If our finances are so dire and Joky Hen has identified where we can make serious adjustments that will put us back on the right track, how come he won’t implement those changes with immediate effect? Seems to me that if you are haemorrhaging then you apply the tourniquet now This is a sticking plaster approach to managing the economy, where the bleeding is of the government’s making in the first place.
So what do you say to Phil Goff who, although bleating about the changes to kiwisaver, is also reported to have said that Labour would not reverse them.
Another “Axe the tax” campaign coming up?
Phil Goff is still the best leader of the opposition the government can have.
The Herald reports that Goff said “Labour would spread the burden more evenly, although such cuts were difficult to reverse all at once when there was a big deficit.”
He has not said he will not reverse them, only that the timing will need to be managed because of budgetary constraints.
Remind me never to believe anything you say ever again.
lovely .JM. we should use that in a core-flute at election time.Bye the way how many people picked up Brash’s comment on morning report ‘That the poor spend to much money on groceries. Perhaps he wants us to only eat tinned peas?
Was checking on whether I had typed something or changed my mind at the last minute and found the follow-up comments … you guys might like one previously posted:
The above, is the likely main issue around which the General Election will be about.
– and which all the contending political parties will be judged on.
One of the groups that has sought to make tax an election issue is the Tax Justice Campaign.
One of the main calls of the Tax Justice Campaign is the introduction of a Robin Hood tax, relabelled in this country the Hone Heke Tax, after the popular folk hero of New Zealand history.
Tax Justice are asking Kiwis to send a message to John Key following the release of the budget, next week.
“Employers and employees are going to have to shoulder more of the burden.”
and Phil O’Reilly agrees.
Kerr and his mates in the Round Table, however, have said that it is not
the responsibility of business to be involved in socially responsible issues.
It is their business to be as efficient and as profitable as possible.
Seems they would assert that the employee should be providing for himself, work harder, get more money and find his/her own retirement scheme.
Children and teachers at a fifth of the 1,600 schools in Fukushima are receiving at least 20 millisieverts of radiation per year, said Nakate, according to readings from the government. That’s the limit for a nuclear power plant worker, according to Japan’s nuclear safety commission.
Prior to this thing happening children were legally ‘permitted’ 2 millisieverts per year, the Japanese government has OKed the higher dose.
Fukushima is the latest growing disaster the MSM are ignoring, did anyone hear that reactor buildings 3 & 4 were burning for a few days over the weekend, and might still be? And radio active steam and water are still gushing from the plants? With contaminated ground water moving IN land. ‘We’ got more accurate and up to date information from the Russians re Chernobyl …. which was under control 6 weeks after it shit itself, where as Fukushima is at best 9 months away from being ‘under control’ if ever.
There is song that describes what is going to happen globally regarding cancer – Turning Japanese, oh yes I think so ….
For more info that is way beyond our idiot editors, and the even bigger sacks of shit, you know the ones in the Beehive.
Nuclear collapse looms? Fukushima No. 4 reactor ‘leaning’
Look at 4:27 ish on this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxbm7iJTT8U
What you can see is the side of the spent fuel pond gone.
Not that anyone gives a rats arse
Yeah not even to demand the truth out of the ruling cartel, because that would mean learning something themselves …. then dragging themselves off the couch and acting.
There are a few positive moves around the World in terms of closing old Nuclear reactors down and undertaking more inspections. This has been a direct result of people making their voices heard. It’s also a result of some politicians waking up and realising that if they don’t do something, similar “accidents” will occur. However not enough is being done to ensure our safety and the human species survival for that matter.
“The company had “no association” with the contract for the ministerial cars which he said would have been negotiated directly with BMW New Zealand.”
Question: Who has the maintainance contract on these cars. My guess is that it will probably be a Wellington dealership?
There are still questions that need answering…will the great Radio NZ political editor Brent Edwards go looking…or is he happy to regurgitate the National spin.
Speaking of smears and big issues and not fronting them, perhaps the PM might want to put his big boy pants on and do a sit down interview with this guy:
Although deceptive people do not say much, they tend to spontaneously give a justification for what little they are saying, without being prompted.
They are more likely to press their lips when asked a sensitive question and are more likely to play with their hair or engage in other “grooming” behaviors. Gesturing toward one’s self with the hands tends to be a sign of deception; gesturing outwardly is not.
Well this week’s award recipient was pretty easy to choose. Kyle Chapman jumped up and yelled; “I’m an asshole, look at me.” So naturally he was our top candidate. Kyle’s latest ridiculous crusade after taking a break from his National Front duties (to become a Mormon and rut his new wife Claire Clifford), was to start the fundamentalist group Right Wing Resistance (RWRNZ). Incidentally, Claire left the fascist in 2009 when he again became involved in hate campaigns. Wise move.
I started this as an open Letter to old smile and wave, but then I figured he would just ignore and delete so I will put it up here All comments are welcome. BTW I do not write for a living.
John Key You really think you are smart don’t you? you don’t give a flying fuck that you are leading New Zealand to Financial ruin. And you, who worships, and loves nothing more than money, and a job well done, why do you continue to sabotage Ordinary Kiwi’s?? you could have been a good prime minister. however you are a joke now. They Call you Shonky, Jonky, Smile and Wave and other less flattering things. What a legacy. The rich fool who hated his own country so much, that he lived in America. Until he came home to take his revenge against the very system that made him, gave him a safe environment, an education, (school and University) he went on to make millions, and what did he do ? He extracted his revenge on the very system that made him what he is. State Housing (ruined) ACC (ruined ready to be sold) Power Companies (readying them for sale 100% ( Don’t bullshit me)) WINZ ruined (where staff have been gutted, and now are overworked, demoralised, and underpaid). Early learning centres , Kindys and such funding slashed . The Family court that’s screwed now for sure. How will anyone ever get Free legal assistance ever again, or a competent lawyer, the Legal Aid service Slashed and cut. The Womans Refuge for gods sake the last bastion of safety for a battered woman, Funding Gutted. And I am sure others could add many more. And the numerous, faceless public servants that he has ruined, their lives in tatters, Bills to pay, bills that were incurred on a high income, and NO money or help, except to default. Because Winz won’t help if you can get an appointment in under 2 weeks, then you have to be like a performing dog, jumping through what ever hoops they feel like putting you through (You have NO choice in this. No do. NO MONEY). And then along come the vultures your mates they buy up NZ companies that you have ruined for a song. There are no jobs or if there are they don’t hire you. The minimum wage plummets, benefits are slashed, and crime increases and there you have it John Keys Utopia for all to see. A prison country..
Who would have thought Key would have watched Star trek Voyager episode 1 season 1 where a guy called Paris was serving on a prison colony in New Zealand.
Elections tend to be won or lost in Auckland – so, in my considered opinion, opposition to the proposed Auckland ($upercity) Council 4.9% increase, is not to be underestimated.
When the good folk in Epsom, living in their medium/ high value properties, realise that the Citizens and Ratepayer Councillors on 13 December 2010 supported a 3.9% rate increase – when they were led to believe that the Auckland ‘$upercity’ was going to achieve ‘economies of scale’ – I believe that some form of electoral backlash is to be expected….
Nominations are open for an Act candidate to replace Rodney Hide and contest the Epsom electorate in the November 26 election.
“Act has always had a strong presence in Epsom – from 1996, when the party won 22% of the party vote, to the present day,” Auckland South board member Barbara Steinijans said.
“In Rodney Hide the people of Epsom have had strong local representation for the past six years. Once again, Act will be running a strong electorate vote based campaign.”
The incumbent MP, Mr Hide, does not have the support of new party leader Don Brash, although Mr Hide is yet to formally rule himself out from standing in the seat.
Mr Hide won 56% of the vote in the 2008 election, although National won 63% of the party vote.
John Banks was a loud and proud ‘$upercity’ supporter from Day One.
But – the first thing the $upercity -$uper RIP OFF Auckland Council wants to do is to put up residential and commercial rates 4.9%.
So much for the ‘economies of scale’ that were to be achieved by forcibly amalgamating our 8 former Councils, in another ‘Rogernomic$ blitzkrieg’ (without a binding poll of citizens and ratepayers).
For those who just want to jump on the band wagon and blame Mayor Len Brown and the ‘left-leaning’ majority on the Auckland Council – here are the FACTS:
C&R Councillors on 13 December 2010 voted in support of a 3.9% rates increase.
(You will note that young National Party ‘Wonder boy’ (?) Jami-Lee Ross supported a 3.9% rate increase? )
Auckland Council Finance and Strategy Committee meeting 13 December 2010 (Pgs 7-8)
12. Annual Plan 2011/2012 – High Level Budget Review
(c) That the Strategy and Finance Committee agrees a rates target of 4.9% for 2011 -2012 to inform the Mayor’s development of the draft annual plan.
MOVED by Councillor Wood seconded Councillor Fletcher
That a rates increase of not more than 3.9% be struck and officers work to identify further savings.
A division was called for, voting on which was as follows:
For
Councillors
Cameron Brewer
Hon Chris Fletcher
Des Morrison
Callum Penrose
Noelene Raffills
Jami-Lee Ross
Sharon Stewart
George Wood
Against
Councillors
Anae Arthur Anae
Len Brown
Dr Cathy Casey
Sandra Coney
Alf Filipaina
Ann Hartley
Penny Hulse
Richard Northey
Sir John Walker
Wayne Walker
Penny Webster
Councillors Michael Goudie and Mike Lee were absent.
The division was declared lost 8 votes to 11
________________________________________________________________________________
The Auckland Council ‘books’ are NOT open.
If a giant scalpel were to be applied to all that consultant and private contractor BLUBBER, and core council services returned to ‘in-house’ provision (cutting out all these private ‘piggies-in-the-middle’), in my considered opinion, rates could be slashed by hundreds of millions of dollars.
That’s why I’m standing in the Howick by-election.
To help achieve that.
‘OPEN THE BOOKS! – CUT OUT THE CONTRACTORS!’
PS: If you think replacing the ‘bureaucracy’ with the ‘contractocracy’ is so ‘efficient’ – ask yourself this one simple question.
Over the last 20 years – have YOUR rates gone up or down?
Penney I fully sympathasise because we are experiencing the same phenomenon with the Selwyn District Council who have just put up our rates nearly 15% on top of a 20% increase last year for Lake Coleridge Village.
The situation is a wee bit different as these increases are mostly on targeted rates like water and sewage on a small village of 40 households, but having said that we have to pay for a new swimming pool at Rolleston that is about 2 hours drive from here.
This pool cost about 14 million was approved regardless of earthquake damage in the area and on top of $14 million that was spent on building the new council chambers two years ago.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote to Mr Hide (a bit late) but I also wrote to Sue Kedgley we are trying to get the audit office in to have a look at the books.
Yes I agree the more it is outscoursed the less accountability there is, well I guess the most obvious example is contractors putting in their tenders, that has to be treated as commercially sensitive information. Still an auditor can still go through the books without compromising anyones privacy.
Yet they seem powerless and furthermore there doesn’t seem to be any political will to back them up.
So much for Rodney Hide’s promise to put a cap on Rates that exceed the rate of inflation, that promise can’t even be held in a supercity such as Auckland where the economies of scale is vastly different to the Selwyn District in Canterbury.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her colleagues from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden will gather in Greenland’s tiny capital of Nuuk to discuss how to manage the [Arctic’s] development while protecting its fragile ecosystem….
…It “is a historic turning point to deepen and strengthen international cooperation in the Arctic as we seek to meet the dramatic challenges of the equivalent of a melting continent over the next several decades,”…
…”By working together to ensure the safety of human life in a newly emerging region of human activity we can show in particular that Russia and the United States are key actors in helping to propel cooperation on core issues.”
…Earlier this month scientists said that warming in the Arctic is occurring at twice the global average and is on track to lift sea levels by up to 1.6 metres (5.3 feet) by 2100, a far steeper jump than predicted a few years ago…
wait for it, wait for iiiiit…
…
…Washington wants the Nuuk talks to launch a task force designed to negotiate an instrument for handling Arctic oil spills.
“We know that there are significant deposits of oil and gas that were in the past difficult to access and may become more accessible over time,” he said.
The United States wants the Arctic countries to be prepared to both prevent oil spills or other disasters and to create “effective mechanisms to deal with accidents should they happen,” Steinberg said.
More than one fifth of the world’s undiscovered but technically recoverable reserves of hydrocarbons are located north of the Arctic Circle, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The region accounts for about 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 percent of the undiscovered natural gas, USGS data shows. About 84 percent of the resources are offshore.
Exploration off Greenland has yet to produce any commercially exploitable reserves, but that did not stop British firm Cairn from boosting its investment there by one billion dollars on the back of “encouraging” first results.
I’ve always been puzzled by the apparent certainty that the Arctic holds huge amounts of ‘undiscovered’ resources. Isn’t it also possible that it actually holds very little? Or that some other part on the planet that hasn’t been thoroughly explored (and there are lots) could actually turn out to have the motherlode?
Anthropocene: Have humans created a new geological age?.
Dr Jan Zalasiewicz of the University of Leicester is one of the leading proponents of the Anthropocene theory. He told BBC News: “Simply put, our planet no longer functions in the way that it once did. Atmosphere, climate, oceans, ecosystems… they’re all now operating outside Holocene norms. This strongly suggests we’ve crossed an epoch boundary.”
Yeah. Hopefully he’ll be able to sort EQC out and get some proper co-ordination going there.
I really think they need to move to a model where people have case managers to deal with their claims so there’s some continuity of information and handling, instead of getting the ridiculous run-around of ringing up the call center, being put on hold for 20 minutes only to be told “no, we have no information for you”.
Interesting the thought of lowering taxes for business to a really low rate.
Had a mate just come back from living in Vegas for many years and he talked to me about how well that’s not gone over there.
As a result of lowering business taxes to low levels, and in some case state taxes to zero, new business has not been attracted to states like Nevada because as they now have no money services and infrastructure and education has been cut and no business wants to move there – you can’t for instance get skilled staff because the education system doesn’t produce any.
Sure Nevada for instance has other problems such as billions of dollars of clean up needed from now absent mining companies but lowering taxes has made things worse not better.
A recent article by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), concerning a number of peer reviewed scientific papers, has received widespread global condemnation from environmentalists, scientists and some of the authors of the papers themselves. The article references more than 900 papers which, according to the GWPF, refute “concern relating to a negative environmental or socio-economic effect of AGW.
Roger Sutton will start in the role in mid-June, as the permanent chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. CERRA
Crikey. That was suggested by many including Jim Anderton at least 2months ago. A great leader for the job, as long as he can manage Brownlie.
# David Farrar (1,467) Says:
May 12th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
I might donate to Kelvin also.
Kelvin has no chance … labour party policy don’t give him the room to capture enough votes, and why vote your Kelvin he is already in next term at 23 on the list.
Hey David I think the last thing Kelvin would want is an endorsement from yourself, that would surely lower his mana in the north.
In the last Election Hone had a 32% mayority over Kelvin. If Kelvin wants a mandate he should also stand down from the Parliament, and remove himself from the list for the general election to test his mandate at this by election. I doubt he would.
“A number of jobs currently being advertised on Work and Income’s ‘Find a Job website offer positions below the legal minimum wage and without employment rights such as holiday pay and sick leave.
This is what I’ve been saying for years now about the building industry in Auckland especially but around the country in general. It’s possible to be offered a position as a builder (4 years on the job training) for $15/hr +GST and for that one low price you have to supply all your own tools and vehicle (and old junker won’t cut it either as it will be unreliable). The tools aren’t cheap and need to be maintained and certified every three months.
Basically, once you take into account all your expenses for that hourly rate you’re quite literally paying to go to work. Paula Bennett’s “any job’s a good job” just shows how out of touch she is.
If you’re on the UE benefit WINZ will cut you off if you turn down said job because you must accept any reasonable offer of a job and the idiots at WINZ just look at the $15/hr and think it’s reasonable.
Hon PAULA BENNETT: I suppose the difference between this side of the House and the other side is that this side thinks that any job is a good job. We do not always get to do our dream job. Sometimes we have to work hard, sometimes we have to get a bit stuck in, sometimes we have to prove ourselves to get promoted, and sometimes we have to wash dishes in a rest home for a while, or dig drains. But there are opportunities out there, and that is a great thing. Work and Income currently has 5,386 open positions, and over the last 12 months it has listed more than 65,000 positions on its website. I cannot guarantee that every single one of them is right, but I think it has got the criteria pretty strong, as much as they are.
My thought at the time was that she was assuming only young people would be looking for such jobs. But what of the people who have already proved themselves, have a lot of experience and have been made redundant, especially older people? I heard a section on Nine-to-Noon this week about discrimination against older workers by recruitment practices, making it hard for older people to get jobs.
That website is utter shite! Having been told that we have to make x applications per month through it, I look every so often. Many of the vacancies listed are old (and actually the positions are closed) and one can’t apply directly, but have to go through a case manager…
Getting the ‘case manager’ to pull finger and put in an application within the time specified is a job in itself (I have missed out on being considered for many jobs because of lazy or incompetent case managers and job brokers one of whom could not find my CV on time, although I followed her instructions and sent it to her time and time again, and it was already on their system!
All of the jobs seem to be unskilled, and some of them are frankly scams (telemarketing, pyramid selling etc.) One job broker referred me for a job I had already applied for and been turned down for, and then referred me for a job way above my competence. I was very embarassed when the employer (DOS of a language school) phoned to tell me gently that I wasn’t qualified, sorry, and I told her “I know. I didn’t want to be referred for the job, but WINZ wouldn ‘t listen”
WINZ don’t know their rectums from their ante-cubital fossae..
Summing up Goldman Sachs business practice: Finangle a sale of paper to the client that we get paid a commission for, when the paper fucks over the client it we will benefit again because we took bets out that the paper we sold the client will collapse.
Yeah, I don’t think that getting G/S to help AMI will help AMI – probably do G/S real good though.
Today on my way to Parnell, I had the misfortune to sit right behind a chatty bus driver who insisted on pointing out John Key’s house, and telling me how much better he is under NACT, and how NACT will force his ‘malingerer’ brother on a sickness benefit to get a job, and force his prisoner ‘good for nothing’ brother in law to go straight…
Then he showed some more of his true charm by letting me off outside off at the primary school where I was going to interview for a special needs teacher aide job – and as I got off the bus saying to me “There they are, the little bastards. Rich kids!” * as he drove away.
As my son said later when I told him about it, the guy is the second type of RWNJ, a poor or middle class guy who thinks that a leader like Shonkey will make him (Mr Bus Driver) into a plutocrat, who can crap on the poor, as in his perception the ‘dictator’ Helen Clark used to do. By him Phil Goff is a weak ninny who wouldn’t stand up to Helen, and John Key is a brave knight who has rescued our economy. (Above all, my making beneficiaries ‘shape up’! )
*As the school principal interviewing me said, the school is decile 10, but it takes children from all over the show, including the children of doctoral candidates from University of Auckland, and its make up is changing. Not all “rich kids” by any means.
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Britain once risked a reputation as the weak link in the trilateral AUKUS partnership. But now the appointment of an empowered senior official to drive the project forward and a new burst of British parliamentary ...
Australia’s ability to produce basic metals, including copper, lead, zinc, nickel and construction steel, is in jeopardy, with ageing plants struggling against Chinese competition. The multinational commodities company Trafigura has put its Australian operations under ...
There have been recent PPP debacles, both in New Zealand (think Transmission Gully) and globally, with numerous examples across both Australia and Britain of failed projects and extensive litigation by government agencies seeking redress for the failures.Rob Campbell is one of New Zealand’s sharpest critics of PPPs noting that; "There ...
On Twitter on Saturday I indicated that there had been a mistake in my post from last Thursday in which I attempted to step through the Reserve Bank Funding Agreement issues. Making mistakes (there are two) is annoying and I don’t fully understand how I did it (probably too much ...
Indonesia’s armed forces still have a lot of work to do in making proper use of drones. Two major challenges are pilot training and achieving interoperability between the services. Another is overcoming a predilection for ...
The StrategistBy Sandy Juda Pratama, Curie Maharani and Gautama Adi Kusuma
As a living breathing human being, you’ve likely seen the heart-wrenching images from Gaza...homes reduced to rubble, children burnt to cinders, families displaced, and a death toll that’s beyond comprehension. What is going on in Gaza is most definitely a genocide, the suffering is real, and it’s easy to feel ...
Donald Trump, who has called the Chair of the Federal Reserve “a major loser”. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories shortest from our political economy on Tuesday, April 22:US markets slump after Donald Trump threatens the Fed’s independence. China warns its trading partners not to side with the US. Trump says some ...
Last night, the news came through that Pope Francis had passed away at 7:35 am in Rome on Monday, the 21st of April, following a reported stroke and heart failure. Pope Francis. Photo: AP.Despite his obvious ill health, it still came as a shock, following so soon after the Easter ...
The 2024 Independent Intelligence Review found the NIC to be highly capable and performing well. So, it is not a surprise that most of the 67 recommendations are incremental adjustments and small but nevertheless important ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkThe world has made real progress toward tacking climate change in recent years, with spending on clean energy technologies skyrocketing from hundreds of billions to trillions of dollars globally over the past decade, and global CO2 emissions plateauing.This has contributed to a reassessment of ...
Hi,I’ve been having a peaceful month of what I’d call “existential dread”, even more aware than usual that — at some point — this all ends.It was very specifically triggered by watching Pantheon, an animated sci-fi show that I’m filing away with all-time greats like Six Feet Under, Watchmen and ...
Once the formalities of honouring the late Pope wrap up in two to three weeks time, the conclave of Cardinals will go into seclusion. Some 253 of the current College of Cardinals can take part in the debate over choosing the next Pope, but only 138 of them are below ...
The National Party government is doubling down on a grim, regressive vision for the future: more prisons, more prisoners, and a society fractured by policies that punish rather than heal. This isn’t just a misstep; it’s a deliberate lurch toward a dystopian future where incarceration is the answer to every ...
The audacity of Don Brash never ceases to amaze. The former National Party and Hobson’s Pledge mouthpiece has now sunk his claws into NZME, the media giant behind the New Zealand Herald and half of our commercial radio stations. Don Brash has snapped up shares in NZME, aligning himself with ...
A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 13, 2025 thru Sat, April 19, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...
“What I’d say to you is…” our Prime Minister might typically begin a sentence, when he’s about to obfuscate and attempt to derail the question you really, really want him to answer properly (even once would be okay, Christopher). Questions such as “Why is a literal election promise over ...
Ruth IrwinExponential Economic growth is the driver of Ecological degradation. It is driven by CO2 greenhouse gas emissions through fossil fuel extraction and burning for the plethora of polluting industries. Extreme weather disasters and Climate change will continue to get worse because governments subscribe to the current global economic system, ...
A man on telly tries to tell me what is realBut it's alright, I like the way that feelsAnd everybody singsWe are evolving from night to morningAnd I wanna believe in somethingWriter: Adam Duritz.The world is changing rapidly, over the last year or so, it has been out with the ...
MFB Co-Founder Cecilia Robinson runs Tend HealthcareSummary:Kieran McAnulty calls out National on healthcare lies and says Health Minister Simeon Brown is “dishonest and disingenuous”(video below)McAnulty says negotiation with doctors is standard practice, but this level of disrespect is not, especially when we need and want our valued doctors.National’s $20bn ...
Chris Luxon’s tenure as New Zealand’s Prime Minister has been a masterclass in incompetence, marked by coalition chaos, economic lethargy, verbal gaffes, and a moral compass that seems to point wherever political expediency lies. The former Air New Zealand CEO (how could we forget?) was sold as a steady hand, ...
Has anybody else noticed Cameron Slater still obsessing over Jacinda Ardern? The disgraced Whale Oil blogger seems to have made it his life’s mission to shadow the former Prime Minister of New Zealand like some unhinged stalker lurking in the digital bushes.The man’s obsession with Ardern isn't just unhealthy...it’s downright ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is climate change a net benefit for society? Human-caused climate change has been a net detriment to society as measured by loss of ...
When the National Party hastily announced its “Local Water Done Well” policy, they touted it as the great saviour of New Zealand’s crumbling water infrastructure. But as time goes by it's looking more and more like a planning and fiscal lame duck...and one that’s going to cost ratepayers far more ...
Donald Trump, the orange-hued oligarch, is back at it again, wielding tariffs like a mob boss swinging a lead pipe. His latest economic edict; slapping hefty tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada, has the stench of a protectionist shakedown, cooked up in the fevered minds of his sycophantic ...
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...
One pill makes you largerAnd one pill makes you smallAnd the ones that mother gives youDon't do anything at allGo ask AliceWhen she's ten feet tallSongwriter: Grace Wing Slick.Morena, all, and a happy Bicycle Day to you.Today is an unofficial celebration of the dawning of the psychedelic era, commemorating the ...
It’s only been a few months since the Hollywood fires tore through Los Angeles, leaving a trail of devastation, numerous deaths, over 10,000 homes reduced to rubble, and a once glorious film industry on its knees. The Palisades and Eaton fires, fueled by climate-driven dry winds, didn’t just burn houses; ...
Four eighty-year-old books which are still vitally relevant today. Between 1942 and 1945, four refugees from Vienna each published a ground-breaking – seminal – book.* They left their country after Austria was taken over by fascists in 1934 and by Nazi Germany in 1938. Previously they had lived in ‘Red ...
Good Friday, 18th April, 2025: I can at last unveil the Secret Non-Fiction Project. The first complete Latin-to-English translation of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s twelve-book Disputationes adversus astrologiam divinatricem (Disputations Against Divinatory Astrology). Amounting to some 174,000 words, total. Some context is probably in order. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) ...
National MP Hamish Campbell's pathetic attempt to downplay his deep ties to and involvement in the Two by Twos...a secretive religious sect under FBI and NZ Police investigation for child sexual abuse...isn’t just a misstep; it’s a calculated lie that insults the intelligence of every Kiwi voter.Campbell’s claim of being ...
New Zealand First’s Shane Jones has long styled himself as the “Prince of the Provinces,” a champion of regional development and economic growth. But beneath the bluster lies a troubling pattern of behaviour that reeks of cronyism and corruption, undermining the very democracy he claims to serve. Recent revelations and ...
Give me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundGive me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundSaid I don't want to leave you lonelyYou got to make me change my mindSongwriters: Tracy Chapman.Morena, and Happy Easter, whether that means to you. Hot cross buns, ...
Te Pāti Māori are appalled by Cabinet's decision to agree to 15 recommendations to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector following the regulatory review by the Ministry of Regulation. We emphasise the need to prioritise tamariki Māori in Early Childhood Education, conducted by education experts- not economists. “Our mokopuna deserve ...
The Government must support Northland hapū who have resorted to rakes and buckets to try to control a devastating invasive seaweed that threatens the local economy and environment. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill that would ensure the biological definition of a woman and man are defined in law. “This is not about being anti-anyone or anti-anything. This is about ensuring we as a country focus on the facts of biology and protect the ...
After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...
To sleep, perchance to dreamIn the shadowy chambers of Lord Winston,The great clock strikes thirteen.All remains untouched, covered with dust,As it has done since the 1970s,In a simple world where boys were boys,Ladies were mini-skirted and compliant ladies,And Italian law students ruled the streetsIn their wide lapel zoot suits.King Lux ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will launch another push on health on Sunday, announcing a re-elected Labor government would set up a free around-the-clock 1800MEDICARE advice line and afterhours GP telehealth service. The service would ...
Asia Pacific Report Activists for Palestine paid homage to Pope Francis in Aotearoa New Zealand today for his humility, care for marginalised in the world, and his courageous solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza at a street theatre rally just hours before his funeral in Rome. He was remembered ...
By Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific presenter The doors of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican have now been closed and the coffin sealed, ahead of preparations for tonight’s funeral of Pope Francis. The Vatican says a quarter of a million people have paid respects to Pope Francis in the last ...
By Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific presenter The doors of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican have now been closed and the coffin sealed, ahead of preparations for tonight’s funeral of Pope Francis. The Vatican says a quarter of a million people have paid respects to Pope Francis in the last ...
Once or twice a week, Dr Margaret Henley rolls up the door on a windowless storage locker in central Auckland, pulls her plastic chair up to a picnic table and sifts through the history of netball in New Zealand.She works alongside netball archivist and statistician Todd Miller, together trawling through ...
Corin DannThe time is 7:36am on Wednesday, April 23, and you’re listening to Morning Report, New Zealand’s voice of the educated left on good incomes. I’m joined now by acting Prime Minister Winston Peters. Good morning Mr Peters.Winston PetersIt was, until I saw you. I much prefer your brother.Corin DannLiam ...
When Professor David Krofcheck got an email congratulating him on winning the Oscar of the science world, he dismissed it as a hoax.“I thought it was a scam, I thought it was a phishing email,” recalls Krofcheck, nuclear physicist at Auckland University.“Yeah right, I’ve won the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was.I’ve been re-watching Girls lately, the HBO classic that perfectly captures millennial women in the most painful way. I highly recommend it especially if you haven’t watched it before. Every character on the show is deeply flawed and frustrating in their own ...
With the double-header long weekend comes a welcome chance to escape streaming slop, writes Alex Casey. Over Easter I texted my husband Joe a sentence that perhaps nobody in human history has ever texted: “hurry up geostorm is starting”. No punctuation, no capitalisation, not because I was trying to ...
April 27 is Moehanga Day, the anniversary of the day in 1806 when Ngāpuhi warrior Moehanga became the first Māori to visit England. This is his story. The wooden ship sailed down the River Thames, past smoke stacks and brick factories, until it reached a wharf in industrial south London. ...
Heidi Thomson on how her husband’s illness and Daniel Kalderimis’s book Zest have enhanced her understanding of George Eliot’s great novel.Sometimes a book finds you at just the right time. In early December my husband John had a stroke. At the time we were both reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch, ...
The musician, actor and star of upcoming documentary Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds takes us through his life in television. Musician Marlon Williams has been on our My Life in TV wish list ever since he revealed during his My Boy tour that he wrote ‘Thinking ...
When she walked dripping into the lounge, hair wet from the shower, she took one look at Hamish and dropped her towel.He was holding her phone.—How long has it been going on for?His blue eyes blazed. She wanted to pluck them out and blow on them gently, cool them off. ...
A citizens’ assembly of 100 Porirua locals has provided the city council with more than a dozen recommendations about how to tackle climate change and make sure the region is resilient to worsening extreme weather events.Ranging from expanding access to renewable energy and incentivising the planting of native trees through ...
Comment: Democracy globally is in crisis. Around the world we are seeing the rise of nationalism and declining trust in democratic institutions. Politicians, even in Aotearoa, undermine the authority of core institutions like the media and the courts, which are critical for a functioning democracy. To live well together, in ...
Journalist Rod Oram, who died last year, would have been delighted to see the commitment to addressing climate change shown by the 23-year-old winner of a prize established in his memory.Mika Hervel, a student at Victoria University of Wellington, is today named winner of the Rod Oram Memorial Essay Prize, ...
COMMENTARY:By Nour Odeh There was faint hope that efforts to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza would succeed. That hope is now all but gone, offering 2.1 million tormented and starved Palestinians dismal prospects for the days and weeks ahead. Last Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister once again affirmed ...
An ocean conservation non-profit has condemned the United States President’s latest executive order aimed at boosting the deep sea mining industry. President Donald Trump issued the “Unleashing America’s offshore critical minerals and resources” order on Thursday, directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow deep sea mining. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In this election, voters are more distrustful than ever of politicians, and the political heroes of 2022 have fallen from grace, swept from favour by independent players. A Roy Morgan survey has found, for ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The former head of BenarNews’ Pacific bureau says a United States court ruling this week ordering the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to release congressionally approved funding to Radio Free Asia and its subsidiaries “makes us very happy”. However, Stefan Armbruster, who has ...
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 25, 2025. Labor takes large leads in YouGov and Morgan polls as surge continuesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With just eight days until the May 3 federal election, and with in-person early voting well under way, Labor has taken a ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Butter by Asako Yuzuki (Fourth Estate, $35) Fictionalised true crime for foodies. 2 Sunrise on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Taneshka Kruger, UP ISMC: Project Manager and Coordinator, University of Pretoria Healthcare in Africa faces a perfect storm: high rates of infectious diseases like malaria and HIV, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and dwindling foreign aid. In 2021, nearly half of ...
Australia and New Zealand join forces once more to bring you the best films and TV shows to watch this weekend. This Anzac Day, our free-to-air TV channels will screen a variety of commemorative coverage. At 11am, TVNZ1 has live coverage of the Anzac Day National Commemorative Service in Wellington. ...
Our laws are leaving many veterans who served after 1974 out in the cold. I know, because I’m one of them.This Sunday Essay was made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.First published in 2024.As I write this story, I am in constant pain. My hands ...
An MP fighting for anti-trafficking legislation says it is hard for prosecutors to take cases to court - but he is hopeful his bill will turn the tide. ...
NONFICTION1 No Words for This by Ali Mau (HarperCollins, $39.99)2 Everyday Comfort Food by Vanya Insull (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)3 Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
This Anzac Day marks 110 years since the Gallipoli landings by soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - the ANZACS. It signalled the beginning of a campaign that was to take the lives of so many of our young men - and would devastate the ...
The violent deportation of migrants is not new, and New Zealand forces had a hand in such a regime after World War II, writes historian Scott Hamilton. The world is watching the new Trump government wage a war against migrants it deems illegal. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.This Sunday Essay was made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
A new poem by Aperahama Hurihanganui, about the name of Aperahama and Abby Hauraki’s three-year-old son, Te Hono ki Īhipa (which translates to ‘The Connection to Egypt’). Te Hono ki Īhipa what’s in a name? te hono – the connection to your tīpuna, valiant soldiers of the 28th Māori Battalion ...
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If our finances are so dire and Joky Hen has identified where we can make serious adjustments that will put us back on the right track, how come he won’t implement those changes with immediate effect? Seems to me that if you are haemorrhaging then you apply the tourniquet now This is a sticking plaster approach to managing the economy, where the bleeding is of the government’s making in the first place.
Labour: KiwiSaver
National: KiwiSlaver
So what do you say to Phil Goff who, although bleating about the changes to kiwisaver, is also reported to have said that Labour would not reverse them.
Another “Axe the tax” campaign coming up?
Phil Goff is still the best leader of the opposition the government can have.
Bullshirt Sam, Bullshirt.
The Herald reports that Goff said “Labour would spread the burden more evenly, although such cuts were difficult to reverse all at once when there was a big deficit.”
He has not said he will not reverse them, only that the timing will need to be managed because of budgetary constraints.
Remind me never to believe anything you say ever again.
lovely .JM. we should use that in a core-flute at election time.Bye the way how many people picked up Brash’s comment on morning report ‘That the poor spend to much money on groceries. Perhaps he wants us to only eat tinned peas?
Great Jim! 🙂
Was checking on whether I had typed something or changed my mind at the last minute and found the follow-up comments … you guys might like one previously posted:
Helen Kelly: Working Bros
National: Warner Bros
🙂
‘
The Big Issues
Social Spending Cuts vs. Tax Cuts for the Rich.
The above, is the likely main issue around which the General Election will be about.
– and which all the contending political parties will be judged on.
One of the groups that has sought to make tax an election issue is the Tax Justice Campaign.
One of the main calls of the Tax Justice Campaign is the introduction of a Robin Hood tax, relabelled in this country the Hone Heke Tax, after the popular folk hero of New Zealand history.
Tax Justice are asking Kiwis to send a message to John Key following the release of the budget, next week.
Join the campaign, read all about it here.
“Employers and employees are going to have to shoulder more of the burden.”
and Phil O’Reilly agrees.
Kerr and his mates in the Round Table, however, have said that it is not
the responsibility of business to be involved in socially responsible issues.
It is their business to be as efficient and as profitable as possible.
Seems they would assert that the employee should be providing for himself, work harder, get more money and find his/her own retirement scheme.
Conservative bloggers use the repatriation of a head to accuse Maori of barbarism and praise European colonisation, but what about the European role in the nineteenth century head trade?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/05/white-headhunters.html
Children and teachers at a fifth of the 1,600 schools in Fukushima are receiving at least 20 millisieverts of radiation per year, said Nakate, according to readings from the government. That’s the limit for a nuclear power plant worker, according to Japan’s nuclear safety commission.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-11/fukushima-students-wear-masks-as-radiation-looms.html
Prior to this thing happening children were legally ‘permitted’ 2 millisieverts per year, the Japanese government has OKed the higher dose.
Fukushima is the latest growing disaster the MSM are ignoring, did anyone hear that reactor buildings 3 & 4 were burning for a few days over the weekend, and might still be? And radio active steam and water are still gushing from the plants? With contaminated ground water moving IN land. ‘We’ got more accurate and up to date information from the Russians re Chernobyl …. which was under control 6 weeks after it shit itself, where as Fukushima is at best 9 months away from being ‘under control’ if ever.
There is song that describes what is going to happen globally regarding cancer – Turning Japanese, oh yes I think so ….
For more info that is way beyond our idiot editors, and the even bigger sacks of shit, you know the ones in the Beehive.
But we will be ok as we have Kiwi Saver 😉
Nuclear collapse looms? Fukushima No. 4 reactor ‘leaning’
Look at 4:27 ish on this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxbm7iJTT8U
What you can see is the side of the spent fuel pond gone.
Not that anyone gives a rats arse
Oh I think most people give a rat’s arse, but there is nothing – repeat – nothing – they can do about it.
Yeah not even to demand the truth out of the ruling cartel, because that would mean learning something themselves …. then dragging themselves off the couch and acting.
There are a few positive moves around the World in terms of closing old Nuclear reactors down and undertaking more inspections. This has been a direct result of people making their voices heard. It’s also a result of some politicians waking up and realising that if they don’t do something, similar “accidents” will occur. However not enough is being done to ensure our safety and the human species survival for that matter.
Ground level photos of the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.
“The company had “no association” with the contract for the ministerial cars which he said would have been negotiated directly with BMW New Zealand.”
Question: Who has the maintainance contract on these cars. My guess is that it will probably be a Wellington dealership?
There are still questions that need answering…will the great Radio NZ political editor Brent Edwards go looking…or is he happy to regurgitate the National spin.
Storm in a tea cup.
Now that Hodgson is retiring Labour gets a new attack dog – Hipkins??
Speaking of smears and big issues and not fronting them, perhaps the PM might want to put his big boy pants on and do a sit down interview with this guy:
http://www.tv3.co.nz/John-Stephenson-re-Take-No-Prisoners-Apr-27/tabid/1833/articleID/70759/Default.aspx
Yeah, nah.
He would need to take his clown pants off first.
The amazing thing about Emperors Clothes is that they never need changing 😈
How to tell when someone’s lying.
Although deceptive people do not say much, they tend to spontaneously give a justification for what little they are saying, without being prompted.
They are more likely to press their lips when asked a sensitive question and are more likely to play with their hair or engage in other “grooming” behaviors. Gesturing toward one’s self with the hands tends to be a sign of deception; gesturing outwardly is not.
Ya reckon?.
Asshole of the Week Award – Kyle Chapman
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/asshole-of-week-award-kyle-chapman.html
Well this week’s award recipient was pretty easy to choose. Kyle Chapman jumped up and yelled; “I’m an asshole, look at me.” So naturally he was our top candidate. Kyle’s latest ridiculous crusade after taking a break from his National Front duties (to become a Mormon and rut his new wife Claire Clifford), was to start the fundamentalist group Right Wing Resistance (RWRNZ). Incidentally, Claire left the fascist in 2009 when he again became involved in hate campaigns. Wise move.
Aye and a progressive counter march is planned at the same time. Details are here.
todd, why did you change Nazi in the actual blog, to fundamentalist when quoting it here? Odd…
I started this as an open Letter to old smile and wave, but then I figured he would just ignore and delete so I will put it up here All comments are welcome. BTW I do not write for a living.
John Key You really think you are smart don’t you? you don’t give a flying fuck that you are leading New Zealand to Financial ruin. And you, who worships, and loves nothing more than money, and a job well done, why do you continue to sabotage Ordinary Kiwi’s?? you could have been a good prime minister. however you are a joke now. They Call you Shonky, Jonky, Smile and Wave and other less flattering things. What a legacy. The rich fool who hated his own country so much, that he lived in America. Until he came home to take his revenge against the very system that made him, gave him a safe environment, an education, (school and University) he went on to make millions, and what did he do ? He extracted his revenge on the very system that made him what he is. State Housing (ruined) ACC (ruined ready to be sold) Power Companies (readying them for sale 100% ( Don’t bullshit me)) WINZ ruined (where staff have been gutted, and now are overworked, demoralised, and underpaid). Early learning centres , Kindys and such funding slashed . The Family court that’s screwed now for sure. How will anyone ever get Free legal assistance ever again, or a competent lawyer, the Legal Aid service Slashed and cut. The Womans Refuge for gods sake the last bastion of safety for a battered woman, Funding Gutted. And I am sure others could add many more. And the numerous, faceless public servants that he has ruined, their lives in tatters, Bills to pay, bills that were incurred on a high income, and NO money or help, except to default. Because Winz won’t help if you can get an appointment in under 2 weeks, then you have to be like a performing dog, jumping through what ever hoops they feel like putting you through (You have NO choice in this. No do. NO MONEY). And then along come the vultures your mates they buy up NZ companies that you have ruined for a song. There are no jobs or if there are they don’t hire you. The minimum wage plummets, benefits are slashed, and crime increases and there you have it John Keys Utopia for all to see. A prison country..
Who would have thought Key would have watched Star trek Voyager episode 1 season 1 where a guy called Paris was serving on a prison colony in New Zealand.
Maybe that’s his goal a prison country.
Elections tend to be won or lost in Auckland – so, in my considered opinion, opposition to the proposed Auckland ($upercity) Council 4.9% increase, is not to be underestimated.
When the good folk in Epsom, living in their medium/ high value properties, realise that the Citizens and Ratepayer Councillors on 13 December 2010 supported a 3.9% rate increase – when they were led to believe that the Auckland ‘$upercity’ was going to achieve ‘economies of scale’ – I believe that some form of electoral backlash is to be expected….
__________________________________________________________________________
FYI:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/act-begins-search-epsom-candidate-replace-hide-ne-92821#comment-121262
Colin Williscroft | Wednesday May 11, 2011 | 13 comments
Act begins search for Epsom candidate to replace Hide
Nominations are open for an Act candidate to replace Rodney Hide and contest the Epsom electorate in the November 26 election.
“Act has always had a strong presence in Epsom – from 1996, when the party won 22% of the party vote, to the present day,” Auckland South board member Barbara Steinijans said.
“In Rodney Hide the people of Epsom have had strong local representation for the past six years. Once again, Act will be running a strong electorate vote based campaign.”
The incumbent MP, Mr Hide, does not have the support of new party leader Don Brash, although Mr Hide is yet to formally rule himself out from standing in the seat.
Mr Hide won 56% of the vote in the 2008 election, although National won 63% of the party vote.
Nominations close at 5pm on May 24.
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MY COMMENT:
John Banks was a loud and proud ‘$upercity’ supporter from Day One.
But – the first thing the $upercity -$uper RIP OFF Auckland Council wants to do is to put up residential and commercial rates 4.9%.
So much for the ‘economies of scale’ that were to be achieved by forcibly amalgamating our 8 former Councils, in another ‘Rogernomic$ blitzkrieg’ (without a binding poll of citizens and ratepayers).
For those who just want to jump on the band wagon and blame Mayor Len Brown and the ‘left-leaning’ majority on the Auckland Council – here are the FACTS:
C&R Councillors on 13 December 2010 voted in support of a 3.9% rates increase.
(You will note that young National Party ‘Wonder boy’ (?) Jami-Lee Ross supported a 3.9% rate increase? )
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/meetings_agendas/committees/Pages/strategyandfinancecommittee.aspx
Auckland Council Finance and Strategy Committee meeting 13 December 2010 (Pgs 7-8)
12. Annual Plan 2011/2012 – High Level Budget Review
(c) That the Strategy and Finance Committee agrees a rates target of 4.9% for 2011 -2012 to inform the Mayor’s development of the draft annual plan.
MOVED by Councillor Wood seconded Councillor Fletcher
That a rates increase of not more than 3.9% be struck and officers work to identify further savings.
A division was called for, voting on which was as follows:
For
Councillors
Cameron Brewer
Hon Chris Fletcher
Des Morrison
Callum Penrose
Noelene Raffills
Jami-Lee Ross
Sharon Stewart
George Wood
Against
Councillors
Anae Arthur Anae
Len Brown
Dr Cathy Casey
Sandra Coney
Alf Filipaina
Ann Hartley
Penny Hulse
Richard Northey
Sir John Walker
Wayne Walker
Penny Webster
Councillors Michael Goudie and Mike Lee were absent.
The division was declared lost 8 votes to 11
________________________________________________________________________________
The Auckland Council ‘books’ are NOT open.
If a giant scalpel were to be applied to all that consultant and private contractor BLUBBER, and core council services returned to ‘in-house’ provision (cutting out all these private ‘piggies-in-the-middle’), in my considered opinion, rates could be slashed by hundreds of millions of dollars.
That’s why I’m standing in the Howick by-election.
To help achieve that.
‘OPEN THE BOOKS! – CUT OUT THE CONTRACTORS!’
PS: If you think replacing the ‘bureaucracy’ with the ‘contractocracy’ is so ‘efficient’ – ask yourself this one simple question.
Over the last 20 years – have YOUR rates gone up or down?
Penny Bright
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
http://www.stopthesupercity.org.nz
http://www.stopprivatisation.org.nz
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
Penney I fully sympathasise because we are experiencing the same phenomenon with the Selwyn District Council who have just put up our rates nearly 15% on top of a 20% increase last year for Lake Coleridge Village.
The situation is a wee bit different as these increases are mostly on targeted rates like water and sewage on a small village of 40 households, but having said that we have to pay for a new swimming pool at Rolleston that is about 2 hours drive from here.
This pool cost about 14 million was approved regardless of earthquake damage in the area and on top of $14 million that was spent on building the new council chambers two years ago.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote to Mr Hide (a bit late) but I also wrote to Sue Kedgley we are trying to get the audit office in to have a look at the books.
Yes I agree the more it is outscoursed the less accountability there is, well I guess the most obvious example is contractors putting in their tenders, that has to be treated as commercially sensitive information. Still an auditor can still go through the books without compromising anyones privacy.
Yet they seem powerless and furthermore there doesn’t seem to be any political will to back them up.
So much for Rodney Hide’s promise to put a cap on Rates that exceed the rate of inflation, that promise can’t even be held in a supercity such as Auckland where the economies of scale is vastly different to the Selwyn District in Canterbury.
World’s Satirists Jump Under Buses
“Just can’t compete with this shit”
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/arctic-countries-seek-cooperation-ice-melts-150250967.html
wait for it, wait for iiiiit…
…
I’ve always been puzzled by the apparent certainty that the Arctic holds huge amounts of ‘undiscovered’ resources. Isn’t it also possible that it actually holds very little? Or that some other part on the planet that hasn’t been thoroughly explored (and there are lots) could actually turn out to have the motherlode?
Obviously, the concern about the 1.6m rise in sea levels is about how much more it’s going to cost to build the offshore oil rigs.
Anthropocene: Have humans created a new geological age?.
Dr Jan Zalasiewicz of the University of Leicester is one of the leading proponents of the Anthropocene theory. He told BBC News: “Simply put, our planet no longer functions in the way that it once did. Atmosphere, climate, oceans, ecosystems… they’re all now operating outside Holocene norms. This strongly suggests we’ve crossed an epoch boundary.”
Read this..
Funny photo of John Key too.. lol
http://www.webcitation.org/5VxD4yxyR
On the face of it looks like a good choice for once.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/4995021/Roger-Sutton-chief
Yeah. Hopefully he’ll be able to sort EQC out and get some proper co-ordination going there.
I really think they need to move to a model where people have case managers to deal with their claims so there’s some continuity of information and handling, instead of getting the ridiculous run-around of ringing up the call center, being put on hold for 20 minutes only to be told “no, we have no information for you”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4992150/PM-announces-Tai-Tokerau-by-election-date
25th June. Hone has till 31 May get his 500 members or he’ll have to run as an independant.
Would love Michael Cullen back:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10336666
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10336779
Interesting the thought of lowering taxes for business to a really low rate.
Had a mate just come back from living in Vegas for many years and he talked to me about how well that’s not gone over there.
As a result of lowering business taxes to low levels, and in some case state taxes to zero, new business has not been attracted to states like Nevada because as they now have no money services and infrastructure and education has been cut and no business wants to move there – you can’t for instance get skilled staff because the education system doesn’t produce any.
Sure Nevada for instance has other problems such as billions of dollars of clean up needed from now absent mining companies but lowering taxes has made things worse not better.
90% of Climate Denial Papers linked to ExxonMobil
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/90-of-climate-denial-papers-linked-to.html
A recent article by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), concerning a number of peer reviewed scientific papers, has received widespread global condemnation from environmentalists, scientists and some of the authors of the papers themselves. The article references more than 900 papers which, according to the GWPF, refute “concern relating to a negative environmental or socio-economic effect of AGW.
Roger Sutton will start in the role in mid-June, as the permanent chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. CERRA
Crikey. That was suggested by many including Jim Anderton at least 2months ago. A great leader for the job, as long as he can manage Brownlie.
# David Farrar (1,467) Says:
May 12th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
I might donate to Kelvin also.
Kelvin has no chance … labour party policy don’t give him the room to capture enough votes, and why vote your Kelvin he is already in next term at 23 on the list.
Hey David I think the last thing Kelvin would want is an endorsement from yourself, that would surely lower his mana in the north.
In the last Election Hone had a 32% mayority over Kelvin. If Kelvin wants a mandate he should also stand down from the Parliament, and remove himself from the list for the general election to test his mandate at this by election. I doubt he would.
Ok serious issues now, what the frack was Maurice Williamson on today?
Check out what he’s saying at 1:57, 2:00, and 2:17 in this vid: http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/8742
What’s he playing at meow?
http://labour.org.nz/news/national-shows-further-contempt-for-workers%E2%80%99-rights
This is what I’ve been saying for years now about the building industry in Auckland especially but around the country in general. It’s possible to be offered a position as a builder (4 years on the job training) for $15/hr +GST and for that one low price you have to supply all your own tools and vehicle (and old junker won’t cut it either as it will be unreliable). The tools aren’t cheap and need to be maintained and certified every three months.
Basically, once you take into account all your expenses for that hourly rate you’re quite literally paying to go to work. Paula Bennett’s “any job’s a good job” just shows how out of touch she is.
If you’re on the UE benefit WINZ will cut you off if you turn down said job because you must accept any reasonable offer of a job and the idiots at WINZ just look at the $15/hr and think it’s reasonable.
Yes, I saw that live today:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QOA/9/5/2/49HansQ_20110512_00000009-9-Find-a-Job-Website-Vacancies-Employment.htm
My thought at the time was that she was assuming only young people would be looking for such jobs. But what of the people who have already proved themselves, have a lot of experience and have been made redundant, especially older people? I heard a section on Nine-to-Noon this week about discrimination against older workers by recruitment practices, making it hard for older people to get jobs.
The great right wing myth that the min wage is just something kids get paid until they “move up”.
Or move to Australia.
That website is utter shite! Having been told that we have to make x applications per month through it, I look every so often. Many of the vacancies listed are old (and actually the positions are closed) and one can’t apply directly, but have to go through a case manager…
Getting the ‘case manager’ to pull finger and put in an application within the time specified is a job in itself (I have missed out on being considered for many jobs because of lazy or incompetent case managers and job brokers one of whom could not find my CV on time, although I followed her instructions and sent it to her time and time again, and it was already on their system!
All of the jobs seem to be unskilled, and some of them are frankly scams (telemarketing, pyramid selling etc.) One job broker referred me for a job I had already applied for and been turned down for, and then referred me for a job way above my competence. I was very embarassed when the employer (DOS of a language school) phoned to tell me gently that I wasn’t qualified, sorry, and I told her “I know. I didn’t want to be referred for the job, but WINZ wouldn ‘t listen”
WINZ don’t know their rectums from their ante-cubital fossae..
I heard that Goldman Sachs has been hired to help AMI Insurance.
Learn a bit more about Goldman Sachs on the excellent Keiser Report. NB some offensive language 🙂
Summing up Goldman Sachs business practice: Finangle a sale of paper to the client that we get paid a commission for, when the paper fucks over the client it we will benefit again because we took bets out that the paper we sold the client will collapse.
Yeah, I don’t think that getting G/S to help AMI will help AMI – probably do G/S real good though.
Today on my way to Parnell, I had the misfortune to sit right behind a chatty bus driver who insisted on pointing out John Key’s house, and telling me how much better he is under NACT, and how NACT will force his ‘malingerer’ brother on a sickness benefit to get a job, and force his prisoner ‘good for nothing’ brother in law to go straight…
Then he showed some more of his true charm by letting me off outside off at the primary school where I was going to interview for a special needs teacher aide job – and as I got off the bus saying to me “There they are, the little bastards. Rich kids!” * as he drove away.
As my son said later when I told him about it, the guy is the second type of RWNJ, a poor or middle class guy who thinks that a leader like Shonkey will make him (Mr Bus Driver) into a plutocrat, who can crap on the poor, as in his perception the ‘dictator’ Helen Clark used to do. By him Phil Goff is a weak ninny who wouldn’t stand up to Helen, and John Key is a brave knight who has rescued our economy. (Above all, my making beneficiaries ‘shape up’! )
*As the school principal interviewing me said, the school is decile 10, but it takes children from all over the show, including the children of doctoral candidates from University of Auckland, and its make up is changing. Not all “rich kids” by any means.