Occupiers always can get power on , as they are paying for it.
The law is on the new owners side , but he doesnt seem to be using it properly, Tenancy Tribunal hasnt enforcement capabilities ( as many tenants find out as well), he needs the High Court for that.
hes a fool at that age and without experience of mortgagee sales to go down that path and left to fester over 4 years
It's only tangential to what I used to do, but my impression is that an eviction order is used when there's some reasonable dispute about whether the person actually has to leave a place they occupy.
If they get evicted then come back, they're no different from a trespasser or burglar. No colour of right to occupy. Bugger eviction, do them for breaking and entering.
As there appears no indication there was a tenancy arrangement I would assume the order was a trespass order rather than a tenancy tribunal finding that the bailiffs enacted.
Terrible story about a wife who dies during childbirth and the baby soon after. It must have been harrowing circumstances as the baby was delivered late at night by emergency Cesarean in the ambulance with a team from St Johns.
This jumped out for me
'Meepegama, an IT technician, also called and texted Silva's midwife to say she was having difficulties breathing but the midwife didn't respond."
So much for the 24 hr service private midwives are contracted to deliver ( including a backup contact) I wonder how many new mothers get the same response but its not a dire emergency.
Wierd scenes ! An online petition against a movie recounting the events of 3/15 muslims an non muslims objecting to the idea of a central character {jacinda}being a white woman ?? 15 thousand so far according to rnz
Seems reasonable on the face of it. Why should Hollywood get to make money by telling the story of Ardern as Hero and not the people who were shot by a white supremacist? They appear to not have even talked with survivors and family.
While i agree they should definitely have talked to the survivors, making a film about Arderns reaction and swift action removing military style weapons is a story worth telling.
If they wanted to do it on the actual killing they would be accused of glorifying it.
The story is about a mass killing of Muslims and how the trauma at the time was lessened by our PM and authorities. The nub of it all is the killings, so don't try and slant it as being a handbook guide on how a good politician should behave in tragedies. Naturally the Muslim people are upset that their tragedy is being used as a drawcard for profit. Particularly as the PM's attention wavered to other pressing matters; support for the bereaved mothers and wives quickly lessened and soon they were being treated with the disdain that NZ administers to solo parents and being told they should be getting a job as well as properly caring for their children's upbringing.
About 5 mothers have returned to their home countries for various reasons of difficulties. One had a 14 year old daughter in trauma after their fence was painted with hostile graffiti; she feared for her mental health.
The film idea is disgraceful, and disrespectful, and callous. It is an example of how people don't count in a business, profit-making world and what we can expect under the economic system that we stupidly signed up to by our mendacious politicians.
The 2006 movie "Out of the Blue" is based on the Aramoana massacre that occurred over a period of two days in mid-November 1990.
The film has received positive reviews but had a controversy during production. It faced a lot of opposition from the town, and as a result no filming was done in Aramoana. Some members of the community were against the movie being filmed, but they would get to see the movie first before it was released to the public, and it would not be called 'Aramoana.'
It's been 2 years and 3 months since the Christchurch mosque massacres, so way too soon imho, although you can't fight "I want it now" – everything's "on demand".
This "on-demand" generation is used to gathering information and arriving at conclusions quickly…
What – I have to wait?! How inconvenient.
In a statement to RNZ today, Ardern said that film-makers did not consult her in any form about their plans.
She stopped short of condemning the film, despite the public petition asking her to do so.
But she said plenty of stories from 15 March could be told and she does not consider hers to be one of them.
The prime minister added the attacks on the two mosques remain very raw for New Zealand.
Never bothered watching that one, either. Or any of the ones about 9/11, etc.
There are very few movies of that ilk that I can be bothered watching. However "sensitive" or "accurate" they claim to be, it's usually just a shallow, money-grubbing, ham-fisted pastiche of nothing we haven't seen before.
They either run it on the same template as Jaws, or end up ignoring "accuracy" for everything except near-pornographic recreations of the last moments people spent on this earth.
Just that they’re leveraging other people’s pain to make a profit.
This is applicable to many excellent and/or important movies and documentaries. The extent to which this undermines their value is a (personal) judgement call.
Unlike you, I watched "Out of the Blue" – it wasn't an easy watch.
There are several well-received NZ movies (from 'Once Were Warriors' to 'Savage') that I've never been able to bring myself watch because it seems (to me) that they would be too confronting.
I'm not saying these are bad movies, but if I'm going to watch a film that portrays the misery of the human condition, my preference is for based-on-fact offerings.
About the Film [Out of the Blue]
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Introduction
I lived in nearby Dunedin during the Aramoana tragedy in 1990. I remember the surreal feeling of that day when we all knew a gunman was on the loose just a few kilometres down the road. It was warm. Not a cloud in the sky. It all seemed so incongruous.
Aramoana always felt like the most peaceful place on earth to me. Its two beaches are breathtakingly beautiful and as a teenager I enjoyed biking out there and sitting at the end of the mole. It's a contemplative place. It feels like the edge of the world.
This tragedy shocked New Zealand in a profound way. It cut to the core of our idyllic self-image of our country – 'gods own country', 'a great place to bring up kids'. Before Aramoana, random violence seemed to happen elsewhere. After 13 November 1990 the violence of the world had come home. For my generation it was the moment New Zealand lost its innocence.
Why tell this story?
The Aramoana tragedy is one of the more significant events in New Zealand's recent history. It was an event that deeply affected New Zealanders at the time. I think it is important to look at significant events like this, to reflect and hopefully learn from them.
These events highlight the positive side of the kiwi spirit as much as darkness of the actions of one man. The people of Aramoana and the police involved acted selflessly to help each other get through that night and I think that is worth remembering, and paying tribute to.
As a filmmaker I was attracted to the way this story involved an entire community in a period of sustained tension. I was intrigued that David Gray was a member of the community rather than an outsider, and by the way other members of the community reacted and helped each other. The story seemed to have something distinctively New Zealand about it. It seemed like an opportunity, framed by tragedy though it is, to explore who we are as a people, or perhaps who we were.
Thing about Once Were Warriors is that although it was a true story, it wasn't specific person's true story.
It explored true themes, but without distorting someone's actual truth.
Your Sarkies blurb makes that point: the filmmakers was exploring themes he was drawn to, not the entire truths of the people involved.
I'm sure it was indeed hard viewing. Reproductions of the murders of kids always are. Did this one make any novel explorations of our society (like Once Were Warriors), or make a case for viewers to be outraged at the callous injustices of a corrupt system (e.g. Beyond Reasonable Doubt)?
Or did a depersonified Big Bad terrorise a small group of salt-of-the-earth noble characters, the survivors rallying together to recover from the tragedy?
In other words, was it thematically different from "a perfect storm", or even "2012" for that matter?
It explored true themes, but without distorting someone's actual truth.
Why would the exploration of "true themes" (?) be any less prone to distortion than the exploration of real events? Plenty of themes and real events are explored and discussed on The Standard.
Way to soon to explore the events and themes/memes of the Christchurch mosque massacres in a major movie, imho, but we explored them here almost in real time.
In other words, was it thematically different from "a perfect storm", or even "2012" for that matter?
Didn't see 'A Perfect Storm', but yes, quite different thematically to the '2012' fantasy, imho.
Why would the exploration of "true themes" (?) be any less prone to distortion than the exploration of real events?
Because 90 or 120 minutes is not long enough to accurately show a complete individual, let alone an ensemble. That's why so many movie characters are archetypes – the hero, the coward, the bad guy, the adventurer.
Lots of people met someone like Jake the Muss, sometimes even in themselves. Those themes permeate through New Zealand. Through that story, he had character development, an arc.
But so close to the actual events, firstly making the murderer a living human being who started out as a baby and somehow became the person that could do that thing? That would take more than 120 minutes and be all about him. So the bad guy has to be a caricature, not any different from "the neutrinos are mutating and warming the planet". The murderer is just a pretext for the obstacles our plucky heros have to overcome.
But then the people who were shot at and those who were responders, a movie close to the events can't develop them, either. Takes too long, and muddies who the audience is supposed to support (because it's entertainment). Maybe there's a token "coward" or "obstructive bureaucrat", but good luck giving any of them an arc. And then half the details will be changed, and characters chopped or amalgamated, and timelines confused, just to fit the story the movie makers want to tell.
So what's the value of any movie "based on real events"?
educating people that events actually happened (things that had been covered up at the time and shortly afterwards)
expose covered-up misconduct by the authorities
build public support if the things that happened still need to be addressed and answered for, especially by corrupt individuals still alive
throw some hollywood cash at people involved
I doubt any of those apply to most recent NZ events. Although a film about Pike River might uncover some stuff and embarrass some responsible parties, especially in regards to deals being cut and evidence being lost.
Plenty of themes and real events are explored and discussed on The Standard.
Nobody here is doing it for money. And it's a dialogue, not one final cut.
edit: and how many of those movies were based on events only a decade or two before, and then how many of those were anything other than hagiographies or propaganda? And then how many were any good?
Because 90 or 120 minutes is not long enough to accurately show a complete individual, let alone an ensemble.
Agreed, that would take a lifetime. Is it possible to accurately portray a “true theme” that has been distilled from the experiences of real people in 90-120 minutes? Maybe you're asking/expecting too much.
Fwiw, I don't believe Sarkies set out to portray Gray as a "Big Bad"; rather some effort was made (early on) to help the audience get inside Gray's head, unsettling and demoralising (the banality of 'evil') as that was. Gray did murder four children, although these murders weren't shown on screen – imagine my disappointment.
Just finished watching another movie based on real events – the cleverly named 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018), directed by Spike Lee. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, no less.
Imho, films based on real events are not inherently inferior to films that eschew the dramatisation of real events. They too can have value beyond their primary purpose of being sufficiently entertaining to make money. Fwiw, ‘entertaining’ is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I recall ‘Out of the Blue’.
Is it possible to accurately portray a “true theme” that has been distilled from the experiences of real people in 90-120 minutes?
The difference is that the director isn't selling anyone short or (in the opposite direction) idolising them. And in the case of Once Were Warriors, really making NZ have a look in the mirror.
BlacKkKlansman was a good movie, but played quite loosely with some of the facts and characters. But it also had a very clear warning for society, and told a little-known story.
What little-known story did you learn from the sarkies movie? What fundamental warning or message about society did it deliver?
Or did it simply take the audience on a little self-contained emotional journey with a cathartic resolution, and then everyone could go get a cup of tea?
Because the latter is purely entertainment. It might not be a comedy, but it is just entertainment. Using the pain of real people.
Because the latter is purely entertainment. It might not be a comedy, but it is just entertainment. Using the pain of real people.
Adapting Robert Sarkies’ Film Out of the Blue: The At-Home and Abroad Reception of a New Zealand Tragedy
The film is based on a book written by Senior Sergeant Bill O’Brien, Aramoana: Twenty-Two Hours of Terror.
…
However, in the final analysis, I believe a film like Out of the Blue can give hope, although that may be the last descriptor most would attach to such subject matter, and clearly not simply at the level of breaking out of nationally-preconceived categories of genre. I say ‘hope’ because although Aramoana is the place where this tragedy happened (and Out of the Blue does not shy from this fact), it is also the place that survived that tragedy. It is, in the end, the place and the people that continue. No one is more aware of this, I would argue, than those who were touched by the events at Aramoana; Sarkies’ film manages to both represent and respect that.
I don't believe Out of the Blue is purely an entertainment and/or exploitative film. If you believe that it is, then we must agree to disagree – doubt that anyone who actually viewed the film could persuade you otherwise; just a waste of your time and mine.
Critics consensus (Rotten Tomatoes)
A dramatization of real-life terror that's rendered all the more powerful through its sensitivity, Out of the Blue succeeds as a gripping drama as well as a moving commemoration.
Out of the Blue (100 mins, 15) Directed by Robert Sarkies; starring Matthew Sunderland, Karl Urban, Lois Lawn, Simon Ferry
As a piece of film-making about an event that gripped a nation, Out of the Blue is altogether leaner and more gripping than Children of Glory. A documentary-style reconstruction of a small-town massacre that rocked New Zealand in 1990, the whole film takes place in 24 hours, as a crazy 33-year-old loner is tipped over the edge by being charged at his bank for cashing a cheque. Getting out an automatic weapon of a sort no private citizen should possess, he kills 13 people and wounds several others before being shot down. I'm not sure what Robert Sarkies's film tells us, but it is a memorable account of a community uniting under pressure.
Interesting that Simon Ferry, who was the artistic director of our local Centrepoint Theatre from 2005-2008, had a role in the film – you learn something new every day.
Fifteen years later I have such clear memories of Out of the Blue that I have no need, or wish to watch it again – but I'm glad that I did. Maybe one day I'll be able to bring myself to watch Once Were Warriors, and its sequels, too, but I doubt it. No interest in Nitram either – that film may focus more on events leading up to the Port Arthur massacre.
Unlike you, I watched "Out of the Blue" – it wasn't an easy watch.
That was my experience as well.
I am against this Hollywood production. 'Out of the Blue' was a very sensitively made film (docudrama?) and focused on the people involved and the tragedy and heroism of that event. At the end of the film no-one moved or made a sound in the theatre until the credits ended.
I dread where this ne production is going to go. Our PM must feel very uncomfortable that her 'celebrity politician' position in the world is going to be prostituted in the name of Hollywood profit.
If they were to pledge 90% of profits to the rehabilitation of the victims of that event I might be slightly happier. But they haven't, they won't, and you cannot trust 'Hollywood accounting' anyway.
And it won't change the gun culture in the USA one jot. Sandy Hook didn't, so there is no hope for that country.
JA stepped up to the plate immediately and without reservation earning her a huge amount of credit in nz and around the world .As our prime minister what has the fact of her being white have to do with anything ?
@ weston (3.1.2) … I agree with your comments. Mentioning the fact that Jacinda Ardern being "a white woman" is quite unnecessary in the case you point out.
IMHO I consider a movie about the massacre is disrespectful to those NZers suffering the rawness from the pain of the event, Besides, it is not a form of entertainment. For that reason alone I signed the petition. And I'm not "woke"!
How fortunate we are to have such things to be outraged over. In the meantime Amnesty International have just released this report:
Since 2017, under the guise of a campaign against “terrorism”, the government of China has carried out massive and systematic abuses against Muslims living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang). Far from a legitimate response to the purported terrorist threat, the government’s campaign evinces a clear intent to target parts of Xinjiang’s population collectively on the basis of religion and ethnicity and to use severe violence and intimidation to root out Islamic religious beliefs and Turkic Muslim ethno-cultural practices. The government aims to replace these beliefs and practices with secular state-sanctioned views and behaviours, and, ultimately, to forcibly assimilate members of these ethnic groups into a homogenous Chinese nation possessing a unified language, culture, and unwavering loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Texas Republican congressman Louie Gohmert has asked a senior US government official if changing the moon’s orbit around the Earth, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun, might be a solution for climate change.
Bizarrely, the question was not posed to anyone from Nasa or even the Pentagon. Instead it was asked of a senior forestry service official during a House natural resources committee hearing on Tuesday.
Science Fiction has a lot to answer for. Send a special forces squad and use a large bomb- the solution to all problems.
The question behind this man's ignorance is how did he get to his age and experience, and especially his position, with schooling, training, general knowledge etc- and still even consider that such a solution is possible?
Shades of the vetting and selection procedures of our National Party version of the Republican Party, from Trump on down.
And these men run hugely powerful states and governments?
US political parties dont 'vet' candidates, they hold primaries and registered voters decide who the 'party candidate' will be from a list of hopefuls. Its a very loose party loyalty system and they dont hold allegiance to the central party.
The NY City democratic primary on June 22 for the later mayoral race has around 8 major candidates plus 5 others and around 10 'withdraws'
''During a hearing into his mental state, McGregor told the medical council that if they had “any understanding of politics, you would understand that the beliefs that are actually put on the blog are actually the directives from President Trump”.When the council chair called to say his registration had been suspended, he called her a “filthy dirty fucking leftwing slut” and claimed she “knowingly used the power of political correctness to inflict woman to male intimidation and assault against [him]”.
Qanon seems to reach right up to the people around Aussie PM Scott Morrison, and explained in a ‘delayed’ ABC Four Corners episode.
1 home schooled. 2 religious narrow schooling 3 a school were pupils challenge teachers about the correctness of their knowledge 4 a believer than technology is intrinsically good, man using it is the same, and it will solve every problem.
My youngest daughter was home schooled, along with her friends. We ran a small home school for 6 children.
She has recently served as deputy chairperson for the local community board and is currently writing. Her friend topped her class in Auckland med school and is now a psychiatrist. Another is an engineer, another is a farmer and qualified motor mechanic, another is the practise manager for a law firm. All have successful careers.
It was towards the final time of 30+ years in education, in state and private teaching from primary to tertiary, from chalk-face to administration.
We realised our daughter was never going to succeed in her state school education, and a different direction was needed. I became involved with the small class of 6 after a couple of years. The move had been very successful for her, but the initial teacher was moving on, and that meant that someone new had to take over. I have to say it was the most enlightening and most enriching teaching experience of my whole career. Our first main lesson was the English novel. Previously I had taught Maths and Physics and Computing Studies! Then followed, The French Revolution, A Play – Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara", Art , Colonisation, Communication, and a host of others. I learnt as much as the children, and when that happens you know you are on the right path.
Interesting. Both my children went through the Steiner system which isn't the same as home-schooling I know, but definitely steps outside of the standard curriculum.
One of my pet ideas is that subjects should be taught as a rough historic progression, the idea being that the order in which humanity as a whole discovered new ideas is not a bad starting point to also teach children. Giving them a sense of how and when ideas first arose and how they changed the world – embedding history into every curricula as it where – whether it be a science, humanity or art, always struck me as potentially interesting and engaging. Almost certainly this isn't an original idea I'd think, but I've never seen it discussed anywhere.
Astonishingly, it's probably not the stupidest thing he's said in Congress. I mean, simple ignorance is sufficient to explain asking that kind of question. I've worked with plenty of people on manufacturing floors that were plenty bright with good problem solving skilz, but were never educated, and might have asked a similar question.
But there are plenty of other occasions he's verbally covered himself in feces on topics where he has allegedly been educated and should know better.
Yes, I saw that. The pictures show clearly the rotor has cut the tail section clean off…as they do. They will say its pilot error and but its a repeated error as that is the main reason they crash in NZ . Will the Aviation Safety stand up to the vested interests and Robinson and ban this type for its design issues. Aviation Safety had an appalling record of bad culture and lax oversight of the helicopters and light planes , but have recent shakeups changed anything
One police unit attended, spoke to the parties involved and advised there were no issues,” she said.
“There is nothing in the information we have been able to obtain to suggest a gang fight – there is no mention in the job of any injuries to anyone and there do not appear to have been any arrests.”
Local staff have since reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and confirmed it didn't involve gang members.
Simon Bridges, National, and NZH are hand-in-glove. We won’t see any of them correct, withdraw, or apologise. Ever. Unless forced by a Court or when they make a personal promise to their children in a valedictory speech.
I don’t mind politicians having convictions and standing (up) for these. I prefer them standing for values. Problem is that some convictions are stoked by values. Here is the paradox, for me.
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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. ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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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 ...
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 ...
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This is ridiculous. Surely the law must be on the new owner's side as he has paid for the property.
Squatters turn Taranaki pensioner's $46,000 house bargain into expensive headache | Stuff.co.nz
It is…but I suspect he will never gain possession of an intact house.
I was interested that he got the power shut off, but the squatters we able to get it put back on under another name.
Occupiers always can get power on , as they are paying for it.
The law is on the new owners side , but he doesnt seem to be using it properly, Tenancy Tribunal hasnt enforcement capabilities ( as many tenants find out as well), he needs the High Court for that.
hes a fool at that age and without experience of mortgagee sales to go down that path and left to fester over 4 years
https://www.justice.govt.nz/fines/about-civil-debt/collect-civil-debt/warrants-to-evict-debtors/
Unfortunately these are the risks you take when buying a property in a mortgage sale.
The risk that the law will not be followed nor enforced (in a timely manner)?…..sounds like a recipe for chaos
Surely the bailiffs to forcibly remove the occupiers doesnt take 4 years, or is there something the story isnt telling us.
The story (as reported) told us the bailiffs vacated the property twice…only for it to be reoccupied.
not sure why trespass orders don't apply
Assume bailiffs used one to evict, though perhaps not….curious that the Police appear to need legal clarification after 2 evictions.
It's only tangential to what I used to do, but my impression is that an eviction order is used when there's some reasonable dispute about whether the person actually has to leave a place they occupy.
If they get evicted then come back, they're no different from a trespasser or burglar. No colour of right to occupy. Bugger eviction, do them for breaking and entering.
As there appears no indication there was a tenancy arrangement I would assume the order was a trespass order rather than a tenancy tribunal finding that the bailiffs enacted.
Terrible story about a wife who dies during childbirth and the baby soon after. It must have been harrowing circumstances as the baby was delivered late at night by emergency Cesarean in the ambulance with a team from St Johns.
This jumped out for me
'Meepegama, an IT technician, also called and texted Silva's midwife to say she was having difficulties breathing but the midwife didn't respond."
So much for the 24 hr service private midwives are contracted to deliver ( including a backup contact) I wonder how many new mothers get the same response but its not a dire emergency.
8I wouldn't trust most midwives to deliver Warehouse brochures, let alone babies.
The amount of mothers and babies who have died because of their useless midwives….
Were that my wife I would have rung 111 straight away.
[you used the wrong e-mail address]
There are hospital midwives or private midwives who deliver in a hospital and provide ante and post natal care at a clinic or at home.
Interesting that the DHBs pay offer for their midwives will put then at $83k to $130k salary range and they arent on call.
Wierd scenes ! An online petition against a movie recounting the events of 3/15 muslims an non muslims objecting to the idea of a central character {jacinda}being a white woman ?? 15 thousand so far according to rnz
Seems reasonable on the face of it. Why should Hollywood get to make money by telling the story of Ardern as Hero and not the people who were shot by a white supremacist? They appear to not have even talked with survivors and family.
While i agree they should definitely have talked to the survivors, making a film about Arderns reaction and swift action removing military style weapons is a story worth telling.
If they wanted to do it on the actual killing they would be accused of glorifying it.
Yes. Its not a documentary its a 'story based on actual events'
Have we even had a documentary done about the events of the day or is that too soon.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/444567/they-are-using-us-how-is-it-okay-for-others-to-profit-off-our-pain
The story is about a mass killing of Muslims and how the trauma at the time was lessened by our PM and authorities. The nub of it all is the killings, so don't try and slant it as being a handbook guide on how a good politician should behave in tragedies. Naturally the Muslim people are upset that their tragedy is being used as a drawcard for profit. Particularly as the PM's attention wavered to other pressing matters; support for the bereaved mothers and wives quickly lessened and soon they were being treated with the disdain that NZ administers to solo parents and being told they should be getting a job as well as properly caring for their children's upbringing.
About 5 mothers have returned to their home countries for various reasons of difficulties. One had a 14 year old daughter in trauma after their fence was painted with hostile graffiti; she feared for her mental health.
The film idea is disgraceful, and disrespectful, and callous. It is an example of how people don't count in a business, profit-making world and what we can expect under the economic system that we stupidly signed up to by our mendacious politicians.
"he economic system that we stupidly signed up to by our mendacious politicians."
Politicians didnt sign us up to anything…. the country was colonised under the same principles.
You have bizzare ideas about business and profit making, or would you prefer the leninist-party-state model?
You are a bit of a cheese cutter ghost. Everyone has to be cut down to size if they don't fit your narrow interpretations.
The 2006 movie "Out of the Blue" is based on the Aramoana massacre that occurred over a period of two days in mid-November 1990.
It's been 2 years and 3 months since the Christchurch mosque massacres, so way too soon imho, although you can't fight "I want it now" – everything's "on demand".
What – I have to wait?! How inconvenient.
Never bothered watching that one, either. Or any of the ones about 9/11, etc.
There are very few movies of that ilk that I can be bothered watching. However "sensitive" or "accurate" they claim to be, it's usually just a shallow, money-grubbing, ham-fisted pastiche of nothing we haven't seen before.
They either run it on the same template as Jaws, or end up ignoring "accuracy" for everything except near-pornographic recreations of the last moments people spent on this earth.
For entertainment.
Unpleasant material, but a fairly realistic potrayal of events by most accounts – a worthy contribution to NZ's Cinema of Unease?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramoana_massacre#Causes
Director Robert Sarkies also co-wrote and directed the entertaining Scarfies.
By-and-large I agree with you – too many 'exploitamentaries' on NZ screens.
I'm not saying they're all bad directors or actors or screenwriters.
Just that they're leveraging other people's pain to make a profit.
This is applicable to many excellent and/or important movies and documentaries. The extent to which this undermines their value is a (personal) judgement call.
Unlike you, I watched "Out of the Blue" – it wasn't an easy watch.
There are several well-received NZ movies (from 'Once Were Warriors' to 'Savage') that I've never been able to bring myself watch because it seems (to me) that they would be too confronting.
I'm not saying these are bad movies, but if I'm going to watch a film that portrays the misery of the human condition, my preference is for based-on-fact offerings.
Thing about Once Were Warriors is that although it was a true story, it wasn't specific person's true story.
It explored true themes, but without distorting someone's actual truth.
Your Sarkies blurb makes that point: the filmmakers was exploring themes he was drawn to, not the entire truths of the people involved.
I'm sure it was indeed hard viewing. Reproductions of the murders of kids always are. Did this one make any novel explorations of our society (like Once Were Warriors), or make a case for viewers to be outraged at the callous injustices of a corrupt system (e.g. Beyond Reasonable Doubt)?
Or did a depersonified Big Bad terrorise a small group of salt-of-the-earth noble characters, the survivors rallying together to recover from the tragedy?
In other words, was it thematically different from "a perfect storm", or even "2012" for that matter?
Why would the exploration of "true themes" (?) be any less prone to distortion than the exploration of real events? Plenty of themes and real events are explored and discussed on The Standard.
Way to soon to explore the events and themes/memes of the Christchurch mosque massacres in a major movie, imho, but we explored them here almost in real time.
Didn't see 'A Perfect Storm', but yes, quite different thematically to the '2012' fantasy, imho.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_actual_events
Because 90 or 120 minutes is not long enough to accurately show a complete individual, let alone an ensemble. That's why so many movie characters are archetypes – the hero, the coward, the bad guy, the adventurer.
Lots of people met someone like Jake the Muss, sometimes even in themselves. Those themes permeate through New Zealand. Through that story, he had character development, an arc.
But so close to the actual events, firstly making the murderer a living human being who started out as a baby and somehow became the person that could do that thing? That would take more than 120 minutes and be all about him. So the bad guy has to be a caricature, not any different from "the neutrinos are mutating and warming the planet". The murderer is just a pretext for the obstacles our plucky heros have to overcome.
But then the people who were shot at and those who were responders, a movie close to the events can't develop them, either. Takes too long, and muddies who the audience is supposed to support (because it's entertainment). Maybe there's a token "coward" or "obstructive bureaucrat", but good luck giving any of them an arc. And then half the details will be changed, and characters chopped or amalgamated, and timelines confused, just to fit the story the movie makers want to tell.
So what's the value of any movie "based on real events"?
I doubt any of those apply to most recent NZ events. Although a film about Pike River might uncover some stuff and embarrass some responsible parties, especially in regards to deals being cut and evidence being lost.
Nobody here is doing it for money. And it's a dialogue, not one final cut.
edit: and how many of those movies were based on events only a decade or two before, and then how many of those were anything other than hagiographies or propaganda? And then how many were any good?
Agreed, that would take a lifetime. Is it possible to accurately portray a “true theme” that has been distilled from the experiences of real people in 90-120 minutes? Maybe you're asking/expecting too much.
Fwiw, I don't believe Sarkies set out to portray Gray as a "Big Bad"; rather some effort was made (early on) to help the audience get inside Gray's head, unsettling and demoralising (the banality of 'evil') as that was. Gray did murder four children, although these murders weren't shown on screen – imagine my disappointment.
Just finished watching another movie based on real events – the cleverly named 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018), directed by Spike Lee. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, no less.
Imho, films based on real events are not inherently inferior to films that eschew the dramatisation of real events. They too can have value beyond their primary purpose of being sufficiently entertaining to make money. Fwiw, ‘entertaining’ is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I recall ‘Out of the Blue’.
The difference is that the director isn't selling anyone short or (in the opposite direction) idolising them. And in the case of Once Were Warriors, really making NZ have a look in the mirror.
BlacKkKlansman was a good movie, but played quite loosely with some of the facts and characters. But it also had a very clear warning for society, and told a little-known story.
What little-known story did you learn from the sarkies movie? What fundamental warning or message about society did it deliver?
Or did it simply take the audience on a little self-contained emotional journey with a cathartic resolution, and then everyone could go get a cup of tea?
Because the latter is purely entertainment. It might not be a comedy, but it is just entertainment. Using the pain of real people.
I don't believe Out of the Blue is purely an entertainment and/or exploitative film. If you believe that it is, then we must agree to disagree – doubt that anyone who actually viewed the film could persuade you otherwise; just a waste of your time and mine.
Interesting that Simon Ferry, who was the artistic director of our local Centrepoint Theatre from 2005-2008, had a role in the film – you learn something new every day.
Fifteen years later I have such clear memories of Out of the Blue that I have no need, or wish to watch it again – but I'm glad that I did. Maybe one day I'll be able to bring myself to watch Once Were Warriors, and its sequels, too, but I doubt it. No interest in Nitram either – that film may focus more on events leading up to the Port Arthur massacre.
Jesus, even the critics you quote call it a "gripping drama" and "I'm not sure what Robert Sarkies's film tells us".
Blackkklansman has the first bit (as well as funny bits), but it's message was very clearly stated.
There's the difference.
That was my experience as well.
I am against this Hollywood production. 'Out of the Blue' was a very sensitively made film (docudrama?) and focused on the people involved and the tragedy and heroism of that event. At the end of the film no-one moved or made a sound in the theatre until the credits ended.
I dread where this ne production is going to go. Our PM must feel very uncomfortable that her 'celebrity politician' position in the world is going to be prostituted in the name of Hollywood profit.
If they were to pledge 90% of profits to the rehabilitation of the victims of that event I might be slightly happier. But they haven't, they won't, and you cannot trust 'Hollywood accounting' anyway.
And it won't change the gun culture in the USA one jot. Sandy Hook didn't, so there is no hope for that country.
JA stepped up to the plate immediately and without reservation earning her a huge amount of credit in nz and around the world .As our prime minister what has the fact of her being white have to do with anything ?
@ weston (3.1.2) … I agree with your comments. Mentioning the fact that Jacinda Ardern being "a white woman" is quite unnecessary in the case you point out.
IMHO I consider a movie about the massacre is disrespectful to those NZers suffering the rawness from the pain of the event, Besides, it is not a form of entertainment. For that reason alone I signed the petition. And I'm not "woke"!
Since when have we moved to the horrible US date style? The Chch terrorist attack took place on 15/3 ie 15th of March not 3/15.
Cultural takeover, mm by mm
How fortunate we are to have such things to be outraged over. In the meantime Amnesty International have just released this report:
I feel guilty about that. Have we paid enough attention to the Falun Gong? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong
Pure bollocks
Sweet! We just need to move the moon…
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1402385847673032711/vid/640×360/78e12mrT1qXGm9gF.mp4?tag=14
The Texas Republican congressman Louie Gohmert has asked a senior US government official if changing the moon’s orbit around the Earth, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun, might be a solution for climate change.
Bizarrely, the question was not posed to anyone from Nasa or even the Pentagon. Instead it was asked of a senior forestry service official during a House natural resources committee hearing on Tuesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/09/texas-republican-louie-gohmert-climate-change
Science Fiction has a lot to answer for. Send a special forces squad and use a large bomb- the solution to all problems.
The question behind this man's ignorance is how did he get to his age and experience, and especially his position, with schooling, training, general knowledge etc- and still even consider that such a solution is possible?
Shades of the vetting and selection procedures of our National Party version of the Republican Party, from Trump on down.
And these men run hugely powerful states and governments?
US political parties dont 'vet' candidates, they hold primaries and registered voters decide who the 'party candidate' will be from a list of hopefuls. Its a very loose party loyalty system and they dont hold allegiance to the central party.
The NY City democratic primary on June 22 for the later mayoral race has around 8 major candidates plus 5 others and around 10 'withdraws'
That sort of bizarre fantasy of the Texas Congressman is nothing compared to this now struck off Sydney Psychiatrist
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/07/psychiatrist-struck-off-for-posting-bizarre-qanon-conspiracy-theories
''During a hearing into his mental state, McGregor told the medical council that if they had “any understanding of politics, you would understand that the beliefs that are actually put on the blog are actually the directives from President Trump”.When the council chair called to say his registration had been suspended, he called her a “filthy dirty fucking leftwing slut” and claimed she “knowingly used the power of political correctness to inflict woman to male intimidation and assault against [him]”.
Qanon seems to reach right up to the people around Aussie PM Scott Morrison, and explained in a ‘delayed’ ABC Four Corners episode.
Who will counsel the counsellors?
Almost makes injecting bleach to cure covid a good idea.
It seems that even in NZ there are currently a small number of GPs under investigation for spreading wacko anti-vaccine narratives.
mac1 He was possibly –
1 home schooled. 2 religious narrow schooling 3 a school were pupils challenge teachers about the correctness of their knowledge 4 a believer than technology is intrinsically good, man using it is the same, and it will solve every problem.
My youngest daughter was home schooled, along with her friends. We ran a small home school for 6 children.
She has recently served as deputy chairperson for the local community board and is currently writing. Her friend topped her class in Auckland med school and is now a psychiatrist. Another is an engineer, another is a farmer and qualified motor mechanic, another is the practise manager for a law firm. All have successful careers.
Brilliant response!
Your spouse must be an amazing teacher
Well yes she is – but I have to confess that I was the teacher
Good on you
The result is a reward for and confirmation of a ‘job’ well done. I’m sure your daughter and her friends will pass it on and spread the love.
It was towards the final time of 30+ years in education, in state and private teaching from primary to tertiary, from chalk-face to administration.
We realised our daughter was never going to succeed in her state school education, and a different direction was needed. I became involved with the small class of 6 after a couple of years. The move had been very successful for her, but the initial teacher was moving on, and that meant that someone new had to take over. I have to say it was the most enlightening and most enriching teaching experience of my whole career. Our first main lesson was the English novel. Previously I had taught Maths and Physics and Computing Studies! Then followed, The French Revolution, A Play – Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara", Art , Colonisation, Communication, and a host of others. I learnt as much as the children, and when that happens you know you are on the right path.
Yup, education and parenthood are not one-way streets and both ‘sides’ become a unit of learning, (self-)discovery, and development.
Interesting. Both my children went through the Steiner system which isn't the same as home-schooling I know, but definitely steps outside of the standard curriculum.
One of my pet ideas is that subjects should be taught as a rough historic progression, the idea being that the order in which humanity as a whole discovered new ideas is not a bad starting point to also teach children. Giving them a sense of how and when ideas first arose and how they changed the world – embedding history into every curricula as it where – whether it be a science, humanity or art, always struck me as potentially interesting and engaging. Almost certainly this isn't an original idea I'd think, but I've never seen it discussed anywhere.
It's one of the reasons I really enjoyed a couple of books. Each gave you a sense of how X couldn't happen until A B and C had.
1. Descartes Error – Antonio Damasio
https://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X
2. Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society – Bill Bryson
Astonishingly, it's probably not the stupidest thing he's said in Congress. I mean, simple ignorance is sufficient to explain asking that kind of question. I've worked with plenty of people on manufacturing floors that were plenty bright with good problem solving skilz, but were never educated, and might have asked a similar question.
But there are plenty of other occasions he's verbally covered himself in feces on topics where he has allegedly been educated and should know better.
Take your pick:
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Louie_Gohmert
https://www.houstonpress.com/news/the-five-most-idiotic-things-louie-gohmert-who-sees-radical-muslims-anywhere-he-looks-believes-6740337
joe90 @4
The agony of the ignorant.
The flying coffin, aka the Robinson helicopter, claims more victims. Hope everyone recovers well.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/windwhistle-canterbury-wedding-day-helicopter-crash-bride-and-groom-on-board/ACX4U4ABGWYB5KQ2B2X3VLNWLM/
Yes, I saw that. The pictures show clearly the rotor has cut the tail section clean off…as they do. They will say its pilot error and but its a repeated error as that is the main reason they crash in NZ . Will the Aviation Safety stand up to the vested interests and Robinson and ban this type for its design issues. Aviation Safety had an appalling record of bad culture and lax oversight of the helicopters and light planes , but have recent shakeups changed anything
Is Simon Bridges trying to score cheap political points again? Did he call the Police or was he too busy tweeting it?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125425049/police-dismiss-simon-bridges-gang-fight-claims-at-tauranga-hospital-carpark
From the article
Simon’s tweet says it all.
Naturally, the faithful Herald led with Simple Simon's claims without fact-checking and only later amended their headline to reflect reality: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/simon-bridges-witnesses-gang-fight-in-hospital-carpark-police-dismiss-gang-link/EIQQ2IZ23SN47IZELXU4YSBINI/
Simon Bridges, National, and NZH are hand-in-glove. We won’t see any of them correct, withdraw, or apologise. Ever. Unless forced by a Court or when they make a personal promise to their children in a valedictory speech.
Only ones I feel sorry for are their children – imagine being brought up in a moral vacuum like that?
I don’t mind politicians having convictions and standing (up) for these. I prefer them standing for values. Problem is that some convictions are stoked by values. Here is the paradox, for me.