On a previous thread about Maori language I commented that naming Ministries Maori names provided some issues for me (but was keen to point out I realize the world doesn’t revolve around me). In the current climate if seems if people query the use of Maori language they are often branded racist.
indded there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
so my real life example was last night, late at night, I went to hospital as an elderly relative was there unexpectedly. They were in a special unit waiting for a bed. The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise. I was running around outside in the dark and then inside trying to find it, trying to remember that name when I came across the late staff in the corridors.
I was a little frantic and would have appreciated a simple name (maybe a colour) to help me locate where I needed to be. I will likely not need to know this name again (hopefully).
I don't believe people should lose their jobs for saying casual racist things on their own sm account.
I also think it's ok to name racism when we see it.
The issue you had with the hospital, I've had that in other contexts with names in English. We used to have Southland Regional Council, Canterbury Regional Council etc and then many rebranded and it's hard to know what an organisation is by its name. This is stupid imo, and serves as a barrier to public engagement, much language is now designed for in house.
However with regards to te reo Māori, imagine what its like for people in hospitals for whom English is a second language, or for whom medical language is not easily understood. Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate? To my mind, the need to save te reo is a high priority, and we are all going through a period of change and some of that will be hard. The solution to not getting Māori names isn't to remove the names but to increase literacy across the population.
(it would make sense at this point in time to use both English and Māori in places like a hospital).
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
But we can also ignore this polite nonsense of putting both languages up and just use the one currently in favor, and thus ignoring the vast majority that do not speak the language at all and have no link to it – including many people who self identify as Maori, have no cultural claim to this language, might not be able to learn a foreign language easily, just to name a few issues around learning a foreign language specially as adults.
Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate?
Well it should be about ease of access for everyone. I doubt there is anyone in NZ who only speaks Maori. New arrivals who speak little English will likely find learning Maori and English a tall order.
"I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate".
I don't want to dominate anyone. I was telling an anecdote, largely because someone got sacked from their job for saying they are sick of seeing Maori everywhere, including hospitals. After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
In honouring the Treaty then all signs should be in English and Te Reo.
In the middle or rather very late at night in the dark and the cold and then in empty corridors, I thought make it as simple as possible. I have since heard other parts of the hospital are colour coded and it would have been good if their part was as well.
ease of access in hospitals isn't just about the signage. It's also about culture. Hospitals are generally run along Pākehā lines. That has negative impacts on Māori.
You can not want to dominate, but most Pākehā find the system suits them and don't understand why it not might suit Māori. That's a Pākehā dominated system whether you are part of it or not.
After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
Yes, but you also appear to be advocating for the segregation of Māori culture rather than the integration, and for Pākehā culture to remain dominant.
If you have problems with word recognition, particularly of Maori words, then perhaps try a work around.
If I had been looking for an unfamiliar place/word I would have written the word down and showed someone to ask them for directions. I always carry a pen and paper in my purse. Or looked for that name whenever I came to a sign board. Or taken a picture on my phone. This means that in looking at it you are refreshing yourself of the word and may remember it for future reference.
Seeing as this is an ongoing problem, instead of just having a random piece of paper you could carry a small hardcovered notebook and enter the word there. Use it to find the directions then when you get home look it up online for meaning and enter the meaning against the word.
By not accepting and doing you are really perpetuating the problem you have and not giving yourself the best chance to get around it/learn.
When travelling many people write things down/carry images on their phones to ask for directions.
Also when language learning travelling the hard covered book was what I used, I used to write local idiom to check meaning later.
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
The hospitals I have been in usually have a name/ward number/colour code and colour lines in the corridors.
Happy language learning. I am sure you will get better and better as you follow a language learning approach.
Thanks for the suggestion is all that was required.
It was well meant and has worked for me and many others in becoming familiar with language. I have learned French and German and the suggestion helped me tremendously to get to be comfortable in the surroundings. As it worked for me I suggested that it might work for you. I have also had flatmates from the UK & USA who have used this to note down NZ idiom that they did not understand.
If you wish to persist in a stubborn sort of denial that we have a three language system then I guess that is up to you.
I for one am tired of the complaints when you have one great advantage that many of us don't and that is a partner/spouse who is Maori and who would lovingly work with you if you wanted to lessen this fear you have. As my Maori husband did when we were married.
Is there nothing you feel you can do, other than having the state pay for language lessons that would make it more comfortable for you.
PS I have always found that in times of stress writing directions etc is a godsend
PPS I was not suggesting carrying a dictionary but a wee notebook. Surely you would have written the name of the place down?
Which you can choose not to do, but you then can't turn around and complain about not being able to understand common Māori words in mainstream usage.
If the state wanted me to, they should have provided it at school (as I have previously advocated for)
Pretty hard for the government to enact policy retrospectively. I would love to have learned te reo at school. I was a child of the 70s, a time when Māori were having to occupy ancestral land or go on land marches to get the state to take them seriously. Māori worked long and hard to save te reo and bring it back and it's still a battle.
Had the state not practiced institutional racism for 150 years, we'd all be bilingual. I'm not sure how you think teaching te reo at school will work if people then don't use the language in everyday life eg hospitals, government departments, TV.
The following are purely rhetorical questions that don’t need to be answered but could be pondered, if you wish.
Did you learn at school how to use a computer or mobile phone and to navigate the internet? If no, when, where and why did you learn these skills?
Did you choose any non-compulsory subjects at school? If yes, why?
Did you learn any other different new skills and stuff after you finished school? If yes, why?
Is school the (only?) place where you should be taught useful skills?
Do you do always and everything the state ‘wants’ from you and nothing and never it does not ‘want’ from you? Or only when it suits you?
Hospitals are confusing places. Medical emergencies are scary and stressful events. A trivial issue with the name of the unit, which could have been in any language, exacerbated and coloured your overall negative experience.
NZ should follow Canada's example and have English and Maori names for departments side by side as they do with English and French.
If a govt department makes a press release or statement in English they immediately make one one in french.
We should do that with English and Maori.
It solves every issue.
Its insane that there's no "/" after a govt department with a Maori name, it causes loads of problems and resentment and really seems to piss off the million odd first generation immigrants who speak English as a second language.
Hopefully National changes govt departments to English name/Maori name or Maori name/English name when they get elected in October or in 2026.
there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
Without seeing the FB post, it sounds like an employee of a food company criticised another food company in public. I am guessing they did not have authority to do so as part of their job. Their employment contract may have had a standard clause about not bringing the company into disrepute.
The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise.
Hospitals regularly use names like Oncology or Othopaedics (rather than cancer and bones). Not in English either. Nobody has consulted me about that, yet I am not upset or afraid.
He was brought in to lead the war in Ukraine and target civilians with the levels of brutality he used in Syria. He failed, Ukraine remains standing and grows stronger by the day.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same "
Sad about the British volunteer though .Clearly a good guy with the best motivations. May be Bagshaw, may be Parry, both passports found on body Originally I found this on your site, can't locate it , but its here on Arab news
The Turkish government has elections coming up this year. And most parties are running with a policy of sending Syrian refugees home.
Erdogan is seeking a Turkish military occupation 30 miles into Syria all along the border, including Kurdish areas. And intends to send refuges there (ethnic cleansing of Kurds/replacement with Arabs from part of their homeland in the NE of Syria). He will allow Sweden and Finland into NATO if he is allowed to do this.
PS A subplot, why Turkey is backing the Tripoli faction in Libya.
"The fossil energy we lever, magnifies our labour hundreds of times (try pushing your car home, or doing the work of a 12-ton digger with your shovel). So we irrupted; exponentially increased our population and exponentially increased our collection of energy-requiring infrastructure. The problem was as predictable as the results of overstocking a paddock are; we have overshot. There is not enough stored solar energy, to maintain the current level of activity. Nor, ultimately, to maintain the current human population.
Looking ahead, an equilibrium will be reached, with or without without our help. We would be better landing that plane as gently as possible, rather than waiting for it to crash."
"There are not enough real-time solar acres to support as many humans as there are now, doing as much as they are currently doing. Mentioning ‘money’, or the word ‘financial’ (an apparent default-setting for Ryan?) is pointless in the face of that dilemma – which is entirely a question of energy-physics. Even biology is a subsequent topic; life depends on energy; energy doesn not depend on life. And money is so distantly-subsequent as to be a complete red herring."
As the latest announcements about resource shortages continue in our media it may be time to reflect on the real causes and ultimate outcomes.
When we have been operating at maximum capacity to maintain current consumption it dosnt take much to create specific shortages…as MG notes it is a feature of overshoot.
I want to also record the loss to music of Seamus Begley from West Kerry, singer and accordion player of Irish music who died on Tuesday aged 73. He visited NZ on tour and was top rate, with "the voice of an angel" according to Mary Black. He was good enough to get a eulogy from the Irish President.
He carried forward the music, language and culture of Ireland, with strong ties to family and the land. Those attributes are also what we prize in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
“ NZ anti-government groups on the far Right use Trump/Bannon rhetoric to denounce not only the current government but also the NZ “Deep State.” This was amply seen during the parliament protests, occupation and riot early last year. Platforms like Counterspin and VFF reportedly have funding support from Bannon’s media conglomerate, with people listed as his correspondents misusing press credentials to get close to the Prime Minister in order to harangue her. (The security implications of this are serious and need to be addressed as a priority by those responsible for her protection).”
Interesting shift. Tracks with how people feel about trans-identified males in women's toilets too. Once people realise what it means there is significantly less support.
What's important to understand about the UK in that time is that there's been a huge increase in public coverage of the issues especially in the past few years.
wtf. You’d think the Windsors would have better PR advisors now, on things like how not to talk about your mother’s lips and your penis in the same paragraph.
Guy's mental health issues appear to be even worse than we'd previously thought.
How the desperation for $$$ can lead to self-destructive behaviour (as we see in plenty of other celebrities).
It’s easy to swallow what conservative media tells you.
Harry seems perfectly capable and coherent, decisive and driven. These are not ready indicators for someone with mental health issues.
Some people are poor readers (in this case listeners) and don't immediately comprehend intent. It's clear to me anyway Harry is doing what writers do, using literary devices to create interest. Irony and juxtaposition, yes, Freudian, certainly, but a nightmare? Not unless you are a prig stuck in the 19th century.
Framing him as not sound is a deliberate strategy by conservative media to feed to nationalist Brits.
It was inevitable his detractors would use the mental health label. Its an old trick coming from the 'powers that be' and their media lackeys in particular who want someone discredited because the truth does not show them in a good light.
An example is the claim he accused his stepmother (Camilla) of being a villain. My take from the excerpt I saw is that… during the period between his parents' breakup and his father's remarriage, Camilla was regarded as the villain in the piece. That was indeed the case.
He did get a few things wrong but who hasn't in the course of a lifetime. The airline ticket for Meghan's father's booking from Mexico to the UK (which he never took up) was not Air NZ. They have never flown that route.
Good on him for telling his side of the story. He was more than entitled to, given the trash that has been written about them ever since they married. Racism and jealousy in all its glory!
Given that even the Harry apologists are starting to question his 'recollection' of events, it seems more like the outpourings of a Kardashianesque diva determined to remain in the spotlight, while decrying the media who keep him there.
His touching recollection of being at Eton when he was informed of the Queen Mum's death, turns out to be a tissue of lies – he was actually on a skiing holiday with his Dad and big brother in Switzerland.
And this is not an isolated instance.
When many fact-checkable elements (some not exactly in the distant past – cf the AirNZ flight), turn out to be blatant inventions, it does make people question the other elements of his story.
It's amusing to watch the rabid right become so triggered over a few minor details. The mysterious Air New Zealand flight from Mexico seems to be one royalist Kiwis hang onto the most as if evidence Harry's entire experience did not exist at all.
Amazing how the loony left (as opposed to the rabid right) are so blind to the multiple documented inconsistencies in the ever-rolling docudrama which is the Sussex story.
Even the US (with their surprisingly inconsistent love of royalty) are starting to become disenchanted with them.
The negative press-coverage in the UK seems to go across the political spectrum from ultra-conservative right to far left.
Here's an article heartless, RWNJ doubters might like to read. It deals with grief:
The idea of “time healing all wounds” is a myth. Pain is ongoing. And by silencing someone’s pain, this can worsen it. The public, health professionals, the media and family can all silence someone’s grief by minimising discussions about the impact of losing a loved one.
Since Harry had help to write the book, it sounds like someone got their wires crossed over the airline in question. It wouldn't surprise me if it was Air India not Air NZ but, for the sake of forthcoming pedantry, I might be wrong.
I have no quarrel with Queen Consort Camilla. She was once very badly treated too. I also have no doubt that Princess Diana over indulged Harry when he was a child. She would have known he was always going to be in William's shadow and be treated as such, and she tried hard [too hard perhaps] to make up for it.
Whether he will succeed has yet to be seen, but he deserves full marks for choosing his own destiny and standing up to the class-ridden politics that is conservative/Conservative Britain.
Well said Patricia. I can see both the positives and the negatives of the British Royal family. I don't hate them. For the most part they are doing their best. Their lives are not their own to live. "The Firm" is full of sociopaths and upper class twats telling them what they can and can't do.
Harry and Meghan rebelled and 'jolly' good luck to them. Here's hoping they succeed.
Megan Woods accepted 'advice' from officials and Marsden Point closed. Among other things, Marsden Point was responsible for plenty/most/lots of CO2 production.
Nowhere does it mention governmental responsibility.
To me it looks like a similar scenario in a two year time frame to the chicken industry which had ten years to sort out its prospective problems.
Marsden indicated its desire to close early in 2021.
Could a C02 producing plant big enough for NZ's needs be built and operational in that time frame?
Could CO2 have been imported in sufficient quantities since March 2022?
Is National spokesperson, Stuart Smith, denying industry's role in this shortage?
"The nationwide shortage of carbon dioxide will make goods more expensive and hurt New Zealand’s exporters, National’s Energy and Resources spokesperson Stuart Smith says.
I have come into this exchange from the point of view Marsden Point should not have been closed. Minister Woods needed nore courage and better arguments to push the idea of nationalising it. The CO2 shortage is a direct consequence of that. Todd could close it's plant and there would not be the issues now. That is without considering the loss of resilience and independence fuel wise.
I couldn't care less about some opposition MP's brainfarts, my criticism is of those that do have the power and their actions or inactions.
The closure had been signalled well in advance and happened in early 2022. Indeed, the industrial players were well aware of the situation. For example, from your link of 6 Oct, 2022 [that is 3 months ago and about 6 months after the closure]:
Eriksen said the brewery was looking at alternatives to CO2 – including nitrogen – but this came at a cost.
"We are trying to figure out ways to become more independent."
He said major disruptions to production were lurking in the future and breweries were going to feel the pressure coming into the warmer season.
Director of government relations and public affairs at the NZ Beverage Council, Belinda Milnes, said ongoing supply issues had been exacerbated by the closure of the Marsden Point refinery.
"The beverage sector is one of many industries [that] have been impacted, and companies have had to manage supply carefully."
She said importing CO2 was an alternative, but it was an expensive option due to the high freight costs.
It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong.
The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?
"The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?" Yes, especially when they blame the wrong people.
Stuart Smith blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim. He jumped on silly Simeon Brown's band wagon and blamed government. Of course, roads in town are the Council's responsibility, so blame was apportioned wrongly.
Then he gets into the "government ought to" blame game over the teaching of research and analysis skills so long as they don't teach about climate change being a physical, scientific, evidence-based reality.
Had Mr Smith looked at school curriculum as to what it does teach now? Ot maybe he just wanted it taught compulsorily to age 18, as the Tory PM advocated.
Research and and analysis skills are taught in many subjects, not just maths. I changed in Year 12 to History. 'What were the causes of WW1?"
What effect did climate change have upon past history? A good topic in history, social studies, science, agriculture and economics……..
I 50% agree with you in that often the wrong people cop flak. However, rather than blaming anyone, why not start holding them to account by asking pertinent questions and scrutinising actions? In my experience, when this is done in an open, respectful, non-judgemental, and constructive manner one receives better responses/answers that lead to better understanding and decision-making in future by the powers that be who are responsible. It is all part of engagement with (the) stakeholders and providing (positive) feedback.
"blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim"
Do you have a link to a report of this complaint? The only thing I have seen was a complaint about the Picton Road which would be SH1. The maintenance of State Highways, even in the middle of towns, has always been a Central Government responsibility and not a Council one.
How the Minister is supposed to know about it is difficult to see but he is, in theory, responsible for everything his Department does.
More than dreaming, Alwyn; deliberately misleading or at best uninformed.
If this were a castle, he'd be saying that the causeway, drawbridge and courtyard surface were the king's responsibility not the lord's; that the water in the moat, (a mixture of the three waters after all), was not an issue for the king but could the king please give us some money to treat it as we see fit; and limiting wagons, carriages and horses to 80 km/h on windy hills is unfair on cartage owners and undertakers.
"It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong."
Not a lot to argue with there.
My issue, as I mentioned to Mac above, is what those with the power did or didn't do.
One person's "blame game" is another's attempt at holding the PTB to account. (No matter how ham-fisted it was.)
"To ensure you can register your baby’s name, avoid using official titles, numeric characters or symbols – like a backslash or punctuation mark – and swear words."
I am curious as to what happens if you do not register your baby's name and why?
The law apparently requires that you register the birth. The form for doing so states "Your child must be registered with a surname or family name, and one or more given names."
What they would do if you never fill in the form is not obvious, at least to me. Please don't do it though. I know of a case where the New Zealand parents of a child born in Spain never notified the birth to the New Zealand Government. When they did return to New Zealand the original action at the border was to tell them that, having no evidence that the child was a NZ citizen the youngster, still under a year old, was not going to be allowed into the country.
It apparently took a great deal of argument by the family to get them to change their mind.
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For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
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indded there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
so my real life example was last night, late at night, I went to hospital as an elderly relative was there unexpectedly. They were in a special unit waiting for a bed. The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise. I was running around outside in the dark and then inside trying to find it, trying to remember that name when I came across the late staff in the corridors.
I was a little frantic and would have appreciated a simple name (maybe a colour) to help me locate where I needed to be. I will likely not need to know this name again (hopefully).
I don't believe people should lose their jobs for saying casual racist things on their own sm account.
I also think it's ok to name racism when we see it.
The issue you had with the hospital, I've had that in other contexts with names in English. We used to have Southland Regional Council, Canterbury Regional Council etc and then many rebranded and it's hard to know what an organisation is by its name. This is stupid imo, and serves as a barrier to public engagement, much language is now designed for in house.
However with regards to te reo Māori, imagine what its like for people in hospitals for whom English is a second language, or for whom medical language is not easily understood. Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate? To my mind, the need to save te reo is a high priority, and we are all going through a period of change and some of that will be hard. The solution to not getting Māori names isn't to remove the names but to increase literacy across the population.
(it would make sense at this point in time to use both English and Māori in places like a hospital).
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
You don't have to favor anyone.
Both languages should be used to describe what ever in Te Reo and English.
Just like this
Te Aka Whai Ora / Māori Health Authority
https://www.futureofhealth.govt.nz/maori-health-authority/
or like this
https://www.health.govt.nz/
Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health
and well some what failing here as no english in the link
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
But we can also ignore this polite nonsense of putting both languages up and just use the one currently in favor, and thus ignoring the vast majority that do not speak the language at all and have no link to it – including many people who self identify as Maori, have no cultural claim to this language, might not be able to learn a foreign language easily, just to name a few issues around learning a foreign language specially as adults.
Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate?
Well it should be about ease of access for everyone. I doubt there is anyone in NZ who only speaks Maori. New arrivals who speak little English will likely find learning Maori and English a tall order.
"I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate".
I don't want to dominate anyone. I was telling an anecdote, largely because someone got sacked from their job for saying they are sick of seeing Maori everywhere, including hospitals. After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
In honouring the Treaty then all signs should be in English and Te Reo.
In the middle or rather very late at night in the dark and the cold and then in empty corridors, I thought make it as simple as possible. I have since heard other parts of the hospital are colour coded and it would have been good if their part was as well.
ease of access in hospitals isn't just about the signage. It's also about culture. Hospitals are generally run along Pākehā lines. That has negative impacts on Māori.
You can not want to dominate, but most Pākehā find the system suits them and don't understand why it not might suit Māori. That's a Pākehā dominated system whether you are part of it or not.
Yes, but you also appear to be advocating for the segregation of Māori culture rather than the integration, and for Pākehā culture to remain dominant.
Here's what National MP Stuart Smith said in 2021. He wanted Aotearoa banned from official public sector usage. Even some colleagues disagreed.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/national-mp-floats-ban-on-public-sector-using-aotearoa
And who knows what the extremists in Act or Winston First might insist on during coalition negotiations.
If you have problems with word recognition, particularly of Maori words, then perhaps try a work around.
If I had been looking for an unfamiliar place/word I would have written the word down and showed someone to ask them for directions. I always carry a pen and paper in my purse. Or looked for that name whenever I came to a sign board. Or taken a picture on my phone. This means that in looking at it you are refreshing yourself of the word and may remember it for future reference.
Seeing as this is an ongoing problem, instead of just having a random piece of paper you could carry a small hardcovered notebook and enter the word there. Use it to find the directions then when you get home look it up online for meaning and enter the meaning against the word.
By not accepting and doing you are really perpetuating the problem you have and not giving yourself the best chance to get around it/learn.
When travelling many people write things down/carry images on their phones to ask for directions.
Also when language learning travelling the hard covered book was what I used, I used to write local idiom to check meaning later.
The hospitals I have been in usually have a name/ward number/colour code and colour lines in the corridors.
Happy language learning. I am sure you will get better and better as you follow a language learning approach.
Shanreagh your suggestion is ridiculous.
I was called out late at night for a family emergency.
I had no idea I would have difficulty finding the unit and the last thing on my mind was, oh I must take my Maori to English notebook dictionary.
I am not intending to learn Maori. If the state wanted me to, they should have provided it at school (as I have previously advocated for)
Thanks for the suggestion is all that was required.
It was well meant and has worked for me and many others in becoming familiar with language. I have learned French and German and the suggestion helped me tremendously to get to be comfortable in the surroundings. As it worked for me I suggested that it might work for you. I have also had flatmates from the UK & USA who have used this to note down NZ idiom that they did not understand.
If you wish to persist in a stubborn sort of denial that we have a three language system then I guess that is up to you.
I for one am tired of the complaints when you have one great advantage that many of us don't and that is a partner/spouse who is Maori and who would lovingly work with you if you wanted to lessen this fear you have. As my Maori husband did when we were married.
Is there nothing you feel you can do, other than having the state pay for language lessons that would make it more comfortable for you.
PS I have always found that in times of stress writing directions etc is a godsend
PPS I was not suggesting carrying a dictionary but a wee notebook. Surely you would have written the name of the place down?
Have you suggested to the health facility that they might need to look at the directions?
Hopefully yes.
Or are you going to continue with the great NZ character trait of becoming a 'moaning Minnie'.
Life's too short
A few easy words re Govt depts
Manatu means Ministry
Hauora means health
Waka canoe/transport is used in Waka Kotahi
Land Information NZ – a bit harder but Toitu te Whenua is an extract from the whakatauki (saying) 'the land alone endures'
The full saying is 'Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua' people may come and go but the land alone endures.
Taake is the word for tax. So Te Tari Taake is the department for taxes IRD
Te Tari Kaumatua also is the Te Tari (Department) with a common word Kaumatua (elders) and is used in . – The Office for Seniors.
By building up word recognition from common words such as Kaumatua, Waka we can give ourselves a chance at working out the names of the Govt Depts.
Which you can choose not to do, but you then can't turn around and complain about not being able to understand common Māori words in mainstream usage.
Pretty hard for the government to enact policy retrospectively. I would love to have learned te reo at school. I was a child of the 70s, a time when Māori were having to occupy ancestral land or go on land marches to get the state to take them seriously. Māori worked long and hard to save te reo and bring it back and it's still a battle.
Had the state not practiced institutional racism for 150 years, we'd all be bilingual. I'm not sure how you think teaching te reo at school will work if people then don't use the language in everyday life eg hospitals, government departments, TV.
The following are purely rhetorical questions that don’t need to be answered but could be pondered, if you wish.
Did you learn at school how to use a computer or mobile phone and to navigate the internet? If no, when, where and why did you learn these skills?
Did you choose any non-compulsory subjects at school? If yes, why?
Did you learn any other different new skills and stuff after you finished school? If yes, why?
Is school the (only?) place where you should be taught useful skills?
Do you do always and everything the state ‘wants’ from you and nothing and never it does not ‘want’ from you? Or only when it suits you?
Hospitals are confusing places. Medical emergencies are scary and stressful events. A trivial issue with the name of the unit, which could have been in any language, exacerbated and coloured your overall negative experience.
We have a Labour government – of course Anker's experience was negative!
She’ll be Right!
NZ should follow Canada's example and have English and Maori names for departments side by side as they do with English and French.
If a govt department makes a press release or statement in English they immediately make one one in french.
We should do that with English and Maori.
It solves every issue.
Its insane that there's no "/" after a govt department with a Maori name, it causes loads of problems and resentment and really seems to piss off the million odd first generation immigrants who speak English as a second language.
Hopefully National changes govt departments to English name/Maori name or Maori name/English name when they get elected in October or in 2026.
which government departments have a Māori name and no English name?
I have noticed govt departments starting to use the 'pipe' character | between bilingual names.
The French Canadian example is an interesting one, though they are not indigenous so the equivalent is really their First Nations people.
Not white insecurity, unfortunately.
Without seeing the FB post, it sounds like an employee of a food company criticised another food company in public. I am guessing they did not have authority to do so as part of their job. Their employment contract may have had a standard clause about not bringing the company into disrepute.
Hospitals regularly use names like Oncology or Othopaedics (rather than cancer and bones). Not in English either. Nobody has consulted me about that, yet I am not upset or afraid.
Surovikin's reputation preceded him.
He was brought in to lead the war in Ukraine and target civilians with the levels of brutality he used in Syria. He failed, Ukraine remains standing and grows stronger by the day.
(1/2 of 13)
https://twitter.com/MarkGaleotti/status/1613225533172551701
https://www-svoboda-org.translate.goog/a/komanduyuschim-gruppirovkoy-voysk-rf-v-ukraine-naznachen-gerasimov/32219081.html?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Wow
Radio Liberty huh, that old spin doctor from the Cold war , still funded by the US govt, and relied on for the necessary spin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europe/Radio_Liberty
"The more things change, the more they stay the same "
Sad about the British volunteer though .Clearly a good guy with the best motivations. May be Bagshaw, may be Parry, both passports found on body Originally I found this on your site, can't locate it , but its here on Arab news
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2230881/world
The Turkish government has elections coming up this year. And most parties are running with a policy of sending Syrian refugees home.
Erdogan is seeking a Turkish military occupation 30 miles into Syria all along the border, including Kurdish areas. And intends to send refuges there (ethnic cleansing of Kurds/replacement with Arabs from part of their homeland in the NE of Syria). He will allow Sweden and Finland into NATO if he is allowed to do this.
PS A subplot, why Turkey is backing the Tripoli faction in Libya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El0wIQOBPEw
The defence ministers of Turkey, Russia and Syria recently met in Moscow with a view to settling the Syrian war, which would allow refugees to return
Erdogan has also said he's willing to talk with Assad and the foreign ministers will meet soon
https://www.reuters.com/world/top-turkey-syria-russia-diplomats-meet-soon-turkish-official-2023-01-11/
"The fossil energy we lever, magnifies our labour hundreds of times (try pushing your car home, or doing the work of a 12-ton digger with your shovel). So we irrupted; exponentially increased our population and exponentially increased our collection of energy-requiring infrastructure. The problem was as predictable as the results of overstocking a paddock are; we have overshot. There is not enough stored solar energy, to maintain the current level of activity. Nor, ultimately, to maintain the current human population.
Looking ahead, an equilibrium will be reached, with or without without our help. We would be better landing that plane as gently as possible, rather than waiting for it to crash."
https://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/118216/murray-grimwood-has-different-take-damien-oconnor-radio-interview-he-points-out
"There are not enough real-time solar acres to support as many humans as there are now, doing as much as they are currently doing. Mentioning ‘money’, or the word ‘financial’ (an apparent default-setting for Ryan?) is pointless in the face of that dilemma – which is entirely a question of energy-physics. Even biology is a subsequent topic; life depends on energy; energy doesn not depend on life. And money is so distantly-subsequent as to be a complete red herring."
As the latest announcements about resource shortages continue in our media it may be time to reflect on the real causes and ultimate outcomes.
Haven't seen Murray Grimwood around for a while, excellent. He usually nails it.
What were the latest announcements about resource shortages?
The latest shortage announcements?…take your pick.
Labour, potable water, various food stuffs, oil, natural gas, fert etc…in NZ of late, aviation fuel, housing, labour, eggs, toilet paper, food grade CO2, numerous consumer products.
When we have been operating at maximum capacity to maintain current consumption it dosnt take much to create specific shortages…as MG notes it is a feature of overshoot.
thanks. Didn't know there were shortages of avgas for instance.
Hoping people start to connect the dots soon.
Another part of our youth passes. Jeff Beck RIP. I like Nessun dorma on here @5:15:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL17nxvBtBY
Yes, great playing and a loss to music.
I want to also record the loss to music of Seamus Begley from West Kerry, singer and accordion player of Irish music who died on Tuesday aged 73. He visited NZ on tour and was top rate, with "the voice of an angel" according to Mary Black. He was good enough to get a eulogy from the Irish President.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41044790.html
He carried forward the music, language and culture of Ireland, with strong ties to family and the land. Those attributes are also what we prize in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
God bless big pharma eh! Hehhehheh
”U.S.D.A. Approves First Vaccine for Honeybees
Dalan Animal Health’s vaccine for American foulbrood, an aggressive bacterial disease, is the first for any insect in the United States.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/science/honeybee-vaccine.html
Pablo at Kiwipolitico is always worth a read.
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2023/01/trumps-toxic-tail/
“ NZ anti-government groups on the far Right use Trump/Bannon rhetoric to denounce not only the current government but also the NZ “Deep State.” This was amply seen during the parliament protests, occupation and riot early last year. Platforms like Counterspin and VFF reportedly have funding support from Bannon’s media conglomerate, with people listed as his correspondents misusing press credentials to get close to the Prime Minister in order to harangue her. (The security implications of this are serious and need to be addressed as a priority by those responsible for her protection).”
Yes absolutely.
Heck of a job, Pooty.
https://twitter.com/JosephPolitano/status/1613298303797547010
And now of course, India and China are hoovering up Russian oil, and China is upping its imports of Russian gas .
Russia can provide both oil and gas cheaply because they don’t need to frack .US oil is 50% fracked, but it comes with a cost., same as the gas.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/putin-says-russia-increase-gas-sales-to-east-2022-12-15/
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-And-India-Are-Buying-Up-Russias-Arctic-Oil.html
the US is going gangbusters with the fracking
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/11/us-fracking-climate-fossil-fuel-gases
Interesting shift. Tracks with how people feel about trans-identified males in women's toilets too. Once people realise what it means there is significantly less support.
What's important to understand about the UK in that time is that there's been a huge increase in public coverage of the issues especially in the past few years.
https://twitter.com/NatCen/status/1612389027256143879
wtf. You’d think the Windsors would have better PR advisors now, on things like how not to talk about your mother’s lips and your penis in the same paragraph.
https://twitter.com/domwakeford/status/1613099763020488704
Guy's mental health issues appear to be even worse than we'd previously thought.
How the desperation for $$$ can lead to self-destructive behaviour (as we see in plenty of other celebrities).
It’s easy to swallow what conservative media tells you.
Harry seems perfectly capable and coherent, decisive and driven. These are not ready indicators for someone with mental health issues.
Some people are poor readers (in this case listeners) and don't immediately comprehend intent. It's clear to me anyway Harry is doing what writers do, using literary devices to create interest. Irony and juxtaposition, yes, Freudian, certainly, but a nightmare? Not unless you are a prig stuck in the 19th century.
Framing him as not sound is a deliberate strategy by conservative media to feed to nationalist Brits.
Spot on Muttonbird.
It was inevitable his detractors would use the mental health label. Its an old trick coming from the 'powers that be' and their media lackeys in particular who want someone discredited because the truth does not show them in a good light.
An example is the claim he accused his stepmother (Camilla) of being a villain. My take from the excerpt I saw is that… during the period between his parents' breakup and his father's remarriage, Camilla was regarded as the villain in the piece. That was indeed the case.
He did get a few things wrong but who hasn't in the course of a lifetime. The airline ticket for Meghan's father's booking from Mexico to the UK (which he never took up) was not Air NZ. They have never flown that route.
Good on him for telling his side of the story. He was more than entitled to, given the trash that has been written about them ever since they married. Racism and jealousy in all its glory!
None of these cranks have put themselves in Harry's shoes for one moment.
Given that even the Harry apologists are starting to question his 'recollection' of events, it seems more like the outpourings of a Kardashianesque diva determined to remain in the spotlight, while decrying the media who keep him there.
His touching recollection of being at Eton when he was informed of the Queen Mum's death, turns out to be a tissue of lies – he was actually on a skiing holiday with his Dad and big brother in Switzerland.
And this is not an isolated instance.
When many fact-checkable elements (some not exactly in the distant past – cf the AirNZ flight), turn out to be blatant inventions, it does make people question the other elements of his story.
It's amusing to watch the rabid right become so triggered over a few minor details. The mysterious Air New Zealand flight from Mexico seems to be one royalist Kiwis hang onto the most as if evidence Harry's entire experience did not exist at all.
No wonder the book’s called “Spare”.
Amazing how the loony left (as opposed to the rabid right) are so blind to the multiple documented inconsistencies in the ever-rolling docudrama which is the Sussex story.
Even the US (with their surprisingly inconsistent love of royalty) are starting to become disenchanted with them.
The negative press-coverage in the UK seems to go across the political spectrum from ultra-conservative right to far left.
Here's an article heartless, RWNJ doubters might like to read. It deals with grief:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/300783465/what-prince-harrys-memoir-spare-tells-us-about-complicated-grief-and-the-longterm-impact-of-losing-a-mother-so-young
Since Harry had help to write the book, it sounds like someone got their wires crossed over the airline in question. It wouldn't surprise me if it was Air India not Air NZ but, for the sake of forthcoming pedantry, I might be wrong.
I have no quarrel with Queen Consort Camilla. She was once very badly treated too. I also have no doubt that Princess Diana over indulged Harry when he was a child. She would have known he was always going to be in William's shadow and be treated as such, and she tried hard [too hard perhaps] to make up for it.
Whether he will succeed has yet to be seen, but he deserves full marks for choosing his own destiny and standing up to the class-ridden politics that is conservative/Conservative Britain.
Personally I find Harry credible, and the 'photos of the locked jaw of William finally explained. (He is often teeth clenched in recent ‘photos)
Strange how even now some would deny Harry his voice.
Oh and the errors, well most autobiographies have them.
Ask 6 witnesses to report on an incident and there will be 6 variations.
He will remember some details differently, and so will his family, that does not make him a liar.
The Royals’ "stiff upper lip" can be harmful, when it denies natural grief.
He has found a life purpose in his Invictus Games for wounded veterans, his fundraising for causes and a life with Megan and children.
I wish him well, and yes he is better than just a spare wheel for the Royal Buggy.
Memory can be faulty, but the feelings remain, and can be triggered by events or actions. PTSD
Declaration. I am not a Royalist.
Well said Patricia. I can see both the positives and the negatives of the British Royal family. I don't hate them. For the most part they are doing their best. Their lives are not their own to live. "The Firm" is full of sociopaths and upper class twats telling them what they can and can't do.
Harry and Meghan rebelled and 'jolly' good luck to them. Here's hoping they succeed.
The very best that can be said about the entire royal family is that . . . they are irrelevant!
Though perhaps you could add that they're entertaining! In a 'I wouldn't be caught doing that' sort of way.
Leadership
https://twitter.com/SharnelleVella/status/1613316700421881856
Old thread, still pertinent.
https://twitter.com/youarelobbylud/status/1431515228957814786
Succinct
https://twitter.com/kevorkian82/status/1613257921999294464
Also concise
https://twitter.com/RawiriTaonui/status/1613115735169208321
The National Party cannot organise a piss-up in a brewery and blames government for CO2 shortage.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130960498/national-says-ministers-should-have-done-more-as-alarm-grows-over-co2-shortage
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482148/drink-makers-concerns-bubbling-to-surface-after-todd-energy-kapuni-outage
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2023/01/nationwide-co2-shortage-could-force-breweries-to-close.html
The government should have planned for this?
A quick read over the first article suggests there are two options:
1. Mothball the plant in case it needs to be used again. Presumably at horrendous cost for zero output. Great thinking, idiots.
2. Government to build a state owned CO2 plant to ensure we have a plentiful supply of strawberries and craft beer. Now we are talking!
This is yet again a failure of private sector. Market did not provide.
The governments fingerprints are on this issue.
Megan Woods accepted 'advice' from officials and Marsden Point closed. Among other things, Marsden Point was responsible for plenty/most/lots of CO2 production.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/295556/$40m-co2-plant-opens-at-marsden-point
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/local-co2-shortage-crippling-new-zealands-beverage-industry-brewer/23WVUCCKP75ZFOY4ATTF77K64M/
The industry in March 2022 knew there could be problems and even then talked about slowing production happening them.
The alternative to building a CO2 plant was to import but industry said that was more expensive.
The media published this article in June 2022.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129007533/carbon-dioxide-shortage-threatens-to-take-fizz-out-of-craft-beer
Nowhere does it mention governmental responsibility.
To me it looks like a similar scenario in a two year time frame to the chicken industry which had ten years to sort out its prospective problems.
Marsden indicated its desire to close early in 2021.
Could a C02 producing plant big enough for NZ's needs be built and operational in that time frame?
Could CO2 have been imported in sufficient quantities since March 2022?
Is National spokesperson, Stuart Smith, denying industry's role in this shortage?
"The nationwide shortage of carbon dioxide will make goods more expensive and hurt New Zealand’s exporters, National’s Energy and Resources spokesperson Stuart Smith says.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2301/S00022/inaction-on-co2-supplies-to-hit-prices-and-exporters.htm
I ask rather what did business do to solve its problem?
I have come into this exchange from the point of view Marsden Point should not have been closed. Minister Woods needed nore courage and better arguments to push the idea of nationalising it. The CO2 shortage is a direct consequence of that. Todd could close it's plant and there would not be the issues now. That is without considering the loss of resilience and independence fuel wise.
I couldn't care less about some opposition MP's brainfarts, my criticism is of those that do have the power and their actions or inactions.
Business wants shortages, its good for business.
The closure had been signalled well in advance and happened in early 2022. Indeed, the industrial players were well aware of the situation. For example, from your link of 6 Oct, 2022 [that is 3 months ago and about 6 months after the closure]:
It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong.
The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?
"The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?" Yes, especially when they blame the wrong people.
Stuart Smith blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim. He jumped on silly Simeon Brown's band wagon and blamed government. Of course, roads in town are the Council's responsibility, so blame was apportioned wrongly.
Then he gets into the "government ought to" blame game over the teaching of research and analysis skills so long as they don't teach about climate change being a physical, scientific, evidence-based reality.
Had Mr Smith looked at school curriculum as to what it does teach now? Ot maybe he just wanted it taught compulsorily to age 18, as the Tory PM advocated.
Research and and analysis skills are taught in many subjects, not just maths. I changed in Year 12 to History. 'What were the causes of WW1?"
What effect did climate change have upon past history? A good topic in history, social studies, science, agriculture and economics……..
I 50% agree with you in that often the wrong people cop flak. However, rather than blaming anyone, why not start holding them to account by asking pertinent questions and scrutinising actions? In my experience, when this is done in an open, respectful, non-judgemental, and constructive manner one receives better responses/answers that lead to better understanding and decision-making in future by the powers that be who are responsible. It is all part of engagement with (the) stakeholders and providing (positive) feedback.
"blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim"
Do you have a link to a report of this complaint? The only thing I have seen was a complaint about the Picton Road which would be SH1. The maintenance of State Highways, even in the middle of towns, has always been a Central Government responsibility and not a Council one.
How the Minister is supposed to know about it is difficult to see but he is, in theory, responsible for everything his Department does.
Look at Open Mike 11 October 2022 at aj's post at #8 and following comments.
The pothole is not on a state highway but on a Blenheim street 150 meters from the MP's office. I've seen it, identified it, photographed it.
The MP was wrong to say it was the government's fault.
Thank you.
As the Australian movie The Castle would put it.
If it's on a Council maintained road we can tell Stuart Smith "He's dreaming".
More than dreaming, Alwyn; deliberately misleading or at best uninformed.
If this were a castle, he'd be saying that the causeway, drawbridge and courtyard surface were the king's responsibility not the lord's; that the water in the moat, (a mixture of the three waters after all), was not an issue for the king but could the king please give us some money to treat it as we see fit; and limiting wagons, carriages and horses to 80 km/h on windy hills is unfair on cartage owners and undertakers.
The world is a better place. The above mentioned pothole has been filled and painted white- man and car alike can proceed.
My thanks to the government for taking time over the Christmas/ New Year period to fix it.
When you gets the blame, deserved or not, you should get the kudos as well!
Stuart?
"It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong."
Not a lot to argue with there.
My issue, as I mentioned to Mac above, is what those with the power did or didn't do.
One person's "blame game" is another's attempt at holding the PTB to account. (No matter how ham-fisted it was.)
Pointing fingers is not asking questions as to what, when, and why? Also see my reply @ 15.2.2.1.1 to Mac1 (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12-01-2023/#comment-1930243).
david seemore fancies himself as a philosopher when in fact he is merely a second rate sophist.
Might call him David Sophist from now on. A dreadful human being.
"To ensure you can register your baby’s name, avoid using official titles, numeric characters or symbols – like a backslash or punctuation mark – and swear words."
I am curious as to what happens if you do not register your baby's name and why?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/parenting/300783393/king-the-most-declined-name-in-nz-for-14th-year-in-a-row
The law apparently requires that you register the birth. The form for doing so states "Your child must be registered with a surname or family name, and one or more given names."
What they would do if you never fill in the form is not obvious, at least to me. Please don't do it though. I know of a case where the New Zealand parents of a child born in Spain never notified the birth to the New Zealand Government. When they did return to New Zealand the original action at the border was to tell them that, having no evidence that the child was a NZ citizen the youngster, still under a year old, was not going to be allowed into the country.
It apparently took a great deal of argument by the family to get them to change their mind.