.
Wilson was jailed for 21 years in 1996 after being convicted of 22 sex charges against women and children between 1971 and 1994.
Police visited the woman the day after one of his phone calls in late February, and told her that Wilson had been grooming her.
”I don’t think he was going to harm me, but I think he wanted to have a contact with a female. I had no intentions of contacting any of his victims.” They had been swapping letters for years, she said.
”It was very peaceful letters. There was no bad language or anything involved. It’s not my job to the judge. It’s God’s job.”
He should not have been recalled to prison, she said.
”That’s a waste of taxpayers’ money and very vindictive and very nasty.”
So….
– she doesn’t “think” he was going to harm her (like all groom subjects) despite his history
– she considers upholding bail conditions that were presumably put in place to keep the public and the previous victims safe a “waste of taxpayer money”
– and she has apparently no empathy with Wilson’s victims who may feel deeply betrayed by her communicating with Wilson
– neither does she have any insight about how Wilson could gain sexual gratification or power by learning about his previous victims via her
– she has disengaged critical thinking ”It’s not my job to the judge. It’s God’s job.” which would likely to lead to bad decision making. Like sending a present under an alias for example.
Clearly she has been very well groomed with Wilson using her natural compassion and forgiveness to his advantage. TG the police revoked bail before this woman was harmed because she clearly is a risk to herself and others as she is emotionally involved and unable to excercise impartial judgement over the situation. Thank God they picked up on the contact.
She sounds like a wet, cold flannel. There are some women so timid in their opinions and defence of their own persona that they might not like to disagree with anything a particular man said in an authoritative manner. They have no strong principles and can be mind-captured by a man who disrespects them, but the women will rationalise all negative behaviour.
The usual
nonsense of imagining that the future lies in
the rich countries outsourcing
manufacturing, while the clever creative
stuff stays in Europe was utterly
undermined by the programme’s symbolic
visit to an animation company.
Britain likes to call itself the design capital
of the world, yet even animation for the
London Olympics is being made in China
by sharp young Chinese who don’t see
themselves as labourers. They have set
their sights on the clever creative stuff that
at the moment is mostly done in Europe
and North America. Paxman concluded
that this was not how complacent western
governments saw things developing and he
could see no easy way for the current
imbalance of trade to be equalised. Rather
the reverse.
That’s always been true. For it to work requires a far higher demand than is physically possible especially with the huge amount of productivity increase we’ve had and keep getting.
…In this, the dusk of the neoliberal era, the storyline is so common that it has become difficult to muster any real outrage. That manager who is forced to resign by the catastrophic effects of his hubris or incompetence might keep drawing his seven-figure salary and look forward to a seven-figure severance, while all around him the lowly employees of his unravelling company are laid off without entitlements, no longer surprises us. Deep down, or more frequently right on the surface, we all know that the much celebrated risk-takers seldom take any risks. They are a caste more than a social class, insulated from the consequence of their actions; rewarded for failing as much as for succeeding….
Note to Draco.
The above link appears to go to the front page of bat-bean-beam. Despite having the blog piece open when I copied the link. There is an alternative link in the ‘feeds’ column
Is this really one of the supposedly more informative radio programmes in NZ I’m suffering through this morning? Asking a farmer if he has any idea what the weather will be; an earthquake thingee jiggy machine; dusty roads and phlegm…seriously?!
I wasn’t listening this morning – but on the farms and drought issue there are plenty of more informative stories out there to be told, rather than just asking when it’s going to rain.
I’ve been off the grid for a few days, and visiting some rural areas in the North Island. It’s an eye-opener for a townie like me to see and hear first-hand how the drought is biting out there – it’s a key fact of daily living.
It’s not just the endless sight of brown grasslands, but the reality of living on septic tanks; people already buying in water for daily use, with the sights of water tanks doing their deliveries; farmings having to stop milking because they can’t provide the vast quantities of water that cows need to produce milk; farmers worried about the already pregnant cows and autumn calving; farmers collaborating to release waters into local streams via dams; inside walls of houses cracking as the house dries out…. etc, etc
Blinglish is right to talk of a change to farming practices – there’s a clear difference in how green the fields of drought resistant grass still looks. But surely there needs to be a more in-depth discussion about changing the kinds of food produced in drought-prone areas? Dairy farming is water intensive.
Yes it is – between 15x and 20x more water is needed for a dairy farm than for a sheep and beef operation.
I don’t believe that this drought is the worst n the North Island’s history. I think the water gap has been caused by far more farmers needing far more water now than they did even say 10 years ago.
A+
Plus the increase in commercial crops that need a lot of water. The water tables are already getting salinated which in turn will increase the problem even if there is no severe drought.
Blinglish is part of NACT’s disgraceful attitude to NZx and the main enterprise of the country. He says that the government isn’t going to do much for needy farmers, but NACT has been prepared to overturn democratic decision makers over water around Christchurch close to his own close-knit farm area connections, and have also supported the risk investors in the poorly-run SCF still in the same part of the country.
I think that looking at farms of different sizes and ownership will show that the hard-working family farmers on their own property are getting different treatment to these farm investors who are onto a good thing sitting at home and virtually having a contractor to run the place for them, and likely to run the workers into the ground too. That’s what Crafar was after too but just couldn’t bring it off.
There is an obvious need for feed in the North Island, and it needs to be available cheaply and allocated fairly. Yet there seems no interest from Blinglish in moving his well-clad bum to help out. There needs to be A Feed Allocation Officer from government working with Federated Farmers, and an offer from Kiwi Rail our very own public railway to provide relief transport with some assistance from the transport community too at cost.
The help to the farmers seem to be limited to the very worst off, ‘to keep food on the table’.
Federated Farmers need to be doing more stressed farms and farmers apart from suicide counselling. Yet what I’m hearing is that old stuff about resilience blah blah and how farmers are used to droughts, they are just part of the weather cycle. A 60 year one, and with knowledge that this will occur again. What the Fed Farmers are on about now is to manipulate legislation so they have free reign to all the water in NZ.
Farming is our major earner in this country and we always hear how skilled our farmers are, so when they are in dire straits we can’t afford to let these clever businesspeople go down the drain. There’s talk about how farmers have to change their methods – one useful thing would be to stop over-stocking their land and sucking water from the river system to serve the excess animals. Another would be to link into Lincoln University lucerne and other feed research more. We probably have most of the answers to our feed and water questions in published papers or the knowledgable brains of professional thinkers.
karol That was a very forthright and to the point piece by Trotter. I have copied some of it from The Daily Blog as we all need to get these points clear in our minds. And some bolded ones to be even clearer.
The conservation groups attempting to protect New Zealand’s water resources from over-exploitation and pollution are caught in a vice. On one side, the Government is strengthening the power of central government to over-ride the rights of those affected by the plans of private industry. On the other, it is giving the ultimate responsibility for conserving (or not) our lakes, rivers and streams to local government.
In the areas most likely to be affected adversely, these bodies are dominated by the local representatives of large-scale farming and commercial interests. The Government’s proposed changes deny conservationists the right to challenge these local councillors’ decisions or seek to have them overturned in the Environment Court.
And if, in the unlikely event of a local authority ending up with a majority of councillors determined to resist the demands of local farmer and business elites, well, this government has already demonstrated its willingness to dismiss such irritatingly literal executors of the people’s willand replace them with appointed bureaucrats absolutely bound to do their masters’ bidding.
Dirty thieving greedy farmers and their political lackeys.
Let the farmers live in their shit and run out of water. Who gives a shit when they run out of water after stealing it.
Fuck their attitude and approach to the rest of the country.
You reap what you sow – and looky at that, the farmers have run out of water……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
There is a desire from an unholy trinity of farming, business and iwi to monopolise our water assets and the groups that will miss out are the domestic and recrational users.
The single mother who has to bath her kids will end up paying more for water than the farmer who uses it to irrigate is fields.
and iwi? Don’t think so millsy but keep on your bandwagon because it says so much about you and that is good – at least you didn’t threaten to kick the shit out of them lol
Actually, colonial weka, nobody is “our earner” anymore. We are completely and utterly part of a globalised economy so no sector “earns” anything for “New Zealand”, we all just earn for ourselves, independently and individually.
This whole idea that somehow farming pays for NZ is complete and utter bunkum.
There’s talk about how farmers have to change their methods – one useful thing would be to stop over-stocking their land and sucking water from the river system to serve the excess animals. Another would be to link into Lincoln University lucerne and other feed research more.
And the most useful, IMO, would be to replant the native forests and leave them there. Don’t get anywhere near as much evaporation from the floor of a forest as you do from wide open farm land which means our subterranean aquifers wouldn’t deplete as they would get more water into them. Unfortunately, the capitalist paradigm sees forests as unproductive land because it’s not making some rich dude richer.
Or/and mimic natural grazing cycles. Allow grass or pasture to grow to maturity before allowing it to be grazed. As well as building up soil health and mass (which in turn sequestrates carbon), water retention is markedly increased and because roots have time to grow to their full extent (eg deeper), the grasses become more resistant to drought.
He was initially lucky that his private members bill was selected in the ballot process. So was Louisa Wall. Not casting aspersions on either MP, but there are other Opposition MPs who would have made equally as good a fist promoting their bills had they got lucky. Even so, congratulations to both of them.
David Clark is Excellent!
English and Key, not so much…
RNZ- English, on “Extended Government Assistance for farmers; there shouldn’t be expectations of long-term assistance.”
Key / English: regardless of the referendum signatures Asset Sales will go ahead (Shearer has registered) and “sure as little green apples, majority of signatures will turn out to be bogus”; might as well have a big book burning while they are at it; according to Waikato schools the methods of teaching / assessing reading and writing are not effective anyway.
on this Bank Fees class action; an expected return of 1-17c in the dollar (Lawyers 25% if win), Three years to action and according to Dom hard-copy (not on web-site, tricky) a win far from guaranteed.
from “60 Minutes”-China’s domestic residential and retail property investment across peak (may have something to do with o /seas investment initiatives), while domestically, commercial property investment still growing.
(Stuff TV news sometimes, when the first item is Stuart Bloody Wilson; freakin’ voyeurs!
Fish and Game on the RMA water management reforms; local body politicians will defer to farmers on Water Conservation Orders; “changes will wreck waterways”.(Fizzy Lime anybody?)
Wonder how many of those who have ‘Registered and Interest’ in Mighty River Power shares, actually intend to buy any?
Now that the hype and hysteria is subsiding – and folks start to get a handle on how truly SELFISH they are being, to buy into the sellout of electricity assets, when SO MANY Kiwis can’t even afford to have a heater on in winter?
INVESTORS BEWARE!
Seen this?
“Press Release, Molly Melhuish, Energy Analyst
22 February 2013
Prospective investors are warned
Investors are warned that Mighty River Power is no longer a safe, utility-type investment prospect.
For years, New Zealand’s generator-retailers enjoyed a predictable revenue stream from captive residential consumers. This enabled them to build so many new power stations that there is now a glut of wholesale electricity. Wholesale prices have fallen by a quarter or even more.
Mighty River Power’s power purchase costs fell by 22% in the last six months, yet they hiked retail prices by 2%. They had to, to maintain the dividend stream expected by their shareholder.
Residential consumers will no longer tolerate rising prices at a time when wholesale prices are falling. This is not market pricing, it is price gouging of captive consumers.
Investors are warned that consumers dispute the pricing process that made our prices rise “to enable new generation to be built”, but fails to give us the benefit of market pricing in an electricity glut.
Comment no.1, directly under the article, goes some way to providing an answer to the question ‘what is so bad?’ about such a ‘thoughtful’ one eyed piece exhibiting, by now bog standard, obvious features of selective amnesia
A: Deliberately written a dumbed down article
B: Lied
C: Has no idea about the complex reality of what is happening in the ME
D: Not read any/enough about the well writen (including MSM), analysis about the Syrian/ME situations
E: Drunk the juice
F: All of the above
It astounds me, but does not surprise me, given the amount of material available not only about Syria, but Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia et al, Jane Young manages to write this simplistic, one eyed drivel.
McFlock, is the ‘rolly eyes’ a reference to something muzza has said in the above comment or just to the fact that muzza has commented? If it’s the former, then I for one would appreciate a bit of clarity on exactly which part of what muzza said you’re referring to. If the latter, then it’s bully-boy bullshit and has (regardless of any previous disagreements or whatever) no place here. 🙂
It was a response to muzza providing half a dozen assertions without a single piece of supporting evidence or indeed a clear assertion of what muzza assumes the facts to be. With a bonus on the reference to juice.
Mind you, prism seems to think that they got all the info they needed, so what do I care?
McFlock you are showing yourself to be pretty short on wit my friend!
My evidence is the appaulingly simplistic, misleading, one dimensional article I linked to from JY on pundit.
The *half dozen assertions* were points made having read her article, your request for evidence goes against the numerous articles linked to and posted on this site and elsewhere about the Syrian conflict, there has been many a discussion here.
Go trawling, you know exactly the sort of reports about the Syrian *conflict* that I’m talking about, the telegraph, guardian etc and even some of the yank establishment MSM commenting on what have become well known analysis, which Jane Young makes no reference to, the 6 points are some options as to how this managed to happen.
Your response above is a weak response to Bill calling you out!
Yeah whatever dude.
Frankly I thought the article a bit light, but then it’s not exactly a geopol or ME specialist site. Hardly fair cause for your crowing.
Secondly, you were apparently explaining why you were “astounded but unsurprised” to someone who had not trawled the internet (a remarkably apt expression, btw). In the obvious absence of shared knowledge, explaining in depth your belief as to what the facts are, and some nice trawling grounds where someone might get an accurate and unbiased précis of the situation, would be useful.
Further weak comments from you McFlock, it matters not what the sites specialty is, which is generalist in any case given the varied contributers at pundit.
The point is, there is no excuse for such uninformed writing on such a complex, serious issue. Either do some reading, at leadt attempt to build an informed picture, then write, or dont bother.
You may recall Michael Valley writing on this site about the Syrian situation, his articles were absolute rubbish, and he got pulled to bits here over it, and has not been seen here writing about the ME again, after the 2 or 3 attempts he did have.
No excuse McFlock, not by people who call themselves journos, which Jane Young does!
Lol. You still haven’t bothered to point out where you think her summary of the situation was incorrect.
I wouldn’t ask for or expect an in depth summary from a non-specialist journo on a “generalist” site. I would expect it from a site dedicated to e.g. international affairs.
It does actually matter what the site editors’ focus is. For example, one might be shocked and appalled at the lack of attention authors here give to celebrity pregnancies. And everyone else would call them a dick for expecting such coverage on TS.
McFlock – I don’t need to point it out, the summary speaks for itself, and ive been over this ground many times on this site, and have referred you to the Michael Valley posts, to assist you in some further TS reading.
Go away, do some reading, then report back, until then , see ya!
It might be a shock to you, but not everybody bookmarks or even visits the entirety of the multitude of links placed here by people of varying political perspectives and grasps on reality.
Whereas you, who obviously rate the issue quite highly, would be reasonably expected to have appropriately sourced links to hand to provide “cliff notes” for those of us who haven’t done the extensive research that you obviously believe you have done.
Seriously, what JY claim, specifically, was misleading or incorrect? Or is the entirety of your criticism simply that the analysis was too simplistic because the article wasn’t long enough?
Thanks muzza – I think your answer was very full and rounded. I waded through the Young article that in a shorter form would be okay to appear in a women’s magazine that likes to carry occasional serious items to give them some gravitas. I’ll read more and learn more about this conflict. I obviously need to get a bigger picture.
Hi Prism, there is plenty of MSM analysis around the Syrian situation, and also Libya, and the ME in general. Take the time to read as much as you can, because its criminal what has been going on.
One of the places in Libya most awash with such weapons in the most dangerous of hands is Benghazi. It now appears that Stevens was there — on a particularly risky day, with no security to speak of and despite now copiously documented concerns about his own safety and that of his subordinates — for another priority mission: sending arms recovered from the former regime’s stocks to the “opposition” in Syria.
Listening to Jokeyhen talking about Solid Energy’s strategic decisions – he is very demeaning. The whole thing about having SOE’s is that they can make business decisions without having politicians pulling the reins. I think that is a bit dangerous but that has been the ideology.
And now Jokeyhen is pecking away at them because they tried to introduce new ideas to deal with future needs. But Key was looking at the money being produced, not the investment into national energy infrastructure needed. Basically the guy doesn’t want to move into the 21st century but to stay in a time warp close to 2000 that doesn’t stray beyond 2008.
Do you think prism that it is significant that up until today the Ministers involved with Solid Energy had nothing really to say and avoided interviews. But when Don Elder says he will meet with the Select Committee and give open and frank answers, then suddenly Key and English open up and lay what seems to me groundwork for how hard the Ministers worked to prevent Solid Energy disaster.
No doubt the next step will be to demand that Solid Energy would be better off in private hands. Watch this space.
John Key’s mind is locked on the pre-GFC price of his Bank of America shares compared to what they’re worth today (they’ve lost around 80% of their value since 2008) and he’s been in mourning ever since.
The Amazing Rise and Fall of Presumption Of Innocence
March 11, 2013 “Information Clearing House” –
The most bizarre part of Section 1021(b)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is that almost no one has heard about it.
And whoever has heard about it, doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s almost as if someone took Dr. Goebbels’ “The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed” dictum and mutated it into a 21st century super weapon: “Tell the truth, but make it so shocking that no one wants to hear about it.”
No one wants to hear about the military having the power to detain you on American soil, without due process, indefinitely, at the discretion of the President. It sounds too Stalin. It reeks of conspiracy theory. Besides, it’s clearly unconstitutional. So let’s go get some lunch.
That’s why on December 4, 2012, the new NDAA passed the Senate with a 98-0 vote. Almost everyone was out at lunch.
Except seven individuals who decided to sue Obama instead. But other than that, the resulting rumpus was minor.
Since February 13th, “The Seven” are on their way to the Supreme Court. But no one wants to hear about it. A few individuals against the United States government sounds too Matthew McConaughey, unless you’re a natural-born activist.
Former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges, the leading plaintiff in the case against Obama, writes about “NDAA and the Death of the Democratic State.” But no one wants to really read about it. Most aspiring journalists and independent minds who become curious about NDAA find that there is a deafening silence around the topic. When they try to raise questions, the silence deafens them further.
Then there are the conspiracy buffs. They distance the problem from the main stream audience even further. No one wants to be associated with folks who think that the President could be a reptile.
Could be interesting tomorrow, Wednesday 13 March 2013, at the Auckland Town Hall, 10am, when the Auckland Council Performance and Accountability Committee meets?
Will ‘anti-corruption whistle-blowers’ Gary Osbourne and Penny Bright be granted ‘speaking rights’ at Public Forum – or not?
Councillor Richard Northey
Chair of the Performance and Accountability Committee,
Auckland Council
RE: Your refusal to grant speaking rights to Gary Osbourne.
“I decline speaking rights for this meeting on the grounds that this issue was addressed by the submitter at the Governing Body on 28 February.
Cr Richard Northey”
From: Judith Moore
To: ‘Gary Osborne’
Cc: Jason Marris ; Warwick McNaughton
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 11:24 AM
Subject: RE: Speaking Rights
Good morning Mr Osborne
Further to your request to speak to the Accountability and Performance Committee 13 March 2013, I have forwarded your request to the chair of this committee including the updated information you have given to me. I am in receipt of this response from the chair:
I decline speaking rights for this meeting on the grounds that this issue was addressed by the submitter at the Governing Body on 28 February.
Cr Richard Northey
Regards
Judith Moore | Democracy Advisor
Democracy Services
Supporting: Cr Noelene Raffills and Cr Cameron Brewer.
Involved in the following committees/subcommittees:
Accountability and Performance, CEO Review.
Ph. +64 9 307 7288 DDI| Extn. (40) 7288 | Mob. +64 21 708 401 | Fax +64 9 30 77579
Auckland Council, Level 14, Civic Building, 1 Greys Avenue,
Councillor Richard Northey – may I respectfully suggest that you reconsider your above-mentioned decision?
Gary Osbourne has arguably SIGNIFICANTLY new subject matter to raise on this issue – unless of course you think that a request to the Minister of Local Government for an inquiry into the authorisation by the CEO of Auckland Council, blocking of correspondence between concerned citizens is effectively a ‘non-event’?
Perhaps you could remind me of the last time the Minister of Local Government was formally requested to inquire into a matter concerning Auckland Council?
Please be reminded that this is the PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE of Auckland Council?
This is a SERIOUS matter of PERFORMANCE and ACCOUNTABILITY – is it not?
I look forward to your confirmation that both Gary Osbourne and myself ,( I have yet to have my request for speaking rights confirmed), have been granted 5 minutes each speaking time, as requested at Public Forum, Performance and Accountability Committee, Auckland Council, Wednesday 13 March 2013, 10 am at the Auckland Town Hall.
This is a formal request for speaking rights at ‘Public Forum’ at the
upcoming meeting next Wednesday morning 13 March 2013, 10am Auckland Town Hall – Accountability and Performance Committee.
The Accountability and Performance Committee will have responsibility for:
• Monitoring the performance of the Council against the Long Term Plan and Annual Plan;
• Monitoring, setting policies and reviewing the performance of the CCOs against
organisational, CCO and SOI’s targets;
• Considering the Councils Annual report and recommending to the Governing Body for
adoption;
• Financial performance of Council functions; and
• Delegation of powers to subcommittee(s).
The Committee will be supported in its work by the following:
• The Council Controlled Organisation Strategy Review Subcommittee;
• The Chief Executive Review Subcommittee; and
• The Tenders and Procurement Subcommittee.
Relevant legislation includes but is not limited to:
Local Government Act 2002;
Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009;
Port Companies Act 1988; and
Companies Act 1987
1) The total amount of money spent to date by Auckland Council on legal fees/ costs relating to all Court proceedings arising from or pertaining to Occupy Auckland prosecutions, and related matters.
2) Why I believe it is totally inappropriate/ unlawful for the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to investigate himself, regarding the complaints I and others have made about his role in authorising the ‘blocking’ / filtering / effective censorship of emails from some citizens going directly to elected representatives.
3) Progress (if any) on ‘opening the books’ and making publicly-available the following details of ‘contracts issued’ by Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs:
a) NAMES of contractors / consultants.
b) SCOPE of contracts issued.
c) TERM of contracts issued.
d) VALUE of contracts issued.
4) Progress (if any) on transparency and accountability of Auckland Council elected representatives and staff responsible in any way in the awarding of Auckland Council or CCO contracts, in the form of a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’, in order to minimise possible ‘conflicts of interest’.
……
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to the lawful democratic rights of citizens, plus commonsense prevailing.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Appellant, Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal.
Armstrong’s piece is the first shot in the Beehive’s excuse making that despite (or rather because) of austerity there will be no surplus before the 2014 gemeral election.
No surplus.
Not due to economic incompetence on behalf of Double Dipton – that grossly over-rated and grossly over-promoted ex-treasury tea boy – and the rest ofwideboy economic dunderheads like John Key. Oh no. It’ll be the drought. After the earthquake. After the GFC.
Because if we’ve learnt one thing from Don Elder it is that he and the others in the frat boy elite like John Key and Bill English are never, ever actually responsible for anything.
Poor old Populuxe1 is not the only one to uncritically buy into the campaign of denigration against an official enemy. Evidently one Justin Timberlake is not just a musical genius, he is also a thoughtful and discriminating person who thinks for himself. Oh yes. …
Justin Timberlake rubbishes Hugo Chavez
That well known wit and erudite political commentator, Justin Timberlake has seen fit to rubbish Chavez on Saturday Night Live using Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’ as his vehicle.
The song contains such hilarious lyrics as, “You lived your life like a candle in the wind… if a candle could pull out two pistols at a press conference.” You want more? Okay. “You said the US causes earthquakes and you outlawed Coke Zero. And on your shoulder stood your parrot with a matching red beret.”
Just as well we don’t live deep within a system that is rife with propaganda, innit? And that Justin Timberlake is simply, albeit tastelessly, excercising free speech and freedom of expression; the right of any free mind.
Hmm, not quite. There’s them that merely echo official and dominant themes (Timberlake and Gibson) and thems that use them as foundations on which to build ever more twisted and sinister edifices. (KKK, ADL, Breivik…)
Irony-free Radio
Radio New Zealand National, Tuesday 12 March 2013
Recently some old fool from Grey Power has been making like Winston and sounding off against immigration. Of course, plenty of National Radio listeners are concerned about the “problem”. Just after the 3:00 news, Jim Mora read out a letter from a listener, expressing grave concern that “immigrants might be coming from countries which have corruption, nepotism and little concern for the environment.”
Mora read that out without even the slightest hint of irony.
Jim Mora is incapable of finding much wrong with the way things are in New Zealand, or anything really. I do grant this – he’s ignitable about poor grammar and bad manners.
Old Jimmie’s real missions in life are; (1) to be extraordinarily well paid as befits he who talks like the unthumbed pages of a dictionary, and (2) to be acknowledged for his prodigious intelligence, and (3) the former and the latter goals met (of course), to being fulsomely, terminally, “affable”.
I do grant this – he’s ignitable about poor grammar and bad manners.
Even then, he’s extremely selective about what passes for good and bad manners. He said nothing one day when Dr Michael Bassett said that Nicky Hager is a Holocaust-denier. And neither did the other guest on “The Panel” that day.
So flagrant, shameless lying and defamation is not bad manners, at least as far as Jim Mora is concerned.
on the Q.T;
Poorlah-‘31% of Gateway assessments-emotional, psychological and behavioural dysfunction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQutPF0Q-wo
(you can never go back to the scene of a perfect crime; go back (not) and fix that you mofos)
meanwhile, back in NZFirst (last, Winston, very sad man, even Grey Power are split over your dog-whistling) Race-Card on Chinese immigrant / parent ratio categories; strong upward trend in in parent category trend from China :); just to repeat, even Grey Power is splitting chairs over this…
Woodhouse-“it’s about skilled migrants (wealthy as well) and their parents meeting the “criteria” Ha Ha Winston. and then, and then, Horans’ junk starts sinking on the same tide…
N.Smith (a Doctor of What?)-let’s increase urban sprawl in Ak (and fuel some more oil import consumption while we are at it aye!)
Tolley- on recovery of assets from crime; “nobody should profit from misery in the community” (unless you’re a brewer Baron or a liquor outlet…)
Hipkins, Machiavellian Manouevres aside, appears to be dogged (that Coleman appears a contemptible un-cool-man) while Chippie flustered the Speaker as well. “Disorder” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PldpBJEn4vQ
Attorney General Bio-Security Report (how long before these things reach the “house” ?
-the MPI “under-prepared for significant Bio-hazard Incursions, and as O’Connor pointed out, NZ more dependent on bio-security than any (most) other countries. 🙁
I’m leery of the info and the calculations in that first linked image.
Firstly, it says information used in the chart was sourced from the UN economic commission for LA and the Carribean. Obviously not true as the USA is not located in either of those areas.
Secondly, it is trying to tell a story about equality using (it claims) stats about income while utterly ignoring wealth which is, well…a far more accurate measure of equality/inequality.
Thirdly, the underlying message it is sending is that there is nothing wrong with inequality (ie, greater equality equates with greater numbers of people living in slums)
Found the source Bill and the images were from a Habitat for Humanity post on global poverty and I doubt were intended to mean that there is nothing wrong with inequality.
The source is the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean annual Statistical Yearbook, which was released January 10. All numbers are for 2011, except Bolivia (2009), El Salvador (2010), Guatemala (2006), Honduras (2010), and Nicaragua (2009). The U.S. figure comes from Census Bureau data cited by Congressional Research Service [PDF].
The Ombudsman’s office says it is struggling under its heaviest workload ever, and wading through a backlog of thousands of complaints.”
Worrying 3mins on RNZ about the Ombudsman being swamped with complaints to the point of being unable to deliver, and NAct politicians exploiting this. No increase in funding has been forthcoming despite public warnings from the ombudsman’s office a year ago.
The speaker says ‘the public will judge’ when they don’t answer questions, the MSM have their tongues up John Key’s anus, and the public can’t get a response from the OIA in time. Who’s holding the government to account?
If New Zealand was genuinely the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark and Finland according to the arguably bogus and non-transparent Transparency International 2012 ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – we should arguably be the most transparent?
If the Public Records Act 2005 was implemented in a proper way, there should be FAR more information publicly-available.
If that were the case – people wouldn’t have to then request this information via the Office of the Ombudsman?
Wow……..what’s happened with Mr Bean’s mouthy wee cuzzy Patrick Gower ?
3 News tonight – “In my opinion the politicians are gutless (latter word angrily)………it’s up to the people to decide whether Liu (Shane Jones/immigration fame) should be a New Zealand citizen.”
So if he’s an activist all of a sudden can we expect him to fish below John Key’s Crosby Textor sophistry (to glamorise it) ? Another mark of how these up-themselves dorks fancy they’re part of the story.
Present the facts tele-goon. I’ll make up my own mind !
further from the “box”
-droughts gonna effect the prices of green veges (onions not so much); good to be growin’ ones’ own.
-English on the drought-“a significant effect; will affect the economy for a couple of years to come; nothin’ like all your cows in one herring-bone, or rotary for that matter (where have i read that before?)
next? power rationing from low hydro-electric reserves
-resistance to anti-biotics-“pose a catastrophe threat (may set medicine back a century) as no new anti-biotics been developed in the last 25 years (due to a market failure); the ol’ “science priests”aye.
🙂
and Eugenie Sage was helpful in Q.T also.
that “notorious tr*ll” is not anonymous; he’s the son of a former band member…
-Key in South America? “no big bang announcements” (other than our continued role in the trafficking of coke i spose…
-meanwhile in ChCh, regarding psych. health; “optimism is starting to run out”; “complexity of cases has increased”-CDHB
LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A ‘BUNFIGHT’ AT THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE, WED 13 MARCH 2013, 10 AM AT THE AUCKLAND TOWN HALL:
Please be advised that I WILL be taking Speaking Rights, having now been declined on what I consider to be an UNLAWFUL basis. NOT a good look for Auckland Council – especially in election year? SPEAKING RIGHTS DENIED: 3:51 PM (10 minutes ago)
(REPLY FROM AUCKLAND COUNCILLOR RICHARD NORTHEY – DENYING ME SPEAKING RIGHTS)
Good afternoon Ms Bright
Further to your request to speak to the Accountability and Performance Committee 13 March 2013, I have forwarded your request to the chair of this committee. I am in receipt of this response from the chair:
These 4 matters have either been recently considered or dealt with by the Governing Body or by an appropriate Council Committee at the Submitter’s request or else are the subject of an LGOIMA Request by the submitter.
Therefore the request to present in public input is declined.
Cr Richard Northey
_____________________________________________________________________________
COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY SUPPORTS MY RIGHT TO SPEAK:
Hi Penny
I support your right to speak.. If the Committee Chair does not allow you to address us, I will move that we suspend standing orders and allow you to have your five minutes. I need a seconder.
Happy Tuesday!
……
Dr Cathy Casey
Councillor, Albert-Eden-Roskill Ward
Governing Body, Auckland Council
_____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright MY REPLY TO COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY: 13 March 2013.
Thank you Cathy.
I am not particularly looking forward to going back to the ‘bad old Auckland City Council days’?
After 22 arrests, it ended up 21 -1 to me, and a number of District Court judgments which ‘fine-tuned’ the LGOIMA process, to defend the basic democratic rights of citizens.
If Councillor Richard Northey were to exercise his ‘judgment’ based upon the LAW and previous legal judgments, in my opinion, we wouldn’t be having this problem.
I am getting SO sick of some elected representatives and senior Council staff – just MAKING IT UP – when it comes to the lawful rights of citizens?
Looking forward to confirmation of a number of Councillors, queuing up to second your motion.
Even better, Councillor Richard Northey, exercising rather more sound judgment based upon the LAW, and reconsidering his (unlawful, in my opinion) denial of 5 minutes speaking rights at the Public Forum of Auckland Council Performance and Accountability Committee.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’.
Occupy Auckland Appellant (in my own name).
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
_____________________________________________________________________________
WHAT I WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT:
_____________________________________________________________________________
1) The total amount of money spent to date by Auckland Council on legal fees/ costs relating to all Court proceedings arising from or pertaining to Occupy Auckland prosecutions, and related matters.
2) Why I believe it is totally inappropriate/ unlawful for the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to investigate himself, regarding the complaints I and others have made about his role in authorising the ‘blocking’ / filtering / effective censorship of emails from some citizens going directly to elected representatives.
3) Progress (if any) on ‘opening the books’ and making publicly-available the following details of ‘contracts issued’ by Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs:
a) NAMES of contractors / consultants.
b) SCOPE of contracts issued.
c) TERM of contracts issued.
d) VALUE of contracts issued.
4) Progress (if any) on transparency and accountability of Auckland Council elected representatives and staff responsible in any way in the awarding of Auckland Council or CCO contracts, in the form of a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’, in order to minimise possible ‘conflicts of interest’.
……
_____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Appellant, Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
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 ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8410852/Wilson-made-calls-to-penpal
.
Wilson was jailed for 21 years in 1996 after being convicted of 22 sex charges against women and children between 1971 and 1994.
Police visited the woman the day after one of his phone calls in late February, and told her that Wilson had been grooming her.
”I don’t think he was going to harm me, but I think he wanted to have a contact with a female. I had no intentions of contacting any of his victims.” They had been swapping letters for years, she said.
”It was very peaceful letters. There was no bad language or anything involved. It’s not my job to the judge. It’s God’s job.”
He should not have been recalled to prison, she said.
”That’s a waste of taxpayers’ money and very vindictive and very nasty.”
So….
– she doesn’t “think” he was going to harm her (like all groom subjects) despite his history
– she considers upholding bail conditions that were presumably put in place to keep the public and the previous victims safe a “waste of taxpayer money”
– and she has apparently no empathy with Wilson’s victims who may feel deeply betrayed by her communicating with Wilson
– neither does she have any insight about how Wilson could gain sexual gratification or power by learning about his previous victims via her
– she has disengaged critical thinking ”It’s not my job to the judge. It’s God’s job.” which would likely to lead to bad decision making. Like sending a present under an alias for example.
Clearly she has been very well groomed with Wilson using her natural compassion and forgiveness to his advantage. TG the police revoked bail before this woman was harmed because she clearly is a risk to herself and others as she is emotionally involved and unable to excercise impartial judgement over the situation. Thank God they picked up on the contact.
She sounds like a wet, cold flannel. There are some women so timid in their opinions and defence of their own persona that they might not like to disagree with anything a particular man said in an authoritative manner. They have no strong principles and can be mind-captured by a man who disrespects them, but the women will rationalise all negative behaviour.
Because men always have strong principles and never rationalise negative behaviour.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/11/29/creating-an-upscale-service-economy/
http://clients.squareeye.net/uploads/compass/documents/Progressive%20Protectionism%20Thinkpiece%2072.pdf
Export led growth is a fiction.
The usual
nonsense of imagining that the future lies in
the rich countries outsourcing
manufacturing, while the clever creative
stuff stays in Europe was utterly
undermined by the programme’s symbolic
visit to an animation company.
Britain likes to call itself the design capital
of the world, yet even animation for the
London Olympics is being made in China
by sharp young Chinese who don’t see
themselves as labourers. They have set
their sights on the clever creative stuff that
at the moment is mostly done in Europe
and North America. Paxman concluded
that this was not how complacent western
governments saw things developing and he
could see no easy way for the current
imbalance of trade to be equalised. Rather
the reverse.
That’s always been true. For it to work requires a far higher demand than is physically possible especially with the huge amount of productivity increase we’ve had and keep getting.
Giovani Tiso:
http://bat-bean-beam.blogspot.co.nz/
…In this, the dusk of the neoliberal era, the storyline is so common that it has become difficult to muster any real outrage. That manager who is forced to resign by the catastrophic effects of his hubris or incompetence might keep drawing his seven-figure salary and look forward to a seven-figure severance, while all around him the lowly employees of his unravelling company are laid off without entitlements, no longer surprises us. Deep down, or more frequently right on the surface, we all know that the much celebrated risk-takers seldom take any risks. They are a caste more than a social class, insulated from the consequence of their actions; rewarded for failing as much as for succeeding….
Note to Draco.
The above link appears to go to the front page of bat-bean-beam. Despite having the blog piece open when I copied the link. There is an alternative link in the ‘feeds’ column
Corporate Memory
The easy way to tell if you’ve correctly copied the address in most blogs is to see if the name of the post appears in the link that you paste.
And always click on the title of the post, then use that URL to cut and paste (unless you are on Tumeke, which has some bizarre set up).
Try the date of the post – that works
That’d be the time at the bottom of the post marty.
I see Tim Selwyn is back writing more, will have to catch up.
oops yes indeed, the time at the bottom
Is this really one of the supposedly more informative radio programmes in NZ I’m suffering through this morning? Asking a farmer if he has any idea what the weather will be; an earthquake thingee jiggy machine; dusty roads and phlegm…seriously?!
I wasn’t listening this morning – but on the farms and drought issue there are plenty of more informative stories out there to be told, rather than just asking when it’s going to rain.
I’ve been off the grid for a few days, and visiting some rural areas in the North Island. It’s an eye-opener for a townie like me to see and hear first-hand how the drought is biting out there – it’s a key fact of daily living.
It’s not just the endless sight of brown grasslands, but the reality of living on septic tanks; people already buying in water for daily use, with the sights of water tanks doing their deliveries; farmings having to stop milking because they can’t provide the vast quantities of water that cows need to produce milk; farmers worried about the already pregnant cows and autumn calving; farmers collaborating to release waters into local streams via dams; inside walls of houses cracking as the house dries out…. etc, etc
Blinglish is right to talk of a change to farming practices – there’s a clear difference in how green the fields of drought resistant grass still looks. But surely there needs to be a more in-depth discussion about changing the kinds of food produced in drought-prone areas? Dairy farming is water intensive.
Yes it is – between 15x and 20x more water is needed for a dairy farm than for a sheep and beef operation.
I don’t believe that this drought is the worst n the North Island’s history. I think the water gap has been caused by far more farmers needing far more water now than they did even say 10 years ago.
Root cause once again being capitalism, btw. Looting the land, rather than working with it.
A+
Plus the increase in commercial crops that need a lot of water. The water tables are already getting salinated which in turn will increase the problem even if there is no severe drought.
Love It
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-top-political-advisers-pledge-fealty-to-communist-party-reject-western-democracy/2013/03/11/e53a64a4-8ac7-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story.html
Love It
Love It
Blinglish is part of NACT’s disgraceful attitude to NZx and the main enterprise of the country. He says that the government isn’t going to do much for needy farmers, but NACT has been prepared to overturn democratic decision makers over water around Christchurch close to his own close-knit farm area connections, and have also supported the risk investors in the poorly-run SCF still in the same part of the country.
I think that looking at farms of different sizes and ownership will show that the hard-working family farmers on their own property are getting different treatment to these farm investors who are onto a good thing sitting at home and virtually having a contractor to run the place for them, and likely to run the workers into the ground too. That’s what Crafar was after too but just couldn’t bring it off.
There is an obvious need for feed in the North Island, and it needs to be available cheaply and allocated fairly. Yet there seems no interest from Blinglish in moving his well-clad bum to help out. There needs to be A Feed Allocation Officer from government working with Federated Farmers, and an offer from Kiwi Rail our very own public railway to provide relief transport with some assistance from the transport community too at cost.
The help to the farmers seem to be limited to the very worst off, ‘to keep food on the table’.
Federated Farmers need to be doing more stressed farms and farmers apart from suicide counselling. Yet what I’m hearing is that old stuff about resilience blah blah and how farmers are used to droughts, they are just part of the weather cycle. A 60 year one, and with knowledge that this will occur again. What the Fed Farmers are on about now is to manipulate legislation so they have free reign to all the water in NZ.
Farming is our major earner in this country and we always hear how skilled our farmers are, so when they are in dire straits we can’t afford to let these clever businesspeople go down the drain. There’s talk about how farmers have to change their methods – one useful thing would be to stop over-stocking their land and sucking water from the river system to serve the excess animals. Another would be to link into Lincoln University lucerne and other feed research more. We probably have most of the answers to our feed and water questions in published papers or the knowledgable brains of professional thinkers.
Deal with the farm debt issue, and make sure it never repeats, and destocking land will not be a problem.
And how did that farm debt come about?
It didnt help that the Rural Bank was flogged off…
Why?
Some good points there, prism. Chris Trotter has published a post on the Nat Party agenda to grab water – on The Daily Blog today.
karol That was a very forthright and to the point piece by Trotter. I have copied some of it from The Daily Blog as we all need to get these points clear in our minds. And some bolded ones to be even clearer.
The conservation groups attempting to protect New Zealand’s water resources from over-exploitation and pollution are caught in a vice. On one side, the Government is strengthening the power of central government to over-ride the rights of those affected by the plans of private industry. On the other, it is giving the ultimate responsibility for conserving (or not) our lakes, rivers and streams to local government.
In the areas most likely to be affected adversely, these bodies are dominated by the local representatives of large-scale farming and commercial interests. The Government’s proposed changes deny conservationists the right to challenge these local councillors’ decisions or seek to have them overturned in the Environment Court.
And if, in the unlikely event of a local authority ending up with a majority of councillors determined to resist the demands of local farmer and business elites, well, this government has already demonstrated its willingness to dismiss such irritatingly literal executors of the people’s willand replace them with appointed bureaucrats absolutely bound to do their masters’ bidding.
Dirty thieving greedy farmers and their political lackeys.
Let the farmers live in their shit and run out of water. Who gives a shit when they run out of water after stealing it.
Fuck their attitude and approach to the rest of the country.
You reap what you sow – and looky at that, the farmers have run out of water……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
There is a desire from an unholy trinity of farming, business and iwi to monopolise our water assets and the groups that will miss out are the domestic and recrational users.
The single mother who has to bath her kids will end up paying more for water than the farmer who uses it to irrigate is fields.
and iwi? Don’t think so millsy but keep on your bandwagon because it says so much about you and that is good – at least you didn’t threaten to kick the shit out of them lol
Well would you look at that there is marty mars playing the man and not the ball again. What a surprise.
fuck off stalker-turd
Actually I think tourism might be our major earner.
Actually, colonial weka, nobody is “our earner” anymore. We are completely and utterly part of a globalised economy so no sector “earns” anything for “New Zealand”, we all just earn for ourselves, independently and individually.
This whole idea that somehow farming pays for NZ is complete and utter bunkum.
And the most useful, IMO, would be to replant the native forests and leave them there. Don’t get anywhere near as much evaporation from the floor of a forest as you do from wide open farm land which means our subterranean aquifers wouldn’t deplete as they would get more water into them. Unfortunately, the capitalist paradigm sees forests as unproductive land because it’s not making some rich dude richer.
Or/and mimic natural grazing cycles. Allow grass or pasture to grow to maturity before allowing it to be grazed. As well as building up soil health and mass (which in turn sequestrates carbon), water retention is markedly increased and because roots have time to grow to their full extent (eg deeper), the grasses become more resistant to drought.
Good gravy did David Clark just get lucky or what.
He gets his first career Members’ Bill through, without a fight, and without the Government stealing the policy, on a hugely popular issue.
David Clark just got us more holidays.
Does this guy have hard work in his political muscle or was he just sensationally lucky?
According to Sun Tzu, it should be difficult to tell the difference 🙂
Ha! Good on DC (the younger).
He was initially lucky that his private members bill was selected in the ballot process. So was Louisa Wall. Not casting aspersions on either MP, but there are other Opposition MPs who would have made equally as good a fist promoting their bills had they got lucky. Even so, congratulations to both of them.
David Clark is Excellent!
English and Key, not so much…
RNZ- English, on “Extended Government Assistance for farmers; there shouldn’t be expectations of long-term assistance.”
Key / English: regardless of the referendum signatures Asset Sales will go ahead (Shearer has registered) and “sure as little green apples, majority of signatures will turn out to be bogus”; might as well have a big book burning while they are at it; according to Waikato schools the methods of teaching / assessing reading and writing are not effective anyway.
on this Bank Fees class action; an expected return of 1-17c in the dollar (Lawyers 25% if win), Three years to action and according to Dom hard-copy (not on web-site, tricky) a win far from guaranteed.
from “60 Minutes”-China’s domestic residential and retail property investment across peak (may have something to do with o /seas investment initiatives), while domestically, commercial property investment still growing.
(Stuff TV news sometimes, when the first item is Stuart Bloody Wilson; freakin’ voyeurs!
Fish and Game on the RMA water management reforms; local body politicians will defer to farmers on Water Conservation Orders; “changes will wreck waterways”.(Fizzy Lime anybody?)
just Killing ‘Em Softly http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/killing_them_softly/
(groovy soundtrack)
Wonder how many of those who have ‘Registered and Interest’ in Mighty River Power shares, actually intend to buy any?
Now that the hype and hysteria is subsiding – and folks start to get a handle on how truly SELFISH they are being, to buy into the sellout of electricity assets, when SO MANY Kiwis can’t even afford to have a heater on in winter?
INVESTORS BEWARE!
Seen this?
“Press Release, Molly Melhuish, Energy Analyst
22 February 2013
Prospective investors are warned
Investors are warned that Mighty River Power is no longer a safe, utility-type investment prospect.
For years, New Zealand’s generator-retailers enjoyed a predictable revenue stream from captive residential consumers. This enabled them to build so many new power stations that there is now a glut of wholesale electricity. Wholesale prices have fallen by a quarter or even more.
Mighty River Power’s power purchase costs fell by 22% in the last six months, yet they hiked retail prices by 2%. They had to, to maintain the dividend stream expected by their shareholder.
Residential consumers will no longer tolerate rising prices at a time when wholesale prices are falling. This is not market pricing, it is price gouging of captive consumers.
Investors are warned that consumers dispute the pricing process that made our prices rise “to enable new generation to be built”, but fails to give us the benefit of market pricing in an electricity glut.
Ends
Contact: 04 568 4873, 027 230 5911
________________________________________________________________________
BOYCOTT MIGHTY RIVER POWER!
PLEDGE NOT TO BUY ANY SHARES!
WE ALREADY OWN MIGHTY RIVER POWER!
HELP DRIVE DOWN THE PRICE OF MIGHTY RIVER POWER!
Switch Off Mercury Energy!
Penny Bright
A Spokesperson for the Switch Off Mercury Energy community group
Reading and Writing
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8411359/Schools-distrust-key-reading-writing-tests
(making Stuff up )
following on from Bernard
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8406518/Hot-house-prices-may-force-rate-rise
rates picked to rise (amid a weak job market as well; Deutsche Bank; freakin lying NAct pollies)
http://pundit.co.nz/content/the-responsibility-to-protect-syrians
Jane Young – Pathetic!
Is this the level of journo mindset which prevails in NZ!
She writes a thoughtful piece. muzza what is so bad?
Comment no.1, directly under the article, goes some way to providing an answer to the question ‘what is so bad?’ about such a ‘thoughtful’ one eyed piece exhibiting, by now bog standard, obvious features of selective amnesia
Agreed. Comment #1 was more worthy of being called journalism than Jane Young’s piece.
Hi Prism, hope you’re well.
JY, appears to have…
A: Deliberately written a dumbed down article
B: Lied
C: Has no idea about the complex reality of what is happening in the ME
D: Not read any/enough about the well writen (including MSM), analysis about the Syrian/ME situations
E: Drunk the juice
F: All of the above
It astounds me, but does not surprise me, given the amount of material available not only about Syria, but Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia et al, Jane Young manages to write this simplistic, one eyed drivel.
Poor in the extreme!
🙄
Hey McFlock, chin up me old china plate
McFlock, is the ‘rolly eyes’ a reference to something muzza has said in the above comment or just to the fact that muzza has commented? If it’s the former, then I for one would appreciate a bit of clarity on exactly which part of what muzza said you’re referring to. If the latter, then it’s bully-boy bullshit and has (regardless of any previous disagreements or whatever) no place here. 🙂
@ Bill
+1
It was a response to muzza providing half a dozen assertions without a single piece of supporting evidence or indeed a clear assertion of what muzza assumes the facts to be. With a bonus on the reference to juice.
Mind you, prism seems to think that they got all the info they needed, so what do I care?
McFlock you are showing yourself to be pretty short on wit my friend!
My evidence is the appaulingly simplistic, misleading, one dimensional article I linked to from JY on pundit.
The *half dozen assertions* were points made having read her article, your request for evidence goes against the numerous articles linked to and posted on this site and elsewhere about the Syrian conflict, there has been many a discussion here.
Go trawling, you know exactly the sort of reports about the Syrian *conflict* that I’m talking about, the telegraph, guardian etc and even some of the yank establishment MSM commenting on what have become well known analysis, which Jane Young makes no reference to, the 6 points are some options as to how this managed to happen.
Your response above is a weak response to Bill calling you out!
Yeah whatever dude.
Frankly I thought the article a bit light, but then it’s not exactly a geopol or ME specialist site. Hardly fair cause for your crowing.
Secondly, you were apparently explaining why you were “astounded but unsurprised” to someone who had not trawled the internet (a remarkably apt expression, btw). In the obvious absence of shared knowledge, explaining in depth your belief as to what the facts are, and some nice trawling grounds where someone might get an accurate and unbiased précis of the situation, would be useful.
Further weak comments from you McFlock, it matters not what the sites specialty is, which is generalist in any case given the varied contributers at pundit.
The point is, there is no excuse for such uninformed writing on such a complex, serious issue. Either do some reading, at leadt attempt to build an informed picture, then write, or dont bother.
You may recall Michael Valley writing on this site about the Syrian situation, his articles were absolute rubbish, and he got pulled to bits here over it, and has not been seen here writing about the ME again, after the 2 or 3 attempts he did have.
No excuse McFlock, not by people who call themselves journos, which Jane Young does!
Lol. You still haven’t bothered to point out where you think her summary of the situation was incorrect.
I wouldn’t ask for or expect an in depth summary from a non-specialist journo on a “generalist” site. I would expect it from a site dedicated to e.g. international affairs.
It does actually matter what the site editors’ focus is. For example, one might be shocked and appalled at the lack of attention authors here give to celebrity pregnancies. And everyone else would call them a dick for expecting such coverage on TS.
McFlock – I don’t need to point it out, the summary speaks for itself, and ive been over this ground many times on this site, and have referred you to the Michael Valley posts, to assist you in some further TS reading.
Go away, do some reading, then report back, until then , see ya!
It might be a shock to you, but not everybody bookmarks or even visits the entirety of the multitude of links placed here by people of varying political perspectives and grasps on reality.
Whereas you, who obviously rate the issue quite highly, would be reasonably expected to have appropriately sourced links to hand to provide “cliff notes” for those of us who haven’t done the extensive research that you obviously believe you have done.
Seriously, what JY claim, specifically, was misleading or incorrect? Or is the entirety of your criticism simply that the analysis was too simplistic because the article wasn’t long enough?
Thanks muzza – I think your answer was very full and rounded. I waded through the Young article that in a shorter form would be okay to appear in a women’s magazine that likes to carry occasional serious items to give them some gravitas. I’ll read more and learn more about this conflict. I obviously need to get a bigger picture.
Hi Prism, there is plenty of MSM analysis around the Syrian situation, and also Libya, and the ME in general. Take the time to read as much as you can, because its criminal what has been going on.
Here is one to get you started
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/exclusive-we-believe-that-the-usa-is-the-major-player-against-syria-and-the-rest-are-its-instruments-8082457.html
Cheers
Hi Prism,
I agree with muzza. For a little background on intervention in Syria, I suggest that you read up on Benghazi.
https://ajmacdonaldjr.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/more-benghazi-details-emerge-but-questions-persist/
One of the places in Libya most awash with such weapons in the most dangerous of hands is Benghazi. It now appears that Stevens was there — on a particularly risky day, with no security to speak of and despite now copiously documented concerns about his own safety and that of his subordinates — for another priority mission: sending arms recovered from the former regime’s stocks to the “opposition” in Syria.
Listening to Jokeyhen talking about Solid Energy’s strategic decisions – he is very demeaning. The whole thing about having SOE’s is that they can make business decisions without having politicians pulling the reins. I think that is a bit dangerous but that has been the ideology.
And now Jokeyhen is pecking away at them because they tried to introduce new ideas to deal with future needs. But Key was looking at the money being produced, not the investment into national energy infrastructure needed. Basically the guy doesn’t want to move into the 21st century but to stay in a time warp close to 2000 that doesn’t stray beyond 2008.
Do you think prism that it is significant that up until today the Ministers involved with Solid Energy had nothing really to say and avoided interviews. But when Don Elder says he will meet with the Select Committee and give open and frank answers, then suddenly Key and English open up and lay what seems to me groundwork for how hard the Ministers worked to prevent Solid Energy disaster.
No doubt the next step will be to demand that Solid Energy would be better off in private hands. Watch this space.
ianmac
You’re right on it I reckon.
John Key’s mind is locked on the pre-GFC price of his Bank of America shares compared to what they’re worth today (they’ve lost around 80% of their value since 2008) and he’s been in mourning ever since.
Rumor has it that Slippery’s 50 mill has now shrunk to 45 off of the back of the Global Financial Crisis…
Only lost $5 million? I guess that’s the benefit of being on the inside…
To big to prosecute the large financial institutions have attained sovereign state status.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/eric-holder-banks-too-big_n_2821741.html
.
been a soon time comin’; NWO anybody?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34253.htm
The Amazing Rise and Fall of Presumption Of Innocence
March 11, 2013 “Information Clearing House” –
The most bizarre part of Section 1021(b)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is that almost no one has heard about it.
And whoever has heard about it, doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s almost as if someone took Dr. Goebbels’ “The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed” dictum and mutated it into a 21st century super weapon: “Tell the truth, but make it so shocking that no one wants to hear about it.”
No one wants to hear about the military having the power to detain you on American soil, without due process, indefinitely, at the discretion of the President. It sounds too Stalin. It reeks of conspiracy theory. Besides, it’s clearly unconstitutional. So let’s go get some lunch.
That’s why on December 4, 2012, the new NDAA passed the Senate with a 98-0 vote. Almost everyone was out at lunch.
Except seven individuals who decided to sue Obama instead. But other than that, the resulting rumpus was minor.
Since February 13th, “The Seven” are on their way to the Supreme Court. But no one wants to hear about it. A few individuals against the United States government sounds too Matthew McConaughey, unless you’re a natural-born activist.
Former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges, the leading plaintiff in the case against Obama, writes about “NDAA and the Death of the Democratic State.” But no one wants to really read about it. Most aspiring journalists and independent minds who become curious about NDAA find that there is a deafening silence around the topic. When they try to raise questions, the silence deafens them further.
Then there are the conspiracy buffs. They distance the problem from the main stream audience even further. No one wants to be associated with folks who think that the President could be a reptile.
And then there is Noam Chomsky…..
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34253.htm
Wow!
What has Shane Jones ever done for the Labour Party, the labour movement/left, and/or Maori?
Carries on the overall theme of Labour wanting to be a “hands on Govt”… Ill get my coat.
He voted for David Shearer.
I thought he had things well in hand.
Could be interesting tomorrow, Wednesday 13 March 2013, at the Auckland Town Hall, 10am, when the Auckland Council Performance and Accountability Committee meets?
Will ‘anti-corruption whistle-blowers’ Gary Osbourne and Penny Bright be granted ‘speaking rights’ at Public Forum – or not?
_____________________________________________________________________________
12 March 2013
‘Open Letter’.
Councillor Richard Northey
Chair of the Performance and Accountability Committee,
Auckland Council
RE: Your refusal to grant speaking rights to Gary Osbourne.
“I decline speaking rights for this meeting on the grounds that this issue was addressed by the submitter at the Governing Body on 28 February.
Cr Richard Northey”
From: Judith Moore
To: ‘Gary Osborne’
Cc: Jason Marris ; Warwick McNaughton
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 11:24 AM
Subject: RE: Speaking Rights
Good morning Mr Osborne
Further to your request to speak to the Accountability and Performance Committee 13 March 2013, I have forwarded your request to the chair of this committee including the updated information you have given to me. I am in receipt of this response from the chair:
I decline speaking rights for this meeting on the grounds that this issue was addressed by the submitter at the Governing Body on 28 February.
Cr Richard Northey
Regards
Judith Moore | Democracy Advisor
Democracy Services
Supporting: Cr Noelene Raffills and Cr Cameron Brewer.
Involved in the following committees/subcommittees:
Accountability and Performance, CEO Review.
Ph. +64 9 307 7288 DDI| Extn. (40) 7288 | Mob. +64 21 708 401 | Fax +64 9 30 77579
Auckland Council, Level 14, Civic Building, 1 Greys Avenue,
_____________________________________________________________________________
Councillor Richard Northey – may I respectfully suggest that you reconsider your above-mentioned decision?
Gary Osbourne has arguably SIGNIFICANTLY new subject matter to raise on this issue – unless of course you think that a request to the Minister of Local Government for an inquiry into the authorisation by the CEO of Auckland Council, blocking of correspondence between concerned citizens is effectively a ‘non-event’?
Perhaps you could remind me of the last time the Minister of Local Government was formally requested to inquire into a matter concerning Auckland Council?
Please be reminded that this is the PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE of Auckland Council?
This is a SERIOUS matter of PERFORMANCE and ACCOUNTABILITY – is it not?
I look forward to your confirmation that both Gary Osbourne and myself ,( I have yet to have my request for speaking rights confirmed), have been granted 5 minutes each speaking time, as requested at Public Forum, Performance and Accountability Committee, Auckland Council, Wednesday 13 March 2013, 10 am at the Auckland Town Hall.
_____________________________________________________________________________
‘Open Letter’
10 March 2013
Dear Judith,
This is a formal request for speaking rights at ‘Public Forum’ at the
upcoming meeting next Wednesday morning 13 March 2013, 10am Auckland Town Hall – Accountability and Performance Committee.
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/meetings_agendas/committees/Pages/accountabilityandperformancecommittee.aspx
TERMS OF REFERENCE
The Accountability and Performance Committee will have responsibility for:
• Monitoring the performance of the Council against the Long Term Plan and Annual Plan;
• Monitoring, setting policies and reviewing the performance of the CCOs against
organisational, CCO and SOI’s targets;
• Considering the Councils Annual report and recommending to the Governing Body for
adoption;
• Financial performance of Council functions; and
• Delegation of powers to subcommittee(s).
The Committee will be supported in its work by the following:
• The Council Controlled Organisation Strategy Review Subcommittee;
• The Chief Executive Review Subcommittee; and
• The Tenders and Procurement Subcommittee.
Relevant legislation includes but is not limited to:
Local Government Act 2002;
Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009;
Port Companies Act 1988; and
Companies Act 1987
_____________________________________________________________________________
SUBJECT MATTER:
1) The total amount of money spent to date by Auckland Council on legal fees/ costs relating to all Court proceedings arising from or pertaining to Occupy Auckland prosecutions, and related matters.
2) Why I believe it is totally inappropriate/ unlawful for the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to investigate himself, regarding the complaints I and others have made about his role in authorising the ‘blocking’ / filtering / effective censorship of emails from some citizens going directly to elected representatives.
3) Progress (if any) on ‘opening the books’ and making publicly-available the following details of ‘contracts issued’ by Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs:
a) NAMES of contractors / consultants.
b) SCOPE of contracts issued.
c) TERM of contracts issued.
d) VALUE of contracts issued.
4) Progress (if any) on transparency and accountability of Auckland Council elected representatives and staff responsible in any way in the awarding of Auckland Council or CCO contracts, in the form of a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’, in order to minimise possible ‘conflicts of interest’.
……
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to the lawful democratic rights of citizens, plus commonsense prevailing.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Appellant, Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal.
2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate
Looks like John Armstrong has been briefed and got his orders – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870637 – on the latest excuse from this government for it’s economic failure.
Armstrong’s piece is the first shot in the Beehive’s excuse making that despite (or rather because) of austerity there will be no surplus before the 2014 gemeral election.
No surplus.
Not due to economic incompetence on behalf of Double Dipton – that grossly over-rated and grossly over-promoted ex-treasury tea boy – and the rest ofwideboy economic dunderheads like John Key. Oh no. It’ll be the drought. After the earthquake. After the GFC.
Because if we’ve learnt one thing from Don Elder it is that he and the others in the frat boy elite like John Key and Bill English are never, ever actually responsible for anything.
Poor old Populuxe1 is not the only one to uncritically buy into the campaign of denigration against an official enemy. Evidently one Justin Timberlake is not just a musical genius, he is also a thoughtful and discriminating person who thinks for himself. Oh yes. …
Justin Timberlake rubbishes Hugo Chavez
That well known wit and erudite political commentator, Justin Timberlake has seen fit to rubbish Chavez on Saturday Night Live using Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’ as his vehicle.
The song contains such hilarious lyrics as, “You lived your life like a candle in the wind… if a candle could pull out two pistols at a press conference.” You want more? Okay. “You said the US causes earthquakes and you outlawed Coke Zero. And on your shoulder stood your parrot with a matching red beret.”
We came, we saw, we didn’t laugh…
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1363022838.html
Just as well we don’t live deep within a system that is rife with propaganda, innit? And that Justin Timberlake is simply, albeit tastelessly, excercising free speech and freedom of expression; the right of any free mind.
Yes, just like the Ku Klux Klan, the ADL and Anders Breivik/Nevil Gibson.
Hmm, not quite. There’s them that merely echo official and dominant themes (Timberlake and Gibson) and thems that use them as foundations on which to build ever more twisted and sinister edifices. (KKK, ADL, Breivik…)
Irony-free Radio
Radio New Zealand National, Tuesday 12 March 2013
Recently some old fool from Grey Power has been making like Winston and sounding off against immigration. Of course, plenty of National Radio listeners are concerned about the “problem”. Just after the 3:00 news, Jim Mora read out a letter from a listener, expressing grave concern that “immigrants might be coming from countries which have corruption, nepotism and little concern for the environment.”
Mora read that out without even the slightest hint of irony.
Sounds like they’re worried about ex-pats returning home… 🙂
Ha!
Jim Mora is incapable of finding much wrong with the way things are in New Zealand, or anything really. I do grant this – he’s ignitable about poor grammar and bad manners.
Old Jimmie’s real missions in life are; (1) to be extraordinarily well paid as befits he who talks like the unthumbed pages of a dictionary, and (2) to be acknowledged for his prodigious intelligence, and (3) the former and the latter goals met (of course), to being fulsomely, terminally, “affable”.
Oh yay ! Can’t even pronounce “Hone” correctly.
I do grant this – he’s ignitable about poor grammar and bad manners.
Even then, he’s extremely selective about what passes for good and bad manners. He said nothing one day when Dr Michael Bassett said that Nicky Hager is a Holocaust-denier. And neither did the other guest on “The Panel” that day.
So flagrant, shameless lying and defamation is not bad manners, at least as far as Jim Mora is concerned.
morrissey
😀
Now Joyce has found the money to set debt collectors on teachers overpaid via Novopay ….. unbelievable monsters.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870792
Which debt collectors and what’s the ministers connection to them?
Imagine the current National Party trying to run a election campaign based on honest governance like they did in the 60s…
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/democracy-national-style.html
on the Q.T;
Poorlah-‘31% of Gateway assessments-emotional, psychological and behavioural dysfunction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQutPF0Q-wo
(you can never go back to the scene of a perfect crime; go back (not) and fix that you mofos)
meanwhile, back in NZFirst (last, Winston, very sad man, even Grey Power are split over your dog-whistling) Race-Card on Chinese immigrant / parent ratio categories; strong upward trend in in parent category trend from China :); just to repeat, even Grey Power is splitting chairs over this…
Woodhouse-“it’s about skilled migrants (wealthy as well) and their parents meeting the “criteria” Ha Ha Winston. and then, and then, Horans’ junk starts sinking on the same tide…
N.Smith (a Doctor of What?)-let’s increase urban sprawl in Ak (and fuel some more oil import consumption while we are at it aye!)
Tolley- on recovery of assets from crime; “nobody should profit from misery in the community” (unless you’re a brewer Baron or a liquor outlet…)
Hipkins, Machiavellian Manouevres aside, appears to be dogged (that Coleman appears a contemptible un-cool-man) while Chippie flustered the Speaker as well. “Disorder”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PldpBJEn4vQ
Attorney General Bio-Security Report (how long before these things reach the “house” ?
-the MPI “under-prepared for significant Bio-hazard Incursions, and as O’Connor pointed out, NZ more dependent on bio-security than any (most) other countries. 🙁
And you know what they say about pictures and words.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFG7CCzCQAEQIJr.jpg:large
http://billmoyers.com/2013/03/10/two-new-films-address-american-poverty/
Here’s the trailer.
http://www.takepart.com/place-at-the-table/film
Jesus Wept joe, where will it end?
I’m leery of the info and the calculations in that first linked image.
Firstly, it says information used in the chart was sourced from the UN economic commission for LA and the Carribean. Obviously not true as the USA is not located in either of those areas.
Secondly, it is trying to tell a story about equality using (it claims) stats about income while utterly ignoring wealth which is, well…a far more accurate measure of equality/inequality.
Thirdly, the underlying message it is sending is that there is nothing wrong with inequality (ie, greater equality equates with greater numbers of people living in slums)
Here’s a vid linked to from the Bill Moyers site – wealth distribution in the USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM
And here’s the Mother Jones article it’s based on
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph
Found the source Bill and the images were from a Habitat for Humanity post on global poverty and I doubt were intended to mean that there is nothing wrong with inequality.
. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/us-income-inequality-wors_n_2561123.html
http://thisisadamsblog.com/post/41220961868/take-the-annual-income-of-the-wealthiest-20
The source is the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean annual Statistical Yearbook, which was released January 10. All numbers are for 2011, except Bolivia (2009), El Salvador (2010), Guatemala (2006), Honduras (2010), and Nicaragua (2009). The U.S. figure comes from Census Bureau data cited by Congressional Research Service [PDF].
http://habitatlac.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/hechos-e-imagenes-de-la-pobreza-en-el-mundo/
(holdin’ off readin’ the Book of Revelation for a bit 🙂 )
Well done to Russell Norman @ question-time today.
“Ombudsman office at crisis point
The Ombudsman’s office says it is struggling under its heaviest workload ever, and wading through a backlog of thousands of complaints.”
Worrying 3mins on RNZ about the Ombudsman being swamped with complaints to the point of being unable to deliver, and NAct politicians exploiting this. No increase in funding has been forthcoming despite public warnings from the ombudsman’s office a year ago.
The speaker says ‘the public will judge’ when they don’t answer questions, the MSM have their tongues up John Key’s anus, and the public can’t get a response from the OIA in time. Who’s holding the government to account?
If New Zealand was genuinely the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark and Finland according to the arguably bogus and non-transparent Transparency International 2012 ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – we should arguably be the most transparent?
If the Public Records Act 2005 was implemented in a proper way, there should be FAR more information publicly-available.
If that were the case – people wouldn’t have to then request this information via the Office of the Ombudsman?
Commonsense really.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Wow……..what’s happened with Mr Bean’s mouthy wee cuzzy Patrick Gower ?
3 News tonight – “In my opinion the politicians are gutless (latter word angrily)………it’s up to the people to decide whether Liu (Shane Jones/immigration fame) should be a New Zealand citizen.”
So if he’s an activist all of a sudden can we expect him to fish below John Key’s Crosby Textor sophistry (to glamorise it) ? Another mark of how these up-themselves dorks fancy they’re part of the story.
Present the facts tele-goon. I’ll make up my own mind !
further from the “box”
-droughts gonna effect the prices of green veges (onions not so much); good to be growin’ ones’ own.
-English on the drought-“a significant effect; will affect the economy for a couple of years to come; nothin’ like all your cows in one herring-bone, or rotary for that matter (where have i read that before?)
next? power rationing from low hydro-electric reserves
-resistance to anti-biotics-“pose a catastrophe threat (may set medicine back a century) as no new anti-biotics been developed in the last 25 years (due to a market failure); the ol’ “science priests”aye.
🙂
and Eugenie Sage was helpful in Q.T also.
that “notorious tr*ll” is not anonymous; he’s the son of a former band member…
-Key in South America? “no big bang announcements” (other than our continued role in the trafficking of coke i spose…
-meanwhile in ChCh, regarding psych. health; “optimism is starting to run out”; “complexity of cases has increased”-CDHB
however, the good news; Agnetha Faltskog’s come-back; “A” 🙂 🙂 🙂
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/abbas-agnetha-faltskog-releases-single-427208
Fukushima, they knew.
http://www.gregpalast.com/fukushima-they-knew-2/?
LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A ‘BUNFIGHT’ AT THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE, WED 13 MARCH 2013, 10 AM AT THE AUCKLAND TOWN HALL:
Please be advised that I WILL be taking Speaking Rights, having now been declined on what I consider to be an UNLAWFUL basis. NOT a good look for Auckland Council – especially in election year? SPEAKING RIGHTS DENIED: 3:51 PM (10 minutes ago)
(REPLY FROM AUCKLAND COUNCILLOR RICHARD NORTHEY – DENYING ME SPEAKING RIGHTS)
Good afternoon Ms Bright
Further to your request to speak to the Accountability and Performance Committee 13 March 2013, I have forwarded your request to the chair of this committee. I am in receipt of this response from the chair:
These 4 matters have either been recently considered or dealt with by the Governing Body or by an appropriate Council Committee at the Submitter’s request or else are the subject of an LGOIMA Request by the submitter.
Therefore the request to present in public input is declined.
Cr Richard Northey
_____________________________________________________________________________
COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY SUPPORTS MY RIGHT TO SPEAK:
Hi Penny
I support your right to speak.. If the Committee Chair does not allow you to address us, I will move that we suspend standing orders and allow you to have your five minutes. I need a seconder.
Happy Tuesday!
……
Dr Cathy Casey
Councillor, Albert-Eden-Roskill Ward
Governing Body, Auckland Council
_____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright MY REPLY TO COUNCILLOR CATHY CASEY: 13 March 2013.
Thank you Cathy.
I am not particularly looking forward to going back to the ‘bad old Auckland City Council days’?
After 22 arrests, it ended up 21 -1 to me, and a number of District Court judgments which ‘fine-tuned’ the LGOIMA process, to defend the basic democratic rights of citizens.
If Councillor Richard Northey were to exercise his ‘judgment’ based upon the LAW and previous legal judgments, in my opinion, we wouldn’t be having this problem.
I am getting SO sick of some elected representatives and senior Council staff – just MAKING IT UP – when it comes to the lawful rights of citizens?
Looking forward to confirmation of a number of Councillors, queuing up to second your motion.
Even better, Councillor Richard Northey, exercising rather more sound judgment based upon the LAW, and reconsidering his (unlawful, in my opinion) denial of 5 minutes speaking rights at the Public Forum of Auckland Council Performance and Accountability Committee.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’.
Occupy Auckland Appellant (in my own name).
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
_____________________________________________________________________________
WHAT I WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT:
_____________________________________________________________________________
1) The total amount of money spent to date by Auckland Council on legal fees/ costs relating to all Court proceedings arising from or pertaining to Occupy Auckland prosecutions, and related matters.
2) Why I believe it is totally inappropriate/ unlawful for the CEO of Auckland Council, Doug McKay to investigate himself, regarding the complaints I and others have made about his role in authorising the ‘blocking’ / filtering / effective censorship of emails from some citizens going directly to elected representatives.
3) Progress (if any) on ‘opening the books’ and making publicly-available the following details of ‘contracts issued’ by Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs:
a) NAMES of contractors / consultants.
b) SCOPE of contracts issued.
c) TERM of contracts issued.
d) VALUE of contracts issued.
4) Progress (if any) on transparency and accountability of Auckland Council elected representatives and staff responsible in any way in the awarding of Auckland Council or CCO contracts, in the form of a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’, in order to minimise possible ‘conflicts of interest’.
……
_____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Appellant, Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal.
2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate
AUSTRALIA:
Tasers used on children despite being against manufactures recommendations:
Stun guns have been deployed 149 times against juveniles in NSW alone since 2008 with the youngest offender just 10 years old.
Nearly half of the juveniles were under 17, one quarter were under 16, 18 were under 15 and six under 13.
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/police-can-set-tasers-on-children/story-fncynjr2-1226604074278