparib for ovarian cancer. This follows earlier decisions on advanced lung cancer treatment alectinib, ...
The Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says the Government will consider making changes to local electoral legislation before the 2022 elections to fix the problems that have arisen where elections are settled by a coin toss. The Minister says the recount process in the Murupara- Galatea ward at ...
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced today. Subject to completion of the Parliamentary treaty examination process, New Zealand will sign up to Annex VI of MARPOL, an ...
New legislation to transform our urban areas and create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities will tomorrow be introduced to Parliament, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said. “The Urban Development Bill gives Kāinga Ora-Homes and Communities the tools it needs to partner with councils, communities, mana whenua and private developers to ...
Today’s launch of He taonga te Tamaiti: Every child a taonga: The Early Learning Action Plan 2019-2029 provides the foundation for long-lasting changes to early learning, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. “Early learning will be one of the Government’s top education priorities going into 2020,” Chris Hipkins said. ...
Major decisions made by the Government will now be considered under a climate change lens, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. “Cabinet routinely considers the effects of its decisions on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community, and gender – now climate change will ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced the appointment of Māori education specialist Dr Wayne Ngata and Business NZ head Kirk Hope to the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Dr Alastair MacCormick has been reappointed for another term. “Wayne Ngata, Kirk Hope and Alastair MacCormick bring a great deal ...
The next phase of the Pike River Re-entry project is underway, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little says. “Fresh air will be pumped into the Pike River Mine drift this week, following acceptance of the plan for re-entry beyond the 170m barrier by New Zealand’s independent health and ...
New Zealand consumers will have greater certainty about their insurance cover when they need to make claims as a result of proposed government changes. “Insurance is vitally important in supporting consumers and businesses to be financially resilient when unexpected events happen,” Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi said. ...
The Crown is providing an opportunity for the hapu of Ngāpuhi to rebuild its framework from the ground up for collective negotiations to deal with its historical Treaty claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little and Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Crown is also ...
A Bill enabling referendums to be held with the 2020 General Election has passed its third reading. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Act is important for upholding the integrity of New Zealand’s electoral process. “The Government has committed to holding a referendum on legalising recreational cannabis at the next ...
The first release of public information on the two referendums to be held at next year’s General Election was made today with an informative new Government website going live. Additionally, the draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has been released, showing the strict controls on cannabis that will apply if ...
The Government is taking action to protect New Zealand from foreign interference in our elections by banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament this afternoon and passed under urgency. “There’s no need for anyone other than New ...
Governments and tech companies are holding a two-day workshop, hosted by YouTube/Google in Wellington, to test the Christchurch Call Shared Crisis Response Protocol. The workshop aims to refine and strengthen the response in the event of a terrorist attack with online implications. Companies, governments, civil society experts and NGOs will ...
The new independent Cancer Control Agency has formally opened today, delivering on the Government’s plan to improve cancer care in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Health David Clark marked the occasion by announcing the membership of the Advisory Council that will be supporting ...
Small businesses who deal with government departments are set to be paid faster and have improved cash flow as a result, under a new strategy released today. The Government is backing recommendations from the Small Business Council (SBC) and has agreed to implement three initiatives immediately to support business and ...
The Education and Training Bill 2019, introduced in Parliament today, proposes the biggest education changes in decades and is an important step towards improving success for all our learners, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “The Bill’s rewrite of education legislation is long overdue. Indeed one Education Act, parts of which ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio will travel to Bali to represent New Zealand at the 12th Bali Democracy Forum that will be held on the 5-6 December. “The Forum is a valuable opportunity for Asia-Pacific countries to share experiences and best practice in building home-grown democracy and fostering ...
A package of new and expanded technology and other tools will encourage responsible camping and help communities and local councils better manage freedom camping this summer, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. “Our Government has been investing to improve the freedom camping experience for everyone because we want to support ...
The government is laying the groundwork to understanding our genes – work that can help us tackle some of our biggest health challenges, like heart disease and diabetes, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. $4.7 million has been invested in the Genomics Aotearoa Rakeiora programme. The programme will ...
Nearly every state schools will receive a capital injection next year valued at $693 per student to bring forward urgent school property improvements, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The one-off cash injection is the first project to be announced from the Government’s infrastructure package ...
The Government has decided to bring forward major investments in New Zealand’s infrastructure to future proof the economy. “Cabinet has agreed to a significant boost to infrastructure investment. I have directed the Treasury to help bring together a package of projects that can be brought into the Government’s short and ...
It is a great pleasure to be with you today in Whanganui. Like the Prime Minister I grew up with the TV clip of Selwyn Toogood booming “What do you say Whanganui, the money or the bag?” to an unsuspecting ‘It’s in the Bag’ audience. For those under the age ...
New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, the Paparoa Track, was officially opened in Blackball today by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage alongside the family members of the Pike 29 and Ngāti Waewae. Local mayors and MP for the West Coast Hon Damien O’Connor were also in attendance. “Paparoa National Park ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark turned the first sod of earth on the infrastructure works for the new P-8A Poseidon fleet at RNZAF Base Ohakea today. “The Coalition Government’s investment in Ohakea will ensure the Royal New Zealand Air Force can manage, maintain and task the new fleet efficiently ahead ...
Civil Defence Minister Hon Peeni Henare today announced the establishment of the new National Emergency Management Agency from 1 December 2019. The National Emergency Management Agency will replace the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. It will be an autonomous departmental agency, hosted by the Department of the Prime ...
New Zealand tertiary students with top grades and a passion for space will once again be offered the opportunity to work with the world’s best and brightest at NASA, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Recipients of the New Zealand Space Scholarship are nominated by the Ministry of Business, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further support to Samoa in the wake of an ongoing measles outbreak in the country. Additional medical supplies and personnel, including a third rotation of New Zealand’s emergency medical assistance team (NZMAT), further nurse vaccinators, intensive care (ICU) specialists and Samoan-speaking medical professionals, will ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new data showing a sharp drop in the number of people who can’t afford to visit their GP is a sign of real progress. One year after the Government made it cheaper for about 600,000 Kiwis to visit their doctor, results of the New ...
The Trade for All Advisory Board has released its recommendations for making New Zealand’s trade policy deliver for all New Zealanders. The report was today welcomed by Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. “Trade is crucial to this country’s economy and well-being, and the benefits need to flow to all ...
Dr Ben Jansen is Oceania's leading prescriber of cannabis medicines, and a co-founder of the Hemp Foundation.org.nz “I’d like to thank the Labour Party and Chris Woodney. Thanks to his policy remit at Labours national conference, and Labours full support, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Soong, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education Practice, School of Education, University of South Australia Australian 15 year olds were around three and a half years behind their counterparts in China in maths, according to the OECD’s latest results for education systems ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitri Perrin, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology More than a year ago, the world was shocked by Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui’s attempt to use CRISPR technology to modify human embryos and make them resistant to HIV, which led to the birth ...
Cabinet minister Kris Faafoi has apologised to the Prime Minister for his messages to Jason Kerrison regarding an immigration case, but will not lose his job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Flinders University The decision to merge the Department of Communications and the Arts with Transport, Infrastructure and Regional development (dropping the “Arts” entirely) ends a year in which Australian politics has been deeply confused over its ...
A historic referendum on independence has been completed in Bougainville. Johnny Blades of RNZ was there. People in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville have voted in an historic independence referendum. The long-anticipated referendum is the ultimate provision of 2001’s Bougainville Peace Agreement, which followed a brutal, protracted ...
Dairy farmers had some Xmas cheer this week, as dairy giant Fonterra told them the forecast payout would be the fourth-highest-ever, at the mid-point of its farmgate milk price range. The $7.30kg/ms means the cash payout for the season will reach $11.2bn, a rise of about $400m from the earlier forecast. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland When you find dinosaur skeletons, how can you tell how old the dinosaur was? Like, if the skeleton is from a child dinosaur or an adult dinosaur? – Henry, aged 8. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) has had to clarify the law with Police and receive their reassurance that while the amnesty for ammunition was not extended to 20 December, Police will act as if it has been. ...
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 We Are Here: An Atlas of Aotearoa by Chris McDowall & Tim Denee (Massey University Press, $70)Superlative ...
This week a petition with more than 15,000 signatures was presented at parliament to Nicola Willis, MP and opposition spokesperson for Early Childhood Education. Also attending were Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick and Hon Nikki Kaye. ...
It’s that time of year again when, for the third year running, a new A Christmas Prince movie is released. Sam Brooks was in front of a TV screen for the latest instalment’s debut on Netflix last night, and here catalogues the many stupid, wild, and wildly stupid things he ...
One of the most highly rated members of Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet is under pressure over assurances given in relation to an immigration case. How bad could it get, asks Toby Manhire.There has never been a New Zealand prime minister more engaged with contemporary homegrown music than Jacinda Ardern. She’s forever ...
Kris Faafoi, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media; Minister ofCommerce and Consumer Affairs;Minister of Government Digital Services; Associate Minister forHousing; MP for Mana.The latest allegations of a corruption scandal involving a Cabinet minister suggests this government is far too loose when it comes to providing access to power ...
The National Party cannot credibly critique the Government’s hikes to fuel tax while it refuses to commit to reversing these hikes, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “Simon Bridges has lambasted ...
Newspaper staff were among those to express dismay and fury during the frenzy of denunciations that followed publication of an ill-considered cartoon about Samoa and the measles epidemic. The Spinoffrecorded their reactions under the heading ODT cartoonist infuriates his colleagues with Sāmoa measles epidemic ‘joke’. It also reproduced the ...
New Zealand Police Association condemns comments made by People Against Prisons Aotearoa following the fatal police shooting of an armed man who had made threats of suicide. ...
A new poem by Harry Ricketts. The Writing Life You want to write.You want to be published.You want to be read. You want to be a cult figure.You want to be reviewed.You want to write. You want to win prizes.You want to be anthologised.You want to be read. You want to be taught in schools ...
As Christmas is near, it’s time to set the record straight on some of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of employment law that apply to the festive season. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Kris Faafoi immigration case Fiona Connor and Tova O’Brien (Newshub): ‘I’m on it bro’: Messages show Kris Faafoi offering help to ...
The Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta has announced changes to prevent Māori wards being voted down by referendums are off the table, saying she believes such a change is not possible within the coalition. ...
It’s officially the festive season, and what does that mean? An office Secret Santa with a budget of $20 and you’ve picked your boss. Instead of settling for a bottle of average wine and a ribbon, follow our essential guide on what to get those unique workmates.At last year’s Secret ...
The shooting of a suicidal man in Southland shows that police armament is dangerous, says criminal justice group People Against Prisons Aotearoa. The shooting comes just over a month into the controversial trial of heavily armed police teams in 3 regions ...
The Prime Minister should deal urgently with reports Cabinet Minister Kris Faafoi offered to help a friend over an immigration case, National Party leader Simon Bridges says. ...
The families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied. ...
A woman who went on a Tinder date with the man who murdered Grace Millane tells her story, and issues a warning to other women to trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right.First published on Newshub.co.nzI went on a date with Grace Millane’s killer while her body lay in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gottfried Lechner, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Research, University of South Australia, University of South Australia Satellites are becoming increasingly important in our lives, as they help us meet a demand for more data, exchanged at higher speeds. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology, Bond University According to the latest figures, homicides in Australia are at historic lows and compare well against international trends. So what do the trends tell us and why is the homicide rate in Australia declining? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy O’Rourke, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, The University of Queensland Welcome to the next article in our Designing Hospitals series, where we explore how architecture and design shape our hospitals and medical centres. Today, we look at what Indigenous people tell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results are bad news for Australian students, parents, employers and policymakers. Pretty much everyone. Australian 15-year-olds are now below the OECD average in mathematics, and our results in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Clode, Senior Research Fellow in Creative Writing, Flinders University It is only mid-November but we have to walk early to avoid the heat. A northerly wind picks up clouds of dust and pollen, sending dirty billows across the paddocks. The long ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes coming to fuel market, anti-vaxxer arrested in Samoa, and banks told to hold more capital.New recommendations to increase competition in the fuel market have been made by the Commerce Commission, reports the NZ Herald. Their conclusion is that it isn’t competitive ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...
The birthplace of the Labour Party is once again at the forefront of a new movement, this time harnessing the power of the collective to step away from coal towards a low carbon future.Blackball is a small place with a huge history. This week the town, 29 kilometres from Greymouth, ...
Life expectancy is increasing all the time, and now actuaries and retirement experts say young people need far more information on what they’ll need to do with their money if they live to 100. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. The message from the Retirement Income Interest Group of the New ...
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison said it with a straight face, and repetition for emphasis. “I’m very pleased, very pleased, with the performance of all of my ministers,” he declared on Thursday. This ringing if unconvincing universal endorsement ...
PARENTS AROUND THE WORLD PLEA FOR URGENT CLIMATE ACTION 222 parents groups from 27 countries have released a heartfelt joint plea calling on negotiators at this year’s UN climate summit – COP25 – in Madrid to push for ambitious and urgent ...
Government proposals to overhaul insurance contract laws should make the whole process of taking out insurance easier and simpler to understand for consumers, says Financial Advice New Zealand. ...
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Tomnay, Assoc. Professor / Director of Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health, University of Melbourne Around one in six Australian women have had an abortion by their mid-30s. These women come from all age groups and demographics: some are mothers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roslyn Petelin, Course coordinator, The University of Queensland Reports this week about the demise of the Apostrophe Protection Society may have been greatly exaggerated. The Apostrophe Protection Society was set up in 2001 in the UK by retired journalist John Richards with ...
Today the Court of Appeal released their decision to allow Helen Milner (The Black Widow) to have the last remaining body samples of the husband she murdered, in an attempt to prove her innocence by trying to see if he had an underlying heart condition. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Pearse, Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney Federal Labor this week commemorated a dubious anniversary – a decade of climate policy failure. And it pointed the finger of blame squarely at the Greens. Labor claimed that had the Greens ...
The recent statement by Simon Tyler on behalf of the National Provident Fund and the Government Superannuation Fund, that environmental and social goals must be balanced with financial risk and reward, displays conceptual confusion about the role of ethical ...
A bill designed to deal with terrorists returning from overseas has hit its latest speed bump as human rights groups raise concerns that it could be used to stifle press freedom. ...
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...
Democracy in New Zealand is suffering from a Parliament which under-performs in its scrutiny of human rights. A new report says human rights oversight by select committees examining potential legislation is weak and ad hoc. Human rights obligations and ...
Children’s Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft, calls the Breaking Down Porn report, released today by the Chief Censor, a ‘wake-up call’ for all New Zealanders. “I welcome today’s report. It’s a wake-up call and a catalyst for a national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has announced a dramatic overhaul of the federal public service, cutting the number of departments and creating several new mega ones, while removing five secretaries. The departments will be reduced from 18 to ...
New information has emerged showing it was the New Zealand First chief of staff who identified potential conflicts of interest between a forestry company and two senior government ministers. ...
Open mike 11/09/2019 
We are very pleased to publish this submission is from Lucinda Stoan. She is a social justice activist, mother, and educator, based in Washington State in the US. This detailed and comprehensive source-linked overview of trans issues and what is at stake will be useful for many people, especially in ...2 hours ago
Newshub last night reported that Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi had apparently promised to help out a mate with an immigration issue. While its normal for people to approach MPs for assistance in this area, when you're a Minister, the rules are different: as the Cabinet Manual says, Ministers must "at ...6 hours ago
New Zealand's Underarm Banker: It bears recalling that the “independence” of the Reserve Bank Governor was for decades held up by neoliberal capitalists as the most compelling justification for passing the Reserve Bank Act. Interesting, is it not, how the ruling class’s support for the Bank’s independence lasted no longer than ...11 hours ago
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...23 hours ago
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...1 day ago
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...1 day ago
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...1 day ago
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...4 days ago
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...5 days ago
Image credit: The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ... 5 days ago
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...6 days ago
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...2 weeks ago
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...1 day ago
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...3 days ago
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, is travelling to Germany, Poland, Austria, and Spain next week to bolster New Zealand’s political and trade relationships in Europe. While in Spain, Mr Tabuteau will represent New Zealand at the 14th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid. “New Zealand strongly supports ...2 hours ago
Dr Ben Jansen is Oceania's leading prescriber of cannabis medicines, and a co-founder of the Hemp Foundation.org.nz “I’d like to thank the Labour Party and Chris Woodney. Thanks to his policy remit at Labours national conference, and Labours full support, ...11 mins ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Soong, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education Practice, School of Education, University of South Australia Australian 15 year olds were around three and a half years behind their counterparts in China in maths, according to the OECD’s latest results for education systems ...36 mins ago
Cabinet minister Kris Faafoi has apologised to the Prime Minister for his messages to Jason Kerrison regarding an immigration case, but will not lose his job. ...2 hours ago
A historic referendum on independence has been completed in Bougainville. Johnny Blades of RNZ was there. People in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville have voted in an historic independence referendum. The long-anticipated referendum is the ultimate provision of 2001’s Bougainville Peace Agreement, which followed a brutal, protracted ...2 hours ago
Dairy farmers had some Xmas cheer this week, as dairy giant Fonterra told them the forecast payout would be the fourth-highest-ever, at the mid-point of its farmgate milk price range. The $7.30kg/ms means the cash payout for the season will reach $11.2bn, a rise of about $400m from the earlier forecast. ...2 hours ago
The Government is investing up to $9 million in a project that it says will help Southland farmers use their land more sustainably. ...6 hours ago
Donation legislation, the infinite monkey theory and the angriest man in NZ politics. Not to mention Paula Bennett's black-market oregano. ...6 hours ago
Newspaper staff were among those to express dismay and fury during the frenzy of denunciations that followed publication of an ill-considered cartoon about Samoa and the measles epidemic. The Spinoff recorded their reactions under the heading ODT cartoonist infuriates his colleagues with Sāmoa measles epidemic ‘joke’. It also reproduced the ...7 hours ago
You do not have to sacrifice short term returns in order to invest sustainably. ...8 hours ago
Winston Peters says the NZ First foundation is similar to the National Party’s foundation. Here’s how it isn’t. ...10 hours ago
The families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied. ...10 hours ago
The Finance Minister Grant Robertson won’t be drawn on how much new capital requirements for banks will hit consumers. ...10 hours ago
Yet again, NZ schools have received a 'fail' when it comes to bullying but there could be an evidence-based solution. ...11 hours ago
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...13 hours ago
Sky Sport News presenter Kate King previews a massive weekend for Kiwi sportswomen ...13 hours ago
A handy guide to all you need to know about impeachment. ...13 hours ago
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...13 hours ago
NZ is seeing an increasing number of retail 'events' imported from overseas - how long before our spending is exhausted? ...14 hours ago
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...17 hours ago
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...1 day ago
The year has provided tests for the PM's party, government, and the country as a whole - but she is confident 2020 will bring success. ...1 day ago
ACC is failing to live by the climate principles it proclaims. ...1 day ago
A bill designed to deal with terrorists returning from overseas has hit its latest speed bump as human rights groups raise concerns that it could be used to stifle press freedom. ...1 day ago
The final version of the Commerce Commission's report says both the retail and wholesale fuel markets are dysfunctional. ...1 day ago
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...1 day ago
The Labour party sexual assault allegations story is growing in strength as more information comes out.
The Spinoff have published Timeline: Everything we know about the Labour staffer misconduct inquiry
They then detail "an incomplete chronology, based on public statements and numerous documents provided to The Spinoff".
They include authentication of the open letter to the prime Minister that emerged yesterday:
Claims of a false flag or a conspiracy by National don't stack up.
Stuff: Complaints about Labour Party staffer taken to his employer
That seems an odd avoidance of any responsibility. It is affecting his employment.
And Ardern's credibility is looking at risk.
HDPA (Newstalk ZB): We must question PM's honesty over Labour sexual assault allegations:
This is not just Ardern's honesty and credibility at stake. Labour's chances in the next election may be severely compromised by this.
It has been claimed that the man facing the allegations is seen by Labour as an important part of their campaign team. He may be more toxic than helpful. It's hard to understand why Ardern can't see this.
In an interview on RNZ's Checkpoint yesterday a man who claims to be the victim of an attempted physical assault and a physical assault indicated the accused man had family connections to the Labour Party.
Protecting him looks increasingly untenable.
[lprent: I’d suggest that you be careful about claiming authentication of that ‘open letter’ here. I read that article and I simply don’t believe it. Apparently nor do many others – 100 people adding to it doesn’t exactly sound like a landslide.
To me it reads exactly like a fake false flag operation. And I never appreciate false news or outright lies being promulgated here. ]
Also another article by Alex Casey detailing further evidence she has seen establishing what Labour was told about the nature of the assault: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/11-09-2019/fresh-evidence-emerges-confirming-labour-was-told-of-sexual-assault-allegations-on-june-11/
[lprent: That isn’t ‘evidence’. That is statement about seeing a email that is alleged to have been sent. It is simply an allegation and has no evidential authority at all of actually arriving.
And somehow you didn’t refer to this in the same article.
That places this claim as being a hearsay allegation. If you want to continue commenting here, could you please refrain from making shit up?
The title of that article should be a the subject of a media complaint if anyone can be bothered. ]
And the investigating panel is a subset of these people (scroll down page): https://www.labour.org.nz/party_info
*sigh*
The only sanction that these people could to is to remove whoever it is as a party member.
They can’t make a complaint to the police.
They can’t even remove them as a parliamentary employee.
Exactly how is that going to help? It sounds like a completely useless gesture.
Could you please explain why this is relevant?
As an outsider, trying to establish who was involved in the process – and particularly which people inside the party were allegedly made aware of the nature of the allegations.
That list was news to me. From what you say, Haworth still seems most appropriate to be carrying the can for the party's performance of the process.
And I am not talking about the justice process (which as you say could include police and parliamentary services), just the political one. Who needs anyone to offer the opposition such an easy stick to beat the govt with?
FYI: The presidential role inside the Labour party is
None of what is alleged seems to have had much to do with the Labour party. My biggest complaint about Nigel’s involvement was that he got involved at all. It isn’t part of his role.
If a formal complaint was made to the NZ Council, then the most that they could do would be to sanction someone by excluding them from occasions that they organise and removing their membership.
There isn’t anything hard about understanding that. It is exactly the same as every other organisation.
re the open letter, what would be a reasonable standard of verification? The Spinoff aren't going to reveal sources, but I thought their statement about verification was too light given what is involved. I'd probably be satisfied with a better explanation from them, but I don't know the technicals of how someone would prove to them ownership of a google doc like that.
RNZ Checkpoint has identified the 3 members of the panel as Tracey McLellan, Honey Heemi, and Simon Mitchell (who Heemi told RNZ took the official notes 'because he is a lawyer'). Heemi interview is interesting.
Audio will be here eventually: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/20190910
Ah no. That isn’t ‘evidence’. That is a set of allegations and copy of something that could have been sent.
If you think that is evidence , then I’d have to say that I think you are an idiot.
When it comes to such complaints as you mention above about "headlines" is a headline not being sufficiently accurate or reflective or different from the main content enough?
I have often been tempted but an experience with a complaint to Magic Radio reduced my confidence in that action. While the agreed the statement was "incorrect" they maintained it was not, in their opinion" something that the public would have either "noticed" or would have influenced their opinion. By then I was a bit over it after waiting for a response, I think it may be something that should be followed up on and complaints made especially if the media are going to be such a major influence on "opinion" for next year's election.
The use of headlines that contradict or mislead the content is a big bugbear of mine also ! The Hearsay is high on my list of media outlets that engage in this practise
Perhaps it is something to make the time to pursue, I had one on the weekend that caused me to cancel a subscription – and say why – but more should be done than that, time for me to make the effort.
You have all the fight of Labour, Lprent. From a disgustant since 1984. The Left without ideals is nothing. I spotted it then. Yissee, I'm old and am prepared to play the long game for our Country.
I did not 'refer' to anything beyond the headline. Sensitive much.
They include authentication of the open letter to the prime Minister that emerged yesterday:
If so, the people who posted it could seriously do with some lessons on how to post stuff on the web so that it doesn't look like a personal-data-gathering exercise by unknown agents. Having seen the thing, I wouldn't submit personal info to it regardless of what the Spinoff says.
Oh God, we are going to get a few weeks of hysterical outrage from the beltway and partisan hacks about this.
It is the perfect imbrication of the tangential tribal politics of the liberal elites and oppositional hysteria.
The National party and it's cheerleaders in the media are desperate to weaponise this to try and damage the PM. For them, they want to use this as a stick to beat the PM with forever and forever and forever and forever and forever ad nuseum.
The MSM press gallery and opinionistas have got an issue they can now endlessly (and cheaply) interview their keyboards about without the need to question the bubble the live in and without fear of contradiction by any sort of collision with the reality of the lives of 99% of the population.
The twitterati of the Grey Lynn 500 who are obsessed with identity and sexual politics have found the next thing to be hysterical about forever. Pity the occupiers of Ihumatao, for Alison Mau has now got something far, far more interesting to be outraged about. For these people, no apology is good enough and accusation counts as irrefutable evidence.
Meanwhile, the rest of us just get on with paying the bills and worrying about the economy and wondering why Simon Bridges is such an idiot.
Yeah, why does he come across as such an idiot, when clearly it is impossible to be an idiot crown prosecutor….? perhaps…
"when clearly it is impossible to be an idiot crown prosecutor"
actually it clearly shows the opposite
Shoutout for "imbrication".
Same for me.
The thing is, it isn't that i am not interested in issues of people lives. But I am more interested in (for example) the accusations of systemic bullying in the police force, or the economic radicalism of Corbynism as it realites to the lives of workers.Why? Because in the first case the police are well funded and professional organisation that has systemic issues that solving can lead to major improvements for lots and lots of people. The second because the potential material benefits to the working poor and precariat are huge – and that is what i am interested in – radical politics, not the ravings of over-privileged liberals.
Political parties are largely run by an assorted collection of the community minded, mild eccentrics, tribal loyalists, political chancers, true believers and party apparatchiks all of whom are mostly under appreciated, undertrained and seldom paid well or at all. How these often dyfunctional organisations – which are, after all, committed to a greater or lesser extent to the democratic process – run themselves is of course of interest. The issue of whether or not our funding laws are fit for purpose is an important story. But not story, or at least not to this level of sanctimony, inappropriate outage and sheer nonsense.
Our media is populated by a materially comfortable middle class for whom all structural questions with the economy or society are already solved . When issues arise they must therefore be attributable to bad behavior or incompetence at the individual level. So they love this sort of sh*t.
It crossed my mind how many of those pursuing this with a zest that has not been seen with the National Party internal inquiry are dependent on these "stories", so many the details are now a bit of a blur, for their income and to maintain, create or increase their public profile.
I find the format of that open letter very odd and likewise wouldn't 'sign' it*. It's possible that it's fake, but it's also possible that it was done by survivors and others who just don't have a good sense of how to do something like that, technically or socially.
*in part because it reminds me of Labour early on who used such online forms around social justice or political issues but also used them to harvest emails. I doubt that is what is happening here but it's unfortunately still a badly done action. This makes me tend to think the form is genuine and comes from Labour people.
The other thing I don't like about the form is that it puts the people 'signing' in a position of being blind to what is going on. They don't know what happens to the information when they click submit, and there is *no way to know if it is genuine or fake or nefarious.
I've seen these kind of forms used on social media for other kinds of justice actions and they're problematic in that they're a system of disempowerment not empowerment, and that's really not a good move given what is going on. The people who set it up probably have a high need for anonymity, which is understandable, but this isn't the way to manage that.
Listening to the RNZ interview last evening, it was all very smelly… didn't trust the interviewee… don't trust the party hierarchy…
best you lot keep this within the confines of party politics – nothing turns voters off quicker
Iprent
You have zero proof that it is a false flag operation. Just your belief that it could be.
Pete George is entitled to rely on it for what it purports to be. The burden of proof is upon you to prove otherwise.
wise words from Marc that applies across the board to ex politicians imo
Just as you and PG have zero proof that it isn’t.
As far as I am concerned, if he wants to rely on it here for extravagant claims that it represented a widespread trend inside Labour, then he needs to provide more supporting evidence than a statement by a journalist that some of the 100 people who have signed it are in fact Labour members. Not exactly an expert source.
There are a lot of Labour members. Some have been members for decades. Some have been members for a week. I am one myself for decades. FFS the journo making the claim that it is legit doesn’t even deign to say why they were sure? Did they see a card like the one in my wallet? Or was it just someone saying that they were?
I think that it is most likely to be a false flag operation. So far I haven’t seen ANY evidence that it is or that it isn’t. I have seen evidence that if I wanted to set up a false flag operation is is exactly what I would have done, and exactly what like I seen in the past by dangerous fools like Ben Guerin.
And of course the way the law operates is that an allegation or hearsay doesn’t constitute evidence except on the balance of probabilities basis. In my judgement, the balance of probabilities is that it is probably a false flag operation. So I’m treating it as being one until evidence is provided that it isn’t. Just as I do for any otehr unsustantiated bulklshit that comes off the net.
Iprent,
Well, as you say "In my judgement, the balance of probabilities is that it is probably a false flag operations".
It seems to me that you are mixing up two things here, "burden of proof" and "standard of proof".
Burden of proof requires the person making the allegation to adduce some evidence to support their claim.You have produced none, it is just "in my judgement". Standard of proof is the level of proof that the evidence has to clear. Hence "balance of probabilities" mean evidence that is more likely than not to be true. But you have produced no evidence at all, just your view of the matter.
I would have thought if you are saying something is false on the balance of probability you have to adduce at least some evidence of that. You have admitted it is "in my judgement", but that is not evidence of any sort at all.
By the way hearsay can be admitted as evidence, at least in civil cases, it just may not have that much weight.
Iprent, weka, PM
I would also note the article in the The Spinoff by Toby Manhire on the timeline has this statement, "The letter, which The Spinoff has verified originates from party members…".
I am certain the The Standard authors and commenters would know that when a reputable journalist makes such an emphatic statement (has verified) about something then it will be true.
The Spinoff staff have clearly done enough research on the open letter that they absolutely know it originated from Labour Party members. They will have probably interviewed the originators of the letter and have seen membership cards, or alternatively they know enough about the people who originated the letter to know they are Labour Party members.
Wayne, I would hope so, that a reputable journalist etc.
But I have been fulminating here about supposedly reputable journalists who don't meet the criterion of journalist in that their writing is loose, inexact and badly edited. I have criticised Hoskings, du Plessis-Allan and Rob Stock within the past week for that.
It is therefore very important to exactly know upon what basis a journalist makes a statement that something is verified. After all it was once verifiable that the earth is flat.
Even you say the Spinoff staff 'probably' acted properly, within reasonable expectations. The thing is we don't know, and it could all be assumptions or hearsay.
It also depends on the English being used as well. The word 'evidence' by itself does not mean that the material is true. It's just evidence, material put forward to justify a case being proposed. It can be true or false.
But most English users assume it means incontrovertible evidence only, not debatable, factually wrong, misinterpreted or misapplied. Therefore it was journalistically dubious to use the word 'evidence' in the headline "Fresh evidence emerges confirming Labour was told of sexual assault allegations on June 11". The misuse of the word by a journalist or editor is compunded by the word 'confirmed'. There is no idea of allegation or of possible error. It is 'confirmed'. Judge, Jury, Guilty as Charged in one headline.
That came from the Spinoff as well, written by' reputable' 'journalist' Alex Casey.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/11-09-2019/fresh-evidence-emerges-confirming-labour-was-told-of-sexual-assault-allegations-on-june-11/
Cath Casey’s daughter? Hardly a foot soldier in the VRWC that seems be promulgated here.
More like a believer in the effect metoo and sunlight has in reducing Rape culture that appears to be endemic in the halls of power in this country
climaction, address the issue, why don't you? I don't care whose daughter she is. She is addressing as you say an important issue of power and proper conduct.
She should be using, ot her editor, whoever wrote the headline, English accurately.
Not as a foot soldier. As a journalist.
maybe they have irrefutable evidence and they aren’t publishing it yet to get comment on it from labour and to protect their sources?
Criticising Mike Hosking is largely a waste of time. Everyone knows what Hosking's about, and it's never been journalism.
Maybe though the 'reputable' journalists might up their game if they are lumped in with the like of Hoskings.
That isn’t a verification – that is an assertion. If they’d explained how they verified…
See – even you are unsure how they “verified”. You’re having to resort to mere supposition.
I know for a fact where “has verified” has been used by a “reputable journalist” where the verification was just asking for verbal confirmation. I’m sure that we all have. It is like the way that the media also trot out people to comment on the internal workings of Labour who I know haven’t been members or involved for decades, or never have been members or involved.
Forgive my cynicism – but I’m afraid that statement by Toby Manhire is just meaningless waffle. As far as I am concerned if he’d said something like he’d seen the membership cards or he has known that they were Labour members for a decade – but he didn’t eh? And would have been so easy to say that. That tells me the level of veracity he is using.
I've just read this in a paper. " (name) revealed he will be retiring as principal at the end of December. The move comes in the wake of a challenging few months at the (name) college after allegations of sexual abuse involving a teacher".
The principal involved has reached retirement age. He has good reasons to be retiring.
But the phrase "in the wake of' means that there is a consequential component to the resignation. It means more than a simple time sequence.
That was another 'reputable journalist' in paragraph three spreading an allegation which was not at all addressed in the rest of the article. In this case, it was the editor who wrote the article.
There is an Autralian journalist who every time when referring to union leaders calls them a union 'boss' but a leader of a conservative party is propeerly called a 'leader'.
Reputable journalism?
What I am saying is that I see absolutely no evidence that a suspicious object on the net is what it says that it is. Therefore it should be treated as being internet garbage – which is the default action that everyone should always take (and usually do).
If you believe that a anonymous page on the net making claims should be believed, then I will find you some that you should press links on to see how you get along with them. After all by your argument – you can’t determine that they are dangerous until after you have tried them.
However the reporter and PG are making a claim. They are saying that it is a legitimate object. However they are offering no evidence to support their claim. Nor do they appear to have a lot of expertise at making that judgement. To me that makes them unreliable.
Yeah I know. I simply don’t find that their hearsay evidence to support that claim is compelling.
To put it mildly, I am the resident expert on political bullshit on the net around here after watching it for more than a decade. I am also the person in the gun if we have false claims coming out of the comments. So I’m afraid my opinion is the one that counts. This one smells to my internet nose to be exactly like a previous false flag with a little more sophistication on the concealment side. So I treat it exactly the same way. Since the dirty politics fuckwit in my previous post has gone on to be a professional dirty politics fuckwit… I guess my nose keeps proving to be accurate. I’ll trust it.
Arguing about it doesn’t help. All it does is irritate me and waste my time.
Perhaps finding something that convinces me that it worth the risk of having PG make claims that I’m liable for would be a better use of your time than trying to dance on the head of a pin.
that post, christ. I'm guessing he didn't put that on his CV. Or maybe he did, and they've shipped him off to London to hone his skills.
Wayne: for your own good – if you encounter a web form asking you to enter your personal information and you can see that the owner of the form is effectively anonymous and doesn't tell you what will be done with your information, you would be unwise to assume you can rely on it for what it purports to be. That way lies identity theft or worse.
Would imagine they wouldn't have clicked on the link to the random form if they didn't trust the person who sent them it.
There seems to be some seriously desperate looking "fending off" going on here in the last couple of days given the seriousness of the accusations, which is at odds with the rhetoric that comes from Labour supporters, when these cases come up any other time
What fending off? I encourage anyone unhappy with Labour's handling of this to let the party know about it, just please don't do it via a dodgy-looking anonymous web form. If you want to send them a message, do it via their contact page at https://www.labour.org.nz/contact-us, or you can email the PM directly at jacinda.ardern@parliament.govt.nz.
Further very unclear thinking from HDPA as reported by Pete George above at #1.
"On the 6th of August, one day after the story broke in the media, Mike Hosking raised it with her right here on this station.
He asked her: "How many people have quit your party as a result of this investigation into this bloke who may or may not have sexual assaulted someone?"
Her response was: “I’m going to be very careful answering that question Mike because this is an inquiry and work is still underway and it is still a party matter.”
Now what does that actually prove? Is it meant to be further proof that Arderne knew of the sexual nature of the allegations? The question from Hosking referred to numbers of members resigning.
I cannot understand the point that HDPA is trying to make here.
Very unclear, and what this issue needs is clarity, not lazy writing and mischief-making.
That's Heather's attempt to go "See?! Look! Labour did… some stuff, and it was bad stuff! Very bad! Naughty Labour! Let's see if we can fling muck about in the vain hope some of it will stick to the PM! She's like the Oracle of Delphi, that Jacinda! She knows all! But she won't admit it! Oh no! Tricksy. Like a hobbit. Dirty Labour!"
It's hysterical flailing. Actually, it's transparent hysterical flailing. Now that Nigel Haworth's ritually disemboweled himself, can we all move on?
"That she for the last five weeks has missed every bulletin, newspaper and programme that mentioned the fact this guy is alleged to have committed a sexual crime."
An alternative scenario is that the PM does not act on media headlines but rather established facts.
I cannot imagine that either HDPA or hoskins are on the PM's list for providers of facts. they certainly are not on mine
+1 xanthe. Add Pete George to that list.
I'd like to ask Hoskings, " "How many people have quit listening to your show as a result of these allegations into whether you may or may not be a biased interviewer?"
If he answers "None" then he doesn't know about me.
If he answers "At least one" then he has admitted that it has been said that he is a biased interviewer, hasn't he? If he answers "I don't know" then he is still a biased interviewer.
That was the ploy he tried on with Arderne.
She avoided the trap.
George/HPDA is also incorrect to claim 'its been in the media for 5 weeks'
Harrasment/bullying yes. The sexual assualt claim was 'broken' by Spinoff in the last few days and the previous claims were in Spinoff 5 weeks ago.
it even says so in the indro to that story
"A woman who says she was subject of a sustained sexual assault by a Labour staffer has for the first time described .."
https://thespinoff.co.nz/unsponsored/09-09-2019/a-labour-volunteer-alleged-violent-sexual-assault-by-a-senior-staffer-this-is-her-story/
Dateline of that story was 9 Sept
The article by Alex Casey quotes Nigel Haworth:
“It’s important to be clear that none of the complaints the party investigated related to sexual assault. The person leading the original review made it clear to the complainants that the party would never be the appropriate body to handle allegations of that nature and that they would need to be investigated by the police.”
Have any of the alleged victims spoken to police, and how many have approached Paula Bennett? What did the alleged victims expect would happen after approaching Bennett? What expertise does Bennett have in dealing with victims of sexual assault? How has Bennett assisted the alleged victims?
Ummph. Clearly I didn’t read that article deeply enough. Which would be pretty much what I would have expected.
Bullying by a staffer employed by parliamentary services which is what the original complaints appear to have been about are barely within the remit of the NZ Council, and will only apply to two aspects…
Reading the article again. It appears that what ‘Sarah’ and ‘Jamie’ is reporting and what the panel from the NZ Council are reporting are two completely different sets of interviews and meetings.
But basically I can’t see any way that the NZ Council could have or would have acted on a sexual assault complaint. They simply don’t have any mandate to do so.
That is and should have been a police matter.
So the Council would only deal with allegations of assault, but not sexual assault.
Thus would ignore evidence submitted about sexual assault.
Thus could assure the PM they were not looking at any allegations of sexual assault – even though some people may be alleging that this has happened and providing such testimony to it.
Sexual assault is a criminal offence. You can’t have vigilante groups (like the NZ Council?) dealing with it. That is unlawful.
Tell me – what exactly do you think the NZLP council can do about any assault? They literally aren’t allowed to deal with things that are in the realm of criminal.
I’d suggest that you campaign for a law change to achieve what you seem to be asking for. The problem comes with what you think that law change should look like, especially when it needs to cover all organisations.
You seem to be missing my point – why was the PM of the view, for months, that no allegations of sexual assault had been made?
As to organisational safety, if an allegation of a serious sexual assault had been made many would act to protect members long before police took the matter to court. In this case the matter is one confused by mixed jurisdiction – place of work and political party are connected but not the same.
Thus the confused interface between the party and the PM – with parliamentary services not even involved, as no complainant was on staff.
Because that was what she was told? I thought that was made pretty clear by the PM in the last few days.
Don’t you read the news?
Sigh.
Were we not discussing why she was told that, rather then the truth?
1. Because the Council do not investigate criminal matters, it informs the PM it is not investigating criminal matters.
2. The PM informs the media there are NO ALLEGATIONS of criminal matters being investigated by the Council.
3.There were such allegations made, but the Council does not/did not investigate them.
If the allegation is dead on arrival at the Council but lives on for those who testify to it, will the dead parrot come back to life and squawk out a name? For whom the parrot squawks … .
Ok here's the thing,
We all knew six weeks out from last election that the LP was a basket case! the country wasn't going to vote for them and I certainly wasn't.
And then there was Jacinda. Suddenly we had an actual caring, empathetic, smart! and appealing person to vote for and I and enough others changed our minds and voted for her. Events have shown that we made the right choice.
But I do not expect miracles. the LP is still a dysfunctional basket case and Jacinda is not going to turn that around with a magic wand. we should not expect her too. If she remains at the helm for long enough things will improve. and you can argue that each major #$%CK up along the way will actually make things better (as long as the right people get the blame!!).
I really don’t think this will affect election 2020 at all. sadly ALL the available parties are shit. There is only Jacinda and the populous will vote for her as there is nothing else.
Its a sad state but here we are and it could be a lot worse!
There is a very important issue going on with the language of how things are being reported here.
I am examining in particular the assertion by HDPA in Pete George's comment at 1 above.
The text reads. "“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party. But particularly they are not the appropriate place to ever undertake an investigation into a sexual assault. And that would be their view too.”
My reading of this quote is that there is a break in the meaning after this two sentences "“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party. "
The next two sentences are, as I read it, a comment by Ardern upon what she siad to the council a month ago. She added on the reference to the sexual allegations as an extension now that she had been informed of the sexual allegations.
The use of the word "would" indicates the conditional nature of the comment, starting at the word "But".
Read the quote like this, instead, to get what I believe Ardern was saying.
"“A month ago I visited New Zealand [Labour Party] Council. Very seriously shared my view that they were not the appropriate place to undertake inquiries around concerning behaviour of members of the Labour Party.
But particularly they are not the appropriate place to ever undertake an investigation into a sexual assault.
And that would be their view too.”
The word 'would' indicates that the issue had not been considered by the Council a month ago but refers to the situation now, after disclosure of sexual assault allegations, as to how they 'would' now react.
Titirangi chickens not cheap to tackle. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/115647790/titirangi-chickens-will-cost-about-112-each-to-remove
Wonder if they priced 'capturing' the person who feeds them instead?
$25000 to catch an estimated 100 – 200 chickens does sound an awful lot. And it’s not as if the are spread over a very large area: mainly the shopping area and community centre. At dusk they are perched in trees and, you would think, could be rounded up with a minimal of effort.
Neolib owned MSM coming for the Coalition ably assisted by a preponderance of useful idiots….and inept handling by the parties themselves.
Are memories now so short that a Nat Gov next term becoming a possibilty?
Save Our Subbies!
…makes a good point about paying PAYE, ACC, etc, but HNZ hasn't paid them. My boy is a tradie and I worry that one day this will be him – stressed with no way of avoiding massive losses, kids asking parents if they are ok?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115673806/stanley-group-collapse-subbie-shares-pain-and-anguish
sad vlad
It seems it's just another day when proof and truth are disposable commodities.
south china morning post covers bridges grovelling in china..
'Euan Graham, the executive director of La Trobe University’s Asia department in Melbourne, said the visit set a “new jaw-dropping standard in cringeworthiness for Western politicians visiting China”.
“While the questions were leading, Bridges took up the challenge of buttering up the party with obvious enthusiasm, praising Xi Jinping in such obsequious terms that he sounded like a paid-up party member,” Graham said.'
https://amp.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3026500/new-zealand-politician-simon-bridges-defends-beijing-visit?__twitter_impression=true
More material for The Civilian.
The leader of the National Party, while in Beijing, went down on his knees and asked for the palace of heaven to grant his wish for New Zealand to become part of a Chinese Commonwealth …
After watching that truly cringeworthy interview, I came away with the impression that Soimon was sort of overcome with, and in awe of, a sense of his own importance!
You know what I mean – 'Someone's listening to me and not making me feel an idiot, I'll say all the nice things I can because they'll actually report what I say. Hey, here I am on the world stage, I matter! Listen to me, don't I sound like a statesman?'
And I wonder if the Chinese spy in our parliament has any private conversations with his paymasters?
The future of work .
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-11/american-factory-documentary-review-netflix-obamas/11496116
That is a piece of work indeed. Thanks Poission. I'l;l watch the second half after i have had some lunch and feel stronger.
Two blog post takes on the management by political parties of assault (sexual and otherwise) on young party members.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/09/11/in-defence-of-jacinda-arderns-handling-of-the-sex-scandal-the-danger-of-trials-by-media/
https://asianinvasion2019.blogspot.com/2019/09/why-arderns-problem-is-not-employment.html
Both Bomber and Cactus Kate agree on one point – brand Jacinda is in mortal danger of imploding.
Depending on which view you tend to lean toward either Jacinda has no idea of what is happening within her own inner circle (Bombers take) or she does and looks the other way (Cactus).
It's a bit of both. The play book is to allow the party leader deniability in the cover up. The leader above the fray talks about process and the party waits to see if they can make it go away or not.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has more on her plate to deal with than the prurient and malicious thoughts of you RW coming here. Thank goodness that we don't have a person from your 'set' at the head of our country any more. And long may that continue. Why don't you brand your lot with your chosen brand logo, or get it tattooed on each hand, so we know who not to shake hands with so we can keep all our fingers.
Both wrong in tone and in fact. I've voted to the left of you my entire life.
As did I, and will continue to. Just look back at my comments over 10 years.
Greywark seems to be suggesting that you are right wing if you dare to criticise the Prime Minister, the government, or the handling of this sexual assault.
There are times when people on blogs need to walk away and do some gardening, weather permitting.
Unsurprisingly a well known critic of corruption and the inept has made a post doing all 3 of these things.
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/09/disgust.html
And what does Jacinda’s brand have to do with getting anything done about these allegations?
I’m afraid that neither Bomber nor Cactus Kate seem to actually be interested in anything except the political fallout?
"And what does Jacinda’s brand have to do with getting anything done about these allegations?"
Once the alleged victims went public – nothing. Its as you allude to political fallout.
It is clear the complainants believed that the Labour Party after hearing their testimonies would have acted with empathy and made the necessary changes. The opposite happened.
There are two separate issues at hand. 1/ Will the alleged victim/s give statements to the police ending up in court if the evidence is sufficient. 2/ The fallout within the Labour Party (both wings) as to who knew what and when and if the complainant's assurances are correct, why the sexual assault detail was suppressed.
Agreed about the police – that is where it should have gone in the first place for both the Young Labour camp for something that was clearly unlawful behaviour (the only thing that the NZLP could do was to chanbge procedures to that the opportunity didn’t happen again) and for this one based on what was in the Spinoff article.
The fallout in NZLP is just problematic. NZLP could do something if the allegations related to something that happened at a NZLP event. They can’t do much if it wasn’t as appears to have been the case. The person involved isn’t an employee of the NZLP. Similarly the actions claimed appear to be criminal.
The NZLP has no more ability to deal with sexual assault cases than any other external organisation. Employers can. Police can. Complaints should be directed to them.
Now I’m sure that there will be political fallout from this one. The correct response should be to tighten the complaint procedures to things that the NZLP council can actually do.
That should be clearly written, quite formal, and be signed by the complainant that they know the limits of what could be done.
If anything more is required, then it is a law change that changes the legal requirements for all organisations – one that covers from companies to charities. And includes the legal requirements for the police. Having half-arsed unenforceable coverage for sexual assaults through to bullying behaviour needs to be comprehensive and legislated rather than half arsed, unclear and unenforceable as this current snafu shows.
The statement said, until now, the complainants had believed that Mr Haworth had had the best of intentions.
"He was like a fatherly figure to us six women and he's let us down."
This is from a statement that was in a Radionz news piece. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/398515/labour-complainants-say-party-president-let-them-down
Isn't this similar to what Louise Nicholas experienced with a senior police officer to whom she took her story – that he was seemingly sympathetic but with the idea of taking it no further?
In the 2013 story 'Louise Nicholas: 'I've gone full circle' she and Police Commissioner announce an initiative where she is helping police and the public in giving guidance on help for victims and family after sexual abuse. Ms Nicholas, a campaigner for victims, has helped police create a brochure which will be given to anyone who reports a sexual crime with the focus on support for survivors and their family and whanau. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10891131 (In it her name was spelt differently, with two variations Nichols and Nicholas! It's hard to get things right it seems.)
The matter of dealing with attitudes to sex and being more open about how it affects our thinking and behaviour needs to be actioned as it is still a leading cause of unhappiness and violence when it should be the opposite. I really like the Hollies 'All I Need is the Air that I Breathe' for the sort of fulfilled and serene feeling that can be the outcome of good sex. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HydvceA1PAI
But of course it is not appropriate to discuss things positively, only to criticise outcomes – an endless and ultimately vicious circle.
Looking in to the background of policing and NZ mores in the Louise Nicholas case brought forward a number of stories. This is one.
The Louise Nicholas saga – Out Of The Shadows The Louise Nicholas saga – Out Of The Shadows by Phil Taylor in 2007
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10457065
The reporting on sexual matters being covered and uncovered in one location in NZ is an unusually honest and frank nearly stream-of-consciousness piece. It reflects how things are happening in our impoverished degraded society after neolib swept our norms away – our jobs, our sense of agency in our lives, our ability to earn a living wage and have a place of our own to live, and the degraded community that has followed on the heels of the depredations of neolib. The economist dreamers who know nothing about real life and everything about their graphs and charts and computer models with economic 'laws' that are generalised, showing tendencies, and not suitable to be adopted as concrete universal law. But the government has accepted and implemented the neolib theories and the patchy and erratic results are being experienced in a tidal wave over all the country now.
Using the now standard play book.
https://asianinvasion2019.blogspot.com/2019/09/why-arderns-problem-is-not-employment.html
I'm sorry i haven't time to read the sort of books that you read SPC. I never notice from your comments that they have given you any insight into the depressing problems of today, and future, and still existing ones of the past.
The comments I have made cannot do that. But then, nor do the comments of others do that for them after they made them either.
Asian Invasion? Cactus Kate up to her old tricks and SPC uses this as a source ?
I was looking at how Kiwiblog was covering the matter and DPF recommended her piece. I linked to it here because it is a reasoned perspective.
says it all really
She simply said the same s87t occurs in National and they both deal with it in the same way.
she'd know about shit alright
It is not only there. You’ll find that everywhere from HR departments covering corporate arses through to the police. Basically you can’t and shouldn’t depend on authority figures. You need to depend on mandated procedures and avoid shortcuts and fob-offs.
What needs to happen is to find out what the formal complaints procedures are for the actual issue that you’re dealing with and then to follow them rigorously and relentlessly to achieve the desired outcome. Find the review and appeal procedures at the same time and make it very clear that they also will be followed.
In this case, if the allegations were correct, presumably to removing someone from their position that they were exploiting. Unfortunately that will usually expose the complainant to formal and court processes. But really the reason you do this and all other complainant procedures is as much about stopping the repetition of activities on to other people.
lprent Just a musing. Your concerns about ensuring good practice made me think about keeping things clean and fresh and i thought of Quenton Crisp. I'm not a good housekeeper, and the witticisms of this eccentric Brit amused me:-
Quentin Crisp — 'There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse.' from Goodreads quotes.
Your points above show that it is essential to do good housekeeping as you have described. Not to do it from the first can result in the dire outcomes Crisp describes, which cannot be tolerated when it comes to abuse and bullying.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Crisp
And this can also be applied to the reports of police bullying of lower ranks which seems endemic.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398518/bullying-in-the-police-it-absolutely-destroys-you
Disagree entirely on housekeeping (I'm on Crisp's side for that one), agree entirely on the bulk of your comment 🙂
I'm involved with a non-profit organisation, on the board. We get a lot of people through the door from members of the public to client organisation to our own staff and volunteers. Thousands a year. So statistically speaking we also get hundreds if not thousands or people who have or will sexually assault others at some time in their lives.
So we have the basic OSH procedures and plans, and we also have procedures and plans for sensitive issues of varying levels (causing discomfort through to to outright criminal complaint). And they're workable procedures with clear action points.
It's part of making a robust organisation, as opposed to ticking boxes to limit personal liability.
We're not perfect – sooner or later shit will happen that we clusterfuck in a catastrophic way – but we can at least plan for the likely hazards.
Renting dresses allegedly popular: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/115647037/how-clothing-rentals-democratise-fashion-and-might-just-help-to-save-the-planet
Kiwi humour allegedly weird: https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/115679899/is-kiwi-humour-really-totally-weird
It seems from reading that piece, that many young NZs don't think much about what people from another English-speaking culture are like. We aren't all the same – as the saying goes from GB Shaw – 'The English and the Americans are two peoples divided by a common language.'
What Waititi said was just right.
"At the end of the day, the reality is we're all losers, and we're all uncoordinated," is another of the filmmaker's pearls of wisdom.
"We're the worst of all of the animals on Earth and there's something quite endearing about that."
Good point. Rosie Carnahan-Darby, an LA-based Kiwi comedy producer, says New Zealanders' "very dry, sarcastic, sardonic, self-deprecating sense of humour" doesn't always translate well in the US.
"Another thing to remember is that as a nation, New Zealand was very isolated for a very long time, so our language and culture has evolved to reflect that," she says, adding that humour from a country other than your own will almost always seem strange.
And washroom, bathroom, toilet, wc. Anyone who has watched USA tv much should know that they are very given to euphemisms for the basic matters of life, and are sort of agin' them? Like they didn't allow even a married couple to be pictured in bed together in the early movies. That's weird. And Canada is a bit like the USA – it has a strong Scottish Christian background too. But in Quebec who knows, those saucy French – now that is another prejudice, misconception, perhaps.
Fictional homes allegedly too expensive: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/celebrity-homes/115689829/famous-movie-homes-the-characters-could-never-actually-have-afforded-to-live-in
Keep watching – it would be terrible if NZ as we know and love it vanished one day while we were not looking. Oh dear we will say, I didn't know it was so sick, why didn't someone say something, we could have helped, saved it from this terrible end. It is terminal, and we aren't even allowed to give it euthanasia. Now I can't bear to watch.
This morning's news.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398534/residents-exposed-to-noxious-sewer-gases-at-retirement-complex-in-lower-hutt
Bad plumbing. Poor job. Not done to good standard and probably regulations (if any) are broken, ignored.
.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398527/acc-taxi-troubles-drivers-rejecting-trips-due-to-lower-pay-auckland-woman-told
Officially denied by taxi people, but disabled person on ACC needing assistance from government as promised to citizens are being denied because ACC machine-minds, aggravating alghorithms, won't pay normal rates to meet costs of taxi drivers.
.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/398543/small-businesses-struggling-with-overdue-payments
The real economy for the people is in small face to face business. It is suffering badly, because of poor decisions that have ignored the domestic economy while going after more glamorous exports, and foreign investors who make everyone feel important when they come and take an interest in us and pick our plums, but these are not the workers in the orchards.
.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018712756/michael-ross-discusses-the-expansion-of-the-wanaka-airport
More and more money on airports?? When we are worrying about climate change and using less fossil fuels and also what about the principled travellers which will ruin our business, they might cut down on their willingness or ability to travel by air?
Bloody unbelievable. Those of us who are thinking need to set up 24 hour watches so we can keep up with those who dream up these nightmares while we are sleeping.
Stuff is reporting that Howarth has resigned.
Andrea Vance is also reporting it:
It would have taken more than one person to have kept the PM misinformed for so long, but we will not hear about most of the fallout.
Lew suggests an approach.
Not really – he's the main connection between the party and the caucus.
The investigation was screwed up, and I still think it's 50/50 that the reviewers viewed themselves as restricted solely to reviewing the investigation, rather than raising issues with Ardern.
As for Lew, he seems to think everyone involved is employed by the party or even Ardern, rather than being elected officials.
Hopefully the new president puts some stick about so shit isn't so ossified. And maybe the guy everyone's been complaining about should take a tip from Howarth.
Maybe someone can offer the alleged assaulter a seat on the Todd Barclay career express to the UK?
"The investigation was screwed up, and I still think it's 50/50 that the reviewers viewed themselves as restricted solely to reviewing the investigation, rather than raising issues with Ardern."
That's a longbow to draw but ok let us accept they binned any reference to sexual assault …however we have Ardern telling us she asked and sort assurances that none of the claims were of a physical/sexual nature. That gives the investigation panel nowhere to hide, or maybe they did raise it?
They were not investigating sexual assault matters and they told those complainants that such were matters for the police, so while they knew of such allegations, they were not investigating them. And thus they could tell the PM none of the allegations they were investigating involved sexual assault (because they do not investigate those matters).
A male complained he was assaulted when confronting the alleged perp, if he was also told to take that to the police, there would have been less and less for them to investigate and find him culpable for.
The interesting thing is that no one has yet said they were asked to inform the party if they took the matter to police. Did they presume no one would?
Perhaps because it is illegal to interfere in any individuals decision to lay a complaint to the police or interfering with a police investigation. I’d have to look up the acts (which I don’t have time for right now), but I remember running across that several times in various contexts over the decades.
Think it through about what the implications are of having early warning about a complaint being laid.
I don't see being informed, after the fact, of a complaint to police being made, as interfering in the decision to do so.
Or party awareness of this having occurred compromising or interfering with any investigation by police for that matter.
In this matter the party advised people to take matters to police, if it was in fact illegal to influence a persons decision on whether to go to police, the party would surely not have done so.
I'm not sure how proper it would have been to speak to the reviewers like that directly. So who did the assurances come from (hint: probably the guy who just quit).
But either way, sometimes folks in such roles have a very narrow idea of what "professionalism" means in that role, because it's not their usual job.
Ardern allegedly accepts Haworth's resignation: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1909/S00078/jacinda-ardern-accepts-labour-party-president-resignation.htm
Haworth allegedly enjoyed his time as President: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1909/S00153/statement-from-nigel-haworth-resigning-as-labour-president.htm
Ardern from her release above:
Evidently that was good enough for her.
Looks like I was off by 24 hours…
haworth has resigned…
Meanwhile "the PB" is so beside herself with joy, she's decided to treat herself to a new frock and "the Soi" hez dusoided on a noit on the tearn. Insiders say the gNatz are about to ramp up their targeting using a bit of new-found wealth promised on a recent trip to the Whurl's farcetist groan konamy.
Paula Bennett on Twitter.
Haworth has gone but this goes right to the PM. It’s her employee, her senior staff and a senior minister and what they knew when. And of course what Ardern herself knew.
2:29 PM · Sep 11, 2019.
It's probably high time Jacinda got out that Mark Richardson index finger again and directed it towards a few senior public servants and others just along for the ride.
It isn't just Her Madge's opposition that are the problem but sure as shit it seems to be taking an eon for some to realise just where the roadblocks to transformation and kindness are. Often, they're staring them in the bloody face
Nigel had to go to protect Jacinda. She is far more important.
Terrified because she understands how the rich and their schemes work.
Ha, that's brilliant, especially the part where one of the goons noted that the last time government went after the banks in the 1930's, twenty years later in the 50's and 60's they had the most equal income spread ever..
ffs what is wrong with people
Looks like Nigel Harworth has resigned and taken one for the party.
Yes Fairy Godmother, that's my take too.
The DP brigade and their media enablers were not going to be satisfied until they had his scalp. My pick is: he took it for an underling or two.. Now they will be after Jacinda's scalp.
Anyone see Soper on the TV stand-up with Jacinda today? Standing over her (almost) shouting hostile questions at her. What an ill mannered creep. She ignored him.
Anyone still believe this is a false flag operation, asking for a friend
[lprent: FFS The false flag was about the “open letter’. Banned for 3 months for lying about my moderation. ]
I'm far from convinced it's meaningful. Even your own interest is driven by factionalism, not credible concern for the victim or victims. It's news (to you) because it represents an opportunity to impugn the government, not because the government are supporters of abuse. As such it is a side show, whatever the facts (and I've yet to see them) may be.
So the pres resigning over this isn't meaningful, interesting
keep cracking jokes about this, after all judith collins is your hero you zero, and you must score your points to be a big man eh
meanwhile the rest of us will listen carefully and watch closely to try to sort this out for the VICTIMS
Had this issue not been pushed Labour we wouldn't have known about it, had the issue not been aired the victims would not have their chance to speak, if Labour had their way no one would have known about this and the guy would be free to keep on doing what he likes
yessss hold your precious close you P.O.S. and cry your fake tears of concern as you pretend to care – no one is fooled – it makes your true nature shine forth puckwit
"cry your fake tears of concern as you pretend to care "
Take that back, I have no wish for anyone here to think I might be part of Labour
As far as I can see, he still is free to do what is alleged.
Until a formal complaint is made to the police or parliamentary services then there is very little to stop him.
Are they not PS only involved when both parties are on staff?
Why? PS doesn't have a complaints department and procedures for external people to access. I think that has been standard at every place I've worked at.
If I complain about an employee of an organisation that I'm dealing with then I'd expect that is a problem for their manager and probably then to their HR. It is after all an issue for the organisation if people complain about the behaviour of their employees.
Did the party volunteers work with him as a staff member of parliamentary services? Or as part of the Labour Party organisation to which they …
Sure they could say they felt unsafe when visiting parliament and why. But he was already working from home while the party investigated.
And very frustrating too. As a young woman long before social media a friend told our women's group how she was raped at 16 by her minister. She chose not to tell the police. I was horrified at the thought he was still employed and still likely to hurt someone else. Yet not one of us could go to the police as it was all second hand. Its weighed on my mind. This is similar. Until the victim goes to the police harm will continue to be done.
While we are talking about sexual abuse…..
Marist Brother gets Home D for repeated child sexual abuse? His defence lawyer says the child exploitation porn he possessed had no victims?
With attitudes like these, and the long history of Labours attitude to victim blaming or denial (like in the Darren Hughes case), no wonder Ardern has a see no evil/hear no evil attitude.
She's toast now I think, unless she and Labour start seeing that a kinder and more caring government starts with how the most powerless individuals in society are treated.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12246380
If I could wave a magic wand then any and all child sexual abuse would be mandatory jail time, no ifs or buts
PR, if you were not simply utilising sexual abuse for your own political purposes, you would use your magic wand to put an end to all sexual abuse.
You are nowhere near as idealistic as your crocodile tears pretend.
That's drawing a long bow comparing those two cases PCnz.
And you're up the creek without a paddle when it comes to Jacinda. Where have you been these past nine months in particular? Or do you have an extraordinarily poor memory?
Anne, Re-reading my post, yes you are right. Linking the Marist Brother to this current situation was wrong of me.
I guess what I was trying to say was that sexual abuse, in general, is still way too casually viewed by many people.
Not sure what you mean in your second comment? I absolutely admire her handling of the mosque shooting. Hope she take a similar approach with this. Maybe she was telling the truth and was misled. Just find that surprising.
Fair enough. I thought you were referring to Jacinda when you mentioned … a kinder more caring government. They are infinitely better then the previous government but still have a way to go.
I went through a similar process to these 'complainants' 25 years ago but it wasn't through a political party although politics was involved. In my case the incidents were more broad-based (and there were sexual connotations as well) but I was terrified. What absolutely shocked me (still does) was the inability of the authorities I approached to be able to comprehend what I was trying to tell them. They were all men and they clearly concluded I was just making shit.
I suspect something similar happened here.
Oops last sentence – making up shit.
Yes, a way kinder and more caring government for sure. No doubt whatsoever in my mind about that!
Posts, texts etc always miss the nuances that are so important, and it is so easy, for me at least, to not quite convey the subtleties of my message at times. Hope you can understand that and allow me a little grace.
We are all guilty of that sometimes. 🙂
"And yet, these are the rules the young complainants in this latest scandal have had to negotiate their way through: a task made all the more difficult and distressing by the fact that nobody told them what they were. They did not understand that the invitation to come forward with their personal experiences of sexual misconduct was never meant to be taken seriously. They did not grasp that the prime objective of the Labour Party is not to build a better, fairer world, but to win the next election. "
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/09/11/labours-fatal-flaw/
Your cheerleading is sickening.
[Your comment was a reply to Anne’s @ 20.2.1.1, which was based on her experience with a similar complaint process. I cannot see how this could be considered as “cheerleading [that] is sickening”. You couldn’t even be bothered to use your own words but instead used Chris Trotter’s, which bear no relevance to Anne’s personal comment and experience and it was mind-numbingly stupid trolling given the recent developments. In any case, I’m going to stop you from trolling this site in general and of women here in particular in order to improve the overall culture here. Banned for three months – Incognito]
Your trolling is a darn sight more sickening.
See my Moderation note @ 7:33 PM.
I think you'll find Ardern stared evil straight in the face. You, on the other hand, bow deferentially to any POS you think might pimp your precarious position of being a complete prick.
The Standard was a good read. PR and his PR team have fucked it.
[We don’t need (more) personal abuse and insults. Please tone it down – Incognito]
"I think you'll find Ardern stared evil straight in the face".
Applying her make-up was she? Or are you thinking about something else?
Sorry alwyn – witty, but deficient. Staring evil in the face can only be eyeball to eyeball. Applying makeup, people look anywhere but the eyeball. Little external details, not the essential.
Good quip, but no banana.
I think this indicates your lack of a socially cohesive philosophy..
Just saying
wow so you are implying that our Prime Minister is evil – sad to see someone so low and useless drop even further but you, alwyn, have managed it – wash your face with lots of soap cos you are dirty
There there. You really shouldn't make such assumptions about what I say.
Now just calm down you little adorer of all creatures on the sinister side. This incoherent rage can't be good for your blood pressure.
“"I think you'll find Ardern stared evil straight in the face".
Applying her make-up was she?”
I have no rage just disgust with your insinuations including this latest one – "Now just calm down you little adorer of all creatures on the sinister side"
what does that mean in the context of this thread – you think our Prime Minister is a creature from the sinister side?
You rwnj's are manhandling yourself constantly on this – such weaklings, it is no wonder you are fiddling on the hoof.
100+
If you mean she showed brilliant leadership with the mosque shooting, you are right.
But hey, as always wtb, just play the abuse, if that somehow makes you feel.better and you believe it in some strange way forms an argument. And please do not make assumptions about you, as certainly am tempted about you but have.far more respect for you than apparently you have for me, or maybe for anyone that has an opposing view.
My 2 cents, for what its worth…yes I think Ardern was brilliant the way she handled the Chch mosque shooting. However, I believe she has not handled this well at all.
In the last 48 hours Ardern has come across as genuine, apologised publicly and acted promptly and transparently over Haworth. Lots still for the party to front up to but what more could she have done herself at this stage?
I haven't been following closely, but I think her reported response here is covering most of the bases.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/398554/labour-party-president-nigel-haworth-s-resignation-accepted-by-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern
"I want a justice system in New Zealand where people feel comfortable coming forward and are listened to, but I also need to ensure the Labour Party lives up to that expectation too."
This. If the main government party can't get this stuff right culturally within their own party then they won't be able to pass or change legislation that delivers a better justice system.
See my Moderation note @ 3:58 PM.
Will the National Party president Peter Goodfellow now reflect on his past behavior and resign?
National Party president denies abuse allegation cover up.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/politics/national-party-president-denies-abuse-allegation-cover-up/
Harassed woman allegedly signed confidentiality agreement in Jami-Lee Ross case.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12144911&ref=rss
Yep. The media were silent when National was in the spotlight for exactly the same sort of thing – twice in the past year. No screaming headlines. No hysterical commentaries from the likes of Hosking, Soper, HdPA – and others of their ilk. No presidential scalp demanded from the Nats.
+ 100 Anne
Just bought a book from the library 50c – on how opposition from a deadhead, erratic, manic, ambitious politician that no-one in the Labour Party wanted as a leader was replaced by a reluctant Julia Gillard.
And how she was attacked and villified by a nest of media vipers and polly sycophants, for the whole of her time in the position, with attention going onto the latest trumped-up stooory instead of her remarkably good outcomes achieved while working with a Coalition
Sound familiar? Soimon may be a wizard's familiar. Who would the wiz in the background be?
I'll put some quotes later from auuthorKerry-Anne Walsh, Oz reporter of renown and regular on Radionz.
You have to be joking, they were all over it like a rash!
Lol
And half of posters on here came across as if it were Ross who was the victim and gave the woman crap.
And Cameron Slater became their number one source of truth.
Lol
Bullshit. The MSM reported it all yes, but there was no blood-rushing to the head. No hysterics from the usual suspects eg. Hosking and co. And no MSM screaming for heads to roll.
TVNZ so called news these days, is more like a party political broadcast on behalf of the National Party. What are the political affiliations the news editor? Anyone know?
Look to the CEO… Usually somebody from the bloody marketing industry these days.
Flickering lights – I've got them at home. Why, what ?? This info that I have come across so far.
I’ve never had this before. I don’t have dimmers just bog standard light fitting hanging from the ceiling. I still use some incandescent bulbs, and one of those was flickering also.
https://theconversation.com/leds-could-be-harmful-to-health-the-eu-halogen-ban-will-make-it-worse-102589
https://www.thespruce.com/fix-a-flickering-light-bulb-4123638
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/stop-cfl-lamps-flickering-93829.html
Washington Post says LED can’t flicker. ‘How to stop your LED lights from flickering – The Washington …
https://www.washingtonpost.com › business › 2018/07/25 › how-stop-your-l…
Jul 31, 2018 – There’s no flickering. LED bulbs don’t have glowing filaments…..’
LEDs can flicker, it's rare but is usually caused by the LEDs driver or a dimmer switch in the circuit. Even though you don’t always see it all mains powered light sources flicker, whether incandescent, halogen, fluorescent or LED due to our electrical supply being alternate current. Older 230V LEDs are especially affected by the odd flicker, what voltage are yours?
Tried really hard to detect any flicker in my household 230V LEDs ($2 cheapies from Bunnings), using techniques I know I can detect flicker in some other LEDs. Videoing, head movements, variable speed rotating objects. Nothing.
They're warm white, so they're blue leds shining through a lot of yellow phosphor. And because that phosphor emission takes a while to die off, the yellow part of the light might not be flickering significantly even if the underlying blue led actually is flickering. Kinda like a light analogue of an electronic capacitor. On mine, you can definitely see the light fading when they're switched off, unlike the instant-off you get with monochromatic LEDs (such as brake lights).
Don't have any cool white LEDs to check. Maybe they have more noticeable flicker since much more of the output light is directly from the blue LED, rather than absorbed then re-emitted from a yellow phosphor.
I prefer warm white, and find the cool white ones give a stark lab room feel. here is stuff to learn – lumens etc and I have been reading a bit here and there. I like to keep some indcandescents for spares. I think I should do most of my political reading at night – by the time I am finished I am so energised that I am incandescent myself, probably enough to do two rooms.
Mickey B – Ah, silence about that voltage? I have been using Phillips Tornado but got some EV things from Warehouse. And then I got some that have normal round shaped bulbs from the supermarket. I imagine they are all the usual is that 230-240? Anyway I will look in the weekend and try to be more informed.
If you've got flicker in an incandescent bulb, I strongly recommend checking it out carefully. A likely cause is some kind of poor connection, which can than cause arcing and heat. And if it really goes bad, could conceivably start a fire (very very rare, but possible).
With it off, first carefully look for any sign of anything getting hot (just look, don't touch). Yellowing plastic near the socket is a sign. Then turn it on and listen for buzzing and/or crackling noises when it's on. Turn it back off, let it cool, remove the bulb and look at the contacts on the bulb and inside the socket. Check the metal shell for the contacts isn't loose or distorted (both bulb and socket).
If there's nothing visibly faulty, put the bulb back in and check the bulb is a snug fit in the socket and the spring pressure of the contacts feels normal as you install the bulb. (Definitely do not poke at the contacts inside the socket to feel the spring pressure, if you're taking advice from randoms off the webz, you definitely don't know enough about what you're doing to do that safely).
If the bulb and socket all seem good, have a listen for buzzing/crackling noises at the switch, then at the fuse box. If you hear any buzzing/crackling noises anywhere that correspond to malfunctioning electrical stuff, please call a sparky.
edit: Should also mention a rellie moved into a new place that had a bunch up lights with the sockets pointing up rather than hanging down, that were giving problems. Turned out the sockets had filled up with dead bugs attracted by the light.
Thanks Andre – Blinded by the light eh. I have had mice in the ceiling (old house and two layer ceilings – the normal 8 ft and further up in part 11 foot.) I left some rat bars up there to chew on but haven't been up there lately. I hope they aren't chewing on my electric cable. I will have to explore. Have a new ladder so have the stable steps for getting up there.
I'll keep all that useful stuff fom you to hand.
Re: Rodents.
The buggers will chew your wiring and eat bits of your car. (Some bright spark decided to be all eco-cool and use bio plastic insulation on some of the wiring of a particular brand of car…as if the rats and mice need any encouragement.)
We dealt to our problem with good old fashioned mouse and rat traps. Poison them and they just die and rot in your roof space…after chewing your plastic water pipes to ease their poison induced raging thirst.
Bait the traps with peanut butter…or bacon fat…but especially peanut butter. Might pay to staple a bit of strong string to the rat trap and tie to a nail…they have been known to take off once caught, taking the trap with them.
Sounds ghoulish…but over the past couple of years the rodents have become particularly destructive.
And maybe get your wiring checked…does your flickering light cause the transistor radio to crackle?
Harworth has fallen on his sword, I assess the reason being he was proven to have known and not informed the PM.
More senior people put into those shoes today. How many more are going to stand and say they didn't know and/or didn't tell the PM?
Scientific paper on Work Trade Centre 7 collapsing into its own footprint not because of fire but because of “the almost simultaneous failure of every column in the building.” surprise surprise! And yet further amazement that the mainstream media across the globe (with few exceptions) looks the other way https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/09/10/presstitute-blackout-of-9-11-study/
Hooray for tiny house owners in their fight to get some sensible and practical moves from legislators.
MoBIE have got an exemption. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let's have a gander at tiny houses minimum regulations and then let people get an affordable place to live. Is that asking too much from you shiny-seated twits?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398583/govt-accused-of-hypocrisy-after-ordering-its-own-batch-of-tiny-home-on-wheels
…But the fact the houses will be on wheels hits a nerve with tiny house owners like Amberley man Alan Dall, who was told by Hurunui District Council, and then by MBIE, he needed to make his tiny house building code compliant as a fixed-foundation structure.
He maintains it should simply be treated as a vehicle, as should MBIE's houses…
"For a $66,000 one-bedroom tiny house, it would very likely cost them another $20,000 to go through the consent process with council," he said.
Mr Wightman acknowledged that MBIE's houses were for emergency situations, but said New Zealand's housing crisis was also an emergency, for which his tiny houses were a viable solution.
Pity that the ones in the picture were painted a lovely shade of dark grey! They are as near to black as possible, dark grey is the new black, as black heats up too much and the paint splits, same with very dark green, navy. But there are other 'colours' in between black and other darks and white. Couldn't we enjoy our houses and colour them, be happy and look happy even decorate them like Romany ones.
I guess most fiction readers will like Robert Harris, many of whom I hope are men as they are known to be mainly non-fiction readers. He has written another one in a back to the future style I think. Interview:
Robert Harris: The Second Sleep
From Sunday Morning, 10:08 am on 8 September 2019 “All civilisations consider themselves invulnerable; history warns us that none is.” That is the ultimate warning from best-selling author Robert Harris’ latest novel that fictionalises the dangers that await humanity. You can listen plus read a full informative piece about his thinking.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018712334/robert-harris-the-second-sleep
The Second Sleep has all the trappings of a historical novel, and it’s titled after the noted pre-industrial European habit of having two bouts of sleep and waking up in between to complete tasks or socialise.
Readers might be fooled into thinking it’s set in the 15th Century as the book also opens with a young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arriving in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor.
There's a saying about crooked people, that they can't even lie straight in bed. Boorish won't even be able to go to bed by the time the Kingdoms unite against him and bloody England.
Live
Brexit latest news: Parliament may have to be recalled after Scottish court rules Boris Johnson broke law by proroguing
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/11/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-referendum-parliament-suspended/
Meanwhile:
Brexit: Labour deputy Tom Watson calls for referendum ahead of election
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49657006
There's only one Kingdom. It's why it's called the United Kingdom and not the United Kingdoms.
Maybe you got confused with LOTR lol
Oh good at least the explanations of the whole caboodle will be explained correctly. Meanwhile the caravan moves on, leaving a pile of camel-doo behind. But hey they don't have camels in the UK. Sorry got that wrong.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018712910/illegal-scotland-on-boris-johnson-s-parliament-suspension
Scotland's highest civil court has ruled Boris Johnson's suspension of the UK Parliament is unlawful. A panel of three judges at the Court of Session found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians who were challenging the prime minister's move. The judges said the PM was attempting to prevent Parliament holding the government to account ahead of Brexit.
There are 2 stories, the Right and the Left — dinna complicate matters. More importantly the kicked-overs point of view. We need a power of unity, or the rich will win. And all the failure in the last 40 years was lack of organised resistence to the decisions of the silly rich.
Mmmm. The silly rich have become the filthy rich while the poor are stripped of all their possessions and so poorly paid, with such uncertain and irregular work hours and jobs that many are back in the days leading to the Tolpuddle Martyrs who got transported to Australia for starting a union in the south of England amongst farming workers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/dorset/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8827000/8827532.stm
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Condolences to Akilisi Pohiva whanau for their loss and to Tonga for the loss of a great Prime minister.
Jacinda doesn't need to stress to much she puts trust in her top staff that is who made a mess of the staff issues.
It will take time for the Muslims people who were at prayer in the Christchurch heal.
I agree national played the parliamentary staffing issues to try and dent Jacinda Star Power. That's correct Willy national had there own scandals and the Coalition Government did try and use it as a tool harm there credibility.
Looks to me like the national skeemers are not fronting up.
Ko Te Reo Maori Te ahua reka ki Te iwi.
Ka kite Ano
Yes I agree the Star power of great celebrities is greatest when use to influence humanity to do positive things for all the Papatuanuku co founders of Friends at Mahi Ka pai.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora to Fush n Chip shop owner for teaching our Te reo Maori I think you protest the demise of our Ika taonga Terakihi kia kaha bro.
Ka kite Ano
I'm not impressed with the fishing industry add stating that they only take a certain % percent of our Ika for one we have to trust them that the data is correct ITS NOT like One can not sit on a hill a take count of our fish stock they have to guess some of the data.
Also we have to trust people are reporting there fish catch honestly some will but some people can't help but rip our fish off. Its so easy to set scales to have one kg less per bin. Because of this phenomenon fishing draws in the shady type of business persons there only conscience is MORE MONEY.
They mite say they account for their sly ways but I have no confidence in this.
I have seen right before my eyes our fish stock drop wet fish shell fish.
When I was short in the tooth I could take my whanau walk around the pohatu for half a hour and get a decent kai. After 10 years that Kai Moana disappeared the state will be in a very depressed depleted state now 25 years later. It is good that the fishing industry has dropped there catch tonnage but that is a model that has failed to protect our wild resources in the past I don't believe it's going to work NOW. The Ambulance at the bottom of the hill strategy. I.E harvest the natural stock ya bonanza hard out everyone's creaming it.
Next minute O these things are getting harder to catch let's slow down lower the take on the resource. And most speices collapse and never recovered unless we invest heaps of putea to reseed the wild stock ECT.
For one I can not see that being achieved with Orange Roughy they live very long lives 50 to 150 years and thousands of meters deep for this reason I say 3 %estimated catch rates are to much.
Let's protect our Mana taonga great resources for our Mokopuna and there descending tangata.
Ka kite Ano links below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/104173620/fishing-giants-underreported-hoki-catch-by-thousands-of-tonnes
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/104315559/leaked-govt-report-shows-thousands-of-tonnes-of-fish-dumped-unreported
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
Kia Ora Newshub.
I think it's great that our government is making people register there guns and show that there mental health is stable before qualifying to get a gun licence it's about time.
It was needed the 9 million extra funding for Christchurch mental health department especially after the Christchurch desaster Ka pai.
Some people don't care about their workers working in the horticultural and neighbours. industry being affected by the chemicals they apply to their orchards. . Organic is the way to go.
I agree with Helen Clarke.
boris has master the art of bullshitting
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's was a great legacy The Tonga Prime minister has changing the government to a tangata democracy
I'm. Not giving him any oxygen.
I am very happy that Aotearoa real. History is going to be taught to all our tamariki in Aotearoa THAT will help create happiness and harmony amongst all tangata Ka pai.
That is awesome seeing all the new tangata whenua running for councillors kia kaha
Its great that Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa are receiving a warm reception while they are in China
Kai pai Webster great speach it gives Eco Maori A sore face to see all the Rangatahi rising up and showing there Mana wairua. Even a little tear kia kaha.
Ka kite Ano
You better leave my Tamariki and Mokopuna alone.
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.