The Apartheid state of Israel is the largest right wing hate movement… it kills on a war crime scale.. and it's reaching out
the fact that far-right European governments and parties today are growing ever closer to Israel shows a “convergence of fascist and neo-Nazi groups with hardliner Zionists.”
As a worrying UK example of this, anti-Muslim fascist leader Tommy Robinson’s recent trip to Israel and funding by anti-Palestinian groups.
I'm linking to a 5 minute doco that tells us information NZ should know about the sub humane christchurh shooter … as the title shows his name … I have spaced gap ( h ttp ), undo that if / when you copy and paste it.
The information is important as it raises things we should be guarding against …. and are perhaps blind to.
We should at least look at things like ' the shooter claims that ethno nationalists like himself are concentrated in the European armed forces and national police forces' … may be relevant to why his filthy great big red flags were ignored in our preventable terrorist tragedy.
And it identifies … The phrases and words …. 'Invaders' language …. … tRump or our National Party .. that grows and feeds …. this hate mindset for votes .
we need to see the scale of what has been growing on around us .. and we have been blind to.it
I hope the moderators here amend my back-space link block …and allow the title to be seen. I know the shooters name just like I know Martyn Bryants name … both of which I associate with men who would chase little children .. to shoot them.
We are adults, I think we could be helping to forget … before we have even learned.
@reason, too right, and of course what do the guard dog defenders of liberal status quo like the Guardian and NYTimes do in the face of this out right racist war..double down on their relentless smearing and disinformation on the two politicians (Corbyn, Sanders) who have had decades fighting racism..most so called MSM ‘liberal’ media is public enemy number one, you want some real fake or misconstrued and misleading news..look no further than your daily MSM liberal news sources…that is news in fact.
There are degrees of cruelty. Imprisoning families for a few days (capture and release) is one thing – seperating children from their families without the ability to reunite them, putting large groups of children in wire netting cells without the means to keep them sanitary is quite another.
" U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee had found that migrants in Rio Grande Valley facilities were hungry, with some eating only “sandwiches of two pieces of dry bread and one slice of ham.” They were thirsty, with up to 20 migrants sharing the same cup to drink from the water cooler. They were embarrassed to use a toilet in front of 50 other people and they couldn’t take a shower or brush their teeth or even wash their hands with soap and dry them with a towel, the judge found. At night, they couldn’t sleep. The lights were left on, as they shivered beneath an aluminum blanket on the concrete floor, the judge found. "
Yep – it's deliberate use of cruelty as a deterrent. Something the Ockers have been doing for a while now. It's likely to become the 'go to' strategy in the face of CC-driven food shortages increasing refugee flows – and it will fuel the rise of the far right everywhere. As the resource (food, water) competition tightens, a similar strategy of containment will be deployed against unwanted internal populations as well.
It's uncomfortable to contemplate to say the least. AB I see you as being correct.
And if anyone doubts the depths we could descend to, and our neighbours across the ditch, just note that we have the example of extermination of Jews, gypsies, imperfect people (not shining Aryan types), and the dehumanising of many in WW2. This by a nation that had been the basis of Protestant Christianity, had highly educated and sophisticated people, and was far from being a simple society that was locked into eternal wars and vendettas tribe to tribe.
Educated, sophisticated people, who have abandoned standards of behaviour such as respect for all humans, for kindness and status to animals, and support for human community and sharing, are rife.
What devil's brew will they come up with, in their welter of power. The maxim of Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely' is daily proven.
Jump from one Big Power to another – can any be seen to be aiming at good standards in all their dealings. China and Falun Gong? USA we know about. UK conducting public dismemberment of their long-held welfare policies and government responsibility.
How we may have to cope with it – I thought of A Smugglers Song a poem by Rudyard Kipling, he wasn't just a poohbah Brit.
IF you wake at midnight, and hear a horse's feet,
Don't go drawing back the blind, or looking in the street,
Them that ask no questions isn't told a lie.
Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by. …
'If You do as you've been told, 'likely there's a chance,
You'll be give a dainty doll, all the way from France,
With a cap of Valenciennes, and a velvet hood –
A present from the Gentlemen, along 'o being good !
Five and twenty ponies,
Trotting through the dark –
Brandy for the Parson, 'Baccy for the Clerk.
Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie –
Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by !
Eugenie Sage needs to pull her head in over comments that Westland Council didn't have a fund set aside for historic landfill risks.
DOC has something like 90% of the land on the coast, and the use of that land results in massive (like the majority) use of Council resource and infrastructure such as road, water systems, and yes rubbish dumps…
.. and get this. DOC pays no rates.
Pull your head in Sage – pay up or shut up. DOC bludger, bludging off the ratepayers of Westland.
Before getting angry at Eugenie, maybe ANOTHER audit of the Westland Council is required. They haven't been the best financial managers or carers for their environment in the past.
Care to apply for the job? Applications close on Monday..
21 May 2019 – Westland District Council has paid nearly $30,000 in reparation following discharges, which were in breach of the resource consent conditions and the Resource Management Act, from the Franz Josef sewerage system to the Waiho riverbed last year.
In its March 5 report, the Auditor-General found a number of unacceptable practices when it investigated the construction of a new stopbank to protect Franz Josef's wastewater treatment plant from flooding, including whether the work had been approved at all. It concluded that the council couldn't show whether the decision was well made or the money well spent.
But hes right, DOC doesnt pay a cent in rates and Sage wants 'ratepayers' to pay for and manage the risks.
The shoddy decision making by the council is a separate issue, maybe they could do a tourist tax like Queenstown wants , but is facing stiff resistance from the business owners.
DOC doesn't pay a cent in rates – yeah I wonder why? jeeze wtf. DOC isn't just a loss on the balance sheet it has inputs as well.
These dumps are everywhere – 18 in Tasman alone that could be breached in storms. Every council will have to get off their arse and use all resources to mitigate the potential disaster of these blowouts. Trying to say dunno, not us is not any answer imo
Dukeofurl, DOC charge each and every concession holder on the Westland DOC estate 7% of their turnover each and every year…
… get that everybody? 7% of turnover… (of course then there is GST too at 15% = 22% in total). How much would just one of those scenic heli concessions turnover in one year??
Perhaps an application under the OIA to ascertain how much DOC and the government make out of Westland each and every year would help shed some light on their place within the Westland community…
… as earners but not payers.
as bludgers, as would a corporate be so described, in this context
do you even know what 'concession' means in the context of our National Parks and protected places – the people getting concessions do so so that they can potentially make PERSONAL profit from the collective (the conservation estate or the bit they take people into) – oh the poor fucking dears. As usual you have it all arse about face.
Ha – so the old asking for a friend is out then – that is good because I know that you own concessions and I know it is all about the $$$. Or maybe I have it all wrong like you said lol
Can I ask @vto? I know it's not that kosha to ask, but am I correct in assuming you're a child (and then rationally thunking adult) of the neo-lib era?
The one where minimal gummint, operationalising everything on the basis of fishincy and fektivniss, externalising costs and incentivising all for the sake of a market ruling supreme.
"So"………"Ultimately", if you are of that era and experience, I'd recommend getting together some sort of PPP that (who) could bid for the cost of cleanups going forwid. They could work (constructively) with DOC, and local bodies after consultation with all the stakeholders, and after various conversations have been had, and I believe we'd be able to come up with a viable solution.
I mean, I get that the ratepayer base is insuffishint and has unreasnibble expectations of it – speshilly when the number of interlopers masquerading as tourists are inflicting their shit on you, but I just wonder about the intricacies of it all if we're to adhere to neo-liberal religion.
Absolutely. I don't think the neolib approach works too well though – that much has been proved in various parts of society (except the purchase of plastic buckets from the warehouse where neolib doctrine works fine…).
As for cleaning up these dumps all around the country? What popped into mind some while ago is that these things can be attended to over a longer period. For example, buy a digger and a truck and start removing the shit. Don't PPP it. Just buy and employ and get started. It may take some time, but no matter that.
Like the cathedral in Chch – doesn't matter how lng it takes, just make a start and keep going.
Get a digger and start moving the shit. It aint hard.
One digger and truck, $30,000 per annum. One employee, $60,000 per annum. Overhead $20,000 per annum.
Couple of problems Actually several) though as far as your criticisms of Eugenie.
Munsters and their enterage can't comment of "operational matters" going forward (That is of course, unless their future careers depend on it)
And secondly, it'll have to be subjected to the risk managers and liability analysts.
(Coukd take some time, and as you may or may not know, both Jacinda and Andrew Little have recently alerted us to the fact that things always take longer than they expected)
Why would DOC pay rates? Do the police pay rates for their Westland area? Why should payment for the clean up of the council's dump come out of the DOC budget? DOC was gutted several times over in the last 20 years so if you want the general NZ taxpayer to contribute extra funding for a council's fuck up and the local's rubbish, you will be opening the door for more industries and councils to pass the buck.
I think West Coast council management is pretty stop-gap and No.8 fencing wire thinking. They are probably on a par with the management of sports codes, people who have some experience 'in the field' and are focussed on their own ideas and approaches. Not conducive to outside queries of their decisions or concerned about professional analysis except just enough to get people off their backs. This is BAU for a number of councils, so can't just point the finger at SI West Coast.
Grey, Westland Council surely does have a record of poor skills in certain areas, however those have absolutely nothing to do with the point made, which concerns Sage's political point-scoring against Smith in the context outlined.
DOC earns massive amounts every year from the use of Council infrastructure, yet pays NOTHING towards their cost. NOTHING. ZIP. ZERO
If this was a corporate, or if Nick Smith or Maggie boorish Barry were still the Ministers and Key in charge, then my points made would be agreed with here.
Until DOC pays its way here the Minister needs to stfu.
Are people around here allowed to tell Sage to stfu in the same way people around here used to tell Barry and Smith to stfu? Or is it too hard for partisans to pull their ideology blinkers aside?
DOC don't own the land so don't pay rates although I would guess that they do pay rates for their buildings in town. Rubbish is a council responsibility and rubbish is created by the residents, visitors and tourists – not by DOC who would be taking care of this patch of New Zealand regardless of existing infrastructure. Also does not the government pay for the roads outside of the towns? So roads etc are paid for out of the same purse that pays for DOC.
How much of that is earned in Westland? Westland holds four of the thirteen National Parks.
Guestimate 25% of the DOC estate sits in Westland . Equals $15,000,000 from Westland.
Like so very many other ratepayers in Westland, in this matter I give DOC the one-finger salute. They fall short in taking their place in the community.
And Sage just makes it worse with her comments – shame on her
The tourists who use the council infrastructure also buy food, fuel, equipment, and accommodation. All those local businesses pay that on in their rates.
I think I've got the answer @vto. It'd be a win win for everyone.
First of all we'll need to cover off those skill shortages in the Westland Council and ensure consultation with the community.
Who better than Laidlaw, who'll be looking for a gig after the local body elections? A perfect fit! and with a proven record of consultation and problem solving.
Then we could shunt Lou Sanson off to Treasury after the good work he's done resolving DOC's 'toxic culture', and he's got the smarts and verbals necessary to handle criticism over targeting employees and trying to shut the scientific community up. Better still he believes in "emphasising community involvement and greater engagement with the nation’s Indigenous peoples" in keeping with transformational government. (It's a given because …. well because he says so).After the Treasury hacking debacle, we need someone with Lou's smarts to help settle things down.
We immediately put Public Service CEO on the Immigration NZ skills shortage list with an English language requirement of IELTS 7.0 or higher with a salary range reflecting the global market place. With a bit of luck, we might get someone of the calibre of one of Sir John's former banking mates from offshore – there are one or two looking for a bolt hole, or even someone from the US EPA.
What could be a better fit for all stakeholders going forward!
Was the ex dump on DOC land or as a result of DOC? Nope.
Has the Westland Council managed themselves well, especially in the last decade? Nope.
Neither of these things are the fault of the minister.
DOC have helped, massively and so have the defence force. Apparently it's still not good enough for some, maybe the fear of a rate rise is more of a concern?
vto, if you really want to do something and pay rates there, I strongly suggest you join the volunteer clean up. Because your rates may end up increasing as a result of the Westland Councils bad management, not the first time that's happened I hear. Election coming up…. maybe you will stand?
I hope you focus on RACE RELATIONS like your job title implies and not drift into other areas and dissipate the energy. Good luck.
In an interview with RNZ on Thursday, Foon said he hoped to "showcase New Zealand as a great country to live".
"I want to continue the good work of the past commissioners … and continue to enhance harmonious relations right throughout New Zealand."
He said there were a wide range of multifaceted issues and solutions that needed to be implemented.
Raising the average salaries of those in need, enhancing education levels, providing affordable housing and matters regarding state care were particular issues that required attention, Foon said.
Daft government with tepid strategic planning for the country, no foresight, just open the doors and let the corporate hordes swan in and take our bits.
Better to deal with NZ reliables, try and win over the gangs that are aspirational good communities – but when it comes to licensing Marijuana it may be another CPPPTTAA? walkover.
Seems Labour are taking the potential of having medicinal cannabis in the hands of the people (which would lower the cost) and are setting it up for the corporates to produce and supply.
However, this could all come undone if personal use and production (backyard) is legalised via the up and coming referendum.
Unless of course some kind of excise tax or licence to grow system is introduced, thereby turning growers without the correct licences (available for only $5000) into criminals. Much potential for disaster here.
As Labour has set no law in place pending the referendum, we don't really know what we will be voting for. So you could well be right re licences to grow your own. Making the only way to legally use it, is to buy it commercially or pay a commercial fee to grow it. At this stage, we just don't know. It was meant to be binding, but hey, that's fall short Labour at play once again.
"At this stage [~14 months out from the referendum], we just don't know."
"but hey, that's fall short Labour at play once again."
And that'sThe "relentlessly soggy" "lefty" "more left than most" "transparent as a transparent thing" Chairman at play once again.
Interesting that there's not a single mention of NZ's two most recent Government referendums (binding referendums at that) in the article linked to by The Chairman – not one. A curious omission, don't you think?
The shortlist for the first flag referendum was made public about three months before voting, and the results of that vote were released about three months before the second flag referendum.
Three months vs 14 months, and poor Chair is panicking
This issue appears to be of importance to you. It might actually get you to vote for one of the parties who have said they will honour the wishes of the people, then. For realsies.
As the Government has set no law in place pending the referendum, we don't really know what we will be voting for. So you could well be right re licences to grow your own. Making the only way to legally use it, is to buy it commercially or pay a commercial fee to grow it. At this stage, we just don't know. It was meant to be binding, but hey, that's fall short Government at play once again.
FIFY
Note that in your link there was not a single mention of Labour, not one. Are you really that blind to your own anti-Labour bias?
Medicine is a far cry from weed for the masses. I don't imagine the 23K applies to recreational pot but we'll see. There are many variables to be considered:
Some weed can make you paranoid
Some is anxiolytic
Those are complete opposites. Medicinal weed should be handled by people who have a vested interest to get it right for a medical market. The regulatory bodies should be busy, and that is expensive.
Recreational weed, like booze, might push a brand and the public buy it or they don't. There will be varied types and effects and strengths. The best boutique brands will emerge. NZ weed will be exported if it's good enough. The money should come back to NZ.
The medicine would be for local and then global markets. Made in NZ, paying tax in NZ and employing in NZ…
The person needing medicine needs someone who knows biology, medicine, cannabinoid & other metabolite profiles, dosage, frequency, how those apply to various delivery methods, how these vary with culture methods… We're not bloody paupers making herb tea in a tin hut.
It might sound expensive, till you look at what it’s worth.
You overlooked the fact that many are growing their own and using this now for medicinal purposes without a problem apart from it being illegal.
All the Government is going to do for them is keep that activity illegal and force them to pay top dollar for it.
So while it may be grown here, profits are bound to head offshore as locals are priced out or sell out as is usually the case with NZ businesses. And as for paying local tax, surely you must know how offshore owned companies minimize that?
The home-grower will find their medicine improved a great deal via the research of professionals. While you make stuff up and bang out about something you obviously know nothing about, there are many people who are not getting the efficacy from their medicine that they could be getting.
How many cancer patients have you worked with? PTSD? Autism?
What metabolite profiles are desirable for the above groups.
While I'm not claiming to be a doctor or health specialist, I'm not making stuff up. There are many growing their own and using this now for medicinal purposes without a problem apart from it being illegal.
They just want the Government to stop criminalizing them.
Sure, further research may further benefit them but they should have that choice between being able to home grow or opt for a commercial product.
Why do you and the Government want to prevent that and rob them of that choice?
No respect – a metaphor for our society imo – sometime is going so thrash it to death so we can say 'look at me'.
In 2017 it was announced that from October 26th, 2019, tourists will no longer be able to climb Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), out of respect for local indigenous tribes.
In the lead up to its closure, tourists have begun to swarm the UNESCO World Heritage Site, with hopes of hiking to the top of the 348m high arkose monolith.
… On Tuesday, photos of hundreds of tourists lining up to hike Uluru begun circulating online, angering locals, the traditional landowners, Australians and officials alike.
… Apparently tourists have been leaving human waste and nappies behind, despite there being a dedicated area to dump waste.
Chief executive of Tourism Central Australia, Stephen Schwer, told the ABC, "(Tourists) think they're doing a good thing by free camping along the way; what they are actually doing is trespassing on pastoralist and joint-managed and protected land.
Maybe tourism in its current form is just mass narcissism, i.e.it's all about the self rather than the place visited. So many tourists here seem to need to race across the landscape, climb it, jump off bits of it etc. It’s possible to do that and leave a place still knowing nothing about it.
yeah – I have been a guide in a National Park and a Nature Reserve before – I had to actively get people to slow down and actually look around and see it all. Quite often there was resistance even though they had paid to be there. Bit like when they'd ask – what's that?, what's this? I so wanted to say "why do you care – let it all go and just be here without excessive knowledge gathering' Just be here now. But of course I didn't, I played the game.
The tourists come to conquer the country? Veni, vidi, vici? Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream. But they never will. A lot are only capable of short, quick, bursts of emotion with no contemplation of the wonder of the world. and no lasting respect for the land and the culture that are revealed to those who desire to see it. ('We've got better at home, is that the best they can do'?) Been there, done that, off to the next thing. The world is to use, discard and then pass on to the next experience.
Christine Aguilera puts the popular zip into Climb every Mountain which was an inspirational song about escape from oppression and tyranny. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_AcWbuxQdo
I was in Hawea recently, and I just drove to a nice scenic spot, and read my book under the mountains for a couple hours. I saw 100s of people, tourists, park, get out, look for a few minutes, take a selfie, back in car and off they went to the next spot. A beautiful area though.
'Epstein pleaded guilty in state court in Florida in 2007 to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution, resolving allegations that he had molested numerous girls. He served 13 months in jail, though he was allowed out six days a week to work from his office in Palm Beach.'
Someone has just been jailed for life with a minimum period of 10 years behind bars. I suppose that someone with a corkscrew mind could make sense of bringing that law in.
News on the whole is overwhelmingly negative, and The Standard is mostly an echo chamber of that. It is all too easy to feed into finding something to be upset about each day.
This constant barrage of negative news can be debilitating, and the propensity for many here to repeat their pet peeves over and over is simply tiring. What effect has all the complaining done for any of the 'popular' issues here?
Politics. Neo-liberal loathing. Poverty. Biodiversity Loss. Climate Change. War. Extremism… What has the years of whinging achieved? If you've made an impact by all means we need to hear about that. Not the same shit trotted out each day.
The world has a lot of problems right now. Concentrating on nothing but problems however gives a skewed and unrealistic view. I believe we play straight into the hands of power brokers who would prefer we are fearful and fighting among ourselves, rather than emboldened citizens of an incredible planet, surrounded by incredible people.
'Seek and ye shall find'. The daily ferreting out of things that are wrong is an exercise in propagating futility. Yes there are many issues, moaning about them constantly is a piss-poor effort.
As is moaning about all the moaning.
How to Get There is a step in the right direction.
Here's an old dude opened up his home gym and now has many local children training with him instead of getting up to other forms of 'entertainment' that might set their lives on a destructive path.
My anxiety is through the roof lately, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Today I'll go seek some professional help, because that is how you responsibly deal with a problem – action, not whinging.
Here's the Guardian, which just linking to sets off a bunch of predictable whining about the publication itself. Like hysterical teens on facebook screaming faux outrage.
When I try say – well done this person or that person for something good – y'all take their pedigree and dredge up whatever dirt you can find or imagine about them. No credit where it's due, no bipartisan support for anyone. Sides and stances.
The torrents of negative/bad news (particularly NZ/local bad news) can eventually erode/undermine the 'defences' of all but the most determined optimists.
Some have attempted to introduce 'good news quotas', and the idea seems attractive (I like it; think TV One News' "Good Sorts" on steriods), although quotas do attract detractors.
Good news quotas – lol. But yay for them trying aye.
I'm not expecting persons to live under a rock, but more balance might help.
A few of the authors here post good news as it pops up and this is appreciated – then they're shot down by a wave of negative posters who can't accept anything good from their particular pet political peeve.
'Four Lions' screened at the NZ Film Festival almost ten years ago; still memorable after that one viewing. An extraordinary achievement from start to scarily laughable finish; makes you think – edgy.
off shore oligarchial propaganda, wrapped up in local events.
There is the trade off between not having to do it yourself, & the imposition of non representative political agenda.
Even the political parties don't rate very much, don't like how they are somewhat beholden to and spoken for by other arrangements, it's just anarchical to talent and resources, the combinations you want for real value creation.
If this Government are sincere when they say they will repeal the Part 4A amendment to the Public Health and Disability Act (rushed through under urgency on the back of the 2013 Budget) why can they not do this now?
This would essentially effect a reboot of the Public Health and Disability Act, and the Ministry of Health DSS Funded Family Care policy would wink out of existence.
All that would be needed is for the prohibition for having a resident family member provide the assessed care to be removed from MOH:DSS documents.
MOH DSS clients who have been through the NASC process and undergone the needs assessments and had hours allocated can simply choose to have a family member provide those supports either through Individualised Funding or through a Contracted Provider.
As was the common practice for those family carers who were being paid despite the policy forbidding this. The Ministry of Health DSS has the details of these arrangements. (I have an anonymised list obtained through OIA)
There will be certain eligible DSS clients whose assessments have been too heavily predicated on resident family providing what the Misery calls 'natural supports'.
These will need to be re- assessed on a case by case basis with assistance from ACC who also expect resident family to provide some level of 'natural supports ' but have the real risk that if they don't fund adequate hours of support they (ACC) can be liable if there is further harm to the client.
ACC and the Ministry of Health have worked closely on previous occasions so this is not an outrageous suggestion.
So, why not repeal the Part 4A POS now and allow those who have been denied access to the funding allocated for their care because of a policy determined to be discriminatory by the Courts in decisions all three of the Parties in Government claim they agree with?
Because I am very, very suspicious that resolution of this will be delayed until after the election.
As you say Rosemary, some of the issues could be very quickly remedied – for example, by using urgency to repeal the dreaded Part 4a of the Act etc. But to do so that way would actually just be doing what the last Nat government did in bringing Part 4a and the whole rediculous policy in the first place with all the attendant problems that accompanied that move – lack of consultation with those affected, no public submission process etc, etc.
I fully recognise your reasons for scepticism etc in light of what you and Peter, and many others have gone through for years and I fully support all of you. (I too have some disabilities and know full well how hard the fight is to try to get what you are entitled to.)
Having worked in the State Service sector in Wellington for over four decades and in particular in areas interacting and liaising with, and working on secondment from time to time in, the Parliamentary arena, I am reasonably confident that the intentions are to get these legislative changes etc through and in place well before the election in the second half of next year – but at the same time taking the time to do it properly in full consultation with people like yourselves, and through the proper legislative process of select committee deliberation, public submissions etc.
The little signs that give me this hope include the fact that $32M was allocated in Budget 2019 for contingency costs to get the changes through in the current financial year and the changes don't have to await funding in Budget 2020.
The various press releases by Ministers seem to have included mention of the way that Part 4a was brought in under urgency and without consultation etc and the wish not to do the same – eg
“We are committed to getting this change through as swiftly as we can, while also avoiding the process which created the current legislation,” says Julie Anne Genter.
My understanding is that work is well advanced on various possible options to replace the ridiculous employment arrangement brought in in 2013 "which do not place unreasonable expectations on disabled people, their family or whānau."
The three Coalition parties all seem to be in agreement on this issue and singing from the same song sheet, and IIRC the intention is to announce these proposals, the proposed changes to legislation etc in the next few months and certainly well before the end of this year.
In other words, what I am trying to say badly is that as someone who has worked in the area of legislative changes etc, they seem to be making sure that they have all their ducks lined up on this issue before they go ahead – as they must do particularly in light of the judicial decisions. So I so hope I am not wrong!
Thank you for responding veutoviper, I was sending you psychic messages hoping for your particular insights.
I do sincerely hope you are right, because another betrayal, a twist of the knife in our backs would be unforgivable.
The little signs that give me this hope include the fact that $32M was allocated in Budget 2019 for contingency costs to get the changes through in the current financial year and the changes don't have to await funding in Budget 2020.
Ironically it is exactly this that causes my deep concern that they have not thought it through.
That's $8million dollars per year to pay an extra 640 family carers (like me) up to $25 per hour. Plus increase the pay of the current 400 Funded Family Carers to the same rate per hour. Generously, this works out as an average of about 9 hours per week per carer. For clients with high, very high and complex needs. Many of whom have been assessed as needing at least five times as many hours of support.
It simply does not add up. Even more so if the government continues along the lines suggested by the PSA and makes the rule that these family care arrangements have to go through a contracted provider. To avoid the " "which do not place unreasonable expectations on disabled people, their family or whānau." issue.
Veutoviper. This is not an issue to ACC clients who are bulk funded and pay their family. MOH DSS clients are being treated differently. Again. It may be appropriate where there are severe learning disabilities, and if both the client and the parent carer agree then these arrangements could be overseen by a Contracted Provider.
This would of course add extra costs because the provider would expect their cut of the funding.
Having the arrangement go through a provider denies the disabled person the autonomy provided by being able to use Individualised Funding…which I believe is funded at a lower hourly rate that the contracted providers demand.
Reading the Cabinet Papers from back in 2012 when they decided not to take Atkinson to the Supreme Court, very early in the paper based discussion did the term "competing interests" arise. A few paragraphs later the redacted sections began, culminating in the impressively blanked out RIS that Micky Savage (chicken killer) shared in his post the other day.
Now that would be awesome…unblank those sections of that Regulatory Impact Statement so we are fully informed.
Good on Collins. Her practical, down to earth approach will get her a long way. Just what we need in a future PM and what NZ needs to sort this mess out. About bloody time someone said it how it is.
Collins said something that sounded like a human speaking? I caught the whiff of some understanding from her the other day about something. I think it must be a bout of this Type A flu going round. They say it is really strong. Coff, coff.
Exactly what the bashers of children say. How is she in any way superior to the parents who "go a bit far" and kill the kids whom she and the Family Fist Fanatics say are fair game for slap-happy parents?
It was the raising the head above a pulpit (has anyone ever lowered a head below one?) that prompted me to question Chris, whose irony I hopefully thought I was enjoying.
You can't help loving words like me. I was thinking of verses repeated from the holy lexicon of PCness.
I do enjoy this sort of finish to the end of the day with a bit more lightness than the days bathos. Choirboys probably like to keep their heads below the pulpit. Especially the ones that Giles sometimes included in his clever cartoons – kids with too much insouciance. (I like using google meanings a lot – so fast.)
Cool. But choirboys should be well away from the pulpit, which is the uplifted tower-like stand where the preacher preaches from, unless I am getting that early onset thing yet again. .
And turret does work – ta Incognito.
'The holy lexicon of PCness.' Sounds much less threatening than the holy dictates/scriptures/commandments which holiness normally delivers.
No, but she and the likes of Bob "Hairbrush" McCoskrie and other ideologically committed kiddywhackers provide the ideological and moral scaffolding for people who hit their children. I'm sure Collins has not hurt her own kids; it's a pity she has not thought a little more about the impact of her words and her policies. Same goes for her slap-happy political cronies.
It's a one size doesn't fit all type of area really.
Having to smack, for those that would feel they need to, too much is not ideal for the parent. The freedom to be a total brat is not ideal for the child.
A settlement mechanism inclusive of both extreme ends to the area, would perhaps provide the maximum utility in enabling the natural fits that will be most suitable to all i would say if people really wanted it.
That is an independent citizen’s aid authority, that can
A) these smackings could be getting out of hand and becoming counter productive to the situation
B) the child does not have the license of freedom is expecting of the parent & does not have the right to complain.
While leaving the exact dynamics to be worked out by the families, perhaps such a service could help in providing equilibriums that some families would otherwise not be able to reach for themselves.
A referendum then, might not have been a bad stepping stone to optimising the situation if wanted.
What good stuff especially unexpected from Basher Collins. Unless she is just dancing clever politics. But wait. Many of her colleagues would disagree with her. So……
She reminds me of Nosher Powell's Prime Minister in Eat The Rich when he knocks the heads of the Palestinian & Israel leaders and tells them to "stop fighting & sort it out".
Collins says whatever she feels like at the time. She doesn't listen and responds on the hoof. This will become immediately obvious if she's ever PM, perhaps just leader of the nats, and would be truly Trumpesque.
I actually think that it's good to hear some people saying they want to take some responsibility. I'll tell you what, just stop beating up kids, and you won't need Oranga Tamariki. [my bold]
Crush their spirit, hit them where it hurts, and when they’re down, tell them to pick themselves up and then kick them down again and rinse and repeat. Tell them that it is all about making the right decisions and personal responsibility and they should stop beating their kids. That’s how they treat the Precariat. They are wilfully blind and tone-deaf to context and circumstances. I detest cynical populist politicians with their personal and selfish agendas and their hypocritical smugness.
Banks sometimes we love them and sometimes…. we ask awkward questions?
When it comes to the risk mitigation costs arising from their own activities, the banks expect their customers to pick up the tab. Or taxpayers, as happened with the BNZ collapse of the late 1980s, and with the post–GFC collapse of non banking lenders like South Canterbury Finance. It was only ten years ago that governments had to bail 0ut a global banking system that (from the US to Scotland to the Netherlands) had been made vulnerable by the banks’ own lobbying for lax regulation and the pursuit of dodgy lending practices. If the banks have already forgotten the GFC, the rest of us haven’t.
There was an option to widen the one-way Awakino tunnel which seems to be one of the biggest problems. There is mention of accidents, and from what I have seen of driving in the rural sector, this is because of excessive speed for the conditions.
It is interesting that if one wants to look at one of the numerous maps of the area that is noted as nzta, it won't come up individually to be expanded but just switches over to the group of area maps. That is unusual as I can normally hone in to get a good view, but not here.
Found this for 13 April 2017, (all MPs in the area are National)
Taranaki's elected MPs say they are confident the region will not become a political backwater now that it is not represented in government.
The three MPs, Jonathan Young (New Plymouth), Barbara Kuriger (Taranaki King Country) and newcomer Hirate Hipango (Whanganui), face the next three years in opposition for the first time since 2008.
Major roading and housing projects earmarked for the region would still go ahead under the three party Labour/New Zealand First/ Green coalition government, they say….
A decision to mine iron sand off the South Taranaki coastline could also be up for change, depending on the new government's position after a High Court appeal is heard.
The trio hoped coalition partner New Zealand First's focus on regional issues would help retain skills and job training for people in Taranaki.
Kuriger said New Zealand First leader Winston Peters campaigned for provincial rural communities during the election.
The National MPs have been in a political hiatus under National apparently but pushed through the expensive roading option to get it on the books before another election, which National lost.
Former Taranaki King Country MP Shane Ardern said the Mt Messenger project could still be overturned….
Ardern famously drove a tractor up the steps of parliament to protest against a methane emissions bill.
He was critical of the MMP voting system. "I don't like MMP, I think it is a rotten system. "What we've got now is a group of losers who have cobbled together to chop off the winners.
Noticeable in what I have skimmed through is no emphasis on saving environment or kokako or kiwi. There is talk of tourism but no feeling that could include special areas for endangered species. Just the usual bull-headed, unchanging obeisance to saving minutes of driving time. WTF. And concern about accidents, well let's face it, a lot of that could be avoided by making people sit regular driving checks on simulators. That would save more lives and injuries, and squillions of dollars on roading and written off vehicles. And having a licence would be a treasure. The emphasis should not be making it so hard to get a licence, but ensure a reasonably competent driver stays proud of their competence.
..and a quick scan of the Comments section gives a good indication of the neanderthal numpties who are demanding the destruction of our ever diminishing and degraded indigenous forests and waterways so they can GO FASTER.
Yes. I'd help dig out another lane in the Tunnel with my bare hands if that would satisfy the drongoes for whom being forced to spend an unnecessary six minutes driving slowly through near virgin forest is torture.
I see it as a National Party MP push – look what we do for Taranaki.
And I don't think they have in Naki got a lot more understanding of other values beside farming and money since Parihaka. I am prepared to be taken to task – but it's a feeling I have from my short experience there and what Ive read.
Totally agree with ya grey on the driving simulators etc Im fairly certain we could all benefit from more and better driver training .Much better direction i think to be going in than one of ever expanding use of barriers etc personally i find some roads to be like driving through a cattle race !plus any scenic value is erased along with technically the risk ! .I shudder to think what might be ahead of us as drivers prob something like a complete shield along the sides of roads along with robotic control .Cars will probably still keep their steering wheels but only so we dont feel like completely useless idiots and can still pretend at least to be driving ! So risk adverse will society have become by then that its likely we'll all have to suck on dummies while we drive in case we bite our tongues if a bug hits the windscreen if theres any bugs left by then of course
Investors in Ross Asset Management – New Zealand's largest ponzi scheme – are taking legal action against ANZ bank over how it managed the accounts for the failed financial advice firm. ….
So far 200 investors have signed up to take the claim which could run into the tens of millions of dollars depending on how many more investors sign up.
What the hell is going on here? Why can't I access Hansard?
I've been trying to get on to the Hansard site in order to track down a horrible speech in favour of child-beating by the Dishonorable Judith Collins. I tried several times but this is all I got…..
I've just clicked on the link you gave and I'm still getting the "Your connection is not private…." nonsense. I can't even ignore it and move on to the site.
2013: Collins,"More than 50 children have died in New Zealand in the last 5 years not because of poverty, actually, but because of extreme abuse. I do not think for a moment that poverty is any excuse for killing one’s child, or the child of somebody else either, or of harming them. etc etc."
She also said she's "proud" to have beaten her own child. Puts her broadside against people who think like her but take it a bit far into some perspective. I'm also troubled by her phrase "not because of poverty, actually"—even when speaking on something like this, she felt entitled to inject her ideologically motivated and cynical repudiation of the very notion of poverty in New Zealand.
very likely your internet connection is down and when you go to any URL you (try to) get the login page of your router , the message is from your browser refusing to connect to a different non https page from the one asked for
Lynda Kamariera had been at the company for almost 23 years and said workers were some of the lowest-paid retail staff in the country.
"They value themselves as being a family story but the families who work inside Farmers are finding they're struggling."
After more than two decades at the company, Lynda's pay had yet to reach the current rate living wage of $20.55 an hour, which was due to go up in September to $21.15.
The situation was just continuing to get more desperate for staff, she said.
"There are workers that have taken out loans to get car repairs so they can come to work."
A group of investors in New Zealand's largest Ponzi scheme has accused the ANZ of negligence in its role as banker of the company, Ross Asset Management.
Former commercial lawyer, John Strahl, who is acting as a spokesman for the group said the action would have started years ago, but ANZ took legal action against the financial regulator, the Financial Markets Authority to prevent it sharing the finding of its investigation.
ANZ strongly denies the allegations and will be defending the claim.
From 2004 to 2017, when she was a San Francisco D.A. and then the Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris was a key figure in the institutional oppression of black and Latino citizens. She did not speak out against the wicked and iniquitous "three strikes" travesty of a law, and she contended, to the anger and consternation of black and civil rights groups, that local police should be allowed to investigate themselves after killing people. She supported the outrageous, controversial 2011 California truancy legislation that made criminals of poor and disadvantaged parents throughout the state.
She has also foolishly swallowed—hook, line, and sinker—the Bellingcat/U.K. government's disinformation campaigns about Syria, and has spoken at AIPAC conferences, where she boasted: "The first resolution I co-sponsored as a United States senator was to combat anti-Israel bias at the United Nations." The AIPAC delegates applauded that little speech almost as loudly as they cheer a nurse being shot and killed by IDF snipers in Gaza.
In the following puff piece from—you guessed it!—CNN, there is an unintentionally amusing, and sadly quite accurate, bit of blithering from an uncritical supporter….
Veronica Thomas, a 38-year-old phlebotomist from outside Columbia, likened Harris to former President Barack Obama.
"It was powerful. It was moving, it stirred emotions. We're due for change. I felt like Obama all over again."
'They claimed that some inmates at Auckland Prison, Paremoremo, which houses New Zealand's only specialist maximum-security prison unit, never got the ice blocks, with officers refusing to give them to "dirty crims".'
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
The Department of Conservation is in greater need of a commissioner than Health NZ, a veteran scientist says The post The risks and rewards of remaking DoC appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The Apartheid state of Israel is the largest right wing hate movement… it kills on a war crime scale.. and it's reaching out
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/watch-film-labour-mps-didnt-want-you-see
I'm linking to a 5 minute doco that tells us information NZ should know about the sub humane christchurh shooter … as the title shows his name … I have spaced gap ( h ttp ), undo that if / when you copy and paste it.
The information is important as it raises things we should be guarding against …. and are perhaps blind to.
We should at least look at things like ' the shooter claims that ethno nationalists like himself are concentrated in the European armed forces and national police forces' … may be relevant to why his filthy great big red flags were ignored in our preventable terrorist tragedy.
And it identifies … The phrases and words …. 'Invaders' language …. … tRump or our National Party .. that grows and feeds …. this hate mindset for votes .
we need to see the scale of what has been growing on around us .. and we have been blind to.it
I hope the moderators here amend my back-space link block …and allow the title to be seen. I know the shooters name just like I know Martyn Bryants name … both of which I associate with men who would chase little children .. to shoot them.
We are adults, I think we could be helping to forget … before we have even learned.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_FSZYTGyBE
@reason, too right, and of course what do the guard dog defenders of liberal status quo like the Guardian and NYTimes do in the face of this out right racist war..double down on their relentless smearing and disinformation on the two politicians (Corbyn, Sanders) who have had decades fighting racism..most so called MSM ‘liberal’ media is public enemy number one, you want some real fake or misconstrued and misleading news..look no further than your daily MSM liberal news sources…that is news in fact.
Clinton laid the foundation amd law on immigration policy … and on which tRump is now building ,,,,
This cruelty is not limited to one side or the other ….
Rather it seems to be a disease among the rich and powerful
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-bill-clinton-donald-trump-alan-dershowitz.html
The same horrible actors, appearing in different plays and lots of theatres …
Divide and be cruel … Build Great Racism … human traffick
They have a lot of fans .
There are degrees of cruelty. Imprisoning families for a few days (capture and release) is one thing – seperating children from their families without the ability to reunite them, putting large groups of children in wire netting cells without the means to keep them sanitary is quite another.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/21/detained-migrant-children-no-toothbrush-soap-sleep/?utm_term=.4e8ca8e36896
" U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee had found that migrants in Rio Grande Valley facilities were hungry, with some eating only “sandwiches of two pieces of dry bread and one slice of ham.” They were thirsty, with up to 20 migrants sharing the same cup to drink from the water cooler. They were embarrassed to use a toilet in front of 50 other people and they couldn’t take a shower or brush their teeth or even wash their hands with soap and dry them with a towel, the judge found. At night, they couldn’t sleep. The lights were left on, as they shivered beneath an aluminum blanket on the concrete floor, the judge found. "
Yep – it's deliberate use of cruelty as a deterrent. Something the Ockers have been doing for a while now. It's likely to become the 'go to' strategy in the face of CC-driven food shortages increasing refugee flows – and it will fuel the rise of the far right everywhere. As the resource (food, water) competition tightens, a similar strategy of containment will be deployed against unwanted internal populations as well.
It's uncomfortable to contemplate to say the least. AB I see you as being correct.
And if anyone doubts the depths we could descend to, and our neighbours across the ditch, just note that we have the example of extermination of Jews, gypsies, imperfect people (not shining Aryan types), and the dehumanising of many in WW2. This by a nation that had been the basis of Protestant Christianity, had highly educated and sophisticated people, and was far from being a simple society that was locked into eternal wars and vendettas tribe to tribe.
Educated, sophisticated people, who have abandoned standards of behaviour such as respect for all humans, for kindness and status to animals, and support for human community and sharing, are rife.
What devil's brew will they come up with, in their welter of power. The maxim of Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely' is daily proven.
Jump from one Big Power to another – can any be seen to be aiming at good standards in all their dealings. China and Falun Gong? USA we know about. UK conducting public dismemberment of their long-held welfare policies and government responsibility.
How we may have to cope with it – I thought of A Smugglers Song a poem by Rudyard Kipling, he wasn't just a poohbah Brit.
Rudyard Kipling also wrote 'If'. Here it is read well by Michael Caine.
Heresy @reason!!!! Shadrach will be along shortly to chastise you
Eugenie Sage needs to pull her head in over comments that Westland Council didn't have a fund set aside for historic landfill risks.
DOC has something like 90% of the land on the coast, and the use of that land results in massive (like the majority) use of Council resource and infrastructure such as road, water systems, and yes rubbish dumps…
.. and get this. DOC pays no rates.
Pull your head in Sage – pay up or shut up. DOC bludger, bludging off the ratepayers of Westland.
Before getting angry at Eugenie, maybe ANOTHER audit of the Westland Council is required. They haven't been the best financial managers or carers for their environment in the past.
Care to apply for the job? Applications close on Monday..
https://www.trademe.co.nz/jobs/accounting/finance-managers-controllers/listing-2193442685.htm
https://www.wcrc.govt.nz/council/news-and-annoucements?item=id:2626k2tms17q9s864i8w
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1904/S00179/mahuta-wants-assurances-over-westland-council-procurement.htm
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/89772992/council-assets-manager-vivek-goel-under-investigation?rm=m
Am happy to find many more links about more situations relating to their bad financial management…. just saying….
Or, how about asking maureen pugh about it, she was one of the worst mayors of Westland Council.
+ 1 yep Cinny.
Blaming DOC is poor thinking and calling them bludgers is just stupid.
But hes right, DOC doesnt pay a cent in rates and Sage wants 'ratepayers' to pay for and manage the risks.
The shoddy decision making by the council is a separate issue, maybe they could do a tourist tax like Queenstown wants , but is facing stiff resistance from the business owners.
DOC doesn't pay a cent in rates – yeah I wonder why? jeeze wtf. DOC isn't just a loss on the balance sheet it has inputs as well.
These dumps are everywhere – 18 in Tasman alone that could be breached in storms. Every council will have to get off their arse and use all resources to mitigate the potential disaster of these blowouts. Trying to say dunno, not us is not any answer imo
Dukeofurl, DOC charge each and every concession holder on the Westland DOC estate 7% of their turnover each and every year…
… get that everybody? 7% of turnover… (of course then there is GST too at 15% = 22% in total). How much would just one of those scenic heli concessions turnover in one year??
Perhaps an application under the OIA to ascertain how much DOC and the government make out of Westland each and every year would help shed some light on their place within the Westland community…
… as earners but not payers.
as bludgers, as would a corporate be so described, in this context
edit: oh, forgot about income tax as well….
do you even know what 'concession' means in the context of our National Parks and protected places – the people getting concessions do so so that they can potentially make PERSONAL profit from the collective (the conservation estate or the bit they take people into) – oh the poor fucking dears. As usual you have it all arse about face.
I hold two concessions in Westland, plus I’m a ratepayer. The points made are facts.
But as usual, you can't see past the personal and consequently miss the point.
Ha – so the old asking for a friend is out then – that is good because I know that you own concessions and I know it is all about the $$$. Or maybe I have it all wrong like you said lol
none of your posts make any sense
Can I ask @vto? I know it's not that kosha to ask, but am I correct in assuming you're a child (and then rationally thunking adult) of the neo-lib era?
The one where minimal gummint, operationalising everything on the basis of fishincy and fektivniss, externalising costs and incentivising all for the sake of a market ruling supreme.
"So"………"Ultimately", if you are of that era and experience, I'd recommend getting together some sort of PPP that (who) could bid for the cost of cleanups going forwid. They could work (constructively) with DOC, and local bodies after consultation with all the stakeholders, and after various conversations have been had, and I believe we'd be able to come up with a viable solution.
I mean, I get that the ratepayer base is insuffishint and has unreasnibble expectations of it – speshilly when the number of interlopers masquerading as tourists are inflicting their shit on you, but I just wonder about the intricacies of it all if we're to adhere to neo-liberal religion.
Is it possible we could have a conversation?
Absolutely. I don't think the neolib approach works too well though – that much has been proved in various parts of society (except the purchase of plastic buckets from the warehouse where neolib doctrine works fine…).
As for cleaning up these dumps all around the country? What popped into mind some while ago is that these things can be attended to over a longer period. For example, buy a digger and a truck and start removing the shit. Don't PPP it. Just buy and employ and get started. It may take some time, but no matter that.
Like the cathedral in Chch – doesn't matter how lng it takes, just make a start and keep going.
Get a digger and start moving the shit. It aint hard.
One digger and truck, $30,000 per annum. One employee, $60,000 per annum. Overhead $20,000 per annum.
Well yea! Of course! Fully!
Couple of problems Actually several) though as far as your criticisms of Eugenie.
Munsters and their enterage can't comment of "operational matters" going forward (That is of course, unless their future careers depend on it)
And secondly, it'll have to be subjected to the risk managers and liability analysts.
(Coukd take some time, and as you may or may not know, both Jacinda and Andrew Little have recently alerted us to the fact that things always take longer than they expected)
The argument seems to be over who the employer is.
You could get half a PR consultant for that. Get a grip on yourself.
Why would DOC pay rates? Do the police pay rates for their Westland area? Why should payment for the clean up of the council's dump come out of the DOC budget? DOC was gutted several times over in the last 20 years so if you want the general NZ taxpayer to contribute extra funding for a council's fuck up and the local's rubbish, you will be opening the door for more industries and councils to pass the buck.
Nothing to do with the point made Cinny
Point stands
I think West Coast council management is pretty stop-gap and No.8 fencing wire thinking. They are probably on a par with the management of sports codes, people who have some experience 'in the field' and are focussed on their own ideas and approaches. Not conducive to outside queries of their decisions or concerned about professional analysis except just enough to get people off their backs. This is BAU for a number of councils, so can't just point the finger at SI West Coast.
Grey, Westland Council surely does have a record of poor skills in certain areas, however those have absolutely nothing to do with the point made, which concerns Sage's political point-scoring against Smith in the context outlined.
DOC earns massive amounts every year from the use of Council infrastructure, yet pays NOTHING towards their cost. NOTHING. ZIP. ZERO
If this was a corporate, or if Nick Smith or Maggie boorish Barry were still the Ministers and Key in charge, then my points made would be agreed with here.
Until DOC pays its way here the Minister needs to stfu.
Are people around here allowed to tell Sage to stfu in the same way people around here used to tell Barry and Smith to stfu? Or is it too hard for partisans to pull their ideology blinkers aside?
DOC don't own the land so don't pay rates although I would guess that they do pay rates for their buildings in town. Rubbish is a council responsibility and rubbish is created by the residents, visitors and tourists – not by DOC who would be taking care of this patch of New Zealand regardless of existing infrastructure. Also does not the government pay for the roads outside of the towns? So roads etc are paid for out of the same purse that pays for DOC.
"DOC don't own the land ". Are you referring to the registered proprietor, and picking at the technicalities?
The Westland Council has 6,000 ratepayers who pay a total of approx $6,000,000 per annum.
That's it.
There is no more.
There is little to no money there. Many many people live on the smell of an oily rag.
You can't magic money up out of nowhere.
Yet approx 1,000,000 tourists pass through every year – for the DOC estate.
The total land area is approx 1,200,000 hectares, while only 120,000 hectares only is rateable. Guess who has the other 1,080,000 hectares?
DOC earns from the use of Council assets yet pays nothing towards those assets.
Regarding government-paid roads, that is only SH6, the main road. All other roads are ratepayer-paid. The 6,000 of them.
Do some sums.
Think of this issue as if Key and his slimeballs still held the reins – it will enable clearer thinking. Nick Smith is still Minister.
Just a bit more from the DOC Annual Report…
DOC earn approx $60,000,000 per annum.
How much of that is earned in Westland? Westland holds four of the thirteen National Parks.
Guestimate 25% of the DOC estate sits in Westland . Equals $15,000,000 from Westland.
Like so very many other ratepayers in Westland, in this matter I give DOC the one-finger salute. They fall short in taking their place in the community.
And Sage just makes it worse with her comments – shame on her
The tourists who use the council infrastructure also buy food, fuel, equipment, and accommodation. All those local businesses pay that on in their rates.
I will be a nit picking legalistic bore, but DOC do not own the "Conservation/DOC estate".
DOC administer the Conservation Estate on behalf of the "Crown" – ie the Government as a whole – and on behalf of the people of NZ.
So if anyone should be contributing more it is central government, not DOC per se.
I think I've got the answer @vto. It'd be a win win for everyone.
First of all we'll need to cover off those skill shortages in the Westland Council and ensure consultation with the community.
Who better than Laidlaw, who'll be looking for a gig after the local body elections? A perfect fit! and with a proven record of consultation and problem solving.
Then we could shunt Lou Sanson off to Treasury after the good work he's done resolving DOC's 'toxic culture', and he's got the smarts and verbals necessary to handle criticism over targeting employees and trying to shut the scientific community up. Better still he believes in "emphasising community involvement and greater engagement with the nation’s Indigenous peoples" in keeping with transformational government. (It's a given because …. well because he says so).After the Treasury hacking debacle, we need someone with Lou's smarts to help settle things down.
We immediately put Public Service CEO on the Immigration NZ skills shortage list with an English language requirement of IELTS 7.0 or higher with a salary range reflecting the global market place. With a bit of luck, we might get someone of the calibre of one of Sir John's former banking mates from offshore – there are one or two looking for a bolt hole, or even someone from the US EPA.
What could be a better fit for all stakeholders going forward!
Was the ex dump on DOC land or as a result of DOC? Nope.
Has the Westland Council managed themselves well, especially in the last decade? Nope.
Neither of these things are the fault of the minister.
DOC have helped, massively and so have the defence force. Apparently it's still not good enough for some, maybe the fear of a rate rise is more of a concern?
vto, if you really want to do something and pay rates there, I strongly suggest you join the volunteer clean up. Because your rates may end up increasing as a result of the Westland Councils bad management, not the first time that's happened I hear. Election coming up…. maybe you will stand?
I hope you focus on RACE RELATIONS like your job title implies and not drift into other areas and dissipate the energy. Good luck.
So Aussie banks get the 'message' in Australia too.
Not seen the same response from them ,that they offered here in NZ.
https://www.interest.co.nz/banking/100657/apra-will-make-each-anz-national-australia-bank-and-westpac-hold-extra-a500-mln
Daft government with tepid strategic planning for the country, no foresight, just open the doors and let the corporate hordes swan in and take our bits.
Better to deal with NZ reliables, try and win over the gangs that are aspirational good communities – but when it comes to licensing Marijuana it may be another CPPPTTAA? walkover.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/394195/medicinal-cannabis-licence-fees-of-up-to-23k-could-limit-growth-of-local-businesses
Seems Labour are taking the potential of having medicinal cannabis in the hands of the people (which would lower the cost) and are setting it up for the corporates to produce and supply.
However, this could all come undone if personal use and production (backyard) is legalised via the up and coming referendum.
Unless of course some kind of excise tax or licence to grow system is introduced, thereby turning growers without the correct licences (available for only $5000) into criminals. Much potential for disaster here.
As Labour has set no law in place pending the referendum, we don't really know what we will be voting for. So you could well be right re licences to grow your own. Making the only way to legally use it, is to buy it commercially or pay a commercial fee to grow it. At this stage, we just don't know. It was meant to be binding, but hey, that's fall short Labour at play once again.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/08-05-2019/what-we-know-about-the-cannabis-referendum-in-10-easy-questions/
"At this stage [~14 months out from the referendum], we just don't know."
"but hey, that's fall short Labour at play once again."
And that's The "relentlessly soggy" "lefty" "more left than most" "transparent as a transparent thing" Chairman at play once again.
Interesting that there's not a single mention of NZ's two most recent Government referendums (binding referendums at that) in the article linked to by The Chairman – not one. A curious omission, don't you think?
The shortlist for the first flag referendum was made public about three months before voting, and the results of that vote were released about three months before the second flag referendum.
Three months vs 14 months, and poor Chair is panicking![smiley smiley](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png)
Should we be concerned?
If you are happy to vote blindly, then nah.
Personally, I prefer to know what I'm voting for. And without a binding referendum there will be no pending law in place.
Which seems to be something Drowsy M. Kram doesn't understand.
This issue appears to be of importance to you. It might actually get you to vote for one of the parties who have said they will honour the wishes of the people, then. For realsies.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/388537/little-guarantees-binding-cannabis-referendum-but-yet-to-define-binding
What The Chairman fails to understand is that the article they linked to is over two months old.
This is basic stuff – The Chairman is slightly worse than the opposition National party (if that's possible) – a bad joke.
Indeed, there's barely a gNats whisker between The self-professed "lefty" "more left than most" Chairman's position and National’s – funny that!
What an extraordinarily poor performance. Do any readers here still believe that The Chairman is a genuine friend of the left?
The Chairman's contributions on this blog epitomise the self-serving deceit of the National party machine – keep 'em coming.
Doesn't alter the point made, but your post shows you still don't have a clue. It's not binding.
It's not binding yet, because 14 months out the supporting legislation and referendum questions haven’t been drafted – don’t panic!
Chair is creaking under the pressure and he might soon need a recliner.
Witness a very persistent Chair from early 2015: https://thestandard.org.nz/how-do-the-greens-grow-their-base/#comment-962178
If he reclines any further he might meet the Greens on the 'other side'![laugh laugh](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/teeth_smile.png)
FIFY
Note that in your link there was not a single mention of Labour, not one. Are you really that blind to your own anti-Labour bias?
Thanks, but that is not fully correct.
It's a Labour led fall short Government.
FIFY
And you asked if I’m blind, ha.
Uh-huh. Your LDS is making you hallucinate.
Medicine is a far cry from weed for the masses. I don't imagine the 23K applies to recreational pot but we'll see. There are many variables to be considered:
Some weed can make you paranoid
Some is anxiolytic
Those are complete opposites. Medicinal weed should be handled by people who have a vested interest to get it right for a medical market. The regulatory bodies should be busy, and that is expensive.
Recreational weed, like booze, might push a brand and the public buy it or they don't. There will be varied types and effects and strengths. The best boutique brands will emerge. NZ weed will be exported if it's good enough. The money should come back to NZ.
The medicine would be for local and then global markets. Made in NZ, paying tax in NZ and employing in NZ…
The person needing medicine needs someone who knows biology, medicine, cannabinoid & other metabolite profiles, dosage, frequency, how those apply to various delivery methods, how these vary with culture methods… We're not bloody paupers making herb tea in a tin hut.
It might sound expensive, till you look at what it’s worth.
You overlooked the fact that many are growing their own and using this now for medicinal purposes without a problem apart from it being illegal.
All the Government is going to do for them is keep that activity illegal and force them to pay top dollar for it.
So while it may be grown here, profits are bound to head offshore as locals are priced out or sell out as is usually the case with NZ businesses. And as for paying local tax, surely you must know how offshore owned companies minimize that?
The home-grower will find their medicine improved a great deal via the research of professionals. While you make stuff up and bang out about something you obviously know nothing about, there are many people who are not getting the efficacy from their medicine that they could be getting.
How many cancer patients have you worked with? PTSD? Autism?
What metabolite profiles are desirable for the above groups.
You clown.
While I'm not claiming to be a doctor or health specialist, I'm not making stuff up. There are many growing their own and using this now for medicinal purposes without a problem apart from it being illegal.
They just want the Government to stop criminalizing them.
Sure, further research may further benefit them but they should have that choice between being able to home grow or opt for a commercial product.
Why do you and the Government want to prevent that and rob them of that choice?
In 1953 the United Kingdom and the U.S. conspired to crush democracy in Iran. They're still causing trouble 66 years later.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/11/is-the-us-nudging-britain-into-dangerous-waters-with-iran
No respect – a metaphor for our society imo – sometime is going so thrash it to death so we can say 'look at me'.
Maybe tourism in its current form is just mass narcissism, i.e.it's all about the self rather than the place visited. So many tourists here seem to need to race across the landscape, climb it, jump off bits of it etc. It’s possible to do that and leave a place still knowing nothing about it.
yeah – I have been a guide in a National Park and a Nature Reserve before – I had to actively get people to slow down and actually look around and see it all. Quite often there was resistance even though they had paid to be there. Bit like when they'd ask – what's that?, what's this? I so wanted to say "why do you care – let it all go and just be here without excessive knowledge gathering' Just be here now. But of course I didn't, I played the game.
The tourists come to conquer the country? Veni, vidi, vici? Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream. But they never will. A lot are only capable of short, quick, bursts of emotion with no contemplation of the wonder of the world. and no lasting respect for the land and the culture that are revealed to those who desire to see it. ('We've got better at home, is that the best they can do'?) Been there, done that, off to the next thing. The world is to use, discard and then pass on to the next experience.
Christine Aguilera puts the popular zip into Climb every Mountain which was an inspirational song about escape from oppression and tyranny. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_AcWbuxQdo
Here's a profound one for..you.
https://youtu.be/XcMM5-zBCEc
I was in Hawea recently, and I just drove to a nice scenic spot, and read my book under the mountains for a couple hours. I saw 100s of people, tourists, park, get out, look for a few minutes, take a selfie, back in car and off they went to the next spot. A beautiful area though.
Away from the 'maddening' throng. A book, view, peace, and something to nibble and drink. All requirements satisfied. Hope you liked the book.
It always has been the ultimate in conspicuous consumption.
All done in the best possible taste..
'Epstein pleaded guilty in state court in Florida in 2007 to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution, resolving allegations that he had molested numerous girls. He served 13 months in jail, though he was allowed out six days a week to work from his office in Palm Beach.'
read:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeffrey-epstein-accused-of-sexually-abusing-teenage-girls-surrounded-himself-with-influential-network-of-defenders/2019/07/09/67069e12-a259-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html?utm_term=.02401d1231e1
Someone has just been jailed for life with a minimum period of 10 years behind bars. I suppose that someone with a corkscrew mind could make sense of bringing that law in.
News on the whole is overwhelmingly negative, and The Standard is mostly an echo chamber of that. It is all too easy to feed into finding something to be upset about each day.
This constant barrage of negative news can be debilitating, and the propensity for many here to repeat their pet peeves over and over is simply tiring. What effect has all the complaining done for any of the 'popular' issues here?
Politics. Neo-liberal loathing. Poverty. Biodiversity Loss. Climate Change. War. Extremism… What has the years of whinging achieved? If you've made an impact by all means we need to hear about that. Not the same shit trotted out each day.
The world has a lot of problems right now. Concentrating on nothing but problems however gives a skewed and unrealistic view. I believe we play straight into the hands of power brokers who would prefer we are fearful and fighting among ourselves, rather than emboldened citizens of an incredible planet, surrounded by incredible people.
'Seek and ye shall find'. The daily ferreting out of things that are wrong is an exercise in propagating futility. Yes there are many issues, moaning about them constantly is a piss-poor effort.
As is moaning about all the moaning.![blush blush](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/embarrassed_smile.png)
How to Get There is a step in the right direction.
Here's an old dude opened up his home gym and now has many local children training with him instead of getting up to other forms of 'entertainment' that might set their lives on a destructive path.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/78-year-old-bodybuilder-opens-his-home-gym-to-youngsters-for-free-so-they-wont-get-into-trouble/
My anxiety is through the roof lately, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Today I'll go seek some professional help, because that is how you responsibly deal with a problem – action, not whinging.
Here's the Guardian, which just linking to sets off a bunch of predictable whining about the publication itself. Like hysterical teens on facebook screaming faux outrage.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/01/and-now-for-something-completely-different-some-positive-news
When I try say – well done this person or that person for something good – y'all take their pedigree and dredge up whatever dirt you can find or imagine about them. No credit where it's due, no bipartisan support for anyone. Sides and stances.
Here's an app that lends eyes to the blind
https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2018/5454219/aira/
Use it.
The torrents of negative/bad news (particularly NZ/local bad news) can eventually erode/undermine the 'defences' of all but the most determined optimists.
Some have attempted to introduce 'good news quotas', and the idea seems attractive (I like it; think TV One News' "Good Sorts" on steriods), although quotas do attract detractors.
https://practicalreason.blog/2017/08/21/the-folly-of-good-news-quotas/
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/good-sorts-nomination-form-q01380
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/01/and-now-for-good-news-why-media-taking-positive-outlook
https://www.positive.news/
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
https://medium.com/future-crunch/99-good-news-stories-you-probably-didnt-hear-about-in-2018-cc3c65f8ebd0
Good news quotas – lol. But yay for them trying aye.
I'm not expecting persons to live under a rock, but more balance might help.
A few of the authors here post good news as it pops up and this is appreciated – then they're shot down by a wave of negative posters who can't accept anything good from their particular pet political peeve.
Then we all have a shit-fight.![cheeky cheeky](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/tongue_smile.png)
Here's a laugh
I'm waiting for that movie. The original was pretty funny. Both crowdfunded.
Yeah I loved the first one. Stephanie Paul (Madame President) is a kiwi.
Yeah, but they had me at Laibach 😉
I was completely hooked after the 'albinised' black dude is marching with his sign back on Earth:
"The Moon Nazis Are Coming!"
If you appreciate a good laugh, though you’ve likely seen them: Idiocracy, and 4 Lions.
Tears of laughter. So damn good.
Idiocracy was pretty good, but the number of people saying that it was really happening because other people disagreed with them pissed me right off.
4 lions is on the list.
'Four Lions' screened at the NZ Film Festival almost ten years ago; still memorable after that one viewing. An extraordinary achievement from start to scarily laughable finish; makes you think – edgy.
Must mention what I think is an unsung NZ classic:
'The Devil Dared Me To' The legend of Stuntman, Randy Campbell.
Gloriously silly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_Dared_Me_To
' News on the whole is overwhelmingly negative '
off shore oligarchial propaganda, wrapped up in local events.
There is the trade off between not having to do it yourself, & the imposition of non representative political agenda.
Even the political parties don't rate very much, don't like how they are somewhat beholden to and spoken for by other arrangements, it's just anarchical to talent and resources, the combinations you want for real value creation.
Serious question.
If this Government are sincere when they say they will repeal the Part 4A amendment to the Public Health and Disability Act (rushed through under urgency on the back of the 2013 Budget) why can they not do this now?
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2013/0022/latest/whole.html
This would essentially effect a reboot of the Public Health and Disability Act, and the Ministry of Health DSS Funded Family Care policy would wink out of existence.
https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/funded-family-care-operational-policy
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2013-go6248
All that would be needed is for the prohibition for having a resident family member provide the assessed care to be removed from MOH:DSS documents.
MOH DSS clients who have been through the NASC process and undergone the needs assessments and had hours allocated can simply choose to have a family member provide those supports either through Individualised Funding or through a Contracted Provider.
As was the common practice for those family carers who were being paid despite the policy forbidding this. The Ministry of Health DSS has the details of these arrangements. (I have an anonymised list obtained through OIA)
There will be certain eligible DSS clients whose assessments have been too heavily predicated on resident family providing what the Misery calls 'natural supports'.
These will need to be re- assessed on a case by case basis with assistance from ACC who also expect resident family to provide some level of 'natural supports ' but have the real risk that if they don't fund adequate hours of support they (ACC) can be liable if there is further harm to the client.
ACC and the Ministry of Health have worked closely on previous occasions so this is not an outrageous suggestion.
So, why not repeal the Part 4A POS now and allow those who have been denied access to the funding allocated for their care because of a policy determined to be discriminatory by the Courts in decisions all three of the Parties in Government claim they agree with?
Because I am very, very suspicious that resolution of this will be delayed until after the election.
Easy enough to fix right away, as you point out.
As you say Rosemary, some of the issues could be very quickly remedied – for example, by using urgency to repeal the dreaded Part 4a of the Act etc. But to do so that way would actually just be doing what the last Nat government did in bringing Part 4a and the whole rediculous policy in the first place with all the attendant problems that accompanied that move – lack of consultation with those affected, no public submission process etc, etc.
I fully recognise your reasons for scepticism etc in light of what you and Peter, and many others have gone through for years and I fully support all of you. (I too have some disabilities and know full well how hard the fight is to try to get what you are entitled to.)
Having worked in the State Service sector in Wellington for over four decades and in particular in areas interacting and liaising with, and working on secondment from time to time in, the Parliamentary arena, I am reasonably confident that the intentions are to get these legislative changes etc through and in place well before the election in the second half of next year – but at the same time taking the time to do it properly in full consultation with people like yourselves, and through the proper legislative process of select committee deliberation, public submissions etc.
The little signs that give me this hope include the fact that $32M was allocated in Budget 2019 for contingency costs to get the changes through in the current financial year and the changes don't have to await funding in Budget 2020.
The various press releases by Ministers seem to have included mention of the way that Part 4a was brought in under urgency and without consultation etc and the wish not to do the same – eg
“We are committed to getting this change through as swiftly as we can, while also avoiding the process which created the current legislation,” says Julie Anne Genter.
http://community.scoop.co.nz/2019/07/government-changes-funded-family-care-policy/
My understanding is that work is well advanced on various possible options to replace the ridiculous employment arrangement brought in in 2013 "which do not place unreasonable expectations on disabled people, their family or whānau."
The three Coalition parties all seem to be in agreement on this issue and singing from the same song sheet, and IIRC the intention is to announce these proposals, the proposed changes to legislation etc in the next few months and certainly well before the end of this year.
In other words, what I am trying to say badly is that as someone who has worked in the area of legislative changes etc, they seem to be making sure that they have all their ducks lined up on this issue before they go ahead – as they must do particularly in light of the judicial decisions. So I so hope I am not wrong!
Thank you for responding veutoviper, I was sending you psychic messages hoping for your particular insights.
I do sincerely hope you are right, because another betrayal, a twist of the knife in our backs would be unforgivable.
The little signs that give me this hope include the fact that $32M was allocated in Budget 2019 for contingency costs to get the changes through in the current financial year and the changes don't have to await funding in Budget 2020.
Ironically it is exactly this that causes my deep concern that they have not thought it through.
It is the "$32million over four years'…https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/393821/family-carers-to-be-paid-fairer-wage that doesn't quite add up.
That's $8million dollars per year to pay an extra 640 family carers (like me) up to $25 per hour. Plus increase the pay of the current 400 Funded Family Carers to the same rate per hour. Generously, this works out as an average of about 9 hours per week per carer. For clients with high, very high and complex needs. Many of whom have been assessed as needing at least five times as many hours of support.
It simply does not add up. Even more so if the government continues along the lines suggested by the PSA and makes the rule that these family care arrangements have to go through a contracted provider. To avoid the " "which do not place unreasonable expectations on disabled people, their family or whānau." issue.
Veutoviper. This is not an issue to ACC clients who are bulk funded and pay their family. MOH DSS clients are being treated differently. Again. It may be appropriate where there are severe learning disabilities, and if both the client and the parent carer agree then these arrangements could be overseen by a Contracted Provider.
This would of course add extra costs because the provider would expect their cut of the funding.
Having the arrangement go through a provider denies the disabled person the autonomy provided by being able to use Individualised Funding…which I believe is funded at a lower hourly rate that the contracted providers demand.
Reading the Cabinet Papers from back in 2012 when they decided not to take Atkinson to the Supreme Court, very early in the paper based discussion did the term "competing interests" arise. A few paragraphs later the redacted sections began, culminating in the impressively blanked out RIS that Micky Savage (chicken killer
) shared in his post the other day.
Now that would be awesome…unblank those sections of that Regulatory Impact Statement so we are fully informed.
Honest and transparent government and all that.
Yes please. Saving face for officials who should have known better is not a valid reason to keep it hidden.
Almost incredibly, the godawful American equivalent of the Grauniad just got worse.
Sydney Ember, a finance company shill, a Clintonista, a crony of Matt Drudge, is now employed as a "journalist" by the New York Times….
The floundering British State Broadcaster is now flagrantly pro-Tory
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/panoramas-hatchet-job-labour-antisemitism-bbc-has-become-pro-tory-media
Good on Collins. Her practical, down to earth approach will get her a long way. Just what we need in a future PM and what NZ needs to sort this mess out. About bloody time someone said it how it is.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/114181232/judith-collins-just-stop-beating-up-kids
Doesn't she support parents hitting their kids?
Apparently not morpissey.
Collins said something that sounded like a human speaking? I caught the whiff of some understanding from her the other day about something. I think it must be a bout of this Type A flu going round. They say it is really strong. Coff, coff.
So it must have been someone else, disguised as Judith Collins, that boasted in 2007 about beating her own child….
See, reasonable smacking never hurt anyone. Her kids still love her. What's the problem?
Highly likely, as long as the bashing was reasonable.
Exactly what the bashers of children say. How is she in any way superior to the parents who "go a bit far" and kill the kids whom she and the Family Fist Fanatics say are fair game for slap-happy parents?
Because she speaks for the silent majority, for those too scared to raise their head above the pulpit of political correctness.
You need to stop now. Every time you post, it's something even stupider than the last.
Pulpit??
Do you mean pulpit, rampart or bulwark? Or parapet?
Blinkin' heck, yes, parapet. Early onset for sure.
I know the feeling…
Definitely pulpit when it comes to the political correctness verses like a religious fervour.
Sorry to do it again, but verses or versus?
It was the raising the head above a pulpit (has anyone ever lowered a head below one?) that prompted me to question Chris, whose irony I hopefully thought I was enjoying.
Was not meaning to be critical.
Yes, you were, but I don’t think Morrissey did.
I’m sure someone would’ve lowered their head below a pulpit. Perhaps when shoes or other things are being thrown at them.
You can't help loving words like me. I was thinking of verses repeated from the holy lexicon of PCness.
I do enjoy this sort of finish to the end of the day with a bit more lightness than the days bathos. Choirboys probably like to keep their heads below the pulpit. Especially the ones that Giles sometimes included in his clever cartoons – kids with too much insouciance. (I like using google meanings a lot – so fast.)
Giles always had so much other than the main joke going on in the cartoons.
Cool. But choirboys should be well away from the pulpit, which is the uplifted tower-like stand where the preacher preaches from, unless I am getting that early onset thing yet again. .
And turret does work – ta Incognito.
'The holy lexicon of PCness.' Sounds much less threatening than the holy dictates/scriptures/commandments which holiness normally delivers.
I was only kidding; letting off some ‘steam’, you know …
..not such a good idea…
The saying is: to be too scared to stick your head above the turret. I’m sure …
Yes, I'm sure it's one of them.
https://www.google.com/search?q=head+above+the+parapet&oq=head+above+the+&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l5.8508j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
I don't think she's beaten many of her children to death morpissey, not even when on P and thus completely innocent.
No, but she and the likes of Bob "Hairbrush" McCoskrie and other ideologically committed kiddywhackers provide the ideological and moral scaffolding for people who hit their children. I'm sure Collins has not hurt her own kids; it's a pity she has not thought a little more about the impact of her words and her policies. Same goes for her slap-happy political cronies.
It's a one size doesn't fit all type of area really.
Having to smack, for those that would feel they need to, too much is not ideal for the parent. The freedom to be a total brat is not ideal for the child.
A settlement mechanism inclusive of both extreme ends to the area, would perhaps provide the maximum utility in enabling the natural fits that will be most suitable to all i would say if people really wanted it.
That is an independent citizen’s aid authority, that can
A) these smackings could be getting out of hand and becoming counter productive to the situation
B) the child does not have the license of freedom is expecting of the parent & does not have the right to complain.
While leaving the exact dynamics to be worked out by the families, perhaps such a service could help in providing equilibriums that some families would otherwise not be able to reach for themselves.
A referendum then, might not have been a bad stepping stone to optimising the situation if wanted.
How much slapping and hitting with hairbrushes is acceptable for elderly people?
yeah the simpleton approach is always popular with gnats
What good stuff especially unexpected from Basher Collins. Unless she is just dancing clever politics. But wait. Many of her colleagues would disagree with her. So……
She reminds me of Nosher Powell's Prime Minister in Eat The Rich when he knocks the heads of the Palestinian & Israel leaders and tells them to "stop fighting & sort it out".
Collins says whatever she feels like at the time. She doesn't listen and responds on the hoof. This will become immediately obvious if she's ever PM, perhaps just leader of the nats, and would be truly Trumpesque.
We can only hope…
…she becomes leader of the nats. Constant entertainment until she spontaneously combusts.
Crush their spirit, hit them where it hurts, and when they’re down, tell them to pick themselves up and then kick them down again and rinse and repeat. Tell them that it is all about making the right decisions and personal responsibility and they should stop beating their kids. That’s how they treat the Precariat. They are wilfully blind and tone-deaf to context and circumstances. I detest cynical populist politicians with their personal and selfish agendas and their hypocritical smugness.
Simon and the National Party are incompetent idiots.
https://www.twitter.com/NZNationalParty/status/1149121011368939520
The Toyota Corolla model shown in the graphic is from the early 1990's. No one would import a vehicle that old.
In the real world, a Corolla like the one below would be imported and in 2021, when the legislation would apply, this vehicle would be 5 years old.
2016 Toyota Corolla, 1.8 Petrol CVT. 96 C02 (g/km). If this vehicle is imported, it would be eligible for a significant rebate.
The National Party need to lift their game and stop making shit up.
They have taken the lesson from their chums in the US and UK that lying works.
Banks sometimes we love them and sometimes…. we ask awkward questions?
When it comes to the risk mitigation costs arising from their own activities, the banks expect their customers to pick up the tab. Or taxpayers, as happened with the BNZ collapse of the late 1980s, and with the post–GFC collapse of non banking lenders like South Canterbury Finance. It was only ten years ago that governments had to bail 0ut a global banking system that (from the US to Scotland to the Netherlands) had been made vulnerable by the banks’ own lobbying for lax regulation and the pursuit of dodgy lending practices. If the banks have already forgotten the GFC, the rest of us haven’t.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1907/S00063/gordon-campbell-on-the-aussie-banks-latest-fee-hike-excuse.htm
A grown man weeps for the destruction of his whenua, his life.
How the power of a state agency can divide and rule by wooing one group and dismissing another.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/113021225/the-devastating-personal-cost-of-taranakis-200m-mt-messenger-bypass
https://www.toko.org.nz/petitions/no-mt-messenger-bypass-save-mangapepeke-valley
There was an option to widen the one-way Awakino tunnel which seems to be one of the biggest problems. There is mention of accidents, and from what I have seen of driving in the rural sector, this is because of excessive speed for the conditions.
Report for Mt Messenger Alliance (who are they). https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/awakino-gorge-to-mt-messenger-programme/mt-messenger-bypass/rma-applications/technical-reports/tr-9-historic-heritage-assessment.pdf
https://www.trc.govt.nz/buses-transport/transport-planning/state-highway-3/
It is interesting that if one wants to look at one of the numerous maps of the area that is noted as nzta, it won't come up individually to be expanded but just switches over to the group of area maps. That is unusual as I can normally hone in to get a good view, but not here.
Found this for 13 April 2017, (all MPs in the area are National)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/91551220/twobridge-bypass-of-awakino-tunnel-announced-as-part-of-135m-safety-project
and for 21 October 2017
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98097430/taranaki-mps-are-hopeful-big-spending-projects-will-proceed-under-new-government
Taranaki's elected MPs say they are confident the region will not become a political backwater now that it is not represented in government.
The three MPs, Jonathan Young (New Plymouth), Barbara Kuriger (Taranaki King Country) and newcomer Hirate Hipango (Whanganui), face the next three years in opposition for the first time since 2008.
Major roading and housing projects earmarked for the region would still go ahead under the three party Labour/New Zealand First/ Green coalition government, they say….
A decision to mine iron sand off the South Taranaki coastline could also be up for change, depending on the new government's position after a High Court appeal is heard.
The trio hoped coalition partner New Zealand First's focus on regional issues would help retain skills and job training for people in Taranaki.
Kuriger said New Zealand First leader Winston Peters campaigned for provincial rural communities during the election.
The National MPs have been in a political hiatus under National apparently but pushed through the expensive roading option to get it on the books before another election, which National lost.
Former Taranaki King Country MP Shane Ardern said the Mt Messenger project could still be overturned….
Ardern famously drove a tractor up the steps of parliament to protest against a methane emissions bill.
He was critical of the MMP voting system. "I don't like MMP, I think it is a rotten system. "What we've got now is a group of losers who have cobbled together to chop off the winners.
Noticeable in what I have skimmed through is no emphasis on saving environment or kokako or kiwi. There is talk of tourism but no feeling that could include special areas for endangered species. Just the usual bull-headed, unchanging obeisance to saving minutes of driving time. WTF. And concern about accidents, well let's face it, a lot of that could be avoided by making people sit regular driving checks on simulators. That would save more lives and injuries, and squillions of dollars on roading and written off vehicles. And having a licence would be a treasure. The emphasis should not be making it so hard to get a licence, but ensure a reasonably competent driver stays proud of their competence.
There was an article about this couple back in 2017…https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/96155843/farmer-says-mt-messenger-road-option-would-be-environmental-and-ecological-suicide
..and a quick scan of the Comments section gives a good indication of the neanderthal numpties who are demanding the destruction of our ever diminishing and degraded indigenous forests and waterways so they can GO FASTER.
Yes. I'd help dig out another lane in the Tunnel with my bare hands if that would satisfy the drongoes for whom being forced to spend an unnecessary six minutes driving slowly through near virgin forest is torture.
Believe me…it is a heavenly drive.
I see it as a National Party MP push – look what we do for Taranaki.
And I don't think they have in Naki got a lot more understanding of other values beside farming and money since Parihaka. I am prepared to be taken to task – but it's a feeling I have from my short experience there and what Ive read.
Totally agree with ya grey on the driving simulators etc Im fairly certain we could all benefit from more and better driver training .Much better direction i think to be going in than one of ever expanding use of barriers etc personally i find some roads to be like driving through a cattle race !plus any scenic value is erased along with technically the risk ! .I shudder to think what might be ahead of us as drivers prob something like a complete shield along the sides of roads along with robotic control .Cars will probably still keep their steering wheels but only so we dont feel like completely useless idiots and can still pretend at least to be driving ! So risk adverse will society have become by then that its likely we'll all have to suck on dummies while we drive in case we bite our tongues if a bug hits the windscreen if theres any bugs left by then of course
Ver funny weston and prophetic too. Think of the kiddy cars in the supermarkets.
How sad for Sir John.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12249032
But I suppose a successful claim would be paid for by the customers and not any of the Directors. Damn.
It's like when he "committed" New Zealand troops to Iraq: no personal involvement at all. Unless that useless son of his has signed up?
What the hell is going on here? Why can't I access Hansard?
I've been trying to get on to the Hansard site in order to track down a horrible speech in favour of child-beating by the Dishonorable Judith Collins. I tried several times but this is all I got…..
https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/databases/record/?record=hansard
What is wrong here? Why can't I get through? Has anyone else had this problem with accessing Hansard?
No, working perfectly
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/
But doubt you will find what you think you are looking for on Hansard.
Perhaps you meant this?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/85282990/judith-collins-criticised-for-comments-about-parental-responsibility-and-poverty
Or this?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018657355/echoes-of-the-past-in-collins-fake-news-row
I've just clicked on the link you gave and I'm still getting the "Your connection is not private…." nonsense. I can't even ignore it and move on to the site.
Very strange, and annoying.
Be afraid. This is how it starts …
Please, please (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) ….
They're laughing at me.
Usually it's because the website's sso cert has bust in some way. In your case it's probably the NSA trying to thwart you.
Seems OK Morrissey.
2013: Collins,"More than 50 children have died in New Zealand in the last 5 years not because of poverty, actually, but because of extreme abuse. I do not think for a moment that poverty is any excuse for killing one’s child, or the child of somebody else either, or of harming them. etc etc."
Maybe on this matter she is genuine?
She also said she's "proud" to have beaten her own child. Puts her broadside against people who think like her but take it a bit far into some perspective. I'm also troubled by her phrase "not because of poverty, actually"—even when speaking on something like this, she felt entitled to inject her ideologically motivated and cynical repudiation of the very notion of poverty in New Zealand.
very likely your internet connection is down and when you go to any URL you (try to) get the login page of your router , the message is from your browser refusing to connect to a different non https page from the one asked for
Thanks for that xanthe!
Bastards. I thought as much.
Farmers ceased to be a store that considered itself a family store decades ago. Now it's a private equity handbag accessory I think.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/394233/farmers-stores-refuse-to-budge-on-workers-pay-claims
Lynda Kamariera had been at the company for almost 23 years and said workers were some of the lowest-paid retail staff in the country.
"They value themselves as being a family story but the families who work inside Farmers are finding they're struggling."
After more than two decades at the company, Lynda's pay had yet to reach the current rate living wage of $20.55 an hour, which was due to go up in September to $21.15.
The situation was just continuing to get more desperate for staff, she said.
"There are workers that have taken out loans to get car repairs so they can come to work."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12248984
Jesus wept! It's premium so can't see the full article but if we "accept the USA's invitation” and go to war with Iran, there will be hell to pay.
Drones to the left of me, rifles to the right, stuck in the middle with you.
Our present nashionul anthem.
Lyrics for the singing of:
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/stealerswheel/stuckinthemiddlewithyou.html
This probably makes more sense and is more coherent than what was actually said.
Whatever Trump said, it's morally superior to what the Democratic "leaders", including that heroic desk warrior Kamala Harris, have been saying.
Self-awareness, much? https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12-07-2019/#comment-1636402
No, you haven't defended that warmonger one little bit. You can't of course.
A group of investors in New Zealand's largest Ponzi scheme has accused the ANZ of negligence in its role as banker of the company, Ross Asset Management.
Former commercial lawyer, John Strahl, who is acting as a spokesman for the group said the action would have started years ago, but ANZ took legal action against the financial regulator, the Financial Markets Authority to prevent it sharing the finding of its investigation.
ANZ strongly denies the allegations and will be defending the claim.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/114197565/investors-launch-legal-claim-against-anz-over-it-relationship-with-ponzi-scheme
Nasty.
From 2004 to 2017, when she was a San Francisco D.A. and then the Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris was a key figure in the institutional oppression of black and Latino citizens. She did not speak out against the wicked and iniquitous "three strikes" travesty of a law, and she contended, to the anger and consternation of black and civil rights groups, that local police should be allowed to investigate themselves after killing people. She supported the outrageous, controversial 2011 California truancy legislation that made criminals of poor and disadvantaged parents throughout the state.
She has also foolishly swallowed—hook, line, and sinker—the Bellingcat/U.K. government's disinformation campaigns about Syria, and has spoken at AIPAC conferences, where she boasted: "The first resolution I co-sponsored as a United States senator was to combat anti-Israel bias at the United Nations." The AIPAC delegates applauded that little speech almost as loudly as they cheer a nurse being shot and killed by IDF snipers in Gaza.
In the following puff piece from—you guessed it!—CNN, there is an unintentionally amusing, and sadly quite accurate, bit of blithering from an uncritical supporter….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/114209639/paddle-pops-withheld-from-dirty-crims-by-prison-guards
'They claimed that some inmates at Auckland Prison, Paremoremo, which houses New Zealand's only specialist maximum-security prison unit, never got the ice blocks, with officers refusing to give them to "dirty crims".'
Good, all it will do is create more problems.