‘The Immigration Minister previously told us he agonised over the decision. He told us it was “right up there… probably one of the most difficult decisions” he’s had to make.
Now he’s admitted he didn’t even read the full file. And the decision took him less than an hour.’
Even the most one-eyed Labour supporter would have to admit, at the very least, its not a good look
Why should he stand down? Do you know how busy he is? How many files he has to review? How much other work he has?
Honest this is such a big beat up. And out there in voter land it is not resonating. It is giving you righties something to jump up and down but we all know you are trying to divert attention.
For me I would like to know why National partitioned the $100k donation from the guy who then received a Government honour. And who is going to be charged.
Not a good look is okay. The “oh it’s so shocking” rightwing lines are just so overblown – all sounding like simple simon now but desperation does that lol.
No he hasn’t really but whatever floats your boat – with the gnats dropping like a stone it makes sense that you righties will scratch around for anything – fill ya boots mate lol
Both have supported him, Winston in particular. Sorry PR, won’t wash!!
Hooten has it right, “Slow steady decline in the polls is hard to reverse National will be in trouble.”
That from their biggest fan, says it all LOLz.
Puckish Rogue. The answer. (Welcome back btw. I hope your new job won’t require too many files at several hundred pages to be read….)
“Immigration New Zealand (INZ) general manager Stephen Dunstan confirmed on Friday the Sroubek file was “several hundred” pages long, with sentencing judges’ notes appended to it.
The “really good summary” in the case file was was about 12 pages long, he said.
The construction of files going to the minister had been done the same way for 15 years, he said.
The standard practice included reasons why the person was liable, the person’s immigration history, details about any convictions, the client’s personal circumstances and any comments they wanted to make, which were sometimes quite extensive, he said.”
How long to read a file of several hundred pages?
A quick query of google gives this. “For an average reader that reads about 200 words per minute, the reading time of 100 such pages would be about 2 hours at least. Still, this is way too theoretical, as reading is also impacted by other factors such as motivation, concentration, distractions, vocabulary, structure and difficulty of text, etc.”
Over a day, then, to read a file of several hundred pages at 50 pages per hour.
Just how much is ‘reading a file’? Is it every word, fully considered, taking notes and following all footnotes and references to other material? Because anything less is not ‘reading the file”. Anyone who says it is less than this, is then arguing that less would be OK.
It then becomes an argument over what is acceptable in order to make an informed decision.
The dude gets paid to read loads of things in order to make loads of decisions that affect the lives of loads of people. To be able to do his job well and efficiently the dude relies on loads of public servants and the likes who often get paid loads of dosh.
It never seems to have crossed your mind that Ministers are bound by NZ Law to make certain decisions? They may not even agree or like it, just ask Eugenie Sage.
Didn’t say a word about the report and only (!) responded to your comment @ 2.1.3.1.1 about the Minister’s job description and workload and his remuneration.
However, feel free to elaborate about the report, what’s in it and what’s not, what ILG read and what he didn’t read but should have. Even better, provide a link to the full report and I’ll take a few weeks off to read it – I’m a slow reader too – all unpaid and at no direct cost to the Taxpayer.
We probably never will as this govt seems to be rather un-transparent when it comes to releasing information and reports.
I think if it was a bet I would go for the multiple experts working for him probably being in the right, and the one bloke who admitted he didn’t actually read the whole report and made the decision within an hour probably being in the wrong
Speed reading is any of several techniques used to improve one’s ability to read quickly. Speed reading methods include chunking and minimizing subvocalization. The many available speed reading training programs include books, videos, software, and seminars. Wikipedia
Some people are good at it. ILG may well be one of them. David Lange’s ability to speed read was said to be brilliant.
I was being facetious, Anne. I can read & research a fair amount of info in a given time when not distracted or (too) tired. See also mac1’s comment @ 2.1.3.1.
“like an intern trying to explain why he got the stationery order wrong.”
Fair call and did she also wonder aloud at how frothed-up, hysterical even, National and her “dags” (such as yourself, James 🙂 have got themselves over ordering the wrong stationery?
The only thing HDPA has ever nailed is the extraordinary privilege of getting a platform in the Herald. From that position she can inflict her ugly prose style and shabby thinking on the rest of us, if we are foolish enough not to ignore her.
Everything she writes looks like a steaming pile of lazy, disconnected snippets chucked onto the page with the only concern being that the cheque arrives afterwards.
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said low ballot figures did not point to any likelihood of loss on unsold homes. At worst, the Government would on sell a home at the price it paid for it, and to buyers who may not have originally qualified for Kiwibuild.
Again why is Kiwibuild run like a lottery in stead of needs based applicants going to the top of the queue?
People who qualify for permanent residency also can apply, so no doubt people like the drug smuggler if he was a first home buyer and the sex offender to name a few can qualify once they are permanent residents. (Can only take 2 years to gain permanent residency according to NZ immigration site).
Also the 3 year timeframe is obviously an issue, would be better to have the house returned for the same amount they paid plus interest rather than allowing the sale or rent within 3 years.
There is better uses of new housing to help those renting with cheaper rents, who can then can save enough, to buy on the open market and the house stays helping NZer who need it more, not goes off into private hands for subsequent speculation.
Remember this is what was presented by labour for last year selection https://www.labour.org.nz/kiwibuild
“KiwiBuild homes will only be sold to first home buyers. To avoid buyers reaping windfall gains, a condition of sale will require them to hand back any capital gain if sold on within 5 years.”
– I will refrain from making any commentary on election pledges ….
AND https://www.labour.org.nz/housing
Tax property speculators who flick houses within five years
Labour will extend the bright line test from the current two years to five years. This will target speculators who buy houses with the aim of making a quick capital gain. Current exemptions from the bright line test will continue.
My comment was directed to the 3 year limit on sale – When Labour in their policy manifesto refers to 5 year stand down. If we cannot trust what Labour went to the polls over. Many here attached (IMO correctly) Nats for not keeping election promises. Now we see Labour being as “honest” in breaking their promises.- ” a condition of sale” so was this condition place on the initial 18 buyers ? If it wasn’t then the election pledge was just a Lie to get us to vote for labour ?? https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108157197/first-kiwibuild-families-welcomed-to-new-homes-by-prime-minister
Note the behaviour of Labour is fast merging to be indistinguishable to the last regime 🤬But some are blind to anyone pointing this out to them
For some possibly but don’t underestimate the willing grandparents or similar who are happy to step up. Many of us do it across the year holidays etc and if in this instance, though there wil be those not fortunate to have that happy option, there are one or two others that need someone to superivise for the day I’m sure most will manage.
James, lead us through the logic which takes right wing anti-Labour, anti-union commentators from a position where Labour is in the pocket of the unions and is afraid to annoy them to one where Labour won’t do their bidding and cave into them.
I am not the most left wing guy myself, but I think it is a bit lame to come onto a left wing blog and saturate the open mike with anti left posts. You and PR have two thirds of the comments on here. ..
We feel sorry for parrots that accidentally stray in our ‘echo chamber’ and can’t find their way out. We usually feed them sound soundbites to sustain them through their ordeal and let them find their way. Some keep flying into the walls despite being well lit and signposted; it is so sad and it breaks our hearts, but shit happens and we don’t want to take away their freedom or personal choice and responsibility. As BM was saying here yesterday “[t]he stong will adapt and survive, the weak will perish.” [sic]
Oh, come on, be realistic. No one on the right cares enough about the Standard to spend money undermining it. The right wing commenters here are just misfits who get amusement out of winding you guys up. Really.
You obviously have no idea how these things work, which actually is a plus. TS is free platform that’s read by many so the temptation is strong to (mis)use it. The best scams, the best manipulations are the ones that go unnoticed, like subliminal messages. Those messages are not in the exact words that are written but in the framing, the emotive connections they make.
James your getting like Simon now, barking at every car this morning…..we have yet to see how KiwiBuild will unfold, although I see the reserve bank are saying that in the main KiwiBuild will be additional houses, not just houses that would have been built anyway. Besides, I didn’t think you would mind people turning a profit from housing……….that’s what national allowed
James I think most parents will be thrilled about the 600 extra seniors labour has just announced. Also last survey I read was that the public supported the nurses and teachers striking
It’s a mystery what people expect, including the employers complaining the “lack” of “experienced” staff – did it never occur to them to train them thenselves.
The only way to “fix” all this it seems is for someone to step up with a big, fat magic wand.
Isn’t that when you fight the hardest?
All those people that are supposedly in labours territory (the low income workers on shitty contracts) will pay the price for the teacher strikes . Not the wealthy middle and upper classes who have stay at home parents and on tape day care.
Its not even catchup from the last 9 years, and aspects of this do not come into effect until 2020. And if the NZEI don’t standup now it will be another 3 years, until the next opportunity rolls around.
Full time teaching on $59k pa and 10years service is not raking it in
I try to be sympathetic . But my kids school took Friday as a teachers only day on the first week back this term . It’s not the first time they’ve done that . Taking the piss a bit I reckon
Well. You had best talk to the education department about the compliance and paperwork load on teachers. most of it to give office staff something to do, rather than helping education.
NZ Human Rights is shockingly “not legally bound to recognise legally any ‘human rights’ of any person who applies for anything”, we found out last week from an immigration Lawyer!!!!!!!.
My Son as a born NZ citizen was refused hisn human right to put in an application with the NZ Immigration department a few weeks ago.
My Son advised me that two days ago asked for a review to have his application to allow his Germen Fiancee come from Germany for a short work visa while they await a permanent resident and get married but was told Immigration ‘does not recognise or is controlled by any ‘human rights provisions’
My son then approached a legal consultant, ; – quote “An Immigration lawyer stated the NZ Human Rights do not apply to NZ Immigration”.
So they confirmed they cannot intervene or consider even my son’s case to have his fiancee come in with a ‘temporary work visa’.
Labour has a screwed up case with the drug dealer, Sroubek case but to refuse entry for a short term work visa for a member of a german born woman is also very suspect when he is still here after years?
You cannot quote drug dealer, Sroubek should be given “human rights” when my son’s fiancee a legally bonafide citizen of Germany is not given “Human rights” to come here to get married and get a short term work visa!!!!! – where is the logic in that?
If the German isn’t allowed here under the current rules – then they are doing their job. Sounds like she doesn’t meet the requirements for a short term work visa.
Just because you son likes her it’s not his human right to have here here.
That’s just a bullshit cry from someone who doesn’t want to follow the law.
Cleangreen, maybe if she is a drug smuggler ‘at risk of her life’ and been in prison for years and happy to give real or false information to somebody, she might have more ‘human rights’ in NZ.
The take home for migrants is that criminal activity is ok here and helps you, fake all the info on your immigration application because once here it does not matter if you lied, while having any sort of honesty or ethics of getting into NZ will generally stop you coming here.
+1
And they’re not the ONLY reasons for that ‘take home’.
And @btw Cleangreen, how long did it take to process that little gem, and how much did it cost in fees? And do we know how long it took them to consider the file?
As @ James puts it …. “sounds like” the rules, and many of the processes might be a bit silly and overdue for review.
“The take home for migrants is that criminal activity is ok here and helps you, fake all the info on your immigration application because once here it does not matter if you lied, while having any sort of honesty or ethics of getting into NZ will generally stop you coming here.”
Agree with you also @ Marty – the key being the bit about “once here”. And of course SaveNZ is making comparisons using a completely different set of circumstances.
There are countless examples of dishonest and unethical behaviour among migrants ( usually aided and abetted by citizens, new citizens or PRs, and not just by people on the non-racist spreadsheet).
@Marty Mars, looking at the headlines it certainly looks like NZ seems to be attracting criminal and scam migrants with our immigration policies, but of course we can just bury out heads in the sand, and wonder why educated people can’t migrate or stay in NZ but scams and illegal activity involving migrants is spiralling out of control..
We even have a Natz MP who lied on his immigration and guess what, still here and no inquiry!
Peter Thiel apparently promised the world on his application, but apart from buying a house here and making a killing on Xero on a taxpayer funded mates for cash deal. not everything that was promised in his application has come to pass but he still gets to keep citizenship here.
Then there is the blossoming fake work, education and marriage scams…
This is just a search of a few minutes, weird how people think that this sort of behaviour is normal if apparently we are attracting people of ‘good character’ here – sounds like the opposite to me and not only that making money for people who live here who are also not of good character and happy to exploit for a $$$$.
Can find the links of hand but apparently immigration know that much of the financial data used to support visa applications is just fake loans but again nothing is done when people who have zero income are coming to NZ on educational and work visas but can’t support themselves.
Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias,[Note 1] is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.[1] It is a type of cognitive bias and a systematic error of inductive reasoning. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way. The effect is stronger for emotionally charged issues and for deeply entrenched beliefs. Confirmation bias is a variation of the more general tendency of apophenia.
People also tend to interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing position. Biased search, interpretation and memory have been invoked to explain attitude polarization (when a disagreement becomes more extreme even though the different parties are exposed to the same evidence), belief perseverance (when beliefs persist after the evidence for them is shown to be false), the irrational primacy effect (a greater reliance on information encountered early in a series) and illusory correlation (when people falsely perceive an association between two events or situations).
They have done the crime, so pretending it doesn’t exist is not helping. Not only that, practically every article claims (from migrants themselves) it is the tip of the iceberg. The migrants seem to be begging the government to intervene but I think the ones who are doing the scams seem to have the voice of government because apparently they are known donors to politicians and are saying we need the cheap labour and consumerism.
Apparently if you ‘meet’ an abusive Kiwi or kiwi residency holder you can then use that abuse to get your own visa here… since apparently 1 in 4 people in NZ apparently suffer from some sort of violent abuse in NZ, the world is the oyster to capitalise on this and let the domestic abusers make a bit of money on the side!
“I wonder if cleangreen would have made comment if she was a citizen of a “less white” country.”
Now we know you REALLY ARE getting desperate, because it just so happens that criteria coincides with what was dreamed up in that non-racist demographic profiling spreadsheet.
………. sounds like
………. I wonder
………. perhaps
………. maybe
………. possibly she could try maybe the UK, or the US, or Australia first and get a passport, then reapply. Or maybe she could get together $million and come in as an entrepreneur making all sorts of promises ………. maybe …….perhaps
My son sam was on the National TV network Newhub two weeks ago and was straight up about his issue about his job, and his fiancee and his shock that his fiancee and i will not lower our level of self respect responding to your crassness you are simply a troll.
Son got hundreds of positive support for his case on his social blog site you are to be ignored.
I think it is the bonafide part that cleangreen is underlining, and of course
Germany is a nation that we have no quarrels with. Why wouldn’t this woman have the right to come here on a short-term visa? Immigration needs to be transparent. I’m thinking that these so-called government agencies march to their own drum; while governments come and go, the pollies need to be able to get some traction.
I still don’t get it. Would it be different if she was a bona fide Indian citizen? How many applicants for visas would be not be of the nationality they claim to be?
Thanks greyshark, I have met Jasmine my about to be daughter in law and she has a high list of university qualifications and would be a benefit to NZ and is currently employed in a German government agency and simply wants to come here to reside as she plans to get married to my son who is working overtime as a master electrician wiring NZ housing properties and his company went to the national MP for TukiKi (HB) asking him to help keep him here as he was born in Napier in 1986.
The german woman (Jasmine) needs to be ‘productive’ as she has principals! – as she would not want to ‘live on the dole here or anywhere’ , so he now will now be forced to leave NZ for Germany on 8th december to live with jasmine until she is allowed a residency and immigration have told my son that they cannot say for certain then when she would be allowed in then.
So we loose a highly sought skilled electrician and what are we going to get to replace him?
cleangreen
My head goes round too! Just ridiculous. As I say there has to be transparency in immigration, and I think some culling of staff. I wonder how the administration-civil servant system can be better organised? In the USA each administration employs their own new people I think. That seems unwise, and we had the tradition of apolitical, experienced public servants serving the public,
and working for and with each political party as their term came.
But immigration has been doing dodgy things over the decades. Everyone who wants to come can’t, but some who seem to offer much get sent away or have a hard time getting in. Perhaps the woman is over-educated for us, we are settling into being a nation of serfs run by an elite from overseas.
How much money can she raise and bank here? Apparently it doesn’t have to stay here for long? It’s the look of things that count here, not the substance.
From what i can understand the issues is not whether or not she can come here but rather if she can work from the very first day and before she is married to cleangreen’s son. Somehow cleangreen seems to think this violates the woman’s human rights.
Personally I’m all for people born in Germany coming to NZ if they have the skills and good character, no matter what ethnicity and actually not all germans are ‘white’ for those woke lefties/far righties. People from Germany would be good to attract because they have a decent education system, free health care and free university over there and reciprocal super as well (I think). It is also a liberal and democratic country that has one of the strongest economies in the world in particular for manufacturing while also having decent labour laws.
It is also a democratic country where it’s citizens have certain expectations of it’s government. Someone was telling me that even if you are in the trades as a carpet layer then you must guarantee your workmanship for 10 years. Industry train tradies over there and if you do a bad job and don’t fix it, they send you to jail as the expectation is quality over there for construction.
Tenants are expected to return their properties back to the original state and jobs over there are permanent in most cases. German workers are not going to be made redundant at the drop of a hat so therefore can put down roots and that is their expectation (rather than gig economy). .
They are also often very green conscious and have good civic codes.
I’m sure like all countries there are plenty of criminals over there, but you have a better chance there of someone benefiting NZ and not turning to crime from there, than where it is going now in NZ aka down the toilet with fake workers, fake educational degrees, very low level of skills like fruit picking and petrol attending and fast food work and relationships based on benefits. As well as Drug smugglers and child molesters getting residency approval from MP’s.
“Originally from northern China, Vivian — not her real name — meets her sugar daddies on various websites including English-language sites like The SugarBook and SeekingArrangement, as well as Hong Kong-based sites.
“Overall, I think I have entered into relationship arrangements about eight times … it is like being in an open relationship,” Vivian says.
The youngest of her three sugar daddies is a 40-year-old businessman from Hong Kong. The oldest is a retired 66-year-old grandfather from Malaysia. The third man is from Taiwan.
She says they are aware of each other’s existence and all have families back home but she’s not sure if they are all still married — they ask her more questions than she asks them.”
“When I first came to New Zealand, I was envious of all the branded goods that my other international student friends had,” she says.
“I tried looking for part-time work and even worked in a massage parlour, but I was earning nowhere near the money I needed to buy all the things that my friends had.”
The sugar daddies she met have also lavished her with gifts, including a Xiaomi Mi 8 mobile phone and a MacBook Pro.
Vivian is one of many young women in New Zealand shunning traditional student jobs and the minimum wage to pair up with men who can buy them what they need.
“Lifestyle choices and payment of university fees in an era of heightened competition in tandem with diminishing financial scholarships often catapult students into the outstretched arms of sugared relationship,” says Edwina Pio, Auckland University of Technology professor of diversity.”
“She lives alone in a posh two-bedroom apartment on Lorne St in central Auckland. She has no idea how much her rent is because its paid for before she gets bill.
While many of her mates at university work part time on minimum wage, Vivian gets thousands of dollars transferred into her bank account every month which help her pay her school fees.”
Keep building those apartments Kiwibuild with taxpayer land, sounds like you are going to need them! sarcasm.
My kiwi husband and i lived and got married in Germany to avoid that precise scenario. It helped that he liked Germany enough to live there, and as my husband he was immediatly ‘tolerated’ i.e. had a permit to stay and work in the country, and he was put on my medical insurance. So essentially he was covered for all eventualities.
The same happened when we moved to Holland once i got a job there. No issues.
I would suggest to maybe trying it the other way around.
NZ has an issue with so called ‘white weddings’ marriages of convenience, and is quite happy to not allow fiances or girlfriends/boyfriends in on visas. Happened to my brother in law a few years ago. They overcame the issue exactly the same way. He moved to her country and they got married there, lived there for a few years and then he moved with her back to NZ.
It is fairly easy to get married in Germany, i might add.
* What is ‘NZ’
* What is ‘Immigration NZ’
* What are ‘Human Rights’
* Who are ‘NZ’ and Immigration NZ’ et al bound by and controlled by ?
* What are ‘NZ’ and Immigration NZ’
I am relaying what he told me his “Immigration consultant” told him when he enquired.
My Son originally went to Germany in 2005 as a qualified Chef and took an apprenticeship to become an Electrician as they German Government has a good apprenticeship system so he took it on and after 7yrs after being a chief he came home 10 yrs later in 2015 and had to spend 18 months completing his NZ qualifications to become a master electrician so at a cost of $5000 to become kiwi legal and as a german speaking kiwi he was well placed to return anywhere in the world.
Sadly we are now all the poorer for loosing this skill and young talent due to shortsighted NZ Immigration officials sadly.
My question now is;
” what is the NZ taxpayer forced to pay to upskill another overseas person to cover another “master electrician” as my Son has become?
As for his fiancee Jasmine, she is english speaking reasonably fluent and with a very pleasant manner and holds a German University qualification in business management. She currently works in a German Government employment agency. She is 31 yrs old and to old for a student work permit by one year.
Sams press statement was how come the Czech drug criminal is allowed to remain and was working but Jasmine was not allowed even to apply for a short term work permit?
Sam was told by four different NZ Immigration folks; Quote’ “do not waste your time as we will not read the application” unquote.
The representative wasn’t exactly accurate – the Human Rights Act applies, but section 392 of the Immigration Act prevents complaints from being made and prevents the Human Rights Commission from bringing proceedings.
(NZ)BORA is usually the acronym for the NZ Bill of Rights Act, which is a different law, and does apply to immigration cases, but that’s not so applicable here.
i never used an immigration lawyer/service, just went there with my hubby and filled the paperwork out.
We still had to provide proof of partnership, so I brought rental contracts, electricity bills, photos, post cards from him to me and versa, and all sorts of other things. I had a letter of support from my In laws etc. Did get a 6 month work visa initially, which would leave one with enough time to file for a residence permit.
Something seems amiss in your story and the idea that ‘they don’t read’ the application is just wrong. That comment alone would have me send an official letter of complaint to my MP. They may not approve the application, but they sure have to read it.
‘That nest egg, likely worth millions more, comes from a uniquely generous super scheme that sees judges, including Elias, able to contribute up to five per cent of their salaries to a superannuation fund that is then topped up by $7.50 for each dollar they contribute.’
Just shows how coruptable these people are if it takes such huge amounts to keep them on the straight and narrow. It’s not as if they are rewarded for competence after reading the story of the young fellow convicted of rape in yesterday’s Herald.
Wrong. It is for a number of reasons
1) Paying more to ensure Judges cannot get backhanders like in other corruptible societies such as the USA
2) Judges have to retire at 70, and usually have at least 20 years or more in them
3) very rare for a former judge to go back to practice (lawyers have no mandatory retirement age) and as most people would live in the lifestyle of their present income, not unusual to expect a former judge to want to continue that lifestyle
4) knowledge that they won’t have to rub two pieces of cloth together after their mandatory expulsion from the bench means that judges don’t have to look for dubious means to fund their post bench lifestyle
If this is the price to pay to have a funtional and near incorruptible bench, then I’m for it
Agreed not a bad wicked – until you consider the alternatives.
Why would someone want to be a glorified public servant when they would be earning a helluva lot more as a partner in a major law firm?
What exactly would attract someone qualified, experienced, and renowned enough to go for judgeship? And what would then attract them to stay?
And how much remuneration would ensure that absolutely none of them would have their judgement swayed by fat inducements?
Something like the kind of remuneration and reward measures you outline ensures that New Zealand remains in the top 1, 2, or 3 least corrupt countries on earth.
Well to me its a bit like why a lot of people become ministers, the power. How many of Nationals MPs could be earning a lot more outside of parliament, quite a few I’d imagine but theres no where else you’ll have even close to the same amount of power, the ability to change things, to make things happen.
Next reason would that I’d guess it’d be pretty easy to get seduced by the whole deference thing, yeah you can make more as a lawyer but as a judge you pass judgement so you get everyone being nice to you, everyone wants your opinion etc etc
The power of judges is necessary in a civil society. You’re not making an useful point.
There’s no “seduction” there, but top work on the ignorant slur. In reality it’s a shit job in which very tight constraints give you few options, dealing every day with the very very worst in society.
The pay and conditions are just as necessary.
Welcome to law and order.
Why is it the leader of the opposition seems in capable of functioning with out a side-kick or bag man? The visage reported on by Trevett in yesterday’s Herlad of Bennett, Bridges and Mitchell sniggering away in a darkened room raises questions to how long the rest of the National Party MPs will put up with these secret trysts and seedy plans. Mitchell looks to have stepped in the role of the out of favour Ross as the got to person for dirty deals done cheap.
Caesar couldn’t have been stabbed in the rotunda if he had had a reliable bag-man at his back. Bridges might feel the need of one, but better keep him in front.
They later found some popcorn behind a curtain and they tried to follow the trail that led to the toilets but all they could find there was a loaded Glock and a cell phone. They have taken the Glock to forensics, after asking JC whether it was hers, and the phone is with Lost Property.
Well Mitchell should know judging from how he got into parliament into the first place via Slater aka dirty politics against their own Natz candidates.
Whose bodies? Come on really? Bridges was a big mistake whether temporary or otherwise why not cut straight to who ever the “real leader” should be, the mistake prior to that was letting Bridges ego run rampant and getting rid of English. Even Bridges might have stood a better chance had he not been so rash.
There are questions still be asked and the major effort of the National Party to divert attention makes it seem to me they are large questions.
Like: Why was the other MP in the tryst not taken to task re behaviour of a “married person”, what happened to the compaints of “bullying/harassment” to staff, and what really happened re the donations? Is the person being recruited for one of the MPs an aide or a minder? What sort of MP is derided by their leader just sucks it up and lets them take away her phone while they put damage control in place?
Well I have now and obviously to varying degrees there are complications, it is not about naming names as such – though most people have worked it out in regard to the MP, the other face-less allegations do exist and that is according to opposition leadership. Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be double standards at play from the National Party as to which incidents they want to address and which they simply hope will go away. I find them as a political party who want to be re-elected as a government less than genuine in NZ and NZers being their sole focus and priority especially that all the attention they have attracted for the pastseems to be about their re-election and very little else.
It was a silly throw away comment based on the idea that Judith Collins is/will the strong leader National and NZ needs and will lay waste to /labour/Greens/NZfirst and by laying waste I mean the vote and by that I mean National will win under Judith Collins who should have been made leader of National in the first place
Hi Pucky; you’re back, I see. Might I suggest, as a long time co-respondent of yours, that you wind it back a little? Your “body bag” comment is deeply unpleasant and if you plan to keep presenting your heroine as a killer, I imagine others here will express a view like this also.
You’re gleeful at the prospect of Judith Collins “killing off ” the careers of her political opponents? Why would the thought of destroying someone’s career thrill you?
Rapunzel (8) … Bridges, Bennett and the mercenary Mitchell sniggering away in a darkened room … conjures up hideous images of a ménage à trois at play.
Should Kiwibuild not achieve the demand to satisfy the supply (and we have 99,972 left to hit the 100,000 target) – perhaps a failure may help to temporary contribute to a drop in house prices. Then perhaps our govt will then realise its not about helping some fortunates into house ownership, BUT to house the many.
Build state houses, and halt the sale of state assets, i.e. the land.
Our NGO letter sent today after yet another persons dies under a logging truck so we are supporting upgrading rail for freight to rid trucks from our single lane roads because they are a danger now far worse than ever before due to the number using our roads now.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project.
TO;
Hon Phil Twyford – Minister of Transport.
Hon’ Jacinda Ardern PM.
Hon Winston Peters. Deputy PM.
Hon’ Shane Jones. Minister of Regional Development.
Hon’ Grant Robertson. Minister of Finance.
Hon’ Stuart Nash. MP For Napier Wairoa/ Matawai regions.
Hon’ Megan Woods. Minister of Energy.
URGENT PRESS RELEASE; – ACTION NEEDED HERE BY – Transport Minister Twyford.
11th November 2018.
Dear Ministers, Local civic authorities & rail stakeholders,
Sadly yet again we are reminded of what Julius Vogel planned for us all when he commissioned a NZ Government Surveyors map of routes where to complete the Napier railway from Wellington to carry on around the east Coast to Opotiki and Tauranga to Auckland in 1880.
We have a Government copy of that 1880 surveyors map from the NZ Government surveyors office, and can be obtained from us by request by email to me ; —————– (omitted.)
It is now time that we continue this long overdue plan for all our common interests of our common wealth, health, safety, security and wellbeing while lowering climate change emissions and saving of our environment.
Review this report (below) in the Gisborne Herald to make you aware that road freight is not the answer here; – nor should it be used exclusively in our future.
gisborneherald.co.nz
Woman dies in crash with logging truck on State Highway 35 near Tatapouri
by Murray RobertsonPublished: November 10, 2018 11:55AM
State Highway 35 closed
HIGHWAY CLOSED: SH35 was closed this morning after a fatal crash on the Tatapouri side of Makorori Hill that involved a loaded log truck and car. Police closed the highway here near the Makorori settlement turn-off and further north at Turihaua.
A WOMAN died this morning when the car she was driving came into collision with a loaded logging truck on the Tatapouri side of Makorori Hill.
Emergency services were called to the crash scene at 8.28am.
The crash happened on the bend in the highway near the Tatapouri boat ramp.
The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.
No other details on the crash were available this morning.
Fire and Emergency NZ sent three appliances and St John Ambulance responded, along with police.
A St John ambulance spokesman said the driver of the truck was not injured.
Police closed the coast highway at the crash location
Police immediately started a serious crash investigation and closed the coast highway at that location.
The car the woman was in, and the truck, remained at the crash scene for some time as part of that inquiry.
At the time The Herald went to print, police were unable to give an indication of how much longer that closure would stay in place.
“The road is closed and motorists are asked to please avoid the area,” police said.
Considerable traffic build-up occurred on both sides of the crash site.
The closure is from Sirrah Street at Okitu north to Turihaua
The highway closure was put in place at Sirrah Street at Okitu and at Turihaua to the north.
It is the third fatal crash involving a truck on that section of the East Coast Highway this year.
A 19-year-old man died in a crash that involved a loaded log truck and a car on SH35 on Makorori headland in mid-June.
A 34-year-old man died when his stationwagon collided with a loaded log truck on the Makorori side of Makorori headland in late September.
Police have not yet released further details on this morning’s trage
End,
I now ask “How much is enough road killing before we consider rail again as we had before”?
Why are trolls not at least spelled for periods instead of being allowed to dominate the discourse daily? Perhaps they could be circulated so there could be some variety. Or do the mods think that the commenters need stimulating –
Itchy and Scratchy?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOrn6Q_zBfg
Well said. I agree with the article – thanks Kylie Klein Nixon
Most of all, I want to tell them that suicide is never inevitable. Never. Not at the movies, not when you’re at your lowest point, not when you think you can’t go on. Not even when you’re looking over the railings at the river.
“There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
Not climate change then.
With a US President who thinks like this, we aren’t going to deal with this crisis.
The tunnelers are excavating a series of underground dugouts, which will be occupied by the headquarters of our infantry. It is a wretched job, as they are working 25 feet below the surface level and most of the time knee deep in mud.
From the roof trickles water and mud, which they jocularly term “Hero Juice” on account of it percolating through tiers and tiers of buried corpses.
Donald Trump‘s visit to a First World War cemetery was called off by the White House because of poor weather.
The US leader was set to visit the Aisne-Marne American cemetery in the French village of Belleau – the site of a 1918 battle in which the Americans and French repelled German forces. More than 1,800 Americans died there
No, in two posts you’ve said zip about the near decade long Green Peace campaign; choosing instead to witter on about how those beastly people banned an ad.
Ok, you can’t read.
I know you troll all my posts because I challenge your point of view on the glorious Ukrainian revolution, but this is getting ridiculous.
You said the fucking ad was banned because you know, truth. But it wasn’t banned because of it’s truth, but because the imagery was part of a near decade long political campaign.
The Standard’s standards slip considerably every time editors choose to engage in the obvious leftie-baiting; rather than do their jobs and remove these ‘non-contributors to discussion.’
Makes it a very unattractive place to visit, a labor rather than pleasure to read. I’ve learned nothing here today except how easily y’all are trolled. Me too, just not today…
Exackerly, Joe90. ILG was given just enough info to make him lean toward mercy, not enough to say taihoa. Woodhouse, of course, was both Immigration Minister and Police Minister. I don’t know what he knew, or when he knew it, but I think we should be told.
After booking a cheap taxi for a trip to the airport that did not turn up,I thought I would try a well known ‘brand’ in what is supposedly a very competitive industry.
Rang 4 companies that put me on muzack for minutes before getting to talk to an operator.
Asked what I thought were basic questions..like what would happen if the taxi did not turn up and I missed my international flight..stumped the panel..
one company said they had a team that ‘looked’ into these situations..how comforting.
Looks like a good business opportunity..=customer service.
Fifty years of oppression and the clown wants them to be nice.
#Trump asked Leaders of Estonia & Latvia & Lithuania to show “More Conciliatory tone Toward #Russia” (their main threat).Per Le Monde article below : https://t.co/yeculZ2UsF— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) November 10, 2018
“The White House announced that Trump and first lady Melania Trump had scuttled plans, due to bad weather, for their first stop in a series of weekend remembrance activities – a visit to the solemn Aisne Marne American Cemetery, marking the ferocious Battle of Belleau Wood.”
I’ve 2000+ hrs flying military assault helicopters. Icing is what stops helicopters flying. I’m in Paris. It’s 12DegC, that means the icing altitude is ~6000ft (lapse rate 2C per/1000ft). The CDG METAR says Cloud Base scattered 1300ft, broken 2600ft. It was totally doable. https://t.co/GP1N7Y6sWF— Mikey Kay (@MikeyKayNYC) November 10, 2018
There has been a lot of things about Trump that share a vibe with key.
Stare at the camera and lie.
Grossly misrepresent what occurs at a meeting (pike river families).
Speaking nonsense sentences.
Failing to honour military deaths.
Knowing what ‘most Americans/New Zealanders’ want…
Also in commonn both their political opponents can’t land a bit on them regardless of the evidence.
These women are haranguing the only black person here, standing on a bench holding a Gillum shirt.“Because he’s black” pic.twitter.com/xgJ1qruoip— Djinn (@ARAEveryDay) November 9, 2018
Kia ora The Am Show the War never stopped they have been battling proxy WAR’S in other country’s and made a big MESS around the world.
Peter Beck Ka pai for you and your team’s launch of the cargo into space the next generation is looking outside the squarebox the old generation try to keep us IN .
Its sad that Jonno & Ben are leaving our screen’s good luck on finding a new job boys.
What did trump say about the fire in California he blamed the people when anyone can see that was Papatuanuku mother nature event.
The Rainbow community can see through to the true color’s of the police and the %00.1 can see / know what they are up to .They are always in the know. I know most of the police have a phobia of the Rainbow community .
This is how they treat a people instead of being Courteous It look’s like they started harassing this person with the Eagle helicopter instead of showing couresty link below.https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/105072577/local-board-member-cops-criticism-over-eagle-helicopter-complaint
The neo liberals who have captured the teacher’s union wairua and is using it as a tool to use as a weapon against the new Coalition government.
The neo liberals are big greedy cheats look at the way they have behaved here and over sea’s ask simon what he get up to after hours.
The student’s that were given money some of them had to do thing’s people should not have to do to pay there rent there will also be more of them entering the teacher’s profession in time.
Good on that Australian person who helped the cop’s catch that idiot who was ripped. Ka kite anp .
I enjoy growing vegetables gardening I use to garden with my Great Grand Mother I would water the gardens flowers and vegetables.
I remember her telling me one day mokopuna when you plant a garden you give it care and love and water make sure the the vegtables and flower’s are well grown and before you pick them make sure they are big and strong. if you start picking the silver beat to early it will stunt and could die.
But if you have patience and wait till the silver beat you plant is big strong and healthy before you pick some leave’s just a few at a time than the silver beat will not stunt and die and you will get a good long harvest from your silver beat.
They way I see it the Union’s & the Socialists left people have help plant’ vote the new Coalition Government in to Parliament we need to love and care our new GARDEN water it and when it’s big and strong then pick a few leaves of changes that we want at a time and OUR new Government will grow STRONG and will be able to keep making changes in our society that will be good for all people here and NOW and for our descendant’s .
Eco Maori say what the teacher’s Union is doing at the minute is illogical and what make’s the equation complete is that national is playing the teachers against our new government . Ka kite ano P.S the cops are the biggest bully’s that’s a fact.
You see once the world find’s out how good and safe Kiwi food is the will all want some
ka kite ano link below.
Lots of New Zealand milk and lamb has changed hands on Chinese internet giant Alibaba during that country’s biggest shopping day.
China’s answer to the online Cyber Monday and America’s post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” generated US$30.8 billion (NZ$45.76b) this year for Alibaba during its Singles Day shopping promotion
Labor is ahead of the Coalition on the two-party-preferred measure 55% to 45% in the Newspoll, meaning Bill Shorten and Labor would easily win any election held today. Labor’s primary vote is 40% compared with the Coalition on 35%. Ka kite ano
The coal alition carbon pro party star is turning the same colour as coal ana to kai.
P.S I want OUR descendants to have a future in paradise not in——- like what will happen if we carry on burning carbon.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned of the dangers of rising nationalism as he addressed Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at a ceremony in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the first world war armistice.
As more than 60 heads of state and dignitaries gathered in the rain near Paris’s tomb of the unknown soldier to mark a century since guns fell silent on the western front, Macron delivered a pointedly political speech, warning that “old demons” were resurfacing and threatened the fragile peace. Ka pai Emmanuel the people who start WAR’s don’t fight them us common poor people fight them
Kia ora Tekaea I made a good point on the teachers strikes this morning I won’t say anymore on this subject as my negtive side will rise up.
Its cool that Ngai Tahu is working with Oranga tamariki to fix there tamariki that are in state care its a crying shame that any tamariki end up there .
The Pacific Aotearoa meeting in Auckland to talk about our future in Aotearoa let make it a happy healthy one .
Bridging the gap is a awesome initiative to get equality for Australian Tangata Whenua they still have a long journey to get some compensation for loss of land an mana kia kaha. Ka kite ano P.S the Kiwis had a good win they are a new team in time they will dominate
Kia ora James and Storm The Crowd Goes Wild.
Its going to be be a good game of Rugby next week number 1 and 2.
Good luck to Danny I say no more.
The Fox is doing fine same to him.
Rain in the desert is unlucky for the Black Caps.
45 Mulls must have drunk a keg at the basketball game and he’s shuffling to so cool Mulls he’s not going to be happy James.
Hartley is get a underarm from his team M8 he got some fast lap time Ka kite ano computer is playing up if this one crashes that will be 2 two the sandflys I will post them a video on the other computer soon
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A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
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 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
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A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
Really enjoyable game of rugby.
Well done the mighty All Blacks.
The V.A.R. is destroying football. England should have won it.
On the other hand a whole bunch of South Aficans are probably starting to believe in karma
Good point, my friend!
They were so offside at times, they were literally standing in the ABs backline. Karma.
And the All Blacks don’t do that, do they?
How did they “win” the RWC final in 2011 again?
Why – just because?
He was offside (just).
No try. All Blacks for the win.
Mind you, the AB’s have had their fair share of calls go against them. The 1976 test series against SA stands out as an example.
Swawk!
Heather du Plessis-Allan Nails it this morning:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12157560
Couple of great comments in there.
“Lees-Galloway sounds like an intern trying to explain why he got the stationery order wrong.
That, after blaming officials for the blunder, is close to pathetic. He can stop throwing his officials under the bus. It’s undignified.”
‘The Immigration Minister previously told us he agonised over the decision. He told us it was “right up there… probably one of the most difficult decisions” he’s had to make.
Now he’s admitted he didn’t even read the full file. And the decision took him less than an hour.’
Even the most one-eyed Labour supporter would have to admit, at the very least, its not a good look
He’s looking good for being the third minister being fired.
The tea leaves are certainly being read
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12157388
Why didn’t Bridges stand down over his horrible remarks? Oh that’s right
“He’s moving on” We wish. These attacks against ILG are just deflections.
Why should he stand down? Do you know how busy he is? How many files he has to review? How much other work he has?
Honest this is such a big beat up. And out there in voter land it is not resonating. It is giving you righties something to jump up and down but we all know you are trying to divert attention.
For me I would like to know why National partitioned the $100k donation from the guy who then received a Government honour. And who is going to be charged.
The good thing is that this is the best they’ve got – its a joke and shows how far they are freefalling in their polls.
The head dude of immigration says they have about 80 cases with criminal activity a year.
Speaking of getting fired, Simon is running out of Fridays to announce his ‘retirement’ that will get swept away by an All Blacks win.
It would have to be this Friday, I reckon.
Not a good look is okay. The “oh it’s so shocking” rightwing lines are just so overblown – all sounding like simple simon now but desperation does that lol.
Good point marty, sounds just like simon…..repetitively boring.
We shall see, he’s already made Jacinda and Winston look silly so he better hope theres nothing more to come
No he hasn’t really but whatever floats your boat – with the gnats dropping like a stone it makes sense that you righties will scratch around for anything – fill ya boots mate lol
Everytime ILG now says something the question will askewd if he read it or if he just read between the lines
Of course Winston is very forgiving of being made to look foolish, hes good like that
Punchline bit weak you might need new material.
Yeah… his poems are better than that.
Both have supported him, Winston in particular. Sorry PR, won’t wash!!
Hooten has it right, “Slow steady decline in the polls is hard to reverse National will be in trouble.”
That from their biggest fan, says it all LOLz.
How many pages in the file?
Puckish Rogue. The answer. (Welcome back btw. I hope your new job won’t require too many files at several hundred pages to be read….)
“Immigration New Zealand (INZ) general manager Stephen Dunstan confirmed on Friday the Sroubek file was “several hundred” pages long, with sentencing judges’ notes appended to it.
The “really good summary” in the case file was was about 12 pages long, he said.
The construction of files going to the minister had been done the same way for 15 years, he said.
The standard practice included reasons why the person was liable, the person’s immigration history, details about any convictions, the client’s personal circumstances and any comments they wanted to make, which were sometimes quite extensive, he said.”
How long to read a file of several hundred pages?
A quick query of google gives this. “For an average reader that reads about 200 words per minute, the reading time of 100 such pages would be about 2 hours at least. Still, this is way too theoretical, as reading is also impacted by other factors such as motivation, concentration, distractions, vocabulary, structure and difficulty of text, etc.”
Over a day, then, to read a file of several hundred pages at 50 pages per hour.
Just how much is ‘reading a file’? Is it every word, fully considered, taking notes and following all footnotes and references to other material? Because anything less is not ‘reading the file”. Anyone who says it is less than this, is then arguing that less would be OK.
It then becomes an argument over what is acceptable in order to make an informed decision.
The dude gets paid about 300k a year to do it and there is nothing stopping him taking a couple of weeks to read the fricken thing properly.
I’m sorry, but it being a few hundred pages so it is too much for him is ridculous
The dude gets paid to read loads of things in order to make loads of decisions that affect the lives of loads of people. To be able to do his job well and efficiently the dude relies on loads of public servants and the likes who often get paid loads of dosh.
You seem to have an amazing insight into how wrong the report was he was given.
Care to point out all the things he wasn’t given?
I don’t believe that Lees-Galloway is this incompetent, he must be hating the character assassination he’s coping.
The dude was instructed to grant permanent residency, who told him to do it is the real story here, who’s he taking it up the chook for?
Will the media put aside their left-wing bias and properly investigate this story?
Probably not.
This is a sad regression. You’ve gone full foil hat there.
Do you believe Lees-Galloway is that incompetent, sloppy and cares so little about what he’s doing?
I don’t.
It never seems to have crossed your mind that Ministers are bound by NZ Law to make certain decisions? They may not even agree or like it, just ask Eugenie Sage.
So what law is Lees-Galloway bound by?
Ah good! You’re starting to use your brain.
Didn’t say a word about the report and only (!) responded to your comment @ 2.1.3.1.1 about the Minister’s job description and workload and his remuneration.
However, feel free to elaborate about the report, what’s in it and what’s not, what ILG read and what he didn’t read but should have. Even better, provide a link to the full report and I’ll take a few weeks off to read it – I’m a slow reader too – all unpaid and at no direct cost to the Taxpayer.
Do we have a deal?
Fair point
We don’t know all of what was or wasn’t in it.
We probably never will as this govt seems to be rather un-transparent when it comes to releasing information and reports.
I think if it was a bet I would go for the multiple experts working for him probably being in the right, and the one bloke who admitted he didn’t actually read the whole report and made the decision within an hour probably being in the wrong
Some people are good at it. ILG may well be one of them. David Lange’s ability to speed read was said to be brilliant.
I was being facetious, Anne. I can read & research a fair amount of info in a given time when not distracted or (too) tired. See also mac1’s comment @ 2.1.3.1.
I guessed that Incognito but thought it was a possibility re- ILG that no-one appears to have examined yet.
True and as usual there’s a lot
making up shitspeculation going on, from both ‘sides’, may I add.Well presumably he probably only read between the lines so it would have been even quicker
(If I get the job then I better not be reading too many files 😉 )
“like an intern trying to explain why he got the stationery order wrong.”
Fair call and did she also wonder aloud at how frothed-up, hysterical even, National and her “dags” (such as yourself, James 🙂 have got themselves over ordering the wrong stationery?
The only thing HDPA has ever nailed is the extraordinary privilege of getting a platform in the Herald. From that position she can inflict her ugly prose style and shabby thinking on the rest of us, if we are foolish enough not to ignore her.
Everything she writes looks like a steaming pile of lazy, disconnected snippets chucked onto the page with the only concern being that the cheque arrives afterwards.
Sqwark!
Kiwibuild to go “kiwibust”?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108471157/kiwibuild-at-threat-of-going-kiwibust-over-plummeting-popularity
Guess that’s why the are allowing people to flip homes and air b&b them.
Good game…
Echo
Echo
Can you guys work out your lines?
Houses are too expensive but the young people are going to sell them for mega dollars.
They are too small yet too big. They are too close to the cities but too far away.
And asking a developer and Judith Collins for comment …
Who are “you guys”. I speak for myself and own views.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
48 year old man from Coatsville who enjoyes BBQ/Rugby and gladiatorial sports, operates as an agitator on ‘left leaning’ blog site…
Claims to have ‘own opinions’…
Not even you believe that….james, is it ?
One two – I love how you try to use info I have shared and try to use it as an attack – you have done so on other post prev.
I’m all good with who I am.
Yeah, probably not:
Again why is Kiwibuild run like a lottery in stead of needs based applicants going to the top of the queue?
People who qualify for permanent residency also can apply, so no doubt people like the drug smuggler if he was a first home buyer and the sex offender to name a few can qualify once they are permanent residents. (Can only take 2 years to gain permanent residency according to NZ immigration site).
Also the 3 year timeframe is obviously an issue, would be better to have the house returned for the same amount they paid plus interest rather than allowing the sale or rent within 3 years.
There is better uses of new housing to help those renting with cheaper rents, who can then can save enough, to buy on the open market and the house stays helping NZer who need it more, not goes off into private hands for subsequent speculation.
Remember this is what was presented by labour for last year selection
https://www.labour.org.nz/kiwibuild
“KiwiBuild homes will only be sold to first home buyers. To avoid buyers reaping windfall gains, a condition of sale will require them to hand back any capital gain if sold on within 5 years.”
– I will refrain from making any commentary on election pledges ….
AND
https://www.labour.org.nz/housing
Tax property speculators who flick houses within five years
Labour will extend the bright line test from the current two years to five years. This will target speculators who buy houses with the aim of making a quick capital gain. Current exemptions from the bright line test will continue.
You do realise that it was Shamubeel Eaqub’s opinion @ 3.3, don’t you?
My comment was directed to the 3 year limit on sale – When Labour in their policy manifesto refers to 5 year stand down. If we cannot trust what Labour went to the polls over. Many here attached (IMO correctly) Nats for not keeping election promises. Now we see Labour being as “honest” in breaking their promises.- ” a condition of sale” so was this condition place on the initial 18 buyers ? If it wasn’t then the election pledge was just a Lie to get us to vote for labour ??
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108157197/first-kiwibuild-families-welcomed-to-new-homes-by-prime-minister
Note the behaviour of Labour is fast merging to be indistinguishable to the last regime 🤬But some are blind to anyone pointing this out to them
Fair comment. Please note that I wasn’t commenting on KiwiBuild per se but on the unbalanced commenting on it here. Partisan debate is an oxymoron.
Squark!
Are you a greyish seagull, by any chance? Your squarks interest me.
I think my comment @ 5.3.2.2. might have something to do with it.
DNFTT
Just Another Mindless Empty Shill
Nice – I’d use shit at the end but shill is pretty good. 🙂
It’s tit for tat fun Ed. Don’t take it so seriously.
Must be difficult for parents with labour not being able to solve the disputes with teachers
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108490625/primary-teachers-confirm-nationwide-strike-after-mediation-fails
Labour seem scared to annoy the unions
For some possibly but don’t underestimate the willing grandparents or similar who are happy to step up. Many of us do it across the year holidays etc and if in this instance, though there wil be those not fortunate to have that happy option, there are one or two others that need someone to superivise for the day I’m sure most will manage.
Last time many businesses allowed their staff to bring the kids in for the day.
Am lucky enough to work from home, makes things easier during times like this.
Guessing will have a few extra’s show up, but that’s nothing new, all the neighbourhood kids tend to show up here after 3pm on a week day anyways.
In a smaller community everyone just helps out and gets on with it.
James, lead us through the logic which takes right wing anti-Labour, anti-union commentators from a position where Labour is in the pocket of the unions and is afraid to annoy them to one where Labour won’t do their bidding and cave into them.
Hey James
I am not the most left wing guy myself, but I think it is a bit lame to come onto a left wing blog and saturate the open mike with anti left posts. You and PR have two thirds of the comments on here. ..
A.
I blame rugby tests starting at 0400hrs
Sorry if you prefer an echo chamber.
Beautiful day out there James, what are you up to ?
I’m taking the kids up the valley to the farm/commune later on, hut building and horse riding on the agenda.
He didn’t get invited to the BBQ – neither did Simon.
Up for the rugby, bbq breakfast with friends.
Probably go out for dinner.
Fake james
It is sad that he keeps bragging about all his friends, yet spends all day trolling on a left wing site.
It’s because I like coming on here and reading your post. I find them (and you) amusing.
Nice, we had a primo day up the farm. Weather was stunning.
Finished it up with homemade pizza’s and a delicious chocolate cake.
We feel sorry for parrots that accidentally stray in our ‘echo chamber’ and can’t find their way out. We usually feed them sound soundbites to sustain them through their ordeal and let them find their way. Some keep flying into the walls despite being well lit and signposted; it is so sad and it breaks our hearts, but shit happens and we don’t want to take away their freedom or personal choice and responsibility. As BM was saying here yesterday “[t]he stong will adapt and survive, the weak will perish.” [sic]
Classic Incognito! Nearly spilled my beer. No BBQ though and what’s rugby?
The polls are appalling so the nats have to get their messaging out. I wonder if James is paid extra to work on Sundays.
Don’t be a knob no one gets paid to comment on here
A.
How can you say that so categorically?
G.
How naive.
Oh, come on, be realistic. No one on the right cares enough about the Standard to spend money undermining it. The right wing commenters here are just misfits who get amusement out of winding you guys up. Really.
A.
You obviously have no idea how these things work, which actually is a plus. TS is free platform that’s read by many so the temptation is strong to (mis)use it. The best scams, the best manipulations are the ones that go unnoticed, like subliminal messages. Those messages are not in the exact words that are written but in the framing, the emotive connections they make.
I..
James your getting like Simon now, barking at every car this morning…..we have yet to see how KiwiBuild will unfold, although I see the reserve bank are saying that in the main KiwiBuild will be additional houses, not just houses that would have been built anyway. Besides, I didn’t think you would mind people turning a profit from housing……….that’s what national allowed
James I think most parents will be thrilled about the 600 extra seniors labour has just announced. Also last survey I read was that the public supported the nurses and teachers striking
Have to say the unions are fucking me of . For 9 years the aged and scraped to the nats and now they are doing their best th o put them back in power.
Yeah they had a boot on their neck and you blame them for not being able to get up.
It’s a mystery what people expect, including the employers complaining the “lack” of “experienced” staff – did it never occur to them to train them thenselves.
The only way to “fix” all this it seems is for someone to step up with a big, fat magic wand.
Isn’t that when you fight the hardest?
All those people that are supposedly in labours territory (the low income workers on shitty contracts) will pay the price for the teacher strikes . Not the wealthy middle and upper classes who have stay at home parents and on tape day care.
Nah pay them and everything is sorted. Sure as hell everyone moans when the kids don’t get educated.
You’re living in cloud cuckoo land if you think unions weren’t fighting their hardest during the gnat years.
The last offer was huge!!
Yeah they’re only teaching our precious children. They should pay us for the priviledge.
Its not even catchup from the last 9 years, and aspects of this do not come into effect until 2020. And if the NZEI don’t standup now it will be another 3 years, until the next opportunity rolls around.
Full time teaching on $59k pa and 10years service is not raking it in
It’s not just the pay – it’s the screwarounds.
The financial insecurity and stress caused by stupidities like Novopay probably caused hundreds to leave the profession.
I try to be sympathetic . But my kids school took Friday as a teachers only day on the first week back this term . It’s not the first time they’ve done that . Taking the piss a bit I reckon
Well. You had best talk to the education department about the compliance and paperwork load on teachers. most of it to give office staff something to do, rather than helping education.
NZ Human Rights is shockingly “not legally bound to recognise legally any ‘human rights’ of any person who applies for anything”, we found out last week from an immigration Lawyer!!!!!!!.
My Son as a born NZ citizen was refused hisn human right to put in an application with the NZ Immigration department a few weeks ago.
My Son advised me that two days ago asked for a review to have his application to allow his Germen Fiancee come from Germany for a short work visa while they await a permanent resident and get married but was told Immigration ‘does not recognise or is controlled by any ‘human rights provisions’
My son then approached a legal consultant, ; – quote “An Immigration lawyer stated the NZ Human Rights do not apply to NZ Immigration”.
So they confirmed they cannot intervene or consider even my son’s case to have his fiancee come in with a ‘temporary work visa’.
Labour has a screwed up case with the drug dealer, Sroubek case but to refuse entry for a short term work visa for a member of a german born woman is also very suspect when he is still here after years?
You cannot quote drug dealer, Sroubek should be given “human rights” when my son’s fiancee a legally bonafide citizen of Germany is not given “Human rights” to come here to get married and get a short term work visa!!!!! – where is the logic in that?
If the German isn’t allowed here under the current rules – then they are doing their job. Sounds like she doesn’t meet the requirements for a short term work visa.
Just because you son likes her it’s not his human right to have here here.
That’s just a bullshit cry from someone who doesn’t want to follow the law.
Someone give Polly a cracker, please!
Cleangreen, maybe if she is a drug smuggler ‘at risk of her life’ and been in prison for years and happy to give real or false information to somebody, she might have more ‘human rights’ in NZ.
The take home for migrants is that criminal activity is ok here and helps you, fake all the info on your immigration application because once here it does not matter if you lied, while having any sort of honesty or ethics of getting into NZ will generally stop you coming here.
+1
And they’re not the ONLY reasons for that ‘take home’.
And @btw Cleangreen, how long did it take to process that little gem, and how much did it cost in fees? And do we know how long it took them to consider the file?
As @ James puts it …. “sounds like” the rules, and many of the processes might be a bit silly and overdue for review.
“The take home for migrants is that criminal activity is ok here and helps you, fake all the info on your immigration application because once here it does not matter if you lied, while having any sort of honesty or ethics of getting into NZ will generally stop you coming here.”
Not true – not even close to true.
What’s truth got to do with it, got to do with it
What’s truth but a second hand opinion
Agree with you also @ Marty – the key being the bit about “once here”. And of course SaveNZ is making comparisons using a completely different set of circumstances.
There are countless examples of dishonest and unethical behaviour among migrants ( usually aided and abetted by citizens, new citizens or PRs, and not just by people on the non-racist spreadsheet).
@Marty Mars, looking at the headlines it certainly looks like NZ seems to be attracting criminal and scam migrants with our immigration policies, but of course we can just bury out heads in the sand, and wonder why educated people can’t migrate or stay in NZ but scams and illegal activity involving migrants is spiralling out of control..
We even have a Natz MP who lied on his immigration and guess what, still here and no inquiry!
Peter Thiel apparently promised the world on his application, but apart from buying a house here and making a killing on Xero on a taxpayer funded mates for cash deal. not everything that was promised in his application has come to pass but he still gets to keep citizenship here.
Then there is the blossoming fake work, education and marriage scams…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11842563
Immigration NZ fields more tip offs about scams than it can manage
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/108136698/Immigration-NZ-fields-more-tip-offs-about-scams-than-it-can-manage
Student visa scam – It’s the tip of the iceberg
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11762347
EX-IMMIGRATION LAWYER CHARGED FOR FRAUD
http://www.theglobalindian.co.nz/richard-james-martin-nz-immigration-lawyer/
Teen sold 1000 times as a sex slave in sickening Auckland case
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/teen-sold-1000-times-as-a-sex-slave-in-sickening-auckland-case/news-story/d5c452bf26dbfa994dfb4c6096b3f5f2
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/365583/punjabi-singer-gets-home-detention-for-drivers-licences-bribes
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12077932
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11905478
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/339909/auckland-cafe-fined-for-migrant-worker-exploitation
This is just a search of a few minutes, weird how people think that this sort of behaviour is normal if apparently we are attracting people of ‘good character’ here – sounds like the opposite to me and not only that making money for people who live here who are also not of good character and happy to exploit for a $$$$.
Can find the links of hand but apparently immigration know that much of the financial data used to support visa applications is just fake loans but again nothing is done when people who have zero income are coming to NZ on educational and work visas but can’t support themselves.
You’re doing this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
They have done the crime, so pretending it doesn’t exist is not helping. Not only that, practically every article claims (from migrants themselves) it is the tip of the iceberg. The migrants seem to be begging the government to intervene but I think the ones who are doing the scams seem to have the voice of government because apparently they are known donors to politicians and are saying we need the cheap labour and consumerism.
@Cleangreen
Cleangreen if you son beats his partner she can come here with special visas..
http://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-28-immigration/family-violence-and-vulnerable-migrants/
Apparently if you ‘meet’ an abusive Kiwi or kiwi residency holder you can then use that abuse to get your own visa here… since apparently 1 in 4 people in NZ apparently suffer from some sort of violent abuse in NZ, the world is the oyster to capitalise on this and let the domestic abusers make a bit of money on the side!
You’re fucken losing it – What a ghastly thing to even think, let alone write. You’ve let yourself down badly.
It sounds stressful cleangreen – I hope it is sorted soon and she can get here and the wedding (YAY) can occur soon.
+1 Well said Marty.
a legally bonafide citizen of Germany
What difference should it make that she is German?
None.
It’s just cleangreens inflated sense of entitlement.
Says expert level rooster.
Lol James do you want another butter crate to stand on.
I wonder if cleangreen would have made comment if she was a citizen of a “less white” country.
Are this girls human rights (to come to NZ when Not fulfilling the immigration requirements) any less than other countries?
“I wonder if cleangreen would have made comment if she was a citizen of a “less white” country.”
Now we know you REALLY ARE getting desperate, because it just so happens that criteria coincides with what was dreamed up in that non-racist demographic profiling spreadsheet.
………. sounds like
………. I wonder
………. perhaps
………. maybe
………. possibly she could try maybe the UK, or the US, or Australia first and get a passport, then reapply. Or maybe she could get together $million and come in as an entrepreneur making all sorts of promises ………. maybe …….perhaps
James you are insulting our family now.
My son sam was on the National TV network Newhub two weeks ago and was straight up about his issue about his job, and his fiancee and his shock that his fiancee and i will not lower our level of self respect responding to your crassness you are simply a troll.
Son got hundreds of positive support for his case on his social blog site you are to be ignored.
I think it is the bonafide part that cleangreen is underlining, and of course
Germany is a nation that we have no quarrels with. Why wouldn’t this woman have the right to come here on a short-term visa? Immigration needs to be transparent. I’m thinking that these so-called government agencies march to their own drum; while governments come and go, the pollies need to be able to get some traction.
Why wouldn’t she be allowed to come here?
Simple – she dosnt meet the criteria
It’s not a human rights issue.
Squark!!
I still don’t get it. Would it be different if she was a bona fide Indian citizen? How many applicants for visas would be not be of the nationality they claim to be?
Thanks greyshark, I have met Jasmine my about to be daughter in law and she has a high list of university qualifications and would be a benefit to NZ and is currently employed in a German government agency and simply wants to come here to reside as she plans to get married to my son who is working overtime as a master electrician wiring NZ housing properties and his company went to the national MP for TukiKi (HB) asking him to help keep him here as he was born in Napier in 1986.
The german woman (Jasmine) needs to be ‘productive’ as she has principals! – as she would not want to ‘live on the dole here or anywhere’ , so he now will now be forced to leave NZ for Germany on 8th december to live with jasmine until she is allowed a residency and immigration have told my son that they cannot say for certain then when she would be allowed in then.
So we loose a highly sought skilled electrician and what are we going to get to replace him?
(Head shakes in bewilderment)!!!!
cleangreen
My head goes round too! Just ridiculous. As I say there has to be transparency in immigration, and I think some culling of staff. I wonder how the administration-civil servant system can be better organised? In the USA each administration employs their own new people I think. That seems unwise, and we had the tradition of apolitical, experienced public servants serving the public,
and working for and with each political party as their term came.
But immigration has been doing dodgy things over the decades. Everyone who wants to come can’t, but some who seem to offer much get sent away or have a hard time getting in. Perhaps the woman is over-educated for us, we are settling into being a nation of serfs run by an elite from overseas.
How much money can she raise and bank here? Apparently it doesn’t have to stay here for long? It’s the look of things that count here, not the substance.
From what i can understand the issues is not whether or not she can come here but rather if she can work from the very first day and before she is married to cleangreen’s son. Somehow cleangreen seems to think this violates the woman’s human rights.
Personally I’m all for people born in Germany coming to NZ if they have the skills and good character, no matter what ethnicity and actually not all germans are ‘white’ for those woke lefties/far righties. People from Germany would be good to attract because they have a decent education system, free health care and free university over there and reciprocal super as well (I think). It is also a liberal and democratic country that has one of the strongest economies in the world in particular for manufacturing while also having decent labour laws.
It is also a democratic country where it’s citizens have certain expectations of it’s government. Someone was telling me that even if you are in the trades as a carpet layer then you must guarantee your workmanship for 10 years. Industry train tradies over there and if you do a bad job and don’t fix it, they send you to jail as the expectation is quality over there for construction.
Tenants are expected to return their properties back to the original state and jobs over there are permanent in most cases. German workers are not going to be made redundant at the drop of a hat so therefore can put down roots and that is their expectation (rather than gig economy). .
They are also often very green conscious and have good civic codes.
I’m sure like all countries there are plenty of criminals over there, but you have a better chance there of someone benefiting NZ and not turning to crime from there, than where it is going now in NZ aka down the toilet with fake workers, fake educational degrees, very low level of skills like fruit picking and petrol attending and fast food work and relationships based on benefits. As well as Drug smugglers and child molesters getting residency approval from MP’s.
Speaking of relationships based on benefits and the benefactors…
Confessions of a sugar baby: The NZ women who accept gifts for dates
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12153389
“Originally from northern China, Vivian — not her real name — meets her sugar daddies on various websites including English-language sites like The SugarBook and SeekingArrangement, as well as Hong Kong-based sites.
“Overall, I think I have entered into relationship arrangements about eight times … it is like being in an open relationship,” Vivian says.
The youngest of her three sugar daddies is a 40-year-old businessman from Hong Kong. The oldest is a retired 66-year-old grandfather from Malaysia. The third man is from Taiwan.
She says they are aware of each other’s existence and all have families back home but she’s not sure if they are all still married — they ask her more questions than she asks them.”
“When I first came to New Zealand, I was envious of all the branded goods that my other international student friends had,” she says.
“I tried looking for part-time work and even worked in a massage parlour, but I was earning nowhere near the money I needed to buy all the things that my friends had.”
The sugar daddies she met have also lavished her with gifts, including a Xiaomi Mi 8 mobile phone and a MacBook Pro.
Vivian is one of many young women in New Zealand shunning traditional student jobs and the minimum wage to pair up with men who can buy them what they need.
“Lifestyle choices and payment of university fees in an era of heightened competition in tandem with diminishing financial scholarships often catapult students into the outstretched arms of sugared relationship,” says Edwina Pio, Auckland University of Technology professor of diversity.”
Lucky she can afford the rents in Auckland…
“She lives alone in a posh two-bedroom apartment on Lorne St in central Auckland. She has no idea how much her rent is because its paid for before she gets bill.
While many of her mates at university work part time on minimum wage, Vivian gets thousands of dollars transferred into her bank account every month which help her pay her school fees.”
Keep building those apartments Kiwibuild with taxpayer land, sounds like you are going to need them! sarcasm.
That is a fairly common thing.
My kiwi husband and i lived and got married in Germany to avoid that precise scenario. It helped that he liked Germany enough to live there, and as my husband he was immediatly ‘tolerated’ i.e. had a permit to stay and work in the country, and he was put on my medical insurance. So essentially he was covered for all eventualities.
The same happened when we moved to Holland once i got a job there. No issues.
I would suggest to maybe trying it the other way around.
NZ has an issue with so called ‘white weddings’ marriages of convenience, and is quite happy to not allow fiances or girlfriends/boyfriends in on visas. Happened to my brother in law a few years ago. They overcame the issue exactly the same way. He moved to her country and they got married there, lived there for a few years and then he moved with her back to NZ.
It is fairly easy to get married in Germany, i might add.
Valuable information, CG…thank you for sharing
Some questions:
* What is ‘NZ’
* What is ‘Immigration NZ’
* What are ‘Human Rights’
* Who are ‘NZ’ and Immigration NZ’ et al bound by and controlled by ?
* What are ‘NZ’ and Immigration NZ’
Go read the relevant immigration acts: all the terms are defined for you in black and white, at the beginning of each act.
Legalese doesn’t come in either black or white, Ad
It will all be legalese to you since you don’t even have the capacity to comprehend the definition sections.
Whereas CleanGreen will get there with the right advice.
No capacity you say, Ad..
Legalese…seems you’re not familiar with the actual meaning of the word…or it’s historical deception…
But then you’ve also described war remembrance ceremonies as ‘beautiful’…
The consultant your son choose is wrong: BORA applies to our immigration acts.
Get a new consultant.
Thanks AD,
I will advise Sam. – that is helpful.
I am relaying what he told me his “Immigration consultant” told him when he enquired.
My Son originally went to Germany in 2005 as a qualified Chef and took an apprenticeship to become an Electrician as they German Government has a good apprenticeship system so he took it on and after 7yrs after being a chief he came home 10 yrs later in 2015 and had to spend 18 months completing his NZ qualifications to become a master electrician so at a cost of $5000 to become kiwi legal and as a german speaking kiwi he was well placed to return anywhere in the world.
Sadly we are now all the poorer for loosing this skill and young talent due to shortsighted NZ Immigration officials sadly.
My question now is;
” what is the NZ taxpayer forced to pay to upskill another overseas person to cover another “master electrician” as my Son has become?
As for his fiancee Jasmine, she is english speaking reasonably fluent and with a very pleasant manner and holds a German University qualification in business management. She currently works in a German Government employment agency. She is 31 yrs old and to old for a student work permit by one year.
Sams press statement was how come the Czech drug criminal is allowed to remain and was working but Jasmine was not allowed even to apply for a short term work permit?
Sam was told by four different NZ Immigration folks; Quote’ “do not waste your time as we will not read the application” unquote.
Hands now shaking.!!!!!!
That really sucks CleanGreen and fair enough for being angry.
Look on the bright side: you now have a holiday base in Europe. Within 4 months not even the British will have that 🙂
The representative wasn’t exactly accurate – the Human Rights Act applies, but section 392 of the Immigration Act prevents complaints from being made and prevents the Human Rights Commission from bringing proceedings.
(NZ)BORA is usually the acronym for the NZ Bill of Rights Act, which is a different law, and does apply to immigration cases, but that’s not so applicable here.
Did your son apply for her visa under the ‘de facto relationship”?
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/tools-and-information/support-family/partnership
i never used an immigration lawyer/service, just went there with my hubby and filled the paperwork out.
We still had to provide proof of partnership, so I brought rental contracts, electricity bills, photos, post cards from him to me and versa, and all sorts of other things. I had a letter of support from my In laws etc. Did get a 6 month work visa initially, which would leave one with enough time to file for a residence permit.
Something seems amiss in your story and the idea that ‘they don’t read’ the application is just wrong. That comment alone would have me send an official letter of complaint to my MP. They may not approve the application, but they sure have to read it.
Something does not make sense at all.
What human right?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12157375
‘That nest egg, likely worth millions more, comes from a uniquely generous super scheme that sees judges, including Elias, able to contribute up to five per cent of their salaries to a superannuation fund that is then topped up by $7.50 for each dollar they contribute.’
Thats not a bad wicket to be on
Just shows how coruptable these people are if it takes such huge amounts to keep them on the straight and narrow. It’s not as if they are rewarded for competence after reading the story of the young fellow convicted of rape in yesterday’s Herald.
Wrong. It is for a number of reasons
1) Paying more to ensure Judges cannot get backhanders like in other corruptible societies such as the USA
2) Judges have to retire at 70, and usually have at least 20 years or more in them
3) very rare for a former judge to go back to practice (lawyers have no mandatory retirement age) and as most people would live in the lifestyle of their present income, not unusual to expect a former judge to want to continue that lifestyle
4) knowledge that they won’t have to rub two pieces of cloth together after their mandatory expulsion from the bench means that judges don’t have to look for dubious means to fund their post bench lifestyle
If this is the price to pay to have a funtional and near incorruptible bench, then I’m for it
Straight and narrow you reckon, Bruce….
3.3m – That’s a ‘significant’ number to ‘report’ on….
Agreed not a bad wicked – until you consider the alternatives.
Why would someone want to be a glorified public servant when they would be earning a helluva lot more as a partner in a major law firm?
What exactly would attract someone qualified, experienced, and renowned enough to go for judgeship? And what would then attract them to stay?
And how much remuneration would ensure that absolutely none of them would have their judgement swayed by fat inducements?
Something like the kind of remuneration and reward measures you outline ensures that New Zealand remains in the top 1, 2, or 3 least corrupt countries on earth.
Well to me its a bit like why a lot of people become ministers, the power. How many of Nationals MPs could be earning a lot more outside of parliament, quite a few I’d imagine but theres no where else you’ll have even close to the same amount of power, the ability to change things, to make things happen.
Next reason would that I’d guess it’d be pretty easy to get seduced by the whole deference thing, yeah you can make more as a lawyer but as a judge you pass judgement so you get everyone being nice to you, everyone wants your opinion etc etc
The perks of power are not inconsiderable
The power of judges is necessary in a civil society. You’re not making an useful point.
There’s no “seduction” there, but top work on the ignorant slur. In reality it’s a shit job in which very tight constraints give you few options, dealing every day with the very very worst in society.
The pay and conditions are just as necessary.
Welcome to law and order.
Why is it the leader of the opposition seems in capable of functioning with out a side-kick or bag man? The visage reported on by Trevett in yesterday’s Herlad of Bennett, Bridges and Mitchell sniggering away in a darkened room raises questions to how long the rest of the National Party MPs will put up with these secret trysts and seedy plans. Mitchell looks to have stepped in the role of the out of favour Ross as the got to person for dirty deals done cheap.
“Bennett, Bridges and Mitchell sniggering away in a darkened room”
Was there a cigar?
The initial image was enough and not one anyone would want to linger long enough to image that.
Caesar couldn’t have been stabbed in the rotunda if he had had a reliable bag-man at his back. Bridges might feel the need of one, but better keep him in front.
I thought Caesar was stabbed in…the back.
They later found some popcorn behind a curtain and they tried to follow the trail that led to the toilets but all they could find there was a loaded Glock and a cell phone. They have taken the Glock to forensics, after asking JC whether it was hers, and the phone is with Lost Property.
Funny. The rotunda line is from Rinse the Blood Off my Toga.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKMBTUkJF3g
Well Mitchell should know judging from how he got into parliament into the first place via Slater aka dirty politics against their own Natz candidates.
“Why is it the leader of the opposition seems in capable of functioning with out a side-kick or bag man? ”
I think you’ll find when the real leader of the opposition steps up there’ll be no need for a side kick or bag man…unless its a body bag man!
Awwww yeah!
Whose bodies? Come on really? Bridges was a big mistake whether temporary or otherwise why not cut straight to who ever the “real leader” should be, the mistake prior to that was letting Bridges ego run rampant and getting rid of English. Even Bridges might have stood a better chance had he not been so rash.
There are questions still be asked and the major effort of the National Party to divert attention makes it seem to me they are large questions.
Like: Why was the other MP in the tryst not taken to task re behaviour of a “married person”, what happened to the compaints of “bullying/harassment” to staff, and what really happened re the donations? Is the person being recruited for one of the MPs an aide or a minder? What sort of MP is derided by their leader just sucks it up and lets them take away her phone while they put damage control in place?
Hi, Rapunzel
Have you read through this post that addresses some of the questions you ask?
https://yournz.org/2018/11/10/the-non-naming-of-the-national-mp-raises-media-issues/
Well I have now and obviously to varying degrees there are complications, it is not about naming names as such – though most people have worked it out in regard to the MP, the other face-less allegations do exist and that is according to opposition leadership. Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be double standards at play from the National Party as to which incidents they want to address and which they simply hope will go away. I find them as a political party who want to be re-elected as a government less than genuine in NZ and NZers being their sole focus and priority especially that all the attention they have attracted for the pastseems to be about their re-election and very little else.
It was a silly throw away comment based on the idea that Judith Collins is/will the strong leader National and NZ needs and will lay waste to /labour/Greens/NZfirst and by laying waste I mean the vote and by that I mean National will win under Judith Collins who should have been made leader of National in the first place
Hi Pucky; you’re back, I see. Might I suggest, as a long time co-respondent of yours, that you wind it back a little? Your “body bag” comment is deeply unpleasant and if you plan to keep presenting your heroine as a killer, I imagine others here will express a view like this also.
Well I was being metaphorical, I don’t endorse the killing of anyones political opponents…their careers on the other hand are a different story
Also this seems somehow appropriate, not sure why
Pucky can’t wait to get back in “boots and all” to kick you clowns around on TS ?
You’re gleeful at the prospect of Judith Collins “killing off ” the careers of her political opponents? Why would the thought of destroying someone’s career thrill you?
By definition anything Jude does is thrilling and if she deems it necessary then its for the good of the country
Sorry, did you mean “country club”?
Country club members are people to
Or the oravida club
By definition anything Jacinda does is thrilling and if she deems it necessary then its for the good of the country.
Fify.
We could agree to disagree but thats not likely to happen anytime soon 🙂
Pucky, I always admire your unwavering devotion to your judith…. But…. I hate to break it to you my friend, she will never ever be PM.
You wash your lying mouth out with soap you lying liar you!
she gonna paint some fake art on it and call it swamp kauri?
Rapunzel (8) … Bridges, Bennett and the mercenary Mitchell sniggering away in a darkened room … conjures up hideous images of a ménage à trois at play.
Should Kiwibuild not achieve the demand to satisfy the supply (and we have 99,972 left to hit the 100,000 target) – perhaps a failure may help to temporary contribute to a drop in house prices. Then perhaps our govt will then realise its not about helping some fortunates into house ownership, BUT to house the many.
Build state houses, and halt the sale of state assets, i.e. the land.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108471157/kiwibuild-at-threat-of-going-kiwibust-over-plummeting-popularity
“A spokesman for Kiwibuild said while 338 people had completed the ballot process, a further 6648 applicants had begun the pre-qualification process.”
Also does anyone know if HNZ has had its requirement to pay a dividend to the govt stopped yet, and instead use the “surplus/profit” to reinvest back into maintaining their stock ?
Yes, the dividend has been stopped.
One good thing then 😉
Are y’all bored quibbling over f*** all? Sorry, I meant immigration. Isn’t that Trumps favorite subject?
Fuck Trump. Bring back The Trompe.
It’s free unlimited energy.
11:20 – 35:00 plus.
Another truck kills a motorist yesterday on our single lane rural windy roads sadly it is getting out of control as a ‘killing field’ road system.
http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3763572-135/woman-dies-in-crash-with-logging
Our NGO letter sent today after yet another persons dies under a logging truck so we are supporting upgrading rail for freight to rid trucks from our single lane roads because they are a danger now far worse than ever before due to the number using our roads now.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project.
TO;
Hon Phil Twyford – Minister of Transport.
Hon’ Jacinda Ardern PM.
Hon Winston Peters. Deputy PM.
Hon’ Shane Jones. Minister of Regional Development.
Hon’ Grant Robertson. Minister of Finance.
Hon’ Stuart Nash. MP For Napier Wairoa/ Matawai regions.
Hon’ Megan Woods. Minister of Energy.
URGENT PRESS RELEASE; – ACTION NEEDED HERE BY – Transport Minister Twyford.
11th November 2018.
Dear Ministers, Local civic authorities & rail stakeholders,
We have written to you all multiple times since becoming our new Government requesting to restore our railway to Gisborne that was damaged after a storm in March 2012; – and caused by a lack of rail funding maintenance in 2011 on after funding was cut by Minister of transport Steven Joyce; – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm
Sadly yet again we are reminded of what Julius Vogel planned for us all when he commissioned a NZ Government Surveyors map of routes where to complete the Napier railway from Wellington to carry on around the east Coast to Opotiki and Tauranga to Auckland in 1880.
We have a Government copy of that 1880 surveyors map from the NZ Government surveyors office, and can be obtained from us by request by email to me ; —————– (omitted.)
It is now time that we continue this long overdue plan for all our common interests of our common wealth, health, safety, security and wellbeing while lowering climate change emissions and saving of our environment.
Review this report (below) in the Gisborne Herald to make you aware that road freight is not the answer here; – nor should it be used exclusively in our future.
Yours truly;———
http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3763572-135/woman-dies-in-crash-with-logging
gisborneherald.co.nz
Woman dies in crash with logging truck on State Highway 35 near Tatapouri
by Murray RobertsonPublished: November 10, 2018 11:55AM
State Highway 35 closed
HIGHWAY CLOSED: SH35 was closed this morning after a fatal crash on the Tatapouri side of Makorori Hill that involved a loaded log truck and car. Police closed the highway here near the Makorori settlement turn-off and further north at Turihaua.
A WOMAN died this morning when the car she was driving came into collision with a loaded logging truck on the Tatapouri side of Makorori Hill.
Emergency services were called to the crash scene at 8.28am.
The crash happened on the bend in the highway near the Tatapouri boat ramp.
The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.
No other details on the crash were available this morning.
Fire and Emergency NZ sent three appliances and St John Ambulance responded, along with police.
A St John ambulance spokesman said the driver of the truck was not injured.
Police closed the coast highway at the crash location
Police immediately started a serious crash investigation and closed the coast highway at that location.
The car the woman was in, and the truck, remained at the crash scene for some time as part of that inquiry.
At the time The Herald went to print, police were unable to give an indication of how much longer that closure would stay in place.
“The road is closed and motorists are asked to please avoid the area,” police said.
Considerable traffic build-up occurred on both sides of the crash site.
The closure is from Sirrah Street at Okitu north to Turihaua
The highway closure was put in place at Sirrah Street at Okitu and at Turihaua to the north.
It is the third fatal crash involving a truck on that section of the East Coast Highway this year.
A 19-year-old man died in a crash that involved a loaded log truck and a car on SH35 on Makorori headland in mid-June.
A 34-year-old man died when his stationwagon collided with a loaded log truck on the Makorori side of Makorori headland in late September.
Police have not yet released further details on this morning’s trage
End,
I now ask “How much is enough road killing before we consider rail again as we had before”?
Who’s that creep standing to the left of Winston Peters?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6374969/Prince-Harry-lays-poppy-wreath-Twickenham-field-ahead-England-v-New-Zealand.html
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-08082015/#comment-1056489
Why are trolls not at least spelled for periods instead of being allowed to dominate the discourse daily? Perhaps they could be circulated so there could be some variety. Or do the mods think that the commenters need stimulating –
Itchy and Scratchy?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOrn6Q_zBfg
Could you name and shame those trolls, Mr Shark?
(Dodging for cover in fear of being named and shamed.)
You usually have something to say Morrissey, which is often illuminating!
And they’re off…
Well said. I agree with the article – thanks Kylie Klein Nixon
https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/108398855/a-star-is-born-im-glad-its-getting-a-censors-warning
Trump tweets on the Californian forest fires.
“There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
Not climate change then.
With a US President who thinks like this, we aren’t going to deal with this crisis.
https://www.vox.com/2018/9/1/17800358/california-mendocino-wildfire-dead-trees
Not that I’m heading into climate change denial…but there is a serious issue with Forest Management as a result of budget cuts.
and yeah, its a vox link, but i’m feeling Sunday slack…
Grand Marshall Bonespur is a POS.
– Frank Hurley Sept. 17, 1917
Donald Trump‘s visit to a First World War cemetery was called off by the White House because of poor weather.
The US leader was set to visit the Aisne-Marne American cemetery in the French village of Belleau – the site of a 1918 battle in which the Americans and French repelled German forces. More than 1,800 Americans died there
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-paris-latest-cancels-memorial-visit-us-military-cemetery-remembrance-world-war-one-a8627571.html
If you missed this yesterday.
This excellent advert.has been banned in the UK.
Please share this far and wide.
ICYMI, it’s a Green Peace animation, and part of a political campaign to end clear felling of rain forest habitats.
But rather than embrace the campaign and promulgate it’s message, you persist with your oh noes, it’s banned!, schtick.
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/what-we-do/forests/rang-tan/.
I did.
I promoted it.
And asked people to share it.
Can you read?
No, in two posts you’ve said zip about the near decade long Green Peace campaign; choosing instead to witter on about how those beastly people banned an ad.
Ok, you can’t read.
I know you troll all my posts because I challenge your point of view on the glorious Ukrainian revolution, but this is getting ridiculous.
You said the fucking ad was banned because you know, truth. But it wasn’t banned because of it’s truth, but because the imagery was part of a near decade long political campaign.
I sense you are quite a violent person.
You need to use reason , not aggression.
Ok everybody this is starting to get a bit heated so I propose we all have a:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Wa20gWee4
Hugs not drugs 🙂
Yes peaceful behaviour is the best .
Towards Yemen, Iran, Russia, Venezuela…..
Lest we forget.
Yes, Joe28 needs to take a step back and stop the immature and odious commentary.
I was hoping this post would have prompted a chat about palm oil.
And ethical consumption.
Palm oil is very good for you. Highly recommend.
Here is some reading on some of its many health benefits:
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/palm-oil.html
Thank you Ed.
I sense that you’re po-faced malcontent who can’t reason his way out of a paper bag.
And your dissembling responses to any dissenting voices marks you as being worthy of contempt.
Knee-Jerk; self-defeating and painful to read, akin to James’ four feeble ‘squawks’ (he’s no canary).
@ James
https://www.organicfacts.net/milk-bath.html
Well worth watching
Jimmy Dore.
Another excellent show.
Oh dear…
https://twitter.com/HuffPost/status/887779088445734912
The end is nigh, for pale, stale and male….
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrlwHy-WkAAVvTb.jpg
Priceless.
Rocket lab launch window opening at 4.50pm today.
“It’s Business Time”
And they’re off..
The Standard’s standards slip considerably every time editors choose to engage in the obvious leftie-baiting; rather than do their jobs and remove these ‘non-contributors to discussion.’
Makes it a very unattractive place to visit, a labor rather than pleasure to read. I’ve learned nothing here today except how easily y’all are trolled. Me too, just not today…
I think we can all do better – Jim Jefferies.
Read these and tell me Lees-Galloway isn’t on the receiving end of a hospital pass from the previous regime.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12047471
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11124329
Ok Lees Galloway isn’t on the eceiving end of a hospital pass from the previous regime.
Exackerly, Joe90. ILG was given just enough info to make him lean toward mercy, not enough to say taihoa. Woodhouse, of course, was both Immigration Minister and Police Minister. I don’t know what he knew, or when he knew it, but I think we should be told.
Taxis in Auckland.
After booking a cheap taxi for a trip to the airport that did not turn up,I thought I would try a well known ‘brand’ in what is supposedly a very competitive industry.
Rang 4 companies that put me on muzack for minutes before getting to talk to an operator.
Asked what I thought were basic questions..like what would happen if the taxi did not turn up and I missed my international flight..stumped the panel..
one company said they had a team that ‘looked’ into these situations..how comforting.
Looks like a good business opportunity..=customer service.
Any posters have any recommendations?
Buses mate.
Uber.
It’s fantastic. Use it all the time.
He’s one deeply stupid fucker.
WTF, the moron has now truly lost his marbles, if there was some before. F**king unbelievable.
Fifty years of oppression and the clown wants them to be nice.
He’s a lowlife.
“The White House announced that Trump and first lady Melania Trump had scuttled plans, due to bad weather, for their first stop in a series of weekend remembrance activities – a visit to the solemn Aisne Marne American Cemetery, marking the ferocious Battle of Belleau Wood.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12158245
The excuses won’t wash.
There has been a lot of things about Trump that share a vibe with key.
Stare at the camera and lie.
Grossly misrepresent what occurs at a meeting (pike river families).
Speaking nonsense sentences.
Failing to honour military deaths.
Knowing what ‘most Americans/New Zealanders’ want…
Also in commonn both their political opponents can’t land a bit on them regardless of the evidence.
Deplorables in action.
(scroll down for their doxxing)
https://twitter.com/ARAEveryDay/status/1061034634190962689
Kia ora The Am Show the War never stopped they have been battling proxy WAR’S in other country’s and made a big MESS around the world.
Peter Beck Ka pai for you and your team’s launch of the cargo into space the next generation is looking outside the squarebox the old generation try to keep us IN .
Its sad that Jonno & Ben are leaving our screen’s good luck on finding a new job boys.
What did trump say about the fire in California he blamed the people when anyone can see that was Papatuanuku mother nature event.
The Rainbow community can see through to the true color’s of the police and the %00.1 can see / know what they are up to .They are always in the know. I know most of the police have a phobia of the Rainbow community .
This is how they treat a people instead of being Courteous It look’s like they started harassing this person with the Eagle helicopter instead of showing couresty link below.https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/105072577/local-board-member-cops-criticism-over-eagle-helicopter-complaint
The neo liberals who have captured the teacher’s union wairua and is using it as a tool to use as a weapon against the new Coalition government.
The neo liberals are big greedy cheats look at the way they have behaved here and over sea’s ask simon what he get up to after hours.
The student’s that were given money some of them had to do thing’s people should not have to do to pay there rent there will also be more of them entering the teacher’s profession in time.
Good on that Australian person who helped the cop’s catch that idiot who was ripped. Ka kite anp .
I enjoy growing vegetables gardening I use to garden with my Great Grand Mother I would water the gardens flowers and vegetables.
I remember her telling me one day mokopuna when you plant a garden you give it care and love and water make sure the the vegtables and flower’s are well grown and before you pick them make sure they are big and strong. if you start picking the silver beat to early it will stunt and could die.
But if you have patience and wait till the silver beat you plant is big strong and healthy before you pick some leave’s just a few at a time than the silver beat will not stunt and die and you will get a good long harvest from your silver beat.
They way I see it the Union’s & the Socialists left people have help plant’ vote the new Coalition Government in to Parliament we need to love and care our new GARDEN water it and when it’s big and strong then pick a few leaves of changes that we want at a time and OUR new Government will grow STRONG and will be able to keep making changes in our society that will be good for all people here and NOW and for our descendant’s .
Eco Maori say what the teacher’s Union is doing at the minute is illogical and what make’s the equation complete is that national is playing the teachers against our new government . Ka kite ano P.S the cops are the biggest bully’s that’s a fact.
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Some Eco maori music for the minute
You see once the world find’s out how good and safe Kiwi food is the will all want some
ka kite ano link below.
Lots of New Zealand milk and lamb has changed hands on Chinese internet giant Alibaba during that country’s biggest shopping day.
China’s answer to the online Cyber Monday and America’s post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” generated US$30.8 billion (NZ$45.76b) this year for Alibaba during its Singles Day shopping promotion
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/108528157/a2-and-nz-lamb-a-winner-on-alibabas-singles-day
Labor is ahead of the Coalition on the two-party-preferred measure 55% to 45% in the Newspoll, meaning Bill Shorten and Labor would easily win any election held today. Labor’s primary vote is 40% compared with the Coalition on 35%. Ka kite ano
The coal alition carbon pro party star is turning the same colour as coal ana to kai.
P.S I want OUR descendants to have a future in paradise not in——- like what will happen if we carry on burning carbon.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/12/newspoll-gives-labor-a-commanding-10-point-lead-over-the-coalition
Exclusive: The Greens have already ruled out entering negotiations with a Liberal government
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/10/greens-to-survey-members-on-how-to-pick-leader-and-govern-with-labor
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned of the dangers of rising nationalism as he addressed Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at a ceremony in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the first world war armistice.
As more than 60 heads of state and dignitaries gathered in the rain near Paris’s tomb of the unknown soldier to mark a century since guns fell silent on the western front, Macron delivered a pointedly political speech, warning that “old demons” were resurfacing and threatened the fragile peace. Ka pai Emmanuel the people who start WAR’s don’t fight them us common poor people fight them
Kia ora Tekaea I made a good point on the teachers strikes this morning I won’t say anymore on this subject as my negtive side will rise up.
Its cool that Ngai Tahu is working with Oranga tamariki to fix there tamariki that are in state care its a crying shame that any tamariki end up there .
The Pacific Aotearoa meeting in Auckland to talk about our future in Aotearoa let make it a happy healthy one .
Bridging the gap is a awesome initiative to get equality for Australian Tangata Whenua they still have a long journey to get some compensation for loss of land an mana kia kaha. Ka kite ano P.S the Kiwis had a good win they are a new team in time they will dominate
The sandflys are stuffing with my computer again Ingrid
Kia ora James and Storm The Crowd Goes Wild.
Its going to be be a good game of Rugby next week number 1 and 2.
Good luck to Danny I say no more.
The Fox is doing fine same to him.
Rain in the desert is unlucky for the Black Caps.
45 Mulls must have drunk a keg at the basketball game and he’s shuffling to so cool Mulls he’s not going to be happy James.
Hartley is get a underarm from his team M8 he got some fast lap time Ka kite ano computer is playing up if this one crashes that will be 2 two the sandflys I will post them a video on the other computer soon
Dylan Moran on USA and other nations – what are they about?