Looks like the guy behind the "cash drop" has a bit of history behind him. Doesn't seem like the type of guy you want to go in to business with. I think the company will be receiving a fine of some sort.
He is only 28 that Thorn in our side! The image of him shows him to be a good looking, sleek, well dressed young man – looks self-possessed, and self-centred and apparently keen to push into profitable ventures.
Not much precautionary consideration for him I would say. His background indicates the recklessness and callousness that some business people adopt and succeed with. Sounds like Trump, looks like a Trumpian figure. There will be many decades of all sorts of clever moves to enrich himself; he might live as long as Trump.
“Silencing ‘disharmonious speech’ will not be golden” Paul Moon
One take on the issue of regulating hate speech, but I think a myopic one. Countries have usually managed to criminalize sedition without altogether outlawing dissent for example – imperfectly perhaps, but law is an imperfect instrument. It suffices to go after the frank instances of hate speech, the ones that have proven problematic – and some have.
Our country would not have been enriched by the contribution of the Southerns, and the sky did not fall, nor were many oppressed by discouraging them – their material being perfectly accessible online to anyone who cared. If that is what it takes to discourage Trumpism, it's a price I'm glad to pay.
But it isn't me that gets to decide – it's a judge.
I expect the use of the rule will be reasonably conservative – but if that cramps the style of US bought redneck gun nuts like Nicole McKee, so much the better – they contribute nothing of value to NZ.
The winds changed for ACT when David Seymour stood as the sole MP against legislation to outlaw military-style semi-automatic weapons in the wake of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack…
New Zealand First, as well as New Conservatives, continue to court the gun vote (Ron Mark even went so far as to tell a Masterton audience his party didn’t agree with some of the law changes it recently signed off). But the support of the community looks set to go to ACT – a party that’s now polling consistently between 7 and 8 percent.
Given how much the party owes to its firearms family, it was no surprise to see Nicole McKee on the party’s list of candidates for this year’s election. What might have been surprising, was how much ACT has leaned into the gun vote. A June press release from ACT president Tim Jago, pointed out not once, but twice, that the party’s 2020 list included seven licensed firearms owners…
Over the past year, McKee has become synonymous with the pro-gun lobby. The prominent advocate also runs her own firearms safety training business and is a New Zealand shooting champion. She is a mother of four and until recently, was the spokesperson for the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO).
“I believe that emotive and rushed legislation adversely affects those it is intended to support. The ACT Party principles not only promote freedom to live within the law but also efficient policies while treating everyone as equal. Our laws should be rooted in policies that recognise our democratic rights to think, to speak and to behave in a legal and unobstructed way.”
From the few media appearances that she has made, McCree has established herself as a ranting fool. And you would seem to be one of her disciples – it would be sad, if it weren't so funny.
And this is the party that pretends to libertarianism?
A shameless shill for a foreign gun lobby – her disgrace is bottomless.
Chris T Southern was one of the enablers of the ChCh terror attack
Modern technology has made it easier to radicalise fringe mentally inadequate loners.
There has to be a line drawn somewhere to minimise the spread of terrorism of any type.
To allow free reign would be to you let the Taliban radicalise yet every democratic govt is shutting down their free speech so no rules for white supremacists and a complete ban on all other races and religions.
If we had to always link to what someone else says when putting our opinion forward it would not be our opinion. Hopefully people would put views supported by something/someone that can be unpicked or acknowledge as justifying….
But then sometimes they don't quote chapter and verse and that is Ok too.
The points made by Stuart Munro are valid to my mind. Another point of view.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (Conventional translation)
The difference between the text, and the Folau meme version of the text, is that one is directed at the reader, and the other is directed at an audience the meme maker wishes to intimidate.
Intimidation is often accomplished by threats, or accompanied by implicit threats. The substitution of losing a desirable goal, for being consigned to punishment changes the focus of the text substantially.
It certainly is a threat – and encouragement to the kind of self-righteous morons that shoot up pizza parlours.
But whether it meets the standard a careful judge might rule actionable is something else again. As it stands, Folau's employer distanced themselves from his statements, which covered the matter amply.
A degree of deterrence to the sort of epic redneck stupidity that has done so much harm in the US is becoming necessary here. But one would have to be right out on the fringe to meet much more than a formal warning.
Chris T I find that your pseudonym is intimidating. It appears to be Christ but coming apart which worries me deeply. I also find your frequent comments are an attempt to dominate this blog with your peculiar pronouncements according to your vision of the world, and how it should be. It appears to me that you are attempting to interfere with free, reasoned thought and speech. Could you glance over Gloriavale and others, instead, they need your pastoral care.
Surely the fact that he was trying to stir up people's negative feelings towards some people who had done him no harm, or no great harm to him or anyone else, should be referred to. The desire to hurt people, to upset and harass them is an unpleasant thing when it only happens once in private. He disagrees with something himself, strongly and might feel he has to say so in church or in an interview.
But he announced his opinion loudly and defiantly at a sports meeting, where he was because of his sporting ability which was being paid for by his club. His words were conveyed to a great crowd, the private hurt he caused became multiplied by the number in the crowd and those who heard or read the words and understood their meaning at the time, and later. It was an offence in my opinion, and illegal and irresponsible when his club was considered. Its intention was to denounce people with different ideas to him, and to damn them to the world. I think the term hate speech is being thrown around as a generic term, and another word found to replace it.
Professor Ross says legitimate criticism, or punching up, is warranted to hold people in power accountable that aren’t accessible in everyday life.
“But I’m concerned with what I call the sideways punching,” she tells Jesse Mulligan. “Sideways punching is when people are relatively of the same status that you are, but you are busily criticising them because they don’t use the words you would use, or they use the wrong gender pronoun, or they didn’t have the latest woke language.
At times "the church" should be done for hate speech depending on their preachings. Being told on the phone, during Lockdown by a church group that people who aren't abominations, like me, will be saved. Would you call that love speech?
Just like the stupid people who told Rosa Parks she had to sit at the back of the bus, or the systemic racism or bigotry that has afflicted this country's history? (ie women or non-land owning Maori not being allowed to vote) I'm sure you will cry false equivalence, well I would disagree with you on that too. Sometimes it takes Laws to be brought in to stop bigotry or dominance of one group over another so while you may say you do not think laws should be brought in to protect citizens, I do. THAT is the beauty of free speech, not allowing "stupid selves" to preach Hate Speech. In my opinion.
A law topping people? We may yet see that for those who are always shooting their mouths off. That is why we try here to elucidate reasonable ways forward. Good if you could think out something in joined up sentences which would require at least 4-5 lines explaining the whys of your wisdom.
Chris, You can hardly be very serious in your opinion that the Falau quote is hate speech. (Noteing this has since been moderated away).
If you really believed that you wouldn't then say such a thing yourself.
The thing about regulating speech is its about what is being said and not what those who say such things believe. If you say it its equally as harmful as if Falau says it.
Folau had his arse and paycheck kicked to touch for being a dick anyway, after he compromised his employer and sports code in contravention of his agreements.
The more serious problem is the 'under the radar' bigots and self-entitled agitators of the unthinking followers (like Billy TK). Sometimes the State needs to provide guidelines with consequences for the recidivist recalcitrants in the hope they will begin to respect otherds, and to protect the many, not the few. To say there is a difference between that and driving offences as Moon posits, only proves that some academics and the legislative system lacks the ability to formulate sound law. What an indictment.
JK Rowling joins 150 public figures warning over free speech
Law lecturer at Open University – https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/scottish-law-lecturer-hits-out-after-gagging-university-over-trans-comments-3059356 The academic, who has been studying English literature with the OU, was expressing his thoughts on planned hate crime laws in Scotland that would allow men to self-identify as women as well as the furore around author JK Rowling’s views on gender. He wrote the SNP’s new Bill “would make it a crime for anybody to deny that a ‘trans’ woman (i.e. a man) was a real woman”.
Where comes this hysteria about young people uncertain about who they are that has taken over our world? The young have always had to find their way in the world, try to understand their nature, their strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately the business world has interfered in the running of society. There is not the definite pathway to a job and adulthood that there once was. Once you left school, got a job and did that for a while, might have then gained more skills, found a life partner, saved and bought a house and that was a learning experience just getting that far.
What is the scene now, an imposition by government and authorities of disruption as a way of life; everything might change in a few years. How can you settle in and do something and build a life worth living? And the psychology broadcast by neolib – that people not in jobs are lacking in some way, NZrs are lazy, the constant chant about NZ's lack of productivity, the negative stuff is published and broadcast often. There is much of mealy-mouthed prejudices and conformist truths that speak the words of the anti-human cult; it talks about freedom and free speech, but what is it – the contents of an empty paper bag.
That emptiness is what drives the frantic uncertainty of young people searching for identity and reacting to attempts to reveal the reality of this climate of voyeurism about humanity. What are we, and where are we going? We had better not talk about it, it is too scary, and wouldn't show the authorities in a good light. Soon it will be illegal to discuss child poverty and the degradation of society.
The UK is trying to squash references to anti-capitalism in schools*; the Scots have a bill making it illegal to deny that a trans man is a woman. Our very bones and guts and minds are under attack from this mindless surge of disestablishment of society by the wealthy and predatory. Behind their facades they are valueless, and there are those who don't live by a concept of respect, kindness, and trying to be steadfast in values of fairness and honesty, in regard to themselves as well as the rest of the world, and the confused.
It's an interesting case – but I think it would be unwise to make the law a vehicle for Trans or Terf agitation. Anti racial and/or religious messages of the kind linked to criminal behaviours should be the priority – making the focus of the new law keeping the peace, not gagging inoffensive fools or encouraging skirmishing by fringe groups.
Chris Trotter, who lives in a fantasy New Zealand circa 1987, really does seem to like to spend his decline into irrelevance fretting about an imaginary mass movement of Trumpian rural gun owners, doesn't he?
I mean, they never seem to happen but he is convinced there is an army of good 'ol boy street thugs just waiting for the order from crusher to assemble for a torch lit parade and sweep to power….
Trotter's as relevant as a uni lecturer stuck in the 80's, waffling on forgetting the points then looking chuffed with themselves at the end with the verbosity they've unleashed.
That's why the msm keep going to him as their 'lefty' for the illusion of balance and not spooking the horses.
He isn't so narrow and blinkered as some of you commenters here and makes for interesting reading and an opportunity to create different scenarios and get more perspectives on whatever.
As a kid my mother made me stay at the table till I'd eaten my fish dinner, and I'd sit on and on with a ball of dry stuff in my mouth. I'd sucked out the sauce and now it was too hard to swallow. A certain amount of stuff here brings memory back to those good old days.
Think you're confusing the actual person with how they make a living in this media environment i.e. provide acceptable copy rather than express their true opinions which possibly wouldn’t be published.
That is a point tc – he does have to make a living and supplies comment to a number of outlets. One could say though that getting different ideas about politics and society into many people's heads in this country is doing god's work. And because he changes tack, people have to keep reading him to see what he says today. I don't know who you think he serves, but presume you think it isn't Labour. But which part of Labour is so wholly perfect that it shouldn't be tackled, have its jersey pulled, tripped over etc. as it makes its run for a try At The Wrong End of the field.
Ah yes, the NZ Initiative. Such lovely fellows, true heirs to the Business Round Table…
"…In posts on his personal blog, New Zealand Initiative chief editor Nathan Smith attacks Muslims and Jews and espouses incel ideology, Marc Daalder reports
The chief editor of the prominent New Zealand Initiative think tank runs a far-right blog on the side, where he bashes Muslims, says Jews invite anti-Semitism on themselves and falsely claims that the death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic has been artificially inflated…."
"espouses incel ideology" "means "involuntary celibates", are members of an onlinesubculture who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one." -Wikipedia
Perhaps part of what makes them unattractive in the first place is their barely concealed violence? The violence was in them before they were rejected.
I've met a few chaps like this…you can just about smell the aggression on them.
These right wing extremists have trouble forming relationships with women.So they blame women .
There are many of these men NZ.
I know of a least a dozen they all have no children all support conspiracy theories all believe in racial superiority all bar one haven't had any longterm relationships with women.
Most are trump supporters and antivaxxers.
They all vehemently hate strong women leaders.
David Seymour has been courting these extremists with subtle hints dog whistles ,ACT is a product of the business round table.The NZ initiative pushes ACT policy word for word.
edit
Cheapskates, those men could go to prostitutes and build a relationship with one they liked but they don't want to pay for it. So they whine and hate, which is their natural outlook. A saying is that you can't buy love. But it may be the only way they will ever get sex, and romance happens when people find each other lovable, so they will always have difficulty with that aspect. Get real, this is a society that monetises everything so go out and buy whatever you want. Don't expect to get something for nothing.
There is an interesting aspect though. What woman, or women did they get to know when they were growing up? Our childhood makes the man or woman. My contention once again is if society wants to be better, it needs to give parents the opportunity to show love to their children, and the authorities show love to the parents by helping them, with frequent workshops on parenting tied to weekly child allowance payments, goods when needed, a family holiday once a year with workshops for the parents on how to handle their problems and enjoy successful outcomes with their kids. Women being good mothers and happy in themselves would eventually see happy, capable young men go off into the world. Not these sad types who hate everyone because they dislike themselves, and no-one has ever shown them they are likable.
It would be justifiable common-sense to assume that the SIS has a bias in favour of surveilling people who present a credible threat to current accumulations of wealth/power or to the mechanisms for continuing that accumulation. Such as environmentalists, anti-free trade campaigners, anti-povery activists etc, – not racist nutters.
The SIS is an extension of the CIA and the NZ govt doesn't have much input into its operations.
That's why they are more interested in left wing greens and environmental activists .As opposed to right wing terrorists who they have deliberately overlooked.
[ Oh, please!
The SIS is an extension of the CIA and the NZ govt doesn’t have much input into its operations.
You assert that as matter of fact. I usually reply with [Link required] but you have completely ignored the last four ones 🙁
Political neutrality
The NZSIS is a politically neutral agency. The Intelligence and Security Act 2017, explicitly states that activities will not be carried out for the purpose of promoting or harming the interests of any political party or candidate. The Director-General of Security regularly meets with the Leader of the Opposition to keep them informed about matters of national security.
The Director-General reports to the Intelligence and Security Committee. Both Government and Opposition parties are represented on this body, whose membership is endorsed by Parliament.
If you want to know what really has been been occurring inside NZ's security intelligence network – particularly in relation to the Commission of Inquiry report just released – and Paul Buchanan's overall assessment, then this podcast is a must view:
I have enjoyed for a long time the flash mob in 2012 celebrating the city and the Banco Sabadell playing Ode to Joy. To hearten themselves during Covid and all the travails it has caused in 2020 they are promising another public performance.
It is an advertisement for the bank, for the city, and for their way of life which seems so much more gracious than ours. I am disturbed by the way our education is going, there seems less music, in the universities less Humanities, and in the streets less humanity and limited portions of joy.
And this is the former flashmob presentation, a great one and a great advertisement for the bank, well presented, great images and sound etc. and no-one had to cry 'Remember the children'!
Hi folks, I was talking to a mate yesty, he is an ambo. He is "not racist" but resents getting "Te Reo rammed down his throat". He was talking about getting a 'Not Guilty' t-shirt that seems to be popular in talk back circles.
There was a conversation round these parts, a few months back, along why it was inappropriate to be talking about All Lives Matter when The States was dealing with another cop that had murdered an unarmed black man.
There was a great link provided by a Standardista that summed it all up.
I am hoping someone can recall and point me in the right (no pun intended) direction.
gsays You could put the keywords in the search line at the top and see what comes up. Then under International in the Archives would be another place to search. Sometimes something is so apt that it should be framed!
Forum chair and Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano called today's virtual summit, and said Pacific leaders had a duty to encourage the world into purposeful action. The region's low-lying islands are among the worst affected by the climate crisis with threats of rising seas and increasing cyclones.
Natano said with islands on the front-line of the climate emergency, the forum's global leadership and advocacy was critical. The forum also aimed to put pressure on world leaders.
It's public information. Of interest to thinkers about business in NZ. You people find fault about everything. A big tendency to nitpick. I don’t know what you think you achieve by it.
[Ignoring the obstinacy of your comment for the moment, posting e-mail addresses here lures bots that trawl through the internet and scrape sites for e-mail addresses. This is a problem because it slows down traffic to and from the site. So, please be a good member of the TS community and help keeping the place tidy and the site running smoothly, thanks – Incognito]
Naming the relevant people involved and posting their publicly available email addresses, along with a political objective (eg emailing the directors involved to lobby them to do right) is ok. Posting individual's personal addresses, and with no clear suggestion of intent, is not ok. Doubly so in situation like this where feelings are already high.
edited.
[seeing Incog’s mod note above, a better idea would be to link to email addresses for political action purposes rather than posting on site – weka]
I posted them because they were public information. I stated that I was looking at where the directors came from, two were from Bahrain, one from London, and the others all from Invercargill and involved in fertiliser and fishing. It would interest those who follow business behaviour in NZ. I guess that seeing it wan't involving close personal relationships it would fall outside the box for many. This is a strange situation where freedom of information is frowned on. What are feelings high about for goodness sake? I'm talking about ouvea, waste from aluminium manufacturing that is going to cost NZ money to dispose of, after a lot of expensive legal work which the companies involved will wiggle out of paying as with other matters. I'm not involved in the feelings about Trevor Mallard using words that have not been passed by society's censors.
[it’s up to you grey. You’ve got the attention of moderators, and you can either do the work to understand where the boundaries are, or you can ignore the boundaries and get escalating moderations. I’m happy to explain more why the boundaries are important, but I’m not going to engage with someone who is clearly wanting an argument with moderators about moderation. See this post for why https://thestandard.org.nz/a-bit-about-how-the-standard-works/ – weka]
Get lost McFlock and The Alien you must be running out of hot air and haughty self-righteousness now at the end of this busy year creating dominance over everybody writing here.
Less than two weeks before the start of Amazon's annual Prime Day sales promotion is set to start, protestors rallied outside CEO Jeff Bezos' Beverly Hills home to call for higher pay for Amazon warehouse workers and higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
Nearly a hundred protesters marched on Sunday, according to organizers of the rally. Former and current Amazon workers were joined by groups including United Teachers Los Angeles, Sunrise LA and Extinction Rebellion, which lobbies for action to combat climate change.
"The richest man in the world made $88 billion in the course of the pandemic. It's time to fight back," Chris Smalls, one of the protest's leaders, told CBS MoneyWatch.
This is the kind of direct action that Utah Phillips was advocating for, and what I assumed was clear, apologies for the confusion. I don't mind if it is removed.
I think he is also getting at the 'things' that do not just happen – that those who are killing earth are mostly people not 'things' and these people have names and addresses and through these can be called to account. 'Earth is dying' leaves out that the causes of death are mostly due to people and is likely to invoke a reaction of woe, there is nothing we can do.
I don't find it a call to violent action. It is written in active voice to encourage thought – the usual passive sentence construction does not encourage this.
People could write letters or peacefully picket.
Imagine if the famous speech by Winston Churchill after Dunkirk has been written in passive voice….
'We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets……'
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We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
2024 is now officially my best-ever year for short stories. My 1,850-word dark fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens, has been accepted for the upcoming solstice edition of Eternal Haunted Summer (https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/), thereby making that six published short stories for the calendar year. As always, see the Bibliography page for ...
Brooke van Velden has wasted six years of work from businesses, unions, and government by binning planned Holidays Act reforms, said Acting CTU President Rachel Mackintosh in response to today’s announcement from Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety. “The Minister has cynically kicked the can on Holiday Act reform even ...
Words, playing me deja vuLike a radio tune, I swear I've heard beforeChill, is it something real?Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingersWho do you need?Who do you love?When you come undoneSongwriters: John Taylor / Simon Le Bon / Nick Rhodes / Warren Cuccurullo.When this three-way coalition was being ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
New Zealand has ratified the Upgrade to the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), Minister for Trade Todd McClay announced today. “ASEAN which is comprised of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, is New Zealand’s fourth largest trading partner in two-way trade – ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
The government has confirmed its plan to break up Te Pūkenga / New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and re-establish independent polytechnics. ...
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Looks like the guy behind the "cash drop" has a bit of history behind him. Doesn't seem like the type of guy you want to go in to business with. I think the company will be receiving a fine of some sort.
The man behind Safety Warehouse's fake cash stunt: Who is Andrew Thorn? | Stuff.co.nz
Agreed. But where was the Auckland city council in all this? How could such a stunt have been sanctioned for Aotea square?
He is only 28 that Thorn in our side! The image of him shows him to be a good looking, sleek, well dressed young man – looks self-possessed, and self-centred and apparently keen to push into profitable ventures.
Not much precautionary consideration for him I would say. His background indicates the recklessness and callousness that some business people adopt and succeed with. Sounds like Trump, looks like a Trumpian figure. There will be many decades of all sorts of clever moves to enrich himself; he might live as long as Trump.
“Silencing ‘disharmonious speech’ will not be golden” Paul Moon
One take on the issue of regulating hate speech, but I think a myopic one. Countries have usually managed to criminalize sedition without altogether outlawing dissent for example – imperfectly perhaps, but law is an imperfect instrument. It suffices to go after the frank instances of hate speech, the ones that have proven problematic – and some have.
Our country would not have been enriched by the contribution of the Southerns, and the sky did not fall, nor were many oppressed by discouraging them – their material being perfectly accessible online to anyone who cared. If that is what it takes to discourage Trumpism, it's a price I'm glad to pay.
You missed a bit
…………as long as I get to decide who can talk.
But it isn't me that gets to decide – it's a judge.
I expect the use of the rule will be reasonably conservative – but if that cramps the style of US bought redneck gun nuts like Nicole McKee, so much the better – they contribute nothing of value to NZ.
Again.
In your opinion.
Feel free to trot out any evidence you might have that validates a contrary position.
Stuart Munro,,, How about you trot out evidence re: Nicole McKee.
You sadden me you creep.
Nicole McKee – a little info.https://www.newsroom.co.nz/nicole-mckee-firearms-freedom-and-family
The winds changed for ACT when David Seymour stood as the sole MP against legislation to outlaw military-style semi-automatic weapons in the wake of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack…
New Zealand First, as well as New Conservatives, continue to court the gun vote (Ron Mark even went so far as to tell a Masterton audience his party didn’t agree with some of the law changes it recently signed off). But the support of the community looks set to go to ACT – a party that’s now polling consistently between 7 and 8 percent.
Given how much the party owes to its firearms family, it was no surprise to see Nicole McKee on the party’s list of candidates for this year’s election.
What might have been surprising, was how much ACT has leaned into the gun vote.
A June press release from ACT president Tim Jago, pointed out not once, but twice, that the party’s 2020 list included seven licensed firearms owners…
Over the past year, McKee has become synonymous with the pro-gun lobby. The prominent advocate also runs her own firearms safety training business and is a New Zealand shooting champion.
She is a mother of four and until recently, was the spokesperson for the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO).
https://www.act.org.nz/nicole-mckee
From the few media appearances that she has made, McCree has established herself as a ranting fool. And you would seem to be one of her disciples – it would be sad, if it weren't so funny.
And this is the party that pretends to libertarianism?
A shameless shill for a foreign gun lobby – her disgrace is bottomless.
Chris T Southern was one of the enablers of the ChCh terror attack
Modern technology has made it easier to radicalise fringe mentally inadequate loners.
There has to be a line drawn somewhere to minimise the spread of terrorism of any type.
To allow free reign would be to you let the Taliban radicalise yet every democratic govt is shutting down their free speech so no rules for white supremacists and a complete ban on all other races and religions.
I await your link to this with baited breath.
Read the govt report Chris T it's been all over the local media.
[You have a Moderation note waiting for you here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-12-2020/#comment-1770573 ]
[You have a Moderation note waiting for you here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-12-2020/#comment-1770573 ]
Obviously. We all get that. Self evident (ie use of 'I', no links) so why are you commenting?
Because someone is making a wild claim without any evidence to justify it.
Or "doing a Mallard"
……..or expressing an opinion.
If we had to always link to what someone else says when putting our opinion forward it would not be our opinion. Hopefully people would put views supported by something/someone that can be unpicked or acknowledge as justifying….
But then sometimes they don't quote chapter and verse and that is Ok too.
The points made by Stuart Munro are valid to my mind. Another point of view.
Question for the people at the Standard.
Do you think what Israel Folau said should de fined as "hate" speech. ?
YES
It was, because it was rephrased as a threat.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (Conventional translation)
https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/1-corinthians/6/9-10#footnote2
[deleted quote due to lack of link]
That isn't a threat.
Unless you think the church should be done for hate speech.
The difference between the text, and the Folau meme version of the text, is that one is directed at the reader, and the other is directed at an audience the meme maker wishes to intimidate.
Intimidation is often accomplished by threats, or accompanied by implicit threats. The substitution of losing a desirable goal, for being consigned to punishment changes the focus of the text substantially.
It is not even a threat.
If people are sheep enough to believe there is a Hell, then they are into it enough to know Folau doesn't get to decide who goes there.
It certainly is a threat – and encouragement to the kind of self-righteous morons that shoot up pizza parlours.
But whether it meets the standard a careful judge might rule actionable is something else again. As it stands, Folau's employer distanced themselves from his statements, which covered the matter amply.
A degree of deterrence to the sort of epic redneck stupidity that has done so much harm in the US is becoming necessary here. But one would have to be right out on the fringe to meet much more than a formal warning.
Chris T I find that your pseudonym is intimidating. It appears to be Christ but coming apart which worries me deeply. I also find your frequent comments are an attempt to dominate this blog with your peculiar pronouncements according to your vision of the world, and how it should be. It appears to me that you are attempting to interfere with free, reasoned thought and speech. Could you glance over Gloriavale and others, instead, they need your pastoral care.
Surely the fact that he was trying to stir up people's negative feelings towards some people who had done him no harm, or no great harm to him or anyone else, should be referred to. The desire to hurt people, to upset and harass them is an unpleasant thing when it only happens once in private. He disagrees with something himself, strongly and might feel he has to say so in church or in an interview.
But he announced his opinion loudly and defiantly at a sports meeting, where he was because of his sporting ability which was being paid for by his club. His words were conveyed to a great crowd, the private hurt he caused became multiplied by the number in the crowd and those who heard or read the words and understood their meaning at the time, and later. It was an offence in my opinion, and illegal and irresponsible when his club was considered. Its intention was to denounce people with different ideas to him, and to damn them to the world. I think the term hate speech is being thrown around as a generic term, and another word found to replace it.
An academic who has been an activist for years has some thoughts on better ways of taking forward concerns on rights and behaviours.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018776224/loretta-ross-callout-and-cancel-culture-don-t-serve-social-justice
Professor Ross says legitimate criticism, or punching up, is warranted to hold people in power accountable that aren’t accessible in everyday life.
“But I’m concerned with what I call the sideways punching,” she tells Jesse Mulligan.
“Sideways punching is when people are relatively of the same status that you are, but you are busily criticising them because they don’t use the words you would use, or they use the wrong gender pronoun, or they didn’t have the latest woke language.
At times "the church" should be done for hate speech depending on their preachings. Being told on the phone, during Lockdown by a church group that people who aren't abominations, like me, will be saved. Would you call that love speech?
No. It is just the church being their stupid selves.
But I don't think there should be some law topping people from doing it.
Just like the stupid people who told Rosa Parks she had to sit at the back of the bus, or the systemic racism or bigotry that has afflicted this country's history? (ie women or non-land owning Maori not being allowed to vote) I'm sure you will cry false equivalence, well I would disagree with you on that too. Sometimes it takes Laws to be brought in to stop bigotry or dominance of one group over another so while you may say you do not think laws should be brought in to protect citizens, I do. THAT is the beauty of free speech, not allowing "stupid selves" to preach Hate Speech. In my opinion.
Utter crap analogy.
Is someone talking forcing anyone to do anything?
A law topping people? We may yet see that for those who are always shooting their mouths off. That is why we try here to elucidate reasonable ways forward. Good if you could think out something in joined up sentences which would require at least 4-5 lines explaining the whys of your wisdom.
Chris, You can hardly be very serious in your opinion that the Falau quote is hate speech. (Noteing this has since been moderated away).
If you really believed that you wouldn't then say such a thing yourself.
The thing about regulating speech is its about what is being said and not what those who say such things believe. If you say it its equally as harmful as if Falau says it.
Folau had his arse and paycheck kicked to touch for being a dick anyway, after he compromised his employer and sports code in contravention of his agreements.
The more serious problem is the 'under the radar' bigots and self-entitled agitators of the unthinking followers (like Billy TK). Sometimes the State needs to provide guidelines with consequences for the recidivist recalcitrants in the hope they will begin to respect otherds, and to protect the many, not the few. To say there is a difference between that and driving offences as Moon posits, only proves that some academics and the legislative system lacks the ability to formulate sound law. What an indictment.
https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/inside-story-how-israel-folau-s-legal-team-played-rugby-australia-20191216-p53kcr
edit
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53330105
JK Rowling joins 150 public figures warning over free speech
Law lecturer at Open University – https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/scottish-law-lecturer-hits-out-after-gagging-university-over-trans-comments-3059356
The academic, who has been studying English literature with the OU, was expressing his thoughts on planned hate crime laws in Scotland that would allow men to self-identify as women as well as the furore around author JK Rowling’s views on gender.
He wrote the SNP’s new Bill “would make it a crime for anybody to deny that a ‘trans’ woman (i.e. a man) was a real woman”.
Where comes this hysteria about young people uncertain about who they are that has taken over our world? The young have always had to find their way in the world, try to understand their nature, their strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately the business world has interfered in the running of society. There is not the definite pathway to a job and adulthood that there once was. Once you left school, got a job and did that for a while, might have then gained more skills, found a life partner, saved and bought a house and that was a learning experience just getting that far.
What is the scene now, an imposition by government and authorities of disruption as a way of life; everything might change in a few years. How can you settle in and do something and build a life worth living? And the psychology broadcast by neolib – that people not in jobs are lacking in some way, NZrs are lazy, the constant chant about NZ's lack of productivity, the negative stuff is published and broadcast often. There is much of mealy-mouthed prejudices and conformist truths that speak the words of the anti-human cult; it talks about freedom and free speech, but what is it – the contents of an empty paper bag.
That emptiness is what drives the frantic uncertainty of young people searching for identity and reacting to attempts to reveal the reality of this climate of voyeurism about humanity. What are we, and where are we going? We had better not talk about it, it is too scary, and wouldn't show the authorities in a good light. Soon it will be illegal to discuss child poverty and the degradation of society.
The UK is trying to squash references to anti-capitalism in schools*; the Scots have a bill making it illegal to deny that a trans man is a woman. Our very bones and guts and minds are under attack from this mindless surge of disestablishment of society by the wealthy and predatory. Behind their facades they are valueless, and there are those who don't live by a concept of respect, kindness, and trying to be steadfast in values of fairness and honesty, in regard to themselves as well as the rest of the world, and the confused.
*https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/01/ban-anti-capitalist-resources-schools-stifle-dissent-orban-hungary
It's an interesting case – but I think it would be unwise to make the law a vehicle for Trans or Terf agitation. Anti racial and/or religious messages of the kind linked to criminal behaviours should be the priority – making the focus of the new law keeping the peace, not gagging inoffensive fools or encouraging skirmishing by fringe groups.
I think that is right – keep balance. These are unbalanced individuals anyway – it's a mistake to tip them over the edge of reason.
Chris Trotter, who lives in a fantasy New Zealand circa 1987, really does seem to like to spend his decline into irrelevance fretting about an imaginary mass movement of Trumpian rural gun owners, doesn't he?
I mean, they never seem to happen but he is convinced there is an army of good 'ol boy street thugs just waiting for the order from crusher to assemble for a torch lit parade and sweep to power….
Chris lets his lyricism get in the way of his ideas. He might simply have the demographic wrong.
Trotter's as relevant as a uni lecturer stuck in the 80's, waffling on forgetting the points then looking chuffed with themselves at the end with the verbosity they've unleashed.
That's why the msm keep going to him as their 'lefty' for the illusion of balance and not spooking the horses.
He isn't so narrow and blinkered as some of you commenters here and makes for interesting reading and an opportunity to create different scenarios and get more perspectives on whatever.
As a kid my mother made me stay at the table till I'd eaten my fish dinner, and I'd sit on and on with a ball of dry stuff in my mouth. I'd sucked out the sauce and now it was too hard to swallow. A certain amount of stuff here brings memory back to those good old days.
Think you're confusing the actual person with how they make a living in this media environment i.e. provide acceptable copy rather than express their true opinions which possibly wouldn’t be published.
We all gotta serve somebody as Mr Dylan sang.
That is a point tc – he does have to make a living and supplies comment to a number of outlets. One could say though that getting different ideas about politics and society into many people's heads in this country is doing god's work. And because he changes tack, people have to keep reading him to see what he says today. I don't know who you think he serves, but presume you think it isn't Labour. But which part of Labour is so wholly perfect that it shouldn't be tackled, have its jersey pulled, tripped over etc. as it makes its run for a try At The Wrong End of the field.
Ah yes, the NZ Initiative. Such lovely fellows, true heirs to the Business Round Table…
"…In posts on his personal blog, New Zealand Initiative chief editor Nathan Smith attacks Muslims and Jews and espouses incel ideology, Marc Daalder reports
The chief editor of the prominent New Zealand Initiative think tank runs a far-right blog on the side, where he bashes Muslims, says Jews invite anti-Semitism on themselves and falsely claims that the death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic has been artificially inflated…."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/think-tank-editor-runs-far-right-blog
"espouses incel ideology" "means "involuntary celibates", are members of an online subculture who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one." -Wikipedia
So they use violence against women.
So they use violence against women.
Perhaps part of what makes them unattractive in the first place is their barely concealed violence? The violence was in them before they were rejected.
I've met a few chaps like this…you can just about smell the aggression on them.
These right wing extremists have trouble forming relationships with women.So they blame women .
There are many of these men NZ.
I know of a least a dozen they all have no children all support conspiracy theories all believe in racial superiority all bar one haven't had any longterm relationships with women.
Most are trump supporters and antivaxxers.
They all vehemently hate strong women leaders.
David Seymour has been courting these extremists with subtle hints dog whistles ,ACT is a product of the business round table.The NZ initiative pushes ACT policy word for word.
edit
Cheapskates, those men could go to prostitutes and build a relationship with one they liked but they don't want to pay for it. So they whine and hate, which is their natural outlook. A saying is that you can't buy love. But it may be the only way they will ever get sex, and romance happens when people find each other lovable, so they will always have difficulty with that aspect. Get real, this is a society that monetises everything so go out and buy whatever you want. Don't expect to get something for nothing.
There is an interesting aspect though. What woman, or women did they get to know when they were growing up? Our childhood makes the man or woman. My contention once again is if society wants to be better, it needs to give parents the opportunity to show love to their children, and the authorities show love to the parents by helping them, with frequent workshops on parenting tied to weekly child allowance payments, goods when needed, a family holiday once a year with workshops for the parents on how to handle their problems and enjoy successful outcomes with their kids. Women being good mothers and happy in themselves would eventually see happy, capable young men go off into the world. Not these sad types who hate everyone because they dislike themselves, and no-one has ever shown them they are likable.
Why it takes Newsroom to do the job of the SIS outing these guys is beyond me.
It would be justifiable common-sense to assume that the SIS has a bias in favour of surveilling people who present a credible threat to current accumulations of wealth/power or to the mechanisms for continuing that accumulation. Such as environmentalists, anti-free trade campaigners, anti-povery activists etc, – not racist nutters.
Same question could be asked of TVNZ/RNZ and should be but don't hold your breath with club member Kris and his former employer.
The SIS is an extension of the CIA and the NZ govt doesn't have much input into its operations.
That's why they are more interested in left wing greens and environmental activists .As opposed to right wing terrorists who they have deliberately overlooked.
[ Oh, please!
You assert that as matter of fact. I usually reply with [Link required] but you have completely ignored the last four ones 🙁
https://www.nzsis.govt.nz/about-us/
You are in Pre-Moderation until you provide an adequate response to this Moderation note or you can take an extended Summer break – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 2:06 PM.
The business round table / NZ initiative /tax payers union.push a lot of untruths through their media releases.
When the business roundtable became unpopular they changed their name to try and get back in the public's good books and pretend they are independent.
They seem to use unsavory characters to push their agenda.
Hey Tricledrown you have power in your fingertips.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/432644/think-tank-editor-running-far-right-blog-resigns
If you want to know what really has been been occurring inside NZ's security intelligence network – particularly in relation to the Commission of Inquiry report just released – and Paul Buchanan's overall assessment, then this podcast is a must view:
I have enjoyed for a long time the flash mob in 2012 celebrating the city and the Banco Sabadell playing Ode to Joy. To hearten themselves during Covid and all the travails it has caused in 2020 they are promising another public performance.
It is an advertisement for the bank, for the city, and for their way of life which seems so much more gracious than ours. I am disturbed by the way our education is going, there seems less music, in the universities less Humanities, and in the streets less humanity and limited portions of joy.
But this is their 2020 promise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tHrpJxinP8
And this is the former flashmob presentation, a great one and a great advertisement for the bank, well presented, great images and sound etc. and no-one had to cry 'Remember the children'!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaHPND2QJg
Hi folks, I was talking to a mate yesty, he is an ambo. He is "not racist" but resents getting "Te Reo rammed down his throat". He was talking about getting a 'Not Guilty' t-shirt that seems to be popular in talk back circles.
There was a conversation round these parts, a few months back, along why it was inappropriate to be talking about All Lives Matter when The States was dealing with another cop that had murdered an unarmed black man.
There was a great link provided by a Standardista that summed it all up.
I am hoping someone can recall and point me in the right (no pun intended) direction.
gsays You could put the keywords in the search line at the top and see what comes up. Then under International in the Archives would be another place to search. Sometimes something is so apt that it should be framed!
Cheers grey, I will give it a go.
edit
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/432641/temperatures-drop-to-freezing-levels-in-otago-southland
Linked news items today – we're in this climate thing together.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/432635/pacific-islands-forum-leaders-urged-to-target-worst-greenhouse-gas-emitters-for-climate-action
Samoan-born, New Zealand-based climate scientist Penehuro Lefale said the world's reliance on oil, gas and coal and its inability to find alternatives for "clean fuel" was the problem to the climate crisis.
Forum chair and Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano called today's virtual summit, and said Pacific leaders had a duty to encourage the world into purposeful action.
The region's low-lying islands are among the worst affected by the climate crisis with threats of rising seas and increasing cyclones.
Natano said with islands on the front-line of the climate emergency, the forum's global leadership and advocacy was critical.
The forum also aimed to put pressure on world leaders.
and
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/432611/potential-black-sand-mining-operation-in-png-may-threaten-communities-endangered-leatherback-turtles
Thirty-eight kilometres of black sand beaches north of the town of Madang in Papua New Guinea could be about to be mined, threatening communities and the environment, including nesting grounds for endangered leatherback turtles.
Did anyone have a bet that this would happen?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/432657/toxic-waste-in-mataura-won-t-be-removed-this-year
[deleted]
[deleted]
[please don’t post people’s personal details like that have no relevance to the political issue – weka]
Why are you posting names and addresses?
yeah, doxxing (especially on the basis of one line in a newspaper) is a dick move.
It's public information. Of interest to thinkers about business in NZ. You people find fault about everything. A big tendency to nitpick. I don’t know what you think you achieve by it.
[Ignoring the obstinacy of your comment for the moment, posting e-mail addresses here lures bots that trawl through the internet and scrape sites for e-mail addresses. This is a problem because it slows down traffic to and from the site. So, please be a good member of the TS community and help keeping the place tidy and the site running smoothly, thanks – Incognito]
Naming the relevant people involved and posting their publicly available email addresses, along with a political objective (eg emailing the directors involved to lobby them to do right) is ok. Posting individual's personal addresses, and with no clear suggestion of intent, is not ok. Doubly so in situation like this where feelings are already high.
edited.
[seeing Incog’s mod note above, a better idea would be to link to email addresses for political action purposes rather than posting on site – weka]
I posted them because they were public information. I stated that I was looking at where the directors came from, two were from Bahrain, one from London, and the others all from Invercargill and involved in fertiliser and fishing. It would interest those who follow business behaviour in NZ. I guess that seeing it wan't involving close personal relationships it would fall outside the box for many. This is a strange situation where freedom of information is frowned on. What are feelings high about for goodness sake? I'm talking about ouvea, waste from aluminium manufacturing that is going to cost NZ money to dispose of, after a lot of expensive legal work which the companies involved will wiggle out of paying as with other matters. I'm not involved in the feelings about Trevor Mallard using words that have not been passed by society's censors.
[it’s up to you grey. You’ve got the attention of moderators, and you can either do the work to understand where the boundaries are, or you can ignore the boundaries and get escalating moderations. I’m happy to explain more why the boundaries are important, but I’m not going to engage with someone who is clearly wanting an argument with moderators about moderation. See this post for why https://thestandard.org.nz/a-bit-about-how-the-standard-works/ – weka]
If that's all you said I don't think there would have been a problem.
Just admit you done wrong, learn, and move on from it.
mod note.
Why is someone's exact personal address of interest to anyone else – unless you want them to pay a visit?
Public information is public, but that doesn't mean you have to collate it into a handy list for any idiot looking for fame.
Get lost McFlock and The Alien you must be running out of hot air and haughty self-righteousness now at the end of this busy year creating dominance over everybody writing here.
See my Moderation note @ 5:56 PM.
Reads like an incitement to violence.
Utah Phillips was a pacifist, but I agree that the meme is ambiguous in this context. I'm leaving it now that the personal info is gone.
In context with the deleted dox, I drew a similar conclusion as McFlock, but good to know you're on to it
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-workers-protest-jeff-bezos-house/
This is the kind of direct action that Utah Phillips was advocating for, and what I assumed was clear, apologies for the confusion. I don't mind if it is removed.
I think he is also getting at the 'things' that do not just happen – that those who are killing earth are mostly people not 'things' and these people have names and addresses and through these can be called to account. 'Earth is dying' leaves out that the causes of death are mostly due to people and is likely to invoke a reaction of woe, there is nothing we can do.
I don't find it a call to violent action. It is written in active voice to encourage thought – the usual passive sentence construction does not encourage this.
People could write letters or peacefully picket.
Imagine if the famous speech by Winston Churchill after Dunkirk has been written in passive voice….
'We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets……'
And in the days of the long-tail of the internet, empty rhetoric can become action.
A better bet might be that that before this stuff is finally removed the mighty Mataura will reach flood levels that will again threaten the storage.