Only three days left before the US becomes an autocratic one party state.
And President Trump tells the US Congress; “You’re Fired!”
Not just Mexico will pay, the whole world will pay.
Trump: ‘There’s a good chance we’ll have to’ declare a national emergency to build the wall
President Donald Trump on Friday said, “I think there’s a good chance we’ll have to” declare a national emergency in order to appropriate the funds to build his border wall.
The remarks came as a specially created committee in Congress works to reach a compromise on border security before government funding expires on Feb. 15.
Asked if he was concerned about courts halting an emergency declaration, Trump said, “We have very, very strong legal standing to win,” adding it would be “very hard” for a court to enjoin the declaration.
Christina Wilkie – CNBC, February 1 2019
The Weimar Republic wasn’t such a barrel of laughs, either. The Weimar Republic were responsible for smashing in Rosa Luxembourg’s head, a fact that the German Left couldn’t get over. And when faced with a greater danger, they couldn’t see it. And couldn’t agree to a common front against fascism with the Social Democrats. Who they labeled as ‘Social Fascists’ How wrong they were.
You think it is going to be the same ol’, same ol’ ?
There is a difference between imperialism and naked imperialism
Interesting statistics. Listening to RNZ “National” this morning the disbelief with regards the poll was palpable. Espiner the Winston Slayer was more interested in Chinese whispering. Hawkesby over at aunty herald just can’t work out why Simon Bridges is so unpopular and she asks “what is it about Simon that voters don’t like”…….
Going to be very noisy when all those pennies drop.
Labour’s hold on Government is based on a 73 year old maverick MP
who’s party won 0 electorate seats and who 93%
of the country did not vote for.
National should cruise to victory in 2020.
When you pick your “facts” try and make them credible rata. Winston has won Northland and Tauranga electorates.
If National banks on your wisdom of winning an election by only contesting NZF, they are very very silly people.
Last Tuesday, Todd Muller wrote an op-ed piece in The New Zealand Herald about what he’s learned in his first year as the National Party’s climate change spokesperson. Rod Oram goes through Muller’s text point by point, giving a response to each.
Oram shows up a classic National Party MP for the useless conservative he is.
The National Party should really stop pretending to be progressive in any way. At least they would have integrity and credibility if they just came out and re-named themselves Conservatives.
They don’t do anything.
They can’t see the future.
They are conservative, and should simply take their place as the ballast in the hull of the ship.
Funny though that they always end up where the hippies were decades before – think Waiheke eh Michelle Boag …. or electric bikes, or organic food, or pottery (maybe not pottery)
conservatives – limited use. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Neo-Liberalism, Free Market has allowed the 1% to become very very rich. (Oxfam reporting that 82 percent of the wealth produced in 2017 went to the top 1 per cent of the population.)
The resistance to Climate change comes from the very very wealthy because the changes necessary to combat Climate Change will threaten the very very rich. For them it is not the Science it is the ideology.
Though real conservatives should perform the useful function of stopping us doing new things that will be stupid or counter-productive. So real conservatives in the late 1980’s would have opposed the privatization of public assets that were natural monopolies. They would have opposed the replacement of progressive income tax with regressive consumption tax, etc, etc.
So National are oddly useless even at being conservative. That’s because they oppose only those new things that will be good and vigorously support keeping on doing old things that will be bad (like exploring for new oil reserves). i.e., the complete opposite of what you really need in a conservative. Does this actually make them radicals rather than conservatives? God it’s confusing!
Actually the root of the word “Conservative” is the same as that for “Conservation”.
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘aiming to preserve’): from late Latin conservativus, from conservat- ‘conserved’, from the verb conservare (see conserve). Current senses date from the mid 19th cent.
And in the early days that was what right wing politicians actually tried to do.
It is ironic that those who call themselves conservative today, are in the main, the ones who by consistently maintaining their neoliberal free market led approach to the economy (which they perceive as being a superset to the environment, rather than a subset) are the very ones who are doing the most damage.
Thanks for that link, excellent stuff, Oram absolutely dismantles Muller, this is the sort of critical response we need to see, hear and read more of in our media, imagine applying the same robust logic to the ministers of housing or health today, exposing the inconsistencies of them desperately trying to cling on to their debunked economic ideology verses…the actual reality for most citizens.
“Greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide caused by the agricultural sector, by belching livestock and fertilisers, are thought to produce about half of all greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand.
So why did Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith take to Facebook last month to declare “Agriculture is NOT the major source of NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions”, refuting the stance of the Ministry for the Environment, Landcare Research, and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre.”
Marty
During some time we spent at Florida University in 1996 we were part of an environmental watchdog with Chemistry knowledge and found a term in a Oxford University reference book on scientific chemistry.
This term was described as “Substitution reaction” which was described as a common law of physics and was a chemical reaction between several ‘elements’ that are freely spread around our open air space today.
These three elements to produce an extremely toxic chemical once it is mixed in our air produces a banned chemical today that was called “Carbon Tetra-chloride that was used as a solvent and in fire extinguishers however the realisation that it is toxic has now been banned.
An example is the reaction between methane and chlorine that is stable when in the dark but when it is in sunlight when exposed to ultra-violet radiation or when they are heated they react.
The reaction produces a list of toxic alkanes as solvents such as ‘chloroform’and other highly toxic chemicals.
So we are really now living among so many dispersed chemicals that we are now living in a dangerous world sadly due to the actions called “substitution reaction”.
Toby Manhire has invented a new word: stinkerer. More significantly, he’s produced an unusual rabbit out of his hat. He articulates good reason to give Judith Collins some respect as a principled politician. Yeah, I know. Consider me the devil’s advocate. 😈 He quotes her, then draws his conclusion:
“At its best, politics is the contest of ideas. It shouldn’t be about playing the game. It shouldn’t be about doing anything to win. It’s only by galvanising the base, by giving people a reason to care, that those more centrist will give the party a chance. If a party’s base doesn’t see why they’re bothering, then why should anyone else. No matter what side of politics people are, it’s always easiest to sell policies that you believe in.”
What impresses me is that she reveals more than a principled motivation. She displays nous as to how to get votes from centrists while taking a stand on principle. Since centrists always determine our election results, this forces me to upgrade her to 7/10 as a viable contender.
Centrists in New Zealand will eventually fail, just like it is all over the world, all it will take is for that firebrand ‘somebody’ to come along who will firstly ignite some real fire into the belly of their traditional base, be that Left or Right, and then use them to mobilize at least a good part of the missing million….goodbye (so called) centre.
Liberal Centrism is already dead, it just doesn’t know it yet…and like any undead zombie, somebody will come along sooner or later and put a bullet in it’s head.
The point is that centrism leads to extremism as people slowly realise they are being politely and oh so nicely trode on..
People live hopeless miserable lives and die prematurely every day thanks to austerity budgets and centrist policies, its just they do it quietly in the suburbs no one visits and they smile nicely when they drop off our Amazon parcels or hand us a flat white or their bond for the new flat.
There is an interesting point about Chamberlains announcement of getting an agreement with Hitler. Apparently if he had come back and soon after declared war, the UK wasn’t ready for it. The following months enabled them to prepare and try to get planes particularly built in feverish haste.
I don’t know if it was a planned subterfuge but it worked for the UK.
It seems that managing something okay, is often down to quick thinking to remedy a possible blunder, micro managing in an emergency seems to be the most useful.
Well i thought badly of Chamberlain too, but then found out this other side of the situation. And I don’t think we were being unfair, but isn’t it amazing how there is often another side to something that is not known and unconsidered that changes the aspect. It’s good to get the background later from people in the know. The layers of info, fascinating.
I read recently of Churchill’s fondness for one of his secretaries, who spent a lot of time with him, and stayed in his home. Churchill’s wife Clementine? felt lumbered with him.
“Centrists” seem to be doing that rather well at present.
From children dying of the diseases of poverty, in one of the worlds most resource rich countries, per capita, environmental destruction causing natural disasters killing millions, bombing the shit out of the middle East, the “sensible” middle, are racking up significant ‘butchers bills.
If your principles are to threaten public servants, collude with venal attack bloggers, pressure police to changing crime numbers, and use tax-payer funded trips to promote your spouse’s business interests, then yes, she is principled.
Then the people were allowed to die by the zombie middle class.
(The middle class contains the potential thinkers with a livable income and those who still see and are still in touch with the lower class – though at a distance.)
Then the VIPs extended their lives with methods like scientific prophylactics.
( Book – Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham,
Film Cocoon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BSsIX2j7M
– Blurb – A fantasy to fill your heart. Fact: about some old people who want to
live for ever enjoying themselves on a dream planet in space and go, leaving their daughter and their grandchild behind them as less important!)
That hit a nerve with me as I was poisoned in an un-ventilated building working as a telephone technician for six months.
I came out as a vegetable afterwards, and someone said to me “you should have used the “Canary in the mine” sequence to tell you to get out if the canary died.
We are now all Canaries in a mine called ‘earth’.
So are the rich wanting us dead, so they can claim the planet for themselves?
I think a clever little quote covers that cleangreen.
Something like this would apply to the wealthy and their purposes.
‘Don’t get lost in the shuffle, shuffle along with the lost.’
Frankly Scarlett, they ‘don’t give a damn’.
(ex Gone with the Wind)
The cellular networks will use frequencies that carry a lot of information but don’t travel very far.
That means antennas need to be close together and will number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. They’ll be closer to shops and homes than today’s arrays atop cell towers.
Loggerheads. it appears USA tech move to 5G ‘Out Of Control’. (And this was in 2018.) Republican states are pushing the for-big-business approach. Corporates are changing agreements and inserting their preferred enablers. They have also infiltrated the regulatory body, the Federal Communications Commission.
The effect of 5G is breaking new ground, and affects everybody. The 5G system is meant to replace today’s mobile wireless technology, making it easier to stream high-definition video anywhere and enable new kinds of apps.
The cellular networks will use frequencies that carry a lot of information but don’t travel very far. That means antennas need to be close together and will number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. They’ll be closer to shops and homes than today’s arrays atop cell towers.
‘
…cities, states, companies and interest groups together to devise guidelines for updating telecom infrastructure, a move that paves the way for self-driving cars and a world where every device connects to the internet.
Big corporates are pushing the regulators and legislators. A committee within the Commission was formed for corporates and cities to discuss the technology and come to terms about its use.
The group, with representatives of the business world outnumbering government officials four-to-one, may push for a vote on guidelines that have been under debate for more than a year.
Companies and the FCC have expressed desire for “shot clocks,” a basketball metaphor that would automatically give carriers permission to install beacons if negotiations with cities aren’t resolved in a timely manner.
“The problem with the debate is everyone is entrenched into their sides,” Bowles [replacement for Santosham (below) who has stepped down dissatisfied] said. “Every single member of the committee will have something in those documents that they don’t like. That’s what a compromise is. If AT&T is thrilled with it, then we didn’t do our job.”
Too often, officials say, AT&T got its way. As committee members were returning …they got an email from Douglas Dimitroff, a telecom attorney and chairman of one of the group’s city-focused subcommittees. “We have made substantial changes to the last version,” he wrote …Then he thanked Chris Nurse, a senior executive at AT&T who proposed hundreds of revisions, according to a copy of the draft.
[Sireen] Santosham [San Jose official and member of the FCC.] protested. Sam Cooper, a senior technology adviser to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, wrote: “Shotclocks. Object.” Even a telecom consultant said the revisions were unfair, tilted in favor of wireless companies like AT&T at the expense of cable providers like Comcast Corp. “AT&T has generally driven the bus,” said Angela Stacy, a committee member who’s vice president at a software company for cities called Connected Nation Exchange.
“The criticism speaks for itself — it’s baseless,” Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Wednesday in an interview. “I’m not going any further.” FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has accused some officials of trying to “impose their will or extract bounties from providers” and suggested San Jose was seeking “high rents and fees.” AT&T said in an emailed statement that the city-focused working group had unanimously consented to a plan that will be presented to the full committee on Wednesday….
The influence of Big Telecom inside the FCC has already spread into state capitols. More than a dozen states, mostly in Republican strongholds, have passed laws borrowing similar language from the 5G committee. U.S. lawmakers are drafting legislation along similar lines. “This is the biggest movement in broadband that we’ve seen in recent history,” Santosham said.
When reading such articles and industry PR there are a lack of even the subtlest acknowledgement to consideration of the environment and those who exist because of it…
Systems have evolved, life itself developed due to the universal frequencies which formed and shaped this incredible planet…over [however long]…
And the digital man-made frequencies and technology, are destroying and will continue to destroy all that was created by univsersal frequencies…
In the blink of an eye…
Technology is being deployed for the purpose of machines…not biological beings and earths inhabitants…
‘Thinking’ such as that which drives ‘tech progress’ is root cause…
One-Two
The 5G thing was so interesting that I decided to read it right through and put up some main points. Bloody outrageous example of how these tech companies are becoming the looming monsters that you see in many computer games or on-line stories.
It might be mainstream for you but who has time to read all the stuff that comes at you and take an interest in people and take an interest in the environment as well. So need you to draw attention and explain things a little.
I did a moan on the one about 60Ghz? Just a few lines with some background names details so a reader can grasp the facts is needed. There is so much info to keep up with when one is interested in the people/techpolitics interface.
And the digital man-made frequencies and technology, are destroying and will continue to destroy all that was created by univsersal frequencies…
The ordinary person has never thought of the underwater sound and the frequencies situation. I wonder will the plovers be able to fly down from Russia any more.
The mad following that has been drummed into school kids that tech is the only way and your life revolves around it blah. There is no outdoors, no rest for the soul, you must take your cellphone everywhere and machines are everywhere allowed to menace and stress you when you walk.
There certainly are an unlimited number of angles that information can enter the consciousness from, GW…
Frequencies formed the universe, and they govern every facet of planet earths capacity to create life and to support life…life should be thriving…it has in times past…in natural cycles…
Life is no longer thriving on this planet…it’s being depleted and extinguished…population growth and life expectancy are a mirage obscuring the truth of degradation and ‘health conditions’ which, if the technology behemoths continue onwards, looks certain to lead to an uninhabitable planet…certainly from a biological organism viewpoint…
I’ve said it previously…the conveniently named 5G is designed for machines to communicate with machines..
The entire design is for machines to thrive…
Humans are the collatoral sold BS about faster internet, as if connectivity speeds are not already adequate for human purposes…
Capacity for the imagined ‘smart cities’ which are entirely machine based, imagined to monitor and manage all aspects of ‘life’…is inadequate so big tech has banked its future on trillions of dollars required to build…skynet…the financiers are invested…the sick care companies are standing by to profit from increased illness…the insurance companies are…well…not going to insure against 5G…
Better hope that physics pulls the plug…because the humans won’t…
Also, that the cumulative build up from man made polluting environments, is completely untested, while human illness and ‘health conditions’ increase at greater rates and in younger cohorts…
Something(s ) are causing the rapid rise in health related issues…
Perhaps we should seek to remove pollutants, including technological based systems from our environments, not argue the toss about which singular toxin is perhaps responsible for a singular ailment…while bring every more untested and toxic technologies into the environment…
Meanwhile, human health, the environment and natural worlds are deteriorating at rapid pace…
The technology is part of the problem, so when some here want to pretend to care about climate change…while endorsing the release of well documented damage causing technology….they are either ignorant or dishonest…
The Strange people who suck their way into “media” and into the “Gross ” party simply do not realise what a mess they have made.
It is not possible to Pay very low wages to your working slaves – and then to make sure they cannot ever afford a house – And then expect you biased RATS to be voted into power.
Nor is is possible to charge Rents that take every last dollar out of the pocket of your working slaves – And then expect you biased RATS to be voted into power.
You have bungled, scummed, and shat on the NZ Public for every day you have had Breath.
The women in the Media are marginally worse than the so called journalists. But Simon and the Angry Lille dishonest Collins won’t be seeing their names in Stars for very long.
Neither will Mrs Bennett.
All of you have taken Housing and Fair go – off Kiwis. The Public of New Zealand did not and do not deserve you Bastards.
No Question Time, with the PM making a statement (20 mins) then a debate of up to 13 hours, with other specified Party Leaders also given 20 mins each, then other Members, 10 min speeches.
Unless they go to extended hours, usual sitting hours for a Tuesday – 2-6pm then 7.30pm to 10pm. Same tomorrow and then Thursday, 2pm – 6pm only.
So on usual hours, provided they don’t debate any other business (eg legisiation) the 13 hours could be over by close of play tomorrow night or Thurs afternoon. I presume that there will be a Question Time plus general debate tomorrow (c. 2hrs total) plus Question Time on Thursday. If so, then the debate will probably finish by close of play Thurs.
According to Trevor Mallard on Parl TV online, the debate will begin with leaders’ speeches and then adjourn and onto BAU (Govt Orders of the Day) with Members’ speeches spread over the next few weeks.
Five endangered albatross die on one long line
Tuesday, 12 February 2019, 11:03 am
Press Release: Forest And Bird
Forest & Bird is appalled to learn that five critically threatened Antipodean albatross have died in a single long lining incident, only 24 hours after revelations that four endangered Hectors dolphins were killed in a trawl net.
Five Antipodean albatrosses and one Gibson’s albatross were killed when they were caught by a longline fishing vessel in the Bay of Plenty region between 2 December 2018 and 4 January 2019.
“Antipodean Albatross are as endangered as kakapo, and unless we fix our broken commercial fishing system, they will be extinct within 20 years. These needless and cruel deaths are appalling, and completely unacceptable,” says Forest & Bird Oceans Advocate Karen Baird.
“The albatross deaths were reported by an official MPI observer, but only a minority of fishing boats have observers on board. In the meantime, a few bad apples in the fishing industry are stalling the Government’s Cameras on Boats programme. This means no one has any idea how many precious native birds and dolphins are being killed in nets and on lines out at sea.
“MPI have pointed out that the fishing crew were operating entirely within the law. Imagine a law which permitted limitless accidental kakapo deaths at the hands of any industry. It is abundantly clear that a system which allows endangered species to be killed as ‘incidental by-catch’ by the fishing industry is completely broken.
“New Zealand must stand up to fishing companies like Talley’s and Te Ohu Kaimoana, who are pressuring the Government to delay the Cameras on Boats programme and keep New Zealand in the dark about their true impact on our native animals,” says Ms Baird.
“These albatross deaths are just the ones we know about. It is highly likely that many more deaths go unreported, and that New Zealand will be robbed of this majestic species by a few companies that only care about their own profit.”
How many fisherman have turned a gun on birds…. more than people realise…..birds are predators of fish.
Just make sure no gun pallets land in the fish bins. What goes on at sea stays at sea….
The fact that Peter Talley attended Winstons speech at the Motueka RSA just before the election spoke volumes to me. Never seen PT at any other candidates meetings over the years, he’s extremely private in that respect.
Two-faced criminals
Last year, in a desperate attempt to regain social licence, the fishing industry ran an expensive series of TV ads assuring us that they had nothing to hide. Meanwhile, they were furiously lobbying the Minister to oppose video monitoring of fishing boats:
At the same time as the seafood industry was placing adverts on television last year proclaiming it had “nothing to hide”, it was writing to the minister, Stuart Nash, expressing its “overwhelming opposition” to the idea of cameras on board its boats to monitor what they were up to.
The letter, released under the Official Information Act, said its purpose was to “dismiss any suggestion that the ‘New Zealand Seafood industry’ supports the current proposal”.
For the removal of any doubt the words “do not support” were underlined.
Some of the signatories were redacted but amongst those still visible are managers at Talley’s, Sealord, the Federation of Commercial Fishermen and Te Ohu Kai Moana, representing Māori fishing interests.
Forest and Bird spokesperson Karen Baird said it was a case of them saying one thing publicly while working towards a quite different outcome behind the scenes.
So I guess they do have something to hide after all. But what could it be? The illegal dumping of less-valuable fish? The criminal doctoring of records to understate catches? Or maybe the failure to report catching and killing endangered species? The problem here is that the fishing industry is pervasively criminal. They need to be treated as such, and monitored and prosecuted until they change their behaviour. Instead, our government – bought and paid for by Talley’s – is doing the exact opposite.
Posted by Idiot/Savant at 2/07/2019 01:53:00 PM
Getting what they paid for
A political party makes strong promises to regulate a destructive industry and prevent it from engaging in widespread criminal behaviour. They are elected to government. But their coalition partner includes an MP who was paid $10,000 by that industry. That MP argues from within government against regulation, and successfully prevents the government from enacting meaningful reform.
If this happened in Africa, or the Pacific Islands, we’d call it what it is: corruption. But it has happened here. The industry is the fishing industry. And the MP is Shane Jones, who took $10,000 from Talleys in 2017 in addition to large donations in the past, and has claimed responsibility for preventing any independent review of the fisheries industry. The government has recently shitcanned plans to use video cameras on fishing boats, and announced plans to lower criminal penalties when fishers break the law – and there is a suspicion that Jones is behind both of these moves too. So it looks like Talleys is very definitely getting what they paid for.
So how do we stop this? Fundamentally, we need to remove the ability of corporations to buy favourable treatment with large political donations. And that means moving to publicly funded political parties. Its either that, or allowing corruption to continue unchecked.
Interesting, as the shouty, handwaving performance/persona of 2018 has diminished. Miss Reasonable and can work with others, could even agree to a working group on the cannabis referendum etc
I still think that she thinks that she should/could be leader and that she may well make a play for the leadership in the near future …
She behaves a lot like Key in her dealing with the media. Forcefully positive with that great big plastic smile, and dominating the one on one with reporters from before she comes to a stop. She almost dares the media to challenge her, the individual, rather than the job she might be doing.
She has all of Key’s faults too. She’s dismissive and smarmy. Passionate, yet devoid of compassion.
Problem for her is that she doesn’t have the crystal clear backstory Key did. There are a few grubby holes which she has already had to use lawyers to close.
JA by comparison is an angel. This will always be the case.
I’ve noticed her shed her puppy fat – she’s been remodelled by someone smart from the ground up and is match fit I reckon. And with the drive to win and succeed.
I think you make an error in that judgment M. She reminds me of Trump. People have said that he’s a rotten businessman, he’s been bankrupt two or thee times. I say that he is a clever businessman and knows how to slide through all the loopholes and still ride high. Poorer will be the same, jump high with her wonderwoman smile over all obstacles.
An interesting encounter with a Winz office today which has left me feeling a tad encouraged although it will never be possible to completely relax around them given the 9 years of hell we had to endure.
This was my first face to face meeting with them since the new regime (couldn’t put it off any longer) and supposed introduced ‘compassion’. In a nutshell, not asked for ID once, at the door, reception or by case worker. Treated as a human being every step of the way, Case worker actually applied common sense and discretion where it was called for and clearly their computers are no longer rigged so it can’t be. Also offered me a food grant that I never asked for but certainly didn’t say no to given they’ve been illegally underpaying me for years.
I did start out very much on the defensive- automatic reaction to that place- but I did not leave a jibbering wreck, bawling my eyes out and likely to find myself hospitalised with some seizure drama a la last time I had to do some similar paperwork under the previous regime. So swallows, summer etc still have to apply, and I’m sure there’s still people in other parts of the country who are not being treated as well, for the first time 2009 I’m not terrified to have dealings with Winz. So it looks like the outward changes are kicking in, a small start but a long way to go.
So good to hear, Kay. Long may it last. I actually had the same experience mid-2018 when I had a meltdown with them but that was with Seniors section – massive improvement, and now have a personal case worker who I can ring and ask for him to call me, or I can directly email. Every time I have done so to date, he has been back to me within a couple of hours max. and things get sorted pronto.
IIRC you’re in SE Wellington aren’t you? If so, was that in Newtown or Willis St? I certainly have noted the difference the few times I have had to pop into one or other of those service centres with papers or have gone as a support person, although I haven’t done the latter very much recently.
Talking to other people both under 65s and over 65s who are ‘WINZ clients’ (plus some staff) , change is certainly on the way but, as you say, still a long way to go. Changing staff attitudes is a big part of that, but it seems that this is certainly underway with quite a few staff being moved on if they cannot adjust.
What I find interesting about your experiences Kay is that Winz staff seem to change their persona and perceptions according to whoever is in power.
When I was looking after my aged mother in the 1990s I copped the Christine Rankin years which were pretty bad.. At that time many professional people – who had lost their positions due to the restructuring of the Public Service – found themselves on the dole for a period. They and I were treated like ignorant malingerers and were accordingly dealt to by the Winz staff. After some 30 plus years in the P.S., I was scheduled to attend a workshop teaching me how to dress and speak properly at job interviews. I never turned up and told them in no uncertain terms why. They left me alone after that. 🙂
Years later under the Helen Clark govt., I had cause to visit the local Winz office and saw the same woman who had treated me like a malingerer… all smiles and helpfulness towards the client sitting opposite her.
There is a group of Media known as News ZB which claims to be the Premiere sauce of News in this Land. It also claims you can listen to it Free. Which perhaps is not entirely true.
A chap called Hosking, hosts news and Entertainment for ZB Media.
He and Mrs Hosking have recently shouted out that they have bought a low cost Millionaire slum House somewhere in shabby old Auckland. Yes the Same Auckland that is racing out to decent Pastures. Elsewhere.
Elsewhere doesn’t really want them. But that is beside the Point.
Mr Hosking has been rabbiting on for years. He has been one of many National Governments that have made sure NZ workers are paid Low Low Wages. No New Zealand worker can ever afford a House in New Zealand now or in the future. Thanks to ZB And its babySister – The Herald.
Also Mr Hosking is one of the many unstable National Governments which has Forced Chronically Expensive exorbitant Rents on people who own no homes.
Nice People the ZB Media. A crushing Cruel slob mob – News ZB. You should get to Know them.
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Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
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 ...
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. ...
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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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 ...
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 ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
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While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
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On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Empire watch:
Only three days left before the US becomes an autocratic one party state.
And President Trump tells the US Congress; “You’re Fired!”
Not just Mexico will pay, the whole world will pay.
Trump: ‘There’s a good chance we’ll have to’ declare a national emergency to build the wall
President Donald Trump on Friday said, “I think there’s a good chance we’ll have to” declare a national emergency in order to appropriate the funds to build his border wall.
The remarks came as a specially created committee in Congress works to reach a compromise on border security before government funding expires on Feb. 15.
Asked if he was concerned about courts halting an emergency declaration, Trump said, “We have very, very strong legal standing to win,” adding it would be “very hard” for a court to enjoin the declaration.
Christina Wilkie – CNBC, February 1 2019
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/01/trump-good-chance-well-have-to-declare-national-emergency-for-wall.html
‘USA, USA, USA, USA’
yeah, yeah, any minute now.
the us is already a totalitarian state. has been for some time now especially if you are person of color.
good grief, is this giving you a case of heavy giggles?
You don’t see it as a step change?
The Weimar Republic wasn’t such a barrel of laughs, either. The Weimar Republic were responsible for smashing in Rosa Luxembourg’s head, a fact that the German Left couldn’t get over. And when faced with a greater danger, they couldn’t see it. And couldn’t agree to a common front against fascism with the Social Democrats. Who they labeled as ‘Social Fascists’ How wrong they were.
You think it is going to be the same ol’, same ol’ ?
There is a difference between imperialism and naked imperialism
Latest Newshub Reid Research Poll:
(A few Stats)
————-2017 Election—-TV3 Poll Feb 2019—-Change
Labour——— 36.9 —————- 47.5 ————— Up 10.6
Green———- 6.3 ——————- 5.1 ————— Down 1.2
Lab+Green— 43.2 —————– 52.6 ————— Up 9.4
NZF————– 7.2 ——————- 2.9 —————- Down 4.3
Coalition——- 50.4 —————– 55.5 ————— Up 5.1
.
National——– 44.4 —————– 41.6 —————- Down 2.8
ACT————— 0.5 ——————- 0.4 —————– Down 0.1
Oppo———— 44.9 —————– 42.0 —————- Down 2.9
(All other Parties)– 4.7 ————– 2.5 —————– Down 2.2
.
Coalition leads Oppo by– 5.5 —— 13.5 ————— + 8.0
Coalition leads Right by— 5.2 ——- 12.4 ————– + 7.2
.
Preferred PM / Leader Performance
(Comparisons with same point into first terms of Clark & Key Govts)
Ardern more popular than Clark at the point into first term / Bridges less popular than Shipley the year she was rolled by the charismatic English
Feb 2001——————————————-Feb 2019
Preferred PM
Clark .. 30 .. (performing well 63) ———– Ardern .. 41.8 .. (performing well 68.3)
Shipley 13 .. (performing well 54) ———- Bridges …. 5.0 … (performing well 21.9)
——————————————————– Collins …… 6.2
.
Bridges less popular than Goff at the same stage:
Feb 2010
Key … 49.4 .. (performing well 73.5) …. Net …. plus 57.9
Goff … 8.2 …. (performing well 33.7) ….. Net .. minus 12.9
.
Feb 2019
Ardern… 41.8 .. (performing well 68.3) …. Net …. plus 51.5
Bridges … 5.0 … (performing well 21.9) …. Net .. minus 28.9
Interesting statistics. Listening to RNZ “National” this morning the disbelief with regards the poll was palpable. Espiner the Winston Slayer was more interested in Chinese whispering. Hawkesby over at aunty herald just can’t work out why Simon Bridges is so unpopular and she asks “what is it about Simon that voters don’t like”…….
Going to be very noisy when all those pennies drop.
46 seconds to laugh and cry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVToLGzZdXE&ab_channel=RT
Labour’s hold on Government is based on a 73 year old maverick MP
who’s party won 0 electorate seats and who 93%
of the country did not vote for.
National should cruise to victory in 2020.
When you pick your “facts” try and make them credible rata. Winston has won Northland and Tauranga electorates.
If National banks on your wisdom of winning an election by only contesting NZF, they are very very silly people.
A scathing critique.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/02/09/431962/rod-orams-feb-8-column
Yep, that is certainly scathing.
Oram shows up a classic National Party MP for the useless conservative he is.
The National Party should really stop pretending to be progressive in any way. At least they would have integrity and credibility if they just came out and re-named themselves Conservatives.
They don’t do anything.
They can’t see the future.
They are conservative, and should simply take their place as the ballast in the hull of the ship.
Funny though that they always end up where the hippies were decades before – think Waiheke eh Michelle Boag …. or electric bikes, or organic food, or pottery (maybe not pottery)
conservatives – limited use. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Neo-Liberalism, Free Market has allowed the 1% to become very very rich. (Oxfam reporting that 82 percent of the wealth produced in 2017 went to the top 1 per cent of the population.)
The resistance to Climate change comes from the very very wealthy because the changes necessary to combat Climate Change will threaten the very very rich. For them it is not the Science it is the ideology.
So writes Dr Neal Curtis.
(Dr Neal Curtis is head of media and communication at the University of Auckland.)
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@future-learning/2019/02/11/438169/climate-change-denial-not-about-the-science?preview=1
No wonder National downplays Climate Change!
Though real conservatives should perform the useful function of stopping us doing new things that will be stupid or counter-productive. So real conservatives in the late 1980’s would have opposed the privatization of public assets that were natural monopolies. They would have opposed the replacement of progressive income tax with regressive consumption tax, etc, etc.
So National are oddly useless even at being conservative. That’s because they oppose only those new things that will be good and vigorously support keeping on doing old things that will be bad (like exploring for new oil reserves). i.e., the complete opposite of what you really need in a conservative. Does this actually make them radicals rather than conservatives? God it’s confusing!
Actually the root of the word “Conservative” is the same as that for “Conservation”.
And in the early days that was what right wing politicians actually tried to do.
It is ironic that those who call themselves conservative today, are in the main, the ones who by consistently maintaining their neoliberal free market led approach to the economy (which they perceive as being a superset to the environment, rather than a subset) are the very ones who are doing the most damage.
Thanks vto that put as smile on my face.
“conservatives – limited use. Keep in the fridge until needed”.
Thanks for that link, excellent stuff, Oram absolutely dismantles Muller, this is the sort of critical response we need to see, hear and read more of in our media, imagine applying the same robust logic to the ministers of housing or health today, exposing the inconsistencies of them desperately trying to cling on to their debunked economic ideology verses…the actual reality for most citizens.
“Greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide caused by the agricultural sector, by belching livestock and fertilisers, are thought to produce about half of all greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand.
So why did Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith take to Facebook last month to declare “Agriculture is NOT the major source of NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions”, refuting the stance of the Ministry for the Environment, Landcare Research, and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110499590/national-party-mp-unsure-whats-scientifically-accurate-wades-into-methane-debate
The answer may surprise you – I thought he was just a thick, dim, dull gnat…
he is…or deliberately obtuse
Marty
During some time we spent at Florida University in 1996 we were part of an environmental watchdog with Chemistry knowledge and found a term in a Oxford University reference book on scientific chemistry.
This term was described as “Substitution reaction” which was described as a common law of physics and was a chemical reaction between several ‘elements’ that are freely spread around our open air space today.
These three elements to produce an extremely toxic chemical once it is mixed in our air produces a banned chemical today that was called “Carbon Tetra-chloride that was used as a solvent and in fire extinguishers however the realisation that it is toxic has now been banned.
An example is the reaction between methane and chlorine that is stable when in the dark but when it is in sunlight when exposed to ultra-violet radiation or when they are heated they react.
The reaction produces a list of toxic alkanes as solvents such as ‘chloroform’and other highly toxic chemicals.
So we are really now living among so many dispersed chemicals that we are now living in a dangerous world sadly due to the actions called “substitution reaction”.
Tulsi Gabbard takes on Rep and Dem war machine….’NeoCons / NeoLibs never tire of WAR’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omJBGD_kr8o
Toby Manhire has invented a new word: stinkerer. More significantly, he’s produced an unusual rabbit out of his hat. He articulates good reason to give Judith Collins some respect as a principled politician. Yeah, I know. Consider me the devil’s advocate. 😈 He quotes her, then draws his conclusion:
“At its best, politics is the contest of ideas. It shouldn’t be about playing the game. It shouldn’t be about doing anything to win. It’s only by galvanising the base, by giving people a reason to care, that those more centrist will give the party a chance. If a party’s base doesn’t see why they’re bothering, then why should anyone else. No matter what side of politics people are, it’s always easiest to sell policies that you believe in.”
“It seemed to me then, and still does now, as nothing less than a personal manifesto.” https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-02-2019/judith-collins-just-leapfrogged-simon-bridges-its-becoming-a-question-not-of-if-but-when/
What impresses me is that she reveals more than a principled motivation. She displays nous as to how to get votes from centrists while taking a stand on principle. Since centrists always determine our election results, this forces me to upgrade her to 7/10 as a viable contender.
Centrists in New Zealand will eventually fail, just like it is all over the world, all it will take is for that firebrand ‘somebody’ to come along who will firstly ignite some real fire into the belly of their traditional base, be that Left or Right, and then use them to mobilize at least a good part of the missing million….goodbye (so called) centre.
Liberal Centrism is already dead, it just doesn’t know it yet…and like any undead zombie, somebody will come along sooner or later and put a bullet in it’s head.
Extremists get people killed Ady. Most of us don’t fancy that too much.
The point is that centrism leads to extremism as people slowly realise they are being politely and oh so nicely trode on..
People live hopeless miserable lives and die prematurely every day thanks to austerity budgets and centrist policies, its just they do it quietly in the suburbs no one visits and they smile nicely when they drop off our Amazon parcels or hand us a flat white or their bond for the new flat.
Centrism is extremism in my opinion.
Say extremism in drag perhaps.
“Centrism is just a mask for “please don’t scare the horses”.
Chamberlain’s approach.
Fell grossly short in the face of emerging disaster.
We can have “peace in our time” and watch human civilization disappear, along with the environment, or we can fight. There is no middle ground.
There is an interesting point about Chamberlains announcement of getting an agreement with Hitler. Apparently if he had come back and soon after declared war, the UK wasn’t ready for it. The following months enabled them to prepare and try to get planes particularly built in feverish haste.
I don’t know if it was a planned subterfuge but it worked for the UK.
It seems that managing something okay, is often down to quick thinking to remedy a possible blunder, micro managing in an emergency seems to be the most useful.
Yep. Judgement in hindsight is often unfair.
Well i thought badly of Chamberlain too, but then found out this other side of the situation. And I don’t think we were being unfair, but isn’t it amazing how there is often another side to something that is not known and unconsidered that changes the aspect. It’s good to get the background later from people in the know. The layers of info, fascinating.
I read recently of Churchill’s fondness for one of his secretaries, who spent a lot of time with him, and stayed in his home. Churchill’s wife Clementine? felt lumbered with him.
She was great too.
https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/6-surprising-facts-about-clementine-churchill/
I see it more cyclical or even the yin and yang of each other. Each lead to the other.
“Centrists” seem to be doing that rather well at present.
From children dying of the diseases of poverty, in one of the worlds most resource rich countries, per capita, environmental destruction causing natural disasters killing millions, bombing the shit out of the middle East, the “sensible” middle, are racking up significant ‘butchers bills.
Not to mention enabling the rise of Trump’s.
If your principles are to threaten public servants, collude with venal attack bloggers, pressure police to changing crime numbers, and use tax-payer funded trips to promote your spouse’s business interests, then yes, she is principled.
While the US is led by an oil gimp there are many states acting independently to work on climate change initiatives.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/climate/states-global-warming.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Climate%20and%20Environment
When people ignore poor leaders and act independently for the common good… The groundswell is beginning.
Nice. Fuck the Feds.
First the people allowed the bees to die.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/382264/global-insect-decline-may-see-plague-of-pests
(What can we do to prevent this?)
Then the people were allowed to die by the zombie middle class.
(The middle class contains the potential thinkers with a livable income and those who still see and are still in touch with the lower class – though at a distance.)
Then the VIPs extended their lives with methods like scientific prophylactics.
( Book – Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham,
Tv film Cold Lazarus by Denis Potter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfEgdCu5RSM
and Dennis Potter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAYckQbZWbU
Film Cocoon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BSsIX2j7M
– Blurb – A fantasy to fill your heart. Fact: about some old people who want to
live for ever enjoying themselves on a dream planet in space and go, leaving their daughter and their grandchild behind them as less important!)
Greywarshark;
“First the people allowed the bees to die”.
That hit a nerve with me as I was poisoned in an un-ventilated building working as a telephone technician for six months.
I came out as a vegetable afterwards, and someone said to me “you should have used the “Canary in the mine” sequence to tell you to get out if the canary died.
We are now all Canaries in a mine called ‘earth’.
So are the rich wanting us dead, so they can claim the planet for themselves?
I think a clever little quote covers that cleangreen.
Something like this would apply to the wealthy and their purposes.
‘Don’t get lost in the shuffle, shuffle along with the lost.’
Frankly Scarlett, they ‘don’t give a damn’.
(ex Gone with the Wind)
Venezuela…..
A partially loaded oil tanker from Saudi Arabia, Abqaiq, is due to arrive in Venezuela in the next 24 hours.
The tanker can carry up to two million barrels of oil. It is the first time the kingdom is sending an oil tanker to Venezuela in two years
Does this undermine the sanctions from USA? We all know trump is close to the Saudi’s and how slippery the saudi’s can be.
Is the tanker delivering or collecting from Venezuela? If it’s delivering, then what’s on board…. light oil or something else?
Might be nothing in it…then again…..
Short clip 5 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-KFKOKyZdE
Some yanker getting a real bargain.
“It’s often lost on the public just how badly they’re being screwed”
The cellular networks will use frequencies that carry a lot of information but don’t travel very far.
That means antennas need to be close together and will number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. They’ll be closer to shops and homes than today’s arrays atop cell towers.
Loggerheads. it appears USA tech move to 5G ‘Out Of Control’. (And this was in 2018.) Republican states are pushing the for-big-business approach. Corporates are changing agreements and inserting their preferred enablers. They have also infiltrated the regulatory body, the Federal Communications Commission.
The effect of 5G is breaking new ground, and affects everybody.
The 5G system is meant to replace today’s mobile wireless technology, making it easier to stream high-definition video anywhere and enable new kinds of apps.
The cellular networks will use frequencies that carry a lot of information but don’t travel very far. That means antennas need to be close together and will number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. They’ll be closer to shops and homes than today’s arrays atop cell towers.
‘
…cities, states, companies and interest groups together to devise guidelines for updating telecom infrastructure, a move that paves the way for self-driving cars and a world where every device connects to the internet.
Big corporates are pushing the regulators and legislators. A committee within the Commission was formed for corporates and cities to discuss the technology and come to terms about its use.
The group, with representatives of the business world outnumbering government officials four-to-one, may push for a vote on guidelines that have been under debate for more than a year.
Companies and the FCC have expressed desire for “shot clocks,” a basketball metaphor that would automatically give carriers permission to install beacons if negotiations with cities aren’t resolved in a timely manner.
“The problem with the debate is everyone is entrenched into their sides,” Bowles [replacement for Santosham (below) who has stepped down dissatisfied] said. “Every single member of the committee will have something in those documents that they don’t like. That’s what a compromise is. If AT&T is thrilled with it, then we didn’t do our job.”
Too often, officials say, AT&T got its way. As committee members were returning …they got an email from Douglas Dimitroff, a telecom attorney and chairman of one of the group’s city-focused subcommittees. “We have made substantial changes to the last version,” he wrote …Then he thanked Chris Nurse, a senior executive at AT&T who proposed hundreds of revisions, according to a copy of the draft.
[Sireen] Santosham [San Jose official and member of the FCC.] protested. Sam Cooper, a senior technology adviser to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, wrote: “Shotclocks. Object.” Even a telecom consultant said the revisions were unfair, tilted in favor of wireless companies like AT&T at the expense of cable providers like Comcast Corp. “AT&T has generally driven the bus,” said Angela Stacy, a committee member who’s vice president at a software company for cities called Connected Nation Exchange.
“The criticism speaks for itself — it’s baseless,” Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Wednesday in an interview. “I’m not going any further.” FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has accused some officials of trying to “impose their will or extract bounties from providers” and suggested San Jose was seeking “high rents and fees.” AT&T said in an emailed statement that the city-focused working group had unanimously consented to a plan that will be presented to the full committee on Wednesday….
The influence of Big Telecom inside the FCC has already spread into state capitols. More than a dozen states, mostly in Republican strongholds, have passed laws borrowing similar language from the 5G committee. U.S. lawmakers are drafting legislation along similar lines. “This is the biggest movement in broadband that we’ve seen in recent history,” Santosham said.
I posted the Bloomberg link as it is mainstream…
When reading such articles and industry PR there are a lack of even the subtlest acknowledgement to consideration of the environment and those who exist because of it…
Systems have evolved, life itself developed due to the universal frequencies which formed and shaped this incredible planet…over [however long]…
And the digital man-made frequencies and technology, are destroying and will continue to destroy all that was created by univsersal frequencies…
In the blink of an eye…
Technology is being deployed for the purpose of machines…not biological beings and earths inhabitants…
‘Thinking’ such as that which drives ‘tech progress’ is root cause…
One-Two
The 5G thing was so interesting that I decided to read it right through and put up some main points. Bloody outrageous example of how these tech companies are becoming the looming monsters that you see in many computer games or on-line stories.
It might be mainstream for you but who has time to read all the stuff that comes at you and take an interest in people and take an interest in the environment as well. So need you to draw attention and explain things a little.
I did a moan on the one about 60Ghz? Just a few lines with some background names details so a reader can grasp the facts is needed. There is so much info to keep up with when one is interested in the people/techpolitics interface.
And the digital man-made frequencies and technology, are destroying and will continue to destroy all that was created by univsersal frequencies…
The ordinary person has never thought of the underwater sound and the frequencies situation. I wonder will the plovers be able to fly down from Russia any more.
The mad following that has been drummed into school kids that tech is the only way and your life revolves around it blah. There is no outdoors, no rest for the soul, you must take your cellphone everywhere and machines are everywhere allowed to menace and stress you when you walk.
There certainly are an unlimited number of angles that information can enter the consciousness from, GW…
Frequencies formed the universe, and they govern every facet of planet earths capacity to create life and to support life…life should be thriving…it has in times past…in natural cycles…
Life is no longer thriving on this planet…it’s being depleted and extinguished…population growth and life expectancy are a mirage obscuring the truth of degradation and ‘health conditions’ which, if the technology behemoths continue onwards, looks certain to lead to an uninhabitable planet…certainly from a biological organism viewpoint…
I’ve said it previously…the conveniently named 5G is designed for machines to communicate with machines..
The entire design is for machines to thrive…
Humans are the collatoral sold BS about faster internet, as if connectivity speeds are not already adequate for human purposes…
Capacity for the imagined ‘smart cities’ which are entirely machine based, imagined to monitor and manage all aspects of ‘life’…is inadequate so big tech has banked its future on trillions of dollars required to build…skynet…the financiers are invested…the sick care companies are standing by to profit from increased illness…the insurance companies are…well…not going to insure against 5G…
Better hope that physics pulls the plug…because the humans won’t…
Bloody true that is One Two.
Our brain and body can only cope with a certain range of frequencies.
Also, that the cumulative build up from man made polluting environments, is completely untested, while human illness and ‘health conditions’ increase at greater rates and in younger cohorts…
Something(s ) are causing the rapid rise in health related issues…
Perhaps we should seek to remove pollutants, including technological based systems from our environments, not argue the toss about which singular toxin is perhaps responsible for a singular ailment…while bring every more untested and toxic technologies into the environment…
Meanwhile, human health, the environment and natural worlds are deteriorating at rapid pace…
The technology is part of the problem, so when some here want to pretend to care about climate change…while endorsing the release of well documented damage causing technology….they are either ignorant or dishonest…
The Gross Mess
The Strange people who suck their way into “media” and into the “Gross ” party simply do not realise what a mess they have made.
It is not possible to Pay very low wages to your working slaves – and then to make sure they cannot ever afford a house – And then expect you biased RATS to be voted into power.
Nor is is possible to charge Rents that take every last dollar out of the pocket of your working slaves – And then expect you biased RATS to be voted into power.
You have bungled, scummed, and shat on the NZ Public for every day you have had Breath.
The women in the Media are marginally worse than the so called journalists. But Simon and the Angry Lille dishonest Collins won’t be seeing their names in Stars for very long.
Neither will Mrs Bennett.
All of you have taken Housing and Fair go – off Kiwis. The Public of New Zealand did not and do not deserve you Bastards.
First sitting day for Parliament in 2019
Here is the Order Paper for today.
No Question Time, with the PM making a statement (20 mins) then a debate of up to 13 hours, with other specified Party Leaders also given 20 mins each, then other Members, 10 min speeches.
https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/OrderPaper_20190212/b9f5f79d5802665569ee0408fabaa6e7caadb2f4
13 hours of debate… dang !!!
Not all today!
Unless they go to extended hours, usual sitting hours for a Tuesday – 2-6pm then 7.30pm to 10pm. Same tomorrow and then Thursday, 2pm – 6pm only.
So on usual hours, provided they don’t debate any other business (eg legisiation) the 13 hours could be over by close of play tomorrow night or Thurs afternoon. I presume that there will be a Question Time plus general debate tomorrow (c. 2hrs total) plus Question Time on Thursday. If so, then the debate will probably finish by close of play Thurs.
Correction:
According to Trevor Mallard on Parl TV online, the debate will begin with leaders’ speeches and then adjourn and onto BAU (Govt Orders of the Day) with Members’ speeches spread over the next few weeks.
Thanks VV, coolies, I can work with that lololz 🙂
Doing jobs around the house over the next few days, parliament audio in the background. Swim break at the river when the girls get home from school 🙂
Five endangered albatross die on one long line
Tuesday, 12 February 2019, 11:03 am
Press Release: Forest And Bird
Forest & Bird is appalled to learn that five critically threatened Antipodean albatross have died in a single long lining incident, only 24 hours after revelations that four endangered Hectors dolphins were killed in a trawl net.
Five Antipodean albatrosses and one Gibson’s albatross were killed when they were caught by a longline fishing vessel in the Bay of Plenty region between 2 December 2018 and 4 January 2019.
“Antipodean Albatross are as endangered as kakapo, and unless we fix our broken commercial fishing system, they will be extinct within 20 years. These needless and cruel deaths are appalling, and completely unacceptable,” says Forest & Bird Oceans Advocate Karen Baird.
“The albatross deaths were reported by an official MPI observer, but only a minority of fishing boats have observers on board. In the meantime, a few bad apples in the fishing industry are stalling the Government’s Cameras on Boats programme. This means no one has any idea how many precious native birds and dolphins are being killed in nets and on lines out at sea.
“MPI have pointed out that the fishing crew were operating entirely within the law. Imagine a law which permitted limitless accidental kakapo deaths at the hands of any industry. It is abundantly clear that a system which allows endangered species to be killed as ‘incidental by-catch’ by the fishing industry is completely broken.
“New Zealand must stand up to fishing companies like Talley’s and Te Ohu Kaimoana, who are pressuring the Government to delay the Cameras on Boats programme and keep New Zealand in the dark about their true impact on our native animals,” says Ms Baird.
“These albatross deaths are just the ones we know about. It is highly likely that many more deaths go unreported, and that New Zealand will be robbed of this majestic species by a few companies that only care about their own profit.”
There needs to be camera’s on large vessels.
How many fisherman have turned a gun on birds…. more than people realise…..birds are predators of fish.
Just make sure no gun pallets land in the fish bins. What goes on at sea stays at sea….
The fact that Peter Talley attended Winstons speech at the Motueka RSA just before the election spoke volumes to me. Never seen PT at any other candidates meetings over the years, he’s extremely private in that respect.
No right turns perspective.
Two-faced criminals
Last year, in a desperate attempt to regain social licence, the fishing industry ran an expensive series of TV ads assuring us that they had nothing to hide. Meanwhile, they were furiously lobbying the Minister to oppose video monitoring of fishing boats:
At the same time as the seafood industry was placing adverts on television last year proclaiming it had “nothing to hide”, it was writing to the minister, Stuart Nash, expressing its “overwhelming opposition” to the idea of cameras on board its boats to monitor what they were up to.
The letter, released under the Official Information Act, said its purpose was to “dismiss any suggestion that the ‘New Zealand Seafood industry’ supports the current proposal”.
For the removal of any doubt the words “do not support” were underlined.
Some of the signatories were redacted but amongst those still visible are managers at Talley’s, Sealord, the Federation of Commercial Fishermen and Te Ohu Kai Moana, representing Māori fishing interests.
Forest and Bird spokesperson Karen Baird said it was a case of them saying one thing publicly while working towards a quite different outcome behind the scenes.
So I guess they do have something to hide after all. But what could it be? The illegal dumping of less-valuable fish? The criminal doctoring of records to understate catches? Or maybe the failure to report catching and killing endangered species? The problem here is that the fishing industry is pervasively criminal. They need to be treated as such, and monitored and prosecuted until they change their behaviour. Instead, our government – bought and paid for by Talley’s – is doing the exact opposite.
Posted by Idiot/Savant at 2/07/2019 01:53:00 PM
Another elephant in Jacinda’s room.
Getting what they paid for
A political party makes strong promises to regulate a destructive industry and prevent it from engaging in widespread criminal behaviour. They are elected to government. But their coalition partner includes an MP who was paid $10,000 by that industry. That MP argues from within government against regulation, and successfully prevents the government from enacting meaningful reform.
If this happened in Africa, or the Pacific Islands, we’d call it what it is: corruption. But it has happened here. The industry is the fishing industry. And the MP is Shane Jones, who took $10,000 from Talleys in 2017 in addition to large donations in the past, and has claimed responsibility for preventing any independent review of the fisheries industry. The government has recently shitcanned plans to use video cameras on fishing boats, and announced plans to lower criminal penalties when fishers break the law – and there is a suspicion that Jones is behind both of these moves too. So it looks like Talleys is very definitely getting what they paid for.
So how do we stop this? Fundamentally, we need to remove the ability of corporations to buy favourable treatment with large political donations. And that means moving to publicly funded political parties. Its either that, or allowing corruption to continue unchecked.
Posted by Idiot/Savant at 2/05/2019 03:11:00 PM
No excuse for it – the setting protocol to stop longline albatross kills was well established back when I was MAF observing. Here’s a Mediterranean version:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150310131920.htm
Skippers used to be good about it – a hook with a bird on it never has a fish on it. Guess they got slack under the Key “administration”.
Seriously – stop the stupid bloody blackface bullshit.
“The turtleneck black wool balaclava jumper, which sells for US$890 ($1300) on one site, covers the nose and includes a red cut-out for the mouth. It was ridiculed on social media as insensitive and racist…”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/110444492/gucci-pulls-blackface-sweater-from-stores-after-complaints?rm=a
”Katy Perry’s shoe label is the latest brand to come under fire for featuring items that resemble blackface.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/110528986/katy-perrys-shoe-collection-pulls-two-styles-over-blackface-controversy
And for those that may think I’m over reacting check out what they look like from the links – so nad they’re lol
Why do you think ‘it’ keeps happening, marty ?
Unbearable sadness manifested in our reality as self hate externalised.
Unbearable sadness, conscious or not…
Human misery is the biggest business of all…
Well said, marty…so sad…but so accurate…
President Trump is holding a pro-wall rally in El Paso Texas. Next Monday.
Which is also home to Beto O’Rourke.
Rally and counter-rally planned.
Can anyone figure why Trump would hold a wall rally in a fully Democrat town?
Its like he’s baiting Beto to run against him.
Jacinda is delivering a stirring State of the Nation address.
Refreshing. Succinct. Inspiring.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/
And now Mr Bridges performing predictably. Oh dear.
The great watch is the Paula Bennett facial contortions. She must have very fit facial muscles.
Whats with simons tongue? It keeps flicking in and out of his mouth….it’s like a nervous tick.
And simon, how can the Southern Link in Nelson be cancelled if it was never approved?
Alien lizard?
It is an allergic response to bullshit , it happens all the time that and forgetting to take her medication
Winston as usual hugely entertaining. He is really demolishing Simons attempted speech.
+1 Ianmac
Love his style in the house and his extraordinary knowledge base, Winston is an outstanding orator.
Winston is totally owning simon, super funny.
Edit…. i think simon has run away lolz
Line of the day so far from the Greens Chloe Swarbrick to Simon Bridges: “We’re polling higher than you are!’
LMAO… too funny
She’s a future leader of the Greens, can’t say enough good things about Chloe.
Yes I think Chloe will have a long very successful career in politics.
Winston’s final words to the Opposition was that “when you realise that your net is full of holes, use a new net.”
Anyone watching Paula Bennett?
Interesting, as the shouty, handwaving performance/persona of 2018 has diminished. Miss Reasonable and can work with others, could even agree to a working group on the cannabis referendum etc
I still think that she thinks that she should/could be leader and that she may well make a play for the leadership in the near future …
She behaves a lot like Key in her dealing with the media. Forcefully positive with that great big plastic smile, and dominating the one on one with reporters from before she comes to a stop. She almost dares the media to challenge her, the individual, rather than the job she might be doing.
She has all of Key’s faults too. She’s dismissive and smarmy. Passionate, yet devoid of compassion.
She almost dares the media to challenge her,…,
That’s the mark of a bully which we all know she is.
Top of the class Muttonbird.
She’s preparing to step up, imo. And being groomed for the attempt. She’ll get it too.
Prime Minister Benefit has
niceodd ring to it.Problem for her is that she doesn’t have the crystal clear backstory Key did. There are a few grubby holes which she has already had to use lawyers to close.
JA by comparison is an angel. This will always be the case.
I’ve noticed her shed her puppy fat – she’s been remodelled by someone smart from the ground up and is match fit I reckon. And with the drive to win and succeed.
I think you make an error in that judgment M. She reminds me of Trump. People have said that he’s a rotten businessman, he’s been bankrupt two or thee times. I say that he is a clever businessman and knows how to slide through all the loopholes and still ride high. Poorer will be the same, jump high with her wonderwoman smile over all obstacles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OITxdCJg2Y
An interesting encounter with a Winz office today which has left me feeling a tad encouraged although it will never be possible to completely relax around them given the 9 years of hell we had to endure.
This was my first face to face meeting with them since the new regime (couldn’t put it off any longer) and supposed introduced ‘compassion’. In a nutshell, not asked for ID once, at the door, reception or by case worker. Treated as a human being every step of the way, Case worker actually applied common sense and discretion where it was called for and clearly their computers are no longer rigged so it can’t be. Also offered me a food grant that I never asked for but certainly didn’t say no to given they’ve been illegally underpaying me for years.
I did start out very much on the defensive- automatic reaction to that place- but I did not leave a jibbering wreck, bawling my eyes out and likely to find myself hospitalised with some seizure drama a la last time I had to do some similar paperwork under the previous regime. So swallows, summer etc still have to apply, and I’m sure there’s still people in other parts of the country who are not being treated as well, for the first time 2009 I’m not terrified to have dealings with Winz. So it looks like the outward changes are kicking in, a small start but a long way to go.
That’s really encouraging to hear Kay. Awesome news, thanks for sharing.
Great refreshing experience, thanks Kay.
So good to hear, Kay. Long may it last. I actually had the same experience mid-2018 when I had a meltdown with them but that was with Seniors section – massive improvement, and now have a personal case worker who I can ring and ask for him to call me, or I can directly email. Every time I have done so to date, he has been back to me within a couple of hours max. and things get sorted pronto.
IIRC you’re in SE Wellington aren’t you? If so, was that in Newtown or Willis St? I certainly have noted the difference the few times I have had to pop into one or other of those service centres with papers or have gone as a support person, although I haven’t done the latter very much recently.
Talking to other people both under 65s and over 65s who are ‘WINZ clients’ (plus some staff) , change is certainly on the way but, as you say, still a long way to go. Changing staff attitudes is a big part of that, but it seems that this is certainly underway with quite a few staff being moved on if they cannot adjust.
What I find interesting about your experiences Kay is that Winz staff seem to change their persona and perceptions according to whoever is in power.
When I was looking after my aged mother in the 1990s I copped the Christine Rankin years which were pretty bad.. At that time many professional people – who had lost their positions due to the restructuring of the Public Service – found themselves on the dole for a period. They and I were treated like ignorant malingerers and were accordingly dealt to by the Winz staff. After some 30 plus years in the P.S., I was scheduled to attend a workshop teaching me how to dress and speak properly at job interviews. I never turned up and told them in no uncertain terms why. They left me alone after that. 🙂
Years later under the Helen Clark govt., I had cause to visit the local Winz office and saw the same woman who had treated me like a malingerer… all smiles and helpfulness towards the client sitting opposite her.
When News is withheld
ZB Bunnys
There is a group of Media known as News ZB which claims to be the Premiere sauce of News in this Land. It also claims you can listen to it Free. Which perhaps is not entirely true.
A chap called Hosking, hosts news and Entertainment for ZB Media.
He and Mrs Hosking have recently shouted out that they have bought a low cost Millionaire slum House somewhere in shabby old Auckland. Yes the Same Auckland that is racing out to decent Pastures. Elsewhere.
Elsewhere doesn’t really want them. But that is beside the Point.
Mr Hosking has been rabbiting on for years. He has been one of many National Governments that have made sure NZ workers are paid Low Low Wages. No New Zealand worker can ever afford a House in New Zealand now or in the future. Thanks to ZB And its babySister – The Herald.
Also Mr Hosking is one of the many unstable National Governments which has Forced Chronically Expensive exorbitant Rents on people who own no homes.
Nice People the ZB Media. A crushing Cruel slob mob – News ZB. You should get to Know them.