Keep putting the slipper in Phil, the righties may taunt ‘rogue poll’ today but it is getting interesting. ShonKey and Banksie will likely be spending more time together. Vote Banksie get Brash too. Another poll in this direction and Nat candidate withdrawal orders will be issued. http://tiny.cc/3v61b
Aye Tiger. That cuppa between Key and Banks looks a certainty now.
And on the subject of polls can I express my own theory on their accuracy. There is an inherent bias in them. For instance out west I know far too many poor people without landlines who are never asked for their opinion.
The results tend to be close to the poll results because Labour people unfortunately are less inclined to vote. But a good turnout will change this around.
Labour has a very effective turnout capability. For instance in the Botany by election the turnout in the Labour area was 83% of the turnout at the previous general election. In the National area it was only 53%.
But it is going to take a lot of work. So onward brothers and sisters!
Mickey, you must remember a few elections ago Mike Williams was asked at 9.30 on election night (by the trained performing seals who call themselves political commentators) “was he ready to concede a National victory”?
Williams reply was that “the South and West Auckland returns would come in later, and that Labour would win…”.
He was spot on, Labour squeaked it. If Manukau, Henderson, Porirua, East Christchurch etc turn out Labour will have enough this time. That is the challenge.
I was initially confident but became quite despondent when the nats were 10 points ahead at about 9:10 pm. I was with David Cunliffe and suggested that he start to give a concession speech for assembled activists. He started talking and thankfully it was a long speech. Part way through I can recall the sudden bump as the big urban booths. Managed through hand signals to stop David from conceding the election!
Last election I again waited for the bump but it never came. Looking at the booth results afterwards the causes were clear. In the three South Auckland Labour strongholds 15,000 Labour voters just did not turn up. If they turn up this time then Labour will have a chance.
’05? I was at the Chch combined electorates do that night. At 9pm it was pretty downbeat, around 9.30 the MP’s started to arrive, all happy that they had retained their seats, but still a bit down. Sometime after 10, the party vote for Labour crept passed the Nat’s total and we started to understand that Peter Dunne’s foolish boast that he would back the majority party meant we were in with a chance. By 11, the joint was rocking!
Rogue poll, indeed, TM. The cuppa will be today, on the back of this poll result. Key now knows he needs mates for sure. The interesting thing will be the response in Epsom; do the locals take the hint or do they tell Banksie to do one instead. And isn’t it nice to see ACT totally reliant on the rich man’s charity? Apt or what?
Time for that nice little story about Banks to come out methinks, just after this cup of tea con job. Every Labour/Green voter in Epsom should be voting for Goldsmith as well. Democratic principles obviously don’t matter squat in that ‘rotten borough’.
Polls will become clearer nearer election day… …yeah right.
Look I don’t believe for one moment that everyone has made
up their mind, and so we know that those who have are
favoring Key, what’s the puzzle, people who are ideologically
delude do that as a rule. People who however are open minded
are likely to be progressive and leave it to the last moment.
Also money talks, so polls are brought by the rich to give
the voter block that sees election as a game, that they just
want to vote for the winner the nudge to vote National.
But when middle class affluent people like a CGT, they
are hurting form the debt crisis, they know asset sales
are stupid, then we have to wonder about why the polls
are so out of wack, well if more people are undecided
then polls will obvious pick up core supporter not
swing voters.
And remember Key polls dropped 8%?? on election day.
So get the vote out, remind people to vote Green on
the party and Labour in the constituency.
Streuth cobbers if we had a real MSM shonkey and blinglish would still be getting hammered over the dodgiest budget ever produced on top of double dipton, those transrail eyes, beemers, mirror mirror trusts have it all, let alone all the deliberate lies back in 08 to get elected as the hollowmen has shown.
The arrogance and deception may just cost him more than the back room have calculated already….time will tell.
And if you needed further proof of the bullshit that on-line instant polls are, then this is it, and the Herald of all papers has exposed it. AT LAST. MULTI voting exposed.
Strange though that the Herald cannot miss a chance to reveal that some votes (2) came from within parliament, and guess which party is identified as having received them. Clue, it is not their beloved National.
Aha! Interesting! While the NZH couldn’t resist a swipe at Labour/Goff, surely the more interesting revelation is the number of repeat votes for Paula Benefit & Nikki Kaye, from outside parliament. This indicates how the astroturfers roll with such polls. PB had the highest number of repeat votes and Ardern had many more “genuine” votes than Kaye.
But more interesting, I think Deborah Coddington and DF have been… what’s the Interwebz jargon? p*ned?
They were outraged that a journalism school would be producing such a tabloidish poll:
So is this what they teach aspiring political journalists in our state-run institutions? Rating the sex appeal – or not – of our Members of Parliament? It’s tasteless, obnoxious, and demeaning.
Sue Moroney spoke very well re. education on the Breakfast show, and even Corrin Dann made a point of saying ‘yet again the government have not fronted up’.
This, to me, says two things
1) They have no faith in any of their policies (if they actually have any), their Ministers, or they are scared of being shown up, and
2) They are totally reliant on their figurehead getting them home.
The more that can be made of their refusal to discuss issues and the more that actual, sound policy can be communicated, the better.
I love how political journalists can moan about this stuff without a hint of self-awareness. It’s their fault that the campaign is boring and that John Key doesn’t need to bother trying.
They’re the ones who have allowed him to sleepwalk to victory for three fucking years.
If Andrea wants to make her job more interesting, all she has to do is start DOING her job.
To be fair, I think she did a fair call on National
– announcing already announced policy (i.e. they’ve got nothing new)
– announcing policy that is mundane and will not address recommendations
– policy announcements that only announce the obvious
Then she called National on it’s plan to do nothing that will rock the boat and rely on riding Key’s popularity back into office.
However, she then goes on to criticise Labour for “focus(ing) on top-10 lists, Mr Key’s integrity and his Hawaiian getaways. What happened to talking about the hard choices?”
But didn’t she just say that National where using Key as their substitute for flagship policy? So wouldn’t you expect the opposition to spend sometime showing that Key is wearing no clothes?
“Despite the pretence that this election is all about austerity and chunky policy, really this campaign has been nothing more than a series of orchestrated and unnatural photo-ops. ”
This is demonstrates the lack of self-awareness that Blue points out. Labour tried to talk about chunky policy and all the media concentrated on was who called who a liar and showing the money.
So Labour presents a list of Key’s failures and what does Patrick Gower do? He ignored the list and concentrated on Goff’s use of the word smug. Seesh!
Is it any wonder that journos are ranked among the bottom-feeder occupations.
It’s Friday and we need a laugh – it may be my weird sense of humour but I like the photo from the Herald this morning. Bith Key and Banks have RED hair!
[lprent: grummphhhh…. I was just thinking that I don’t think that simple bigotry is really a reason to change your vote. Then I remembered Brash’s simple moron level bigotry in Owera One was pretty much the reason for winning an election in 2005. But didn’t you read my post yesterday – the undead have no souls.. So no votes for… ]
The red hair amused me in terms of political colours and was not intended to be derogatory to redheads – have several in my family as well as a brilliant ginga cat who is the most laid back, non-physcho cat I have ever had.
Speaking on behalf of me and my people, when the RWJNs have been through the political re-education camps, we are coming after all who disparage the golden ones.
Chris73 – look over your shoulder – we know were you live 😉
please help. i am a honky and live in the manawatu, rangitikei electorate. i was wandering if i was able to vote for mana party or is that option only for voters on the maori role?
[lprent: I’d suggest that you badly need a civics lesson because you appear to be ignorant of the simple basics of electoral system.
But yes – you can on the party list, and if Mana stand a electorate candidate you can vote for them as well. ]
thanx idlegus, its refreshing to hear a politician articulate what you want heard and its even more surprising to hear it from “a hater and wrecker” from the far north: financial transaction tax, feed the poor children from the defence budget, $15 minimum wage, first $27, 000 tax free.
sounds like stuff you expect from the left.
Two ticks for you, g says. Josie Pagani for the electorate vote, Labour for the party vote. Ok, Mana for the party vote, if you really must! There is a candidates meeting in Feilding on Monday night at the St Johns Ambo Hall, Bowen St. It would be great to have an extra lefty or two there, so please turn up and bring a friend if you can.
More details here (and a photo of a candidate who likes to horse around!):
Seems I’ve hit on Farrar’s soft point. This exchange from yesterday.
“The health consequences of eating junk food are well known – diabetes etc – with massive costs to future health budgets, loss of productivity etc.
Surely it’s a good thing to promote healthy food choices in schools so I don’t understand DPF’s objection. Just doesn’t make sense. Unless of course it’s some sort of projection. Is DPF overweight by any chance?”
[DPF: If you do not know the difference between promote and ban, go get a dictionary. And any more personal swipes at me will get you banned]
Several National and Maori Party MPs have had expensive private bariatric (stomach reduction) surgery that they are lucky enough to be able to afford (on their large MP salaries) because it costs $20,000 -$30,000. This option is only available to a very small number of people in the public system so you have to have private means to get it (ie rich). Being overweight is a genetic, metabolic and pyschological condition, as well as socio- economic as cheaper food tends to be poorer quality, sweeter and fattier – it is not a personal failing.
So it would be sensible to do the preventive thing and make it hard for people with the risk factors to access the triggers such as advertising, cheap junk food etc. So healthy regulations in school canteens is an ideal policy. Why the right are so against such regulations and also against funding bariatric surgery in the public system shows how mean minded and almost vindictive their policies re obesity are.
(And if David F did ever want bariatric surgery it would be no problem for a rich person like him to get it , as there are no waiting lists in NZ for this private surgery).
John Banks has a meltdown, Tim Watkin does the Hokey Pokey
Earlier this week John Key claimed that ACT is “a stable party”.
But as the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words”.
Here is a Three Thousand Word Photo Essay from the Epsom meet the candidates debate hosted in the Somervell Presbyterian Church, Wednesday night.
John Banks and the other candidates will be having a rematch at the Parnell Farmers Market tomorrow, Saturday. Come along with all your friends bring a camera and you may capture some Action Shots of your own from the Epsom campaign trail.
1/ The Awful Truth:
MANA Epsom candidate Pat O’Dea shows the people of Epsom who they are really voting for.
2/ She’s Gonna Blow:
O’Dea leaves Brash’s picture propped against the lectern. The MANA and the Greens Candidate look on grimly as John Banks lays out ACT’s right wing agenda. (National’s Paul Goldsmith can be seen peering around the lectern. Behind Banks, Labour candidate David Parker reclines looking relaxed.)
3/ All Hell breaks loose!
Labour’s David Parker suddenly sits bolt upright in his chair, looking on amazed, as Tim Watkin, pushed aside by Banks in a frenzied attack on the sign, tries to recover his balance.
Behind them John Banks blind with rage bumps into a table as he staggers around the stage frustratedly trying to tear up his leader’s image.
hah the worm has turned and not a sight of the cheeky little chappy telling us which way to vote.
ipredict that national is on the skids.
nik smif should have stuck to analysing landslides instead of nwo becoming one.
hahahahahahaha.
Campbell Live ran a story last night concerning the oil and gas industry in Taranaki. During the show there was a number of industry types talking it up…
Jeez, one poll (Herald Digi this a.m.) and the Gargoyle from Curia Blog hits the big clunky “ooh..scary co-alition!” panic button. Not so long ago Hone Harawira was an acceptable partner for ShonKey in co-alition. Heh. So Farrar is scaremongering, the piece (with suitable late additions) reads like it was ‘prepared earlier’ months ago even. http://tiny.cc/zsubv
Not half mate – and reading the comments all them poor oppressed small businessmen, none of whom ever fiddle taxes or reclaim the GST for everything, will all be rushing off to Australia at the thought of a left sided government.
I’ll happily give them a lift to the airport if we DON’T have a national government.
I figured that a large can at 4/5% could equal 1.3 std drnks, so that math is okay, but I have no idea what beer they’re looking at – per doz it’s probably a loss-leader.
Concerned about private sector debt. Won’t do a thing to seriously try to increase savings or direct investment out of property speculation funded by international loans and into productive investment.
“Labour has spent $16 billion of money they don’t have on the campaign trail.” Key says
Hasn’t this been clearly shown to be a falsehood? How are they still getting away with saying it? Magic numbers. I thought the big headline was $100 million, or $4 Billion or or or and in any case it is all based on a Prefu that doesn’t factor in Italy going belly up…so!!
Well I’ve had three bankers tell me how to vote.
One was Irish and reckoned a nod for the Nats or Act.
Two were Kiwis and they have been solid Green supporters for a long time. Hmmm….
they’re gunna keep coming. Might as well keep them handily reported for people…
hows that business cred John? The lady working at McDs (I think it was) on TV3 last night had more knowledge about how the economics of the minimum wage works that you unless you were deliberately lying to the country to try to scare them into voting your way…
as Brian Fallow says : ” fatuous and self serving”
By telling the McDonalds lady that there would be a bump for the minimum wage next year is meant to show the voters that perhaps there will be $15 because Mr Key said so, sort of. Hooray says the nice lady.
But the bump might be upwards to $13.25 or downwards to say $12. Next year that nice Mr Key could say that he didn’t promise anything. And he didn’t.
Not sure what you watched- I caught a clip of what I thought was her pawning Key and now backed up with an inconvenient report. Will see if the vid is around to link to.@
Apologies about the cut and paste but I like this article very very much:
Currently minimum wage is $13 an hour.National would like to lower it – for some workers to as little as $10.90.
It says putting the minimum wage up, as other parties would, would mean employers would simply shed jobs.
But 3 News has obtained Treasury documents that dispute that.Workers at McDonald’s wanted to place a simple order this election; ‘Do something about our McWages’. If they could have anything, staff say it would be for minimum wage to go up to $15.
Given the chance, McDonald’s employee Mary Liddicoat took her order right to the top.She asked Prime Minister John Key, “Will the minimum wage go up to $15 an hour soon?”.
“It will go up, but it won’t go up straight away,” he responded.That’s a polite ‘no’.
Key has no intention of super-sizing their pay anytime soon. He says it will cost 6000 jobs.
Mary wasn’t buying that.“I can’t see how you would lose that many jobs by taking it up that much,” she said.
The Government’s own officials agree with her.The Department of Labour says the rise will cost 6000 jobs.
But Treasury has a counter view; “This has not been true in the past. The balance of probabilities is that a higher minimum wage does not cost jobs.”
Not all employers are worried about a hike either. Andy Martin runs a pub, employing 26 people in Oamaru.He says put the wage up and people just spend more money – everyone wins.
“$15 is fair,” he says.
So Mary had another request for Key:“Try and live on $450 a week.”
“Look, I think it would be very difficult for anyone to do that,” he said.
______________________________________________________________________________
And another dose of sheesh for inciting racial bluster goes to the Penguin:
in his Herald column/blog thing:
[Harawira] would not trust any Department headed up and/or staffed by Pakeha mofos.”
I thought Goff had ruled out working with Harawira point 1.
Point 2- seemed Hone worked fine in the Maori party arrangement with National.
Point 3- errr…He seems happy with plenty of Pakeha mofos in his party- you know the kind that can remember where they were during the Springbok tour and the kind who are into seriously doing something about the underclass.
It’s a laugh inducing piece that makes you think that the Nats must actually be taking this lot seriously to let their pr guy do this weak a hatchett job.
really? you think Len Brown is more worried about Andy Williams than John Banks or Steve Joyce? And would be worried about a Labour-led government committed to making the Auckland rail work? The possibility of the new savvy Greens with bright young Labour talent such as Jacinda is making me cross my fingers and go out looking for shooting stars. Would be bloody nice.
still at least the political satire exists in NZ. was concerned it was a goner!
Ohhh and you are worried about Tourism- well I’m sure we can find someone- well actually anyone who would front the BBC and not say ” we’re more 100% pure than other countries”
and would be screaming blue murder to get the oil off a tanker before it got anywhere near any of our beaches. Someone who might be able to argue for our 100% campaign from the
basis of a polluter pays ETS.
Talked to Darien earlier this week, she’s really got her finger on the pulse of labour and industrial relations priorities. $15/hr minimum wage is simply a starting point to give ordinary workers a hope at having economic jobs.
First, if you look around the world you see that the big determining factor for interest rates isn’t the level of government debt but whether a government borrows in its own currency. Japan is much more deeply in debt than Italy, but the interest rate on long-term Japanese bonds is only about 1 percent to Italy’s 7 percent. Britain’s fiscal prospects look worse than Spain’s, but Britain can borrow at just a bit over 2 percent, while Spain is paying almost 6 percent.
What has happened, it turns out, is that by going on the euro, Spain and Italy in effect reduced themselves to the status of third-world countries that have to borrow in someone else’s currency, with all the loss of flexibility that implies. In particular, since euro-area countries can’t print money even in an emergency, they’re subject to funding disruptions in a way that nations that kept their own currencies aren’t — and the result is what you see right now.
Of course, if countries were being rational and keeping their own currency they’d be able to just print the money and not pay any interest at all.
No wonder Paula Benefit has been looking rougher than usual lately, TV3 turned up the progress on the Fuller privacy case mediation that had been stalled for about a year. It seems a case against the Minister by the Human Rights Tribunal may proceed. Mr Hesketh from the tribunal did not want the matter reported apparently and Bennett is whinging about the matter being made public.
Hmmm. Not fun is it being outed in public guilty, or innocent.
Who writes these headlines? And could they get any more biased?
The entire article is a carefully crafted to engage sympathy for Whittall, along with a nice sympathetic picture. Can’t have people remembering how Key so closely associated himself with him … not this close to an election.
MANA MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 NOVEMBER 2011
STREET SURVEY WOULD SEE MANA WITH 4 MPs
“The results of a street survey conducted by the NZ Herald confirm what we’ve been hearing on the ground” said MANA Leader Hone Harawira.
“With just over 3% of the party vote, me, Annette Sykes, John Minto and Sue Bradford would become Members of Parliament for MANA.”
Harawira said that was an exciting prospect and showed that MANA was a growing political force in New Zealand politics.
“The NZ Herald survey also highlighted the fact that MANA is being embraced by Pasifika, Pakeha and others struggling to make ends meet” said Harawira
“That reflects the broad base of high quality candidates that we are putting forward (Samoan James Papali’i is ranked sixth) and is clearly appealing to a wide cross-section of society.”
Harawira said that the survey also confirmed another matter that MANA had been pointing out “and that is that landline polls no longer accurately reflect the way people are going to vote – particularly Maori, Pasifika and those on low incomes who overwhelmingly use cell phones these days”
Harawira said that MANA’s key messages were clearly connecting with voters – eradicate poverty, full employment, decent wages, and free education and health.
“And I think people believe in what we say because they know our candidates have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others.”
“Annette has an unparalleled record of fighting for Maori rights in the courts, John is a national icon for his stands against apartheid and racism and Sue has long been a champion for the unemployed” said Harawira.
“I can’t wait for election day” said Harawira.
“The country will be pleasantly surprised when MANA gets into parliament – certainly the poor will be happy to see that they have strong representation from people like Annette, John, and Sue, although I doubt that those parties representing the interests of the rich will be too pleased.
I’m finding this whole ‘regime change’ in Europe more and more distasteful. Economists installed as leaders in Italy and Greece, instead of democratic elections because the ‘markets’ won’t tolerate a delay in changing the government. And how do markets make that happen? By pricing loans at such a level that they’ll take down the countries. The markets lent the money at a price that accounted for risk – they should be taking a haircut but instead are now in complete control.
And for those who think lazy, feckless workers are in part responsible for this mess…
Alas, one would be disappointed, … In 1997 unit labor costs in Italy stood at about eighty percent of those in Germany, and ten years later, they were, well, about eighty percent. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s the ratio actually declined, before returning to slightly above four-fifths.
But, of course, even if Italians were not paid more, they should not have been because they were “doing less work”. Again, the statistics disappoint, because Eurostat (the EU database) reports that in 2009-2011 Italians in full time employment, public and private, worked a lazy average of 38 hours per week, compared to a robust 35.7 for the industrious Germans
@ Rosy: I find the “regime change” business terrifying, along with the hollow rhetoric that serves as justifications: nations “living beyond their means” etc, when the truth is exactly as you say – loans are used to take down countries. The weird thing is these crises are all about how a certain game is played – the world contains roughly the same amount of actual resources after the crisis as it did before. Another weird thing – the crises are largely created by people who do not command armies, just numbers on screens. The loan thing seems to go: we give you lots of nice numbers and in return we take your actual resources and enslave you.
I think the question now is ‘what is the circuit-breaker going to be?’ … and the absolute hypocrisy of the US position on Europe just does my head in. Yeah CV it really does feel like the endgame (sadly, of democracy, not the money men, methinks).
“I’m finding this whole ‘regime change’ in Europe more and more distasteful. Economists installed as leaders in Italy and Greece, instead of democratic elections”
Almost all of my Italian friends are over the moon at the prospect of Berlusconi’s going, but even so, they and I, find the reason disconcerting!
The ousting of Papandreou (sp?) is an order of magnitude dodgier!
For most Italians, the party ended a very long time ago: growth over the past 15 years has been a slovenly 0.75%; unemployment currently stands at 8.3%; the influential Catholic charity Caritas estimates that 8 million Italians are now living in poverty. If the country isn’t yet at rock bottom, it’s hard to think there’s much further to go.
and
Everyone knows that it’s almost impossible to get a job in Italy on merit alone. One needs a raccomandazione, a recommendation or referral. You have to be a figlio di…, a son, or daughter, of some big wig. All of which means there has been an incredible brain-drain from Italy in recent decades: bright youngsters have fled the country looking for a job and a salary that match their skills. If, in tight economic times, performance suddenly becomes more important than who your relations are, some of those emigre brains might book a return ticket.
Brain drain, jobs for siblings and the conected (Shipley, Mervyn English, etc…)
“All of which means there has been an incredible brain-drain from Italy in recent decades: bright youngsters have fled the country looking for a job and a salary that match their skills.”
My first Italian friend in NZ (I met him in 2005) came into this category… (he was my English student). Now he has his own business and considers himself a New Zealander, and has started a family here, to the unhappiness of his parents and parents-in-law, they won’t return.
I just read a Herald column by Farrar (oh, what a nasty man!). I thought he was a Nact official. Why does he have a column in the Herald?
He says “The reason for this is that the level of a benefit is calculated on an after-tax basis. ” – and I have to say, that’s news to me! Why then do we pay taxes on our benefits? (Be assurred that we do.)
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Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
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 ...
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. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
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 ...
Te Pāti Māori has had to adopt a new way of debating, operating and even thinking in Parliament in response to the Government’s “onslaught” against te ao Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.In an end-of-year interview with Newsroom, the Te Tai Hauauru MP reflected on how 2024 has differed from her ...
Opinion: The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science report was announced earlier this month, yet it didn’t get the flurry of media attention and political hand-wringing that typically accompanies these announcements. This might be because it presented good news, or you could argue, no news; the results paint a ...
NewsroomBy Dr Lisa Darragh, Dr Raewyn Eden and Dr David Pomeroy
At long last, The Spinoff shells out for a nut ranking. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.It recently came to The Spinoff’s attention ...
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
Summer reissue: One anxiously attentive passenger pays attention to an in-flight safety video, and wonders ‘Why can’t I pick up my own phone?’ The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...
Summer reissue: Why do those Lange-Douglas years cast such a long shadow 40 years on? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. First published June ...
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The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
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Keep putting the slipper in Phil, the righties may taunt ‘rogue poll’ today but it is getting interesting. ShonKey and Banksie will likely be spending more time together. Vote Banksie get Brash too. Another poll in this direction and Nat candidate withdrawal orders will be issued.
http://tiny.cc/3v61b
Aye Tiger. That cuppa between Key and Banks looks a certainty now.
And on the subject of polls can I express my own theory on their accuracy. There is an inherent bias in them. For instance out west I know far too many poor people without landlines who are never asked for their opinion.
The results tend to be close to the poll results because Labour people unfortunately are less inclined to vote. But a good turnout will change this around.
Labour has a very effective turnout capability. For instance in the Botany by election the turnout in the Labour area was 83% of the turnout at the previous general election. In the National area it was only 53%.
But it is going to take a lot of work. So onward brothers and sisters!
Looks like NZ’s about to get it’s very own “Tea Party”.
No doubt the Mad Hatter Don will be kept well away from the cameras – don’t want to scare the horses.
Mickey, you must remember a few elections ago Mike Williams was asked at 9.30 on election night (by the trained performing seals who call themselves political commentators) “was he ready to concede a National victory”?
Williams reply was that “the South and West Auckland returns would come in later, and that Labour would win…”.
He was spot on, Labour squeaked it. If Manukau, Henderson, Porirua, East Christchurch etc turn out Labour will have enough this time. That is the challenge.
I remember it like it was yesterday Bored.
I was initially confident but became quite despondent when the nats were 10 points ahead at about 9:10 pm. I was with David Cunliffe and suggested that he start to give a concession speech for assembled activists. He started talking and thankfully it was a long speech. Part way through I can recall the sudden bump as the big urban booths. Managed through hand signals to stop David from conceding the election!
Last election I again waited for the bump but it never came. Looking at the booth results afterwards the causes were clear. In the three South Auckland Labour strongholds 15,000 Labour voters just did not turn up. If they turn up this time then Labour will have a chance.
’05? I was at the Chch combined electorates do that night. At 9pm it was pretty downbeat, around 9.30 the MP’s started to arrive, all happy that they had retained their seats, but still a bit down. Sometime after 10, the party vote for Labour crept passed the Nat’s total and we started to understand that Peter Dunne’s foolish boast that he would back the majority party meant we were in with a chance. By 11, the joint was rocking!
Rogue poll, indeed, TM. The cuppa will be today, on the back of this poll result. Key now knows he needs mates for sure. The interesting thing will be the response in Epsom; do the locals take the hint or do they tell Banksie to do one instead. And isn’t it nice to see ACT totally reliant on the rich man’s charity? Apt or what?
Time for that nice little story about Banks to come out methinks, just after this cup of tea con job. Every Labour/Green voter in Epsom should be voting for Goldsmith as well. Democratic principles obviously don’t matter squat in that ‘rotten borough’.
Perhaps Parker should announce that he’d like to have a beer and a chat with Goldsmith?
Excellent suggestion.
Polls will become clearer nearer election day… …yeah right.
Look I don’t believe for one moment that everyone has made
up their mind, and so we know that those who have are
favoring Key, what’s the puzzle, people who are ideologically
delude do that as a rule. People who however are open minded
are likely to be progressive and leave it to the last moment.
Also money talks, so polls are brought by the rich to give
the voter block that sees election as a game, that they just
want to vote for the winner the nudge to vote National.
But when middle class affluent people like a CGT, they
are hurting form the debt crisis, they know asset sales
are stupid, then we have to wonder about why the polls
are so out of wack, well if more people are undecided
then polls will obvious pick up core supporter not
swing voters.
And remember Key polls dropped 8%?? on election day.
So get the vote out, remind people to vote Green on
the party and Labour in the constituency.
Streuth cobbers if we had a real MSM shonkey and blinglish would still be getting hammered over the dodgiest budget ever produced on top of double dipton, those transrail eyes, beemers, mirror mirror trusts have it all, let alone all the deliberate lies back in 08 to get elected as the hollowmen has shown.
The arrogance and deception may just cost him more than the back room have calculated already….time will tell.
Yep using an Aussie Merchant Bank to help with the sale of shares, supposedly to Kiwi mums and dads is not a good look.
And in other breaking news Treasury does not believe that a raise in the minimum wage will cost jobs.
Another lie is debunked.
And if you needed further proof of the bullshit that on-line instant polls are, then this is it, and the Herald of all papers has exposed it. AT LAST. MULTI voting exposed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10765210
Strange though that the Herald cannot miss a chance to reveal that some votes (2) came from within parliament, and guess which party is identified as having received them. Clue, it is not their beloved National.
Time these on-line polls were outlawed.
Aha! Interesting! While the NZH couldn’t resist a swipe at Labour/Goff, surely the more interesting revelation is the number of repeat votes for Paula Benefit & Nikki Kaye, from outside parliament. This indicates how the astroturfers roll with such polls. PB had the highest number of repeat votes and Ardern had many more “genuine” votes than Kaye.
But more interesting, I think Deborah Coddington and DF have been… what’s the Interwebz jargon? p*ned?
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/what-did-you-do-in-the-2011-campaign-grandad
They were outraged that a journalism school would be producing such a tabloidish poll:
But it turns out the poll was set up:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10765210
Great info for those of us who have always been suspicious of such polls on news websites, especially has they mostly seem to lean to the right.
Or at least put on a bloody big disclaimer saying “this is just for fun and can be sabotaged by idiots”
Ha ha, thanks Carol – the DPF shrieky piece is here http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/11/the_which_mp_would_you_go_to_bed_with_poll.html
Love how they righteously boot into Jim Blackman – he’s a good teacher and this is sort of stuff I’d expect from him. Fun.
Testing new cache system on the live system.
Biggest problem appears to be the Comment/Opinion tab area when people are not logged in.. Why didn’t I see that while testing..
Only happens on some pages depending on how they got cached. I really just need to get rid of the JQuery for that.
Turned off the page caching for the moment which will fix that issue. Weekend job.
Sue Moroney spoke very well re. education on the Breakfast show, and even Corrin Dann made a point of saying ‘yet again the government have not fronted up’.
This, to me, says two things
1) They have no faith in any of their policies (if they actually have any), their Ministers, or they are scared of being shown up, and
2) They are totally reliant on their figurehead getting them home.
The more that can be made of their refusal to discuss issues and the more that actual, sound policy can be communicated, the better.
Shaking my head over this article on Stuff this morning: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/5947120/Whos-taking-the-gloss-off-the-campaign
I love how political journalists can moan about this stuff without a hint of self-awareness. It’s their fault that the campaign is boring and that John Key doesn’t need to bother trying.
They’re the ones who have allowed him to sleepwalk to victory for three fucking years.
If Andrea wants to make her job more interesting, all she has to do is start DOING her job.
I’m not sure if the journos know what their job is never mind knowing how to do it.
To be fair, I think she did a fair call on National
– announcing already announced policy (i.e. they’ve got nothing new)
– announcing policy that is mundane and will not address recommendations
– policy announcements that only announce the obvious
Then she called National on it’s plan to do nothing that will rock the boat and rely on riding Key’s popularity back into office.
However, she then goes on to criticise Labour for “focus(ing) on top-10 lists, Mr Key’s integrity and his Hawaiian getaways. What happened to talking about the hard choices?”
But didn’t she just say that National where using Key as their substitute for flagship policy? So wouldn’t you expect the opposition to spend sometime showing that Key is wearing no clothes?
“Despite the pretence that this election is all about austerity and chunky policy, really this campaign has been nothing more than a series of orchestrated and unnatural photo-ops. ”
This is demonstrates the lack of self-awareness that Blue points out. Labour tried to talk about chunky policy and all the media concentrated on was who called who a liar and showing the money.
So Labour presents a list of Key’s failures and what does Patrick Gower do? He ignored the list and concentrated on Goff’s use of the word smug. Seesh!
Is it any wonder that journos are ranked among the bottom-feeder occupations.
It’s Friday and we need a laugh – it may be my weird sense of humour but I like the photo from the Herald this morning. Bith Key and Banks have RED hair!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10765220#
And they’re blushing… as they should.
Gingas have no soul, I may have to change my vote
[lprent: grummphhhh…. I was just thinking that I don’t think that simple bigotry is really a reason to change your vote. Then I remembered Brash’s simple moron level bigotry in Owera One was pretty much the reason for winning an election in 2005. But didn’t you read my post yesterday – the undead have no souls.. So no votes for… ]
Gingas can be turned by a high-level cleric or Paladin though I would class them more of an imp than undead
The red hair amused me in terms of political colours and was not intended to be derogatory to redheads – have several in my family as well as a brilliant ginga cat who is the most laid back, non-physcho cat I have ever had.
I’m sorry you have Gingas in your family, you have my condolences.
Speaking on behalf of me and my people, when the RWJNs have been through the political re-education camps, we are coming after all who disparage the golden ones.
Chris73 – look over your shoulder – we know were you live 😉
“Know your enemy”
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Ginger
please help. i am a honky and live in the manawatu, rangitikei electorate. i was wandering if i was able to vote for mana party or is that option only for voters on the maori role?
[lprent: I’d suggest that you badly need a civics lesson because you appear to be ignorant of the simple basics of electoral system.
But yes – you can on the party list, and if Mana stand a electorate candidate you can vote for them as well. ]
nope, mana & for everyone, they have my party vote (im pakeha etc) down here in south dunedin.
thanx idlegus, its refreshing to hear a politician articulate what you want heard and its even more surprising to hear it from “a hater and wrecker” from the far north: financial transaction tax, feed the poor children from the defence budget, $15 minimum wage, first $27, 000 tax free.
sounds like stuff you expect from the left.
Two ticks for you, g says. Josie Pagani for the electorate vote, Labour for the party vote. Ok, Mana for the party vote, if you really must! There is a candidates meeting in Feilding on Monday night at the St Johns Ambo Hall, Bowen St. It would be great to have an extra lefty or two there, so please turn up and bring a friend if you can.
More details here (and a photo of a candidate who likes to horse around!):
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/feilding-herald/5943277/Candidates-hit-election-trail/
Seems I’ve hit on Farrar’s soft point. This exchange from yesterday.
“The health consequences of eating junk food are well known – diabetes etc – with massive costs to future health budgets, loss of productivity etc.
Surely it’s a good thing to promote healthy food choices in schools so I don’t understand DPF’s objection. Just doesn’t make sense. Unless of course it’s some sort of projection. Is DPF overweight by any chance?”
[DPF: If you do not know the difference between promote and ban, go get a dictionary. And any more personal swipes at me will get you banned]
Several National and Maori Party MPs have had expensive private bariatric (stomach reduction) surgery that they are lucky enough to be able to afford (on their large MP salaries) because it costs $20,000 -$30,000. This option is only available to a very small number of people in the public system so you have to have private means to get it (ie rich). Being overweight is a genetic, metabolic and pyschological condition, as well as socio- economic as cheaper food tends to be poorer quality, sweeter and fattier – it is not a personal failing.
So it would be sensible to do the preventive thing and make it hard for people with the risk factors to access the triggers such as advertising, cheap junk food etc. So healthy regulations in school canteens is an ideal policy. Why the right are so against such regulations and also against funding bariatric surgery in the public system shows how mean minded and almost vindictive their policies re obesity are.
(And if David F did ever want bariatric surgery it would be no problem for a rich person like him to get it , as there are no waiting lists in NZ for this private surgery).
John Banks has a meltdown, Tim Watkin does the Hokey Pokey
Earlier this week John Key claimed that ACT is “a stable party”.
But as the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words”.
Here is a Three Thousand Word Photo Essay from the Epsom meet the candidates debate hosted in the Somervell Presbyterian Church, Wednesday night.
John Banks and the other candidates will be having a rematch at the Parnell Farmers Market tomorrow, Saturday. Come along with all your friends bring a camera and you may capture some Action Shots of your own from the Epsom campaign trail.
1/ The Awful Truth:
MANA Epsom candidate Pat O’Dea shows the people of Epsom who they are really voting for.
file:///private/var/tmp/folders.501/TemporaryItems/com.apple.mail.drag-T0x230a510.tmp.O80r2S/P1080285BanksBrash.JPG
2/ She’s Gonna Blow:
O’Dea leaves Brash’s picture propped against the lectern. The MANA and the Greens Candidate look on grimly as John Banks lays out ACT’s right wing agenda. (National’s Paul Goldsmith can be seen peering around the lectern. Behind Banks, Labour candidate David Parker reclines looking relaxed.)
file:///private/var/tmp/folders.501/TemporaryItems/com.apple.mail.drag-
T0x230a510.tmp.Ff7z9S/P1080311BanksBrash.JPG
3/ All Hell breaks loose!
Labour’s David Parker suddenly sits bolt upright in his chair, looking on amazed, as Tim Watkin, pushed aside by Banks in a frenzied attack on the sign, tries to recover his balance.
Behind them John Banks blind with rage bumps into a table as he staggers around the stage frustratedly trying to tear up his leader’s image.
file:///private/var/tmp/folders.501/TemporaryItems/com.apple.mail.drag-T0x230a510.tmp.8bGFTa/P1080325BanksHidingBrash.JPG
Fortunately, the Don Brash picture had been laminated against such attacks.
But who knew John Banks would be the one to try?
You have to wonder whether Banks had one too many pre event whiskys to calm his nerves?
There’s a problem with the links, Jenny, they’re not a complete address.
They’re complete address – to her HDD.
I am sure Cameron Slater could access them, seeing he is a hacker of (ill)repute
hah the worm has turned and not a sight of the cheeky little chappy telling us which way to vote.
ipredict that national is on the skids.
nik smif should have stuck to analysing landslides instead of nwo becoming one.
hahahahahahaha.
Tar Sands pipeline to go back for reassessment in Congress, Bill MiKibben, Naiomi Klein et al, thank you!
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/big-news-won-won/
Oil and Gas Spin
Campbell Live ran a story last night concerning the oil and gas industry in Taranaki. During the show there was a number of industry types talking it up…
Jeez, one poll (Herald Digi this a.m.) and the Gargoyle from Curia Blog hits the big clunky “ooh..scary co-alition!” panic button. Not so long ago Hone Harawira was an acceptable partner for ShonKey in co-alition. Heh. So Farrar is scaremongering, the piece (with suitable late additions) reads like it was ‘prepared earlier’ months ago even.
http://tiny.cc/zsubv
Not half mate – and reading the comments all them poor oppressed small businessmen, none of whom ever fiddle taxes or reclaim the GST for everything, will all be rushing off to Australia at the thought of a left sided government.
I’ll happily give them a lift to the airport if we DON’T have a national government.
Left-sided? Sounds sinister!
Just had a chat with Sam Lotu-iiga in the kebab shop. What a nice man.
This is interesting…
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Beer-Price-Increase.jpg
Not really.
Nice to see what toryboys think will terrify voters, though. Says more about them than it does NZ.
I don’t actually disagree with it myself but its interesting what can go unnoticed
Proves the maths incompetency of RWNJs. 2×12=$24 not $32.
“Standard Drink” not “can”.
I figured that a large can at 4/5% could equal 1.3 std drnks, so that math is okay, but I have no idea what beer they’re looking at – per doz it’s probably a loss-leader.
I thought the 330ml @4% alcohol, as pictured, was the standard drink.
lol you’re right!
I saw the cans and they looked like the 440ml. Didn’t even see the alc/vol.
So that’s 16 cans for $32. And the current price is less than 90c ea.
Does anyone sell beer at $10/doz any more? Even the shite stuff?
Dunno how much is Ranfurly going for these days lol
If you’re serious, crates of DB are the way to go.
Fuck I hate this lying prick:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10765329
Concerned about private sector debt. Won’t do a thing to seriously try to increase savings or direct investment out of property speculation funded by international loans and into productive investment.
“Labour has spent $16 billion of money they don’t have on the campaign trail.” Key says
Hasn’t this been clearly shown to be a falsehood? How are they still getting away with saying it? Magic numbers. I thought the big headline was $100 million, or $4 Billion or or or and in any case it is all based on a Prefu that doesn’t factor in Italy going belly up…so!!
Well I’ve had three bankers tell me how to vote.
One was Irish and reckoned a nod for the Nats or Act.
Two were Kiwis and they have been solid Green supporters for a long time. Hmmm….
Key’s just ensorsed Banks….release the hounds, let’s see who got fleas.
Can we have a lie ometer?
Here’s an even bigger porky debunked: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5950736/Key-sat-on-wage-report
they’re gunna keep coming. Might as well keep them handily reported for people…
hows that business cred John? The lady working at McDs (I think it was) on TV3 last night had more knowledge about how the economics of the minimum wage works that you unless you were deliberately lying to the country to try to scare them into voting your way…
as Brian Fallow says : ” fatuous and self serving”
By telling the McDonalds lady that there would be a bump for the minimum wage next year is meant to show the voters that perhaps there will be $15 because Mr Key said so, sort of. Hooray says the nice lady.
But the bump might be upwards to $13.25 or downwards to say $12. Next year that nice Mr Key could say that he didn’t promise anything. And he didn’t.
Not sure what you watched- I caught a clip of what I thought was her pawning Key and now backed up with an inconvenient report. Will see if the vid is around to link to.@
Right here Mary of McDonalds pawns Key in the Patrick Gower piece:http://www.3news.co.nz/Raising-minimum-wage-wont-cost-jobs—Treasury/tabid/419/articleID/232338/Default.aspx
Apologies about the cut and paste but I like this article very very much:
Currently minimum wage is $13 an hour.National would like to lower it – for some workers to as little as $10.90.
It says putting the minimum wage up, as other parties would, would mean employers would simply shed jobs.
But 3 News has obtained Treasury documents that dispute that.Workers at McDonald’s wanted to place a simple order this election; ‘Do something about our McWages’. If they could have anything, staff say it would be for minimum wage to go up to $15.
Given the chance, McDonald’s employee Mary Liddicoat took her order right to the top.She asked Prime Minister John Key, “Will the minimum wage go up to $15 an hour soon?”.
“It will go up, but it won’t go up straight away,” he responded.That’s a polite ‘no’.
Key has no intention of super-sizing their pay anytime soon. He says it will cost 6000 jobs.
Mary wasn’t buying that.“I can’t see how you would lose that many jobs by taking it up that much,” she said.
The Government’s own officials agree with her.The Department of Labour says the rise will cost 6000 jobs.
But Treasury has a counter view; “This has not been true in the past. The balance of probabilities is that a higher minimum wage does not cost jobs.”
Not all employers are worried about a hike either. Andy Martin runs a pub, employing 26 people in Oamaru.He says put the wage up and people just spend more money – everyone wins.
“$15 is fair,” he says.
So Mary had another request for Key:“Try and live on $450 a week.”
“Look, I think it would be very difficult for anyone to do that,” he said.
______________________________________________________________________________
I thought 16 and 17 year olds were going to $10.40/hr under National.
John Key needs wages being kept low for folks so as to keep them aspirational.
And another dose of sheesh for inciting racial bluster goes to the Penguin:
in his Herald column/blog thing:
[Harawira] would not trust any Department headed up and/or staffed by Pakeha mofos.”
I thought Goff had ruled out working with Harawira point 1.
Point 2- seemed Hone worked fine in the Maori party arrangement with National.
Point 3- errr…He seems happy with plenty of Pakeha mofos in his party- you know the kind that can remember where they were during the Springbok tour and the kind who are into seriously doing something about the underclass.
It’s a laugh inducing piece that makes you think that the Nats must actually be taking this lot seriously to let their pr guy do this weak a hatchett job.
really? you think Len Brown is more worried about Andy Williams than John Banks or Steve Joyce? And would be worried about a Labour-led government committed to making the Auckland rail work? The possibility of the new savvy Greens with bright young Labour talent such as Jacinda is making me cross my fingers and go out looking for shooting stars. Would be bloody nice.
still at least the political satire exists in NZ. was concerned it was a goner!
Nice try buddy!
and Darien Fenton is the Labour shadow cabinet minister for Labour. Worth ten of Wilkinson, and a really nice woman.
Actually the whole thing just needs a fact check, it’s full of baloney.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10765272
Ohhh and you are worried about Tourism- well I’m sure we can find someone- well actually anyone who would front the BBC and not say ” we’re more 100% pure than other countries”
and would be screaming blue murder to get the oil off a tanker before it got anywhere near any of our beaches. Someone who might be able to argue for our 100% campaign from the
basis of a polluter pays ETS.
“Darien Fenton, a real nice women” , wow, really.
Yes and very competent Rob.
Talked to Darien earlier this week, she’s really got her finger on the pulse of labour and industrial relations priorities. $15/hr minimum wage is simply a starting point to give ordinary workers a hope at having economic jobs.
Labour is lucky to have her.
I haven’t decided my vote, but calibre MPs like her throughout the team and new blood like Jacinda Ardern certainly are attractions of the party.
Darien is likeable. And authentic. Unlike the cardboard National politicians.
Yes really, A fantastic women, competent and really hard working in my experience.
and totally trustworthy.
Pike River boss Peter Peter Whittall has revealed he’s among those charged in relation to the blast which killed 29 people at the Pike River mine
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10765373
Legends of the Fail
Of course, if countries were being rational and keeping their own currency they’d be able to just print the money and not pay any interest at all.
No wonder Paula Benefit has been looking rougher than usual lately, TV3 turned up the progress on the Fuller privacy case mediation that had been stalled for about a year. It seems a case against the Minister by the Human Rights Tribunal may proceed. Mr Hesketh from the tribunal did not want the matter reported apparently and Bennett is whinging about the matter being made public.
Hmmm. Not fun is it being outed in public guilty, or innocent.
Hmmm. Not fun is it being outed in public guilty, or innocent.
guilty as they come!
Who writes these headlines? And could they get any more biased?
The entire article is a carefully crafted to engage sympathy for Whittall, along with a nice sympathetic picture. Can’t have people remembering how Key so closely associated himself with him … not this close to an election.
MANA MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 NOVEMBER 2011
STREET SURVEY WOULD SEE MANA WITH 4 MPs
“The results of a street survey conducted by the NZ Herald confirm what we’ve been hearing on the ground” said MANA Leader Hone Harawira.
“With just over 3% of the party vote, me, Annette Sykes, John Minto and Sue Bradford would become Members of Parliament for MANA.”
Harawira said that was an exciting prospect and showed that MANA was a growing political force in New Zealand politics.
“The NZ Herald survey also highlighted the fact that MANA is being embraced by Pasifika, Pakeha and others struggling to make ends meet” said Harawira
“That reflects the broad base of high quality candidates that we are putting forward (Samoan James Papali’i is ranked sixth) and is clearly appealing to a wide cross-section of society.”
Harawira said that the survey also confirmed another matter that MANA had been pointing out “and that is that landline polls no longer accurately reflect the way people are going to vote – particularly Maori, Pasifika and those on low incomes who overwhelmingly use cell phones these days”
Harawira said that MANA’s key messages were clearly connecting with voters – eradicate poverty, full employment, decent wages, and free education and health.
“And I think people believe in what we say because they know our candidates have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others.”
“Annette has an unparalleled record of fighting for Maori rights in the courts, John is a national icon for his stands against apartheid and racism and Sue has long been a champion for the unemployed” said Harawira.
“I can’t wait for election day” said Harawira.
“The country will be pleasantly surprised when MANA gets into parliament – certainly the poor will be happy to see that they have strong representation from people like Annette, John, and Sue, although I doubt that those parties representing the interests of the rich will be too pleased.
Hone Harawira
Media Liaison: Peter Verschaffelt
Email media@mana.net.nz Web http://mana.net.nz
who saw kwee wee and binky having a cup of tea in epsom. looked more like horse pee to me.
I’m finding this whole ‘regime change’ in Europe more and more distasteful. Economists installed as leaders in Italy and Greece, instead of democratic elections because the ‘markets’ won’t tolerate a delay in changing the government. And how do markets make that happen? By pricing loans at such a level that they’ll take down the countries. The markets lent the money at a price that accounted for risk – they should be taking a haircut but instead are now in complete control.
And for those who think lazy, feckless workers are in part responsible for this mess…
… but they’ll be the ones paying the price.
Such is the end game of the Global Bankster Occupation of Formerly Democratic Sovereign Nations.
@ Rosy: I find the “regime change” business terrifying, along with the hollow rhetoric that serves as justifications: nations “living beyond their means” etc, when the truth is exactly as you say – loans are used to take down countries. The weird thing is these crises are all about how a certain game is played – the world contains roughly the same amount of actual resources after the crisis as it did before. Another weird thing – the crises are largely created by people who do not command armies, just numbers on screens. The loan thing seems to go: we give you lots of nice numbers and in return we take your actual resources and enslave you.
QFT
Capitalism is nothing but legalised theft.
The link for the quote:
http://www.social-europe.eu/2011/11/breaking-news-the-working-class-caused-the-italian-crisis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+social-europe%2FwmyH+%28Social+Europe+Journal%29
I think the question now is ‘what is the circuit-breaker going to be?’ … and the absolute hypocrisy of the US position on Europe just does my head in. Yeah CV it really does feel like the endgame (sadly, of democracy, not the money men, methinks).
“I’m finding this whole ‘regime change’ in Europe more and more distasteful. Economists installed as leaders in Italy and Greece, instead of democratic elections”
Almost all of my Italian friends are over the moon at the prospect of Berlusconi’s going, but even so, they and I, find the reason disconcerting!
The ousting of Papandreou (sp?) is an order of magnitude dodgier!
Spot the similarities
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/10/berlusconi-exit-italy)
and
Brain drain, jobs for siblings and the conected (Shipley, Mervyn English, etc…)
“All of which means there has been an incredible brain-drain from Italy in recent decades: bright youngsters have fled the country looking for a job and a salary that match their skills.”
My first Italian friend in NZ (I met him in 2005) came into this category… (he was my English student). Now he has his own business and considers himself a New Zealander, and has started a family here, to the unhappiness of his parents and parents-in-law, they won’t return.
I just read a Herald column by Farrar (oh, what a nasty man!). I thought he was a Nact official. Why does he have a column in the Herald?
He says “The reason for this is that the level of a benefit is calculated on an after-tax basis. ” – and I have to say, that’s news to me! Why then do we pay taxes on our benefits? (Be assurred that we do.)
British Government invests £500M to bomb Libya back to the stone age; British corporates to get £300B in contracts to rebuild the country
Excellent investment all round lads. Great way to indebt the people and suck Libya’s oil wealth dry.