David Seymour really is a flea. On RNZ this morning he attacked unions and gloated about sinking Fair Pay Agreements. The NZCTU economists cost analysis has got under his skin that's for sure.
Why would he its a given that it would be somewhat hostile and RNZ is hardly his target audience. No different than Jacinda not doing the slot on Newstalk with Hosking
Ben Strang did fine. But I do object to any Minister of any stripe being able to pick and choose who they are interviewed by. They're only there because of the voters, so they are obligated to defend their policies to ALL the voters, not just with media who they think is going to give them an easy ride, or an audience who might 'feel' hostile.
Seymour will be wetting his pants over the Treaty Bill, he ACT and SirAllan Gibbs will be over the moon they are getting these Maori Issues aired in Public muddying the waters on all the dirty land deals the Europeans have been involved in since the signing of the TOW.
Seymour's a strange one, but he's not stupid – follow the money.
Losing sleep over Treaty principles [29 Feb 2024]
Now I’m pondering the advantages of honouring Te Tiriti, other than being decent? Imagine what our country would be like now if Māori had been wiped out completely? We’d be heading towards a poor imitation of Trump’s America.
I love being Kiwi, living in a small island in the Pacific, where because of Te Tiriti, I am constantly enveloped in another way of seeing which quite honestly has a bit to recommend it in terms of decency: manaakitanga (welcoming others, even those we disagree with), kaitiakitanga (caring for things especially people and the natural world), and whakamana tāngata (upholding the mana of others).
Will be interesting how much it will all cost along with Sir Simeon’s Bill to have a vote on the Maori Ward’s, these guys really want to put Maaori’s back in the gutter. Meanwhile the gutless Baldrick let’s his children run wild?
@Belladonna.
Its legitimate to discuss the White British invasion,
the White British mass murder of innocent Maori men women and children
the theft of millions of acres of land and resources, flagrant abuses of the Treaty Principles and ethnic cleansing for a 150 years.
Start a debate on these points when ever your ready.
Māori Wards extend local democracy, and increase participation of a group that largely avoided District Council affairs like the plague–and who could blame them, white coots in suits representing local business. A number of pākehā Councillors have now had a glimpse into the Māori world and seen the positive features and actually met names they had just feared or been suspicious of before.
Non Māori could learn from this and get involved in local Govt. also, that is the only way better funding and all the other needs will happen.
It will be a joy to watch this Rebellion of Councils against Central Govt.
FYI I live in the Far North on Karikari Peninsula–Ngati Kahu whenua–and am well aware of that fat bastard in Kaipara who could hardly wait his chance to Māori bash.
Something else to think about, there is a logical flaw in all this attacking Māori wards…
Dump–no vote (referendum) required
Keep–vote (referendum) required
the point being Councils view is fine for dump, but not for keep which switches to central Govt. control.
Good point TM – eitherall local councils that currently have Māori wards should be forced to hold a referendum, or (my preference) none should be forced to do so. Currently the legislation applies only to the many councils that rejected this component of our CoC govt's frankly racist anti-Māori agenda.
That twisted ego is going to be "Deputy Prime Minister". Now if he sings nasty and is not pulled up by PM Luxon, guess what? They are birds of a feather, singing from the same racist no help here and decimate services 'till we replace them with "User Pays" song sheet.
In our increasingly Surveilled Society…..NZ will now to allow this?
Transmission Gully: Private group cleared to use motorway cameras to identify plates
A private consortium has been given the green light to run motorway cameras to identify drivers' number plates and vehicle type to uphold a commercial contract.
Highway cameras are ususally used for safety pruposes, or to catch speeding drivers.
But the public-private partnership (PPP) has introduced a new demand at Transmission Gully – to prove the road is free-flowing.
NZTA denies…..Ah. Sure.
NZTA Waka Kotahi said the rollout did not represent a new way of harvesting data from the public.
There are any number of cheap license plate clear covers available that can render the number unreadable to cameras, the cops do not like them because they frustrate speed cameras and might prosecute if they caught you.
Best advice according to some car fans is to install LED infrared lights near the plate
So it would be interesting to see if this little snooping exercise is exclusive to the PPP or they data share…
So it would be interesting to see if this little snooping exercise is exclusive to the PPP or they data share…
The cynical realist me says…it will come. And we earlier had the supermarket Big Brother Grocer…
Facial recognition: The supermarkets are watching you
Of course, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is doing more than just benignly receiving the briefing. In an unprecedented move, it has launched an inquiry into Foodstuff’s trial. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said:
“New Zealanders deserve to shop for their milk and bread without having their faces scanned unless it’s really justified … We want people to be safe as they shop and work. But I have real questions about whether the technology will be effective in stopping violent behaviour or preventing harm.”
That sounds a bit like the Privacy Commissioner might not be buying Foodstuff’s declared rationale.
They don't need number plate details to show cars are moving freely. That seems like considerable over-reach and doesn't seem consistent with laws about privacy.
Well…yes. Have traffic counters somehow become redundant ? I dont think so. Makes the whole PPP camera number plate collecting…seem very dodgy. These seem a much better way to count. If that was their true reason…
"They measure the vehicle type more accurately than the old system, but don’t have the ability to identify any individual vehicles.
Solar-powered sensors have been designed to replace tube and loop counters which until now have been the usual way of counting traffic. They take just seconds to install for temporary traffic counting, and only minutes for permanent counting – meaning significant health and safety benefits.
During the Covid times, a lack of trust in the government was one of several currents running through parts of the citizenry.
IRD has just been in the news for selling our data. Their (pathetic) excuse was that it isn't illegal! Several commenters here by bought up relevant points- we can't opt out, the 'hashing' is a far from effective security measure…
I suppose this is what happens when government departments get corporatised. They forget whom they serve.
Smart move by Putin, who would prefer to see 'walking oil spill' Trump in charge. But how might Simonyan counteract the Tay Tay effect – and what have we become?!
Russia has had a long consistent policy of offering to engage in constructive dialogue with the USA. Saying this about Harris doesnt have to be interpreted as an attempt to sway the election, that seems a rather dumb context to frame it in actually.
Health NZ. There is NO Code Black. Ever. Do NOT use this again.That is all….
Health NZ scraps Code Black alert for emergency departments in crisis
Health New Zealand has scrapped the highest Code Black alert used by some emergency departments to show when they are critically overcrowded or understaffed.
The agency said its new ED At A Glance system was about getting a "nationally consistent" approach
Some (incl those within the Code Black ! ) can see. Right through you..
some doctors suspected it was intended to make conditions look better than they really were.
Yea I find them quite disturbing and irrational…but they have their agenda. . And in a similar vein (they are of a mindset naturally..)
New ministry spending more than $400,000 on contractors
A new ministry set up to slash red tape spent more than $400,000 on contractors in six months.
The ACT Party pitched a Ministry of Regulation ahead of last year's election and secured its creation during coalition negotiations.
This new department was set up six months ago, replacing the Productivity Commission, and has spent $410,150 on contractors.
The figure was confirmed in an answer to a written Parliamentary question by Green MP Francisco Hernandez, who said it was "outlandish".
"This government has double standards. While our health system and public service is buckling under the weight of government cuts, their pet ministries are getting lavished with attention."
"While the wider public service is being left with crumbs, Seymour's pet ministry is feasting on cake."
n his written answer, Minister of Regulation David Seymour said it took "time and resource" to establish a ministry.
Lester and Shane will be purring in a few months' time when they view their shiny 'Executive Summary Dashboards' – or whatever grandiose name they give to some trivial piece of data visualisation.
Because lo and behold, these wonderful dashboards will show that the total time hospitals have spent in code black and code red has substantially declined under their masterful leadership. The NZ Herald will trumpet their achievement. Mission accomplished.
Hmmm yes. You see through a dark but strangely clear crystal ball. And re "the Clocks Were Striking Thirteen" could it be..that They were always at war with Oceania ? Too dystopian ? ..or not : )
Reti's all ready to throw management under a bus for potentially gaming metrics they're seeing for a first time. Fantastic leadership style Shane plus a resounding vote of confidence, bravo.
The jump in exec salaries in Levy's management will likely be for folk good with numbers to achieve an end…in between seeing any patients of course as it's sooo about the frontline.
EV's can weigh 800kg or more than an equivalent ICV so this could be a BFD.
.
A big issue with today's electric vehicles (EVs) is that their batteries are heavy. Obviously, this has a number of downsides, including lowered energy efficiency and more wear and tear on roads, tyres and brakes, for example.
Researchers are working on improving that situation, with one approach being to make the battery a structural component of EVs – like the BYD SEAL sold in New Zealand (review coming soon).
A group of researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden, have created a carbon fibre composite battery, for "massless energy storage"; the battery acts as structural member that is as stiff as aluminium, and energy-dense enough for commercial applications, the researchers say.
Therefore making them even less repairable following an accident?
One of the big issues with EVs (Teslas in particular) is that because of the size of the battery – taking up a large chunk of the bottom of the vehicle – even minor accidents result in the car being scrapped – because the mechanics can't be certain that the battery wasn't affected.
If the battery is distributed across structural members, this would be even worse. No one would be prepared to guarantee that the car was safe, after even the most minor of accidents.
The lack of repairability within the structural cell is a function of modern vehicle design, not just EVs or structural batteries. Pretty much any ding to pillars, roof of floor pan and the car is entering the parts pool.
Is anyone out there experiencing "downward pressure" on their rents yet? Supposedly this would happen when the Brightline Test was cut back to 2 years and mortgage interest tax deductibility was reintroduced. Probably a bit early to see anything in the official stats.
A good proportion of the population departing for Aussie would probably have more effect. I'd say there's significant downward pressure on rents in Ruapehu District right now.
Can't find anything very recent – but this article from June is likely to still be relevant (i.e. not much has changed). This reports rents dropping and the numbers of properties available in the rental market increasing.
However, it's not the change in the tax scenario which is triggering it (although it may well be a factor in landlords being more 'realistic' in their rental expectations) Population decrease (outflow to Australia in particular) – means that there are more properties competing for fewer tenants – supply and demand – resulting in lower rentals.
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David Seymour really is a flea. On RNZ this morning he attacked unions and gloated about sinking Fair Pay Agreements. The NZCTU economists cost analysis has got under his skin that's for sure.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018955219/david-seymour-dismisses-costs-of-progressing-treaty-principles-bill
David Seymore still doesn't have the guts to be interviewed (live or not) by the hosts of Morning report. Cowardly little git.
Why would he its a given that it would be somewhat hostile and RNZ is hardly his target audience. No different than Jacinda not doing the slot on Newstalk with Hosking
See my reply at 1.1.2.1 Preaching to the friendly choir is not the point.
But Hoskins says he isn't a journalist. Isn't that his schtick? I think politicians can say "yay" or "nay" to being interviewed by entertainers.
I did think Ben Strang, went well in interviewing Seymour.
Pushed back firmer and more effectively than I Hipkiss manages.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/527744/extremely-conservative-estimate-suggests-4m-cost-to-progress-treaty-principles-bill
Ben Strang did fine. But I do object to any Minister of any stripe being able to pick and choose who they are interviewed by. They're only there because of the voters, so they are obligated to defend their policies to ALL the voters, not just with media who they think is going to give them an easy ride, or an audience who might 'feel' hostile.
I agree.
I also think he would be receiving the similar levels of passionate push back as our previous PM.
Which made her decision not to appear on Hiskings show a recent precedent.
Agree gsays….Strang stuck to his guns….Hipkiss seldom does thus…though there have been a couple of interviews where she was a little better recently.
Seymour will be wetting his pants over the Treaty Bill, he ACT and SirAllan Gibbs will be over the moon they are getting these Maori Issues aired in Public muddying the waters on all the dirty land deals the Europeans have been involved in since the signing of the TOW.
Seymour's a strange one, but he's not stupid – follow the money.
Weak gutted little worm IMHO. All piss and wind.
Will be interesting how much it will all cost along with Sir Simeon’s Bill to have a vote on the Maori Ward’s, these guys really want to put Maaori’s back in the gutter. Meanwhile the gutless Baldrick let’s his children run wild?
Stealmore the .000000001 % fake "Maori " is doing Luxons dirty work for him.
The Treaty claims process granted every Maori 25 cents per week for life.
Every White person is required to pay 5 cents per week toward this settlement.
Now Stealmore wants a discussion about the excess pay out to Maori and the
crushing impost White people are reeling under.
Its just not fair says Stealmore.
Stealmore believes a pay out of 5 cents per week is appropriate for Maori as a
consequence of the White invasion , the murder of thousands of innocent Maori
Men, Women and Children, the blatent theft of millions of hectares of land
the flagrant defaulting on the Treaty Principles for 150 years
and for a 150 years of deliberate ethnic cleansing.
Stealmore believes for such minor errors White peoples should be taxed no more
than 1 cent per week and with the ryder that White people earning under 300k per
week should be exempt,
Oh, so it's now legitimate to discuss blood quantum? Really, you want to start that debate?
@Belladonna.
Its legitimate to discuss the White British invasion,
the White British mass murder of innocent Maori men women and children
the theft of millions of acres of land and resources, flagrant abuses of the Treaty Principles and ethnic cleansing for a 150 years.
Start a debate on these points when ever your ready.
That is not, however, how you started. Want to revise your intro?
It's probably relevant in seymours case due to the fact that he will use it as a shield to be a shit stirring little twerp.
So we are therefore able to discount other Maori based on their 'blood quantum'? It's a stupid point to legitimate.
Who, or what is Stealmore?
Māori Wards extend local democracy, and increase participation of a group that largely avoided District Council affairs like the plague–and who could blame them, white coots in suits representing local business. A number of pākehā Councillors have now had a glimpse into the Māori world and seen the positive features and actually met names they had just feared or been suspicious of before.
Non Māori could learn from this and get involved in local Govt. also, that is the only way better funding and all the other needs will happen.
It will be a joy to watch this Rebellion of Councils against Central Govt.
Not the "Mayor Of Kaipara" entrenched in the KKK Principles.
FYI I live in the Far North on Karikari Peninsula–Ngati Kahu whenua–and am well aware of that fat bastard in Kaipara who could hardly wait his chance to Māori bash.
Something else to think about, there is a logical flaw in all this attacking Māori wards…
Dump–no vote (referendum) required
Keep–vote (referendum) required
the point being Councils view is fine for dump, but not for keep which switches to central Govt. control.
Good point TM – either all local councils that currently have Māori wards should be forced to hold a referendum, or (my preference) none should be forced to do so. Currently the legislation applies only to the many councils that rejected this component of our CoC govt's frankly racist anti-Māori agenda.
That twisted ego is going to be "Deputy Prime Minister". Now if he sings nasty and is not pulled up by PM Luxon, guess what? They are birds of a feather, singing from the same racist no help here and decimate services 'till we replace them with "User Pays" song sheet.
In our increasingly Surveilled Society…..NZ will now to allow this?
NZTA denies…..Ah. Sure.
Trust them…they know what they are doing….
Only been on that road once. It's a rough old ride in parts. Given the choice I stick to the former SH1.
There are any number of cheap license plate clear covers available that can render the number unreadable to cameras, the cops do not like them because they frustrate speed cameras and might prosecute if they caught you.
Best advice according to some car fans is to install LED infrared lights near the plate
So it would be interesting to see if this little snooping exercise is exclusive to the PPP or they data share…
The
cynicalrealist me says…it will come. And we earlier had the supermarket BigBrotherGrocer…Who watches… ?
They don't need number plate details to show cars are moving freely. That seems like considerable over-reach and doesn't seem consistent with laws about privacy.
Well…yes. Have traffic counters somehow become redundant ? I dont think so. Makes the whole PPP camera number plate collecting…seem very dodgy. These seem a much better way to count. If that was their true reason…
Considerable overreach is right.
During the Covid times, a lack of trust in the government was one of several currents running through parts of the citizenry.
IRD has just been in the news for selling our data. Their (pathetic) excuse was that it isn't illegal! Several commenters here by bought up relevant points- we can't opt out, the 'hashing' is a far from effective security measure…
I suppose this is what happens when government departments get corporatised. They forget whom they serve.
Putin says he will support Harris. I guess that's one way of helping Trump.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350412298/sarcastic-and-defiant-meet-russias-queen-information-war-west
https://www.nova.ie/cat-lady-tay-tay-backs-harris-in-blow-to-trump-after-tv-debate-256665/
Russia has had a long consistent policy of offering to engage in constructive dialogue with the USA. Saying this about Harris doesnt have to be interpreted as an attempt to sway the election, that seems a rather dumb context to frame it in actually.
Health NZ. There is NO Code Black. Ever. Do NOT use this again.That is all….
Some (incl those within the Code Black ! ) can see. Right through you..
Code Red..is the new Black? Would be darkly funny if it wasnt so bad. And..onya RNZ. Keep asking the Hard Questions !
Oh and this from Newsroom. Just mind boggling…..
The NACT1 manufactured Crisis, is turning into an actual Crisis
Yup, changing from PR crisis to crisis PR.
Yea I find them quite disturbing and irrational…but they have their agenda. . And in a similar vein (they are of a mindset naturally..)
Re disturbing…I do find Mr Seymour and his Ministry fetish just so..I had a strange "the Clocks Were Striking Thirteen" momentary flashback…
Lester and Shane will be purring in a few months' time when they view their shiny 'Executive Summary Dashboards' – or whatever grandiose name they give to some trivial piece of data visualisation.
Because lo and behold, these wonderful dashboards will show that the total time hospitals have spent in code black and code red has substantially declined under their masterful leadership. The NZ Herald will trumpet their achievement. Mission accomplished.
Hmmm yes. You see through a dark but strangely clear crystal ball. And re "the Clocks Were Striking Thirteen" could it be..that They were always at war with Oceania ? Too dystopian ? ..or not : )
Reti's all ready to throw management under a bus for potentially gaming metrics they're seeing for a first time. Fantastic leadership style Shane plus a resounding vote of confidence, bravo.
The jump in exec salaries in Levy's management will likely be for folk good with numbers to achieve an end…in between seeing any patients of course as it's sooo about the frontline.
EV's can weigh 800kg or more than an equivalent ICV so this could be a BFD.
.
A big issue with today's electric vehicles (EVs) is that their batteries are heavy. Obviously, this has a number of downsides, including lowered energy efficiency and more wear and tear on roads, tyres and brakes, for example.
Researchers are working on improving that situation, with one approach being to make the battery a structural component of EVs – like the BYD SEAL sold in New Zealand (review coming soon).
A group of researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden, have created a carbon fibre composite battery, for "massless energy storage"; the battery acts as structural member that is as stiff as aluminium, and energy-dense enough for commercial applications, the researchers say.
https://www.interest.co.nz/technology/129691/massless-structural-batteries-weigh-much-less-promise-extend-ev-range-70-and
Therefore making them even less repairable following an accident?
One of the big issues with EVs (Teslas in particular) is that because of the size of the battery – taking up a large chunk of the bottom of the vehicle – even minor accidents result in the car being scrapped – because the mechanics can't be certain that the battery wasn't affected.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/climate-change/350111110/prepare-shock-hidden-costs-owning-ev
If the battery is distributed across structural members, this would be even worse. No one would be prepared to guarantee that the car was safe, after even the most minor of accidents.
The lack of repairability within the structural cell is a function of modern vehicle design, not just EVs or structural batteries. Pretty much any ding to pillars, roof of floor pan and the car is entering the parts pool.
Is anyone out there experiencing "downward pressure" on their rents yet? Supposedly this would happen when the Brightline Test was cut back to 2 years and mortgage interest tax deductibility was reintroduced. Probably a bit early to see anything in the official stats.
A good proportion of the population departing for Aussie would probably have more effect. I'd say there's significant downward pressure on rents in Ruapehu District right now.
I think there are some signs of rent increases slowing down but not actually coming down yet.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/selected-price-indexes-august-2024/
Mortgage interest rates are still high, insurance costs have gone up heaps, and deductibility won’t be fully restored until 1 April 2025.
Can't find anything very recent – but this article from June is likely to still be relevant (i.e. not much has changed). This reports rents dropping and the numbers of properties available in the rental market increasing.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/520264/rents-dropping-housing-stock-on-the-rise-what-is-happening-with-the-nz-housing-market-this-week
However, it's not the change in the tax scenario which is triggering it (although it may well be a factor in landlords being more 'realistic' in their rental expectations) Population decrease (outflow to Australia in particular) – means that there are more properties competing for fewer tenants – supply and demand – resulting in lower rentals.