Yesterday the Herald had Heather DPA wringing her hands over poor middle NZ stuck in traffic agonising over whether they can take the kids on holiday and today we have another Herald reporter telling us that….
“The first time some 10 to 12-year-olds ever set foot on the beach is when they arrive on a school trip to help clean up the beach.
Many of the school children who turn up to the annual Love Your Coast Manukau Harbour clean-up event attend schools in South and West Auckland, as well as the Awhitu Peninsula which juts out into the harbour – yet they have never felt the sand between their toes.
Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust New Zealand chief executive Sam Judd said at one event he held, three-quarters of the children had not been to the beach.”
That was three quarters of the children living in South Auckland HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH.
However, before y’all get all gooey over the generosity of Auckland Airport paying for these children from low decile South Auckland schools to go to the beach…it ain’t for sandcastles and a sausage sizzle.
No, no…the poor kids are put on the bus, after a lecture about how the rubbish they drop outside their own houses ends up in the harbour…are driven to the beach to clean it up…because ALL of the rubbish there must come from the poor people.
“We invite low-decile schools first and there’s an obvious reason for this. If kids have never been to the beach then you can’t engage them to change their behaviour about what they’re doing outside their house in terms of littering because it goes into the stream. That issue is prevalent in areas surrounding the Manukau Harbour and we are very aware of this from experience.”
“Manukau Harbour extends along 450km of coastline and the Sustainable Coastlines clean-up runs for six weeks, with an estimated 1500 students helping out.
As part of being involved in the clean-up, the students are given an educational presentation before boarding the bus. They then help pick up the rubbish along the shore.”
“It’s teaching kids that what they do has consequences even if they do not see it.”
You have already made the assumption that these kids don’t already know that.
Another assumption is that these kids are all included in the cohort of people who wilfully litter.
“I think it’s a really good program. “
That’s because you are not a long-term consequence thinker James.
Create urban environments that are not hostile to those that live and work in them, and they will be valued and treated as such. Introduce children to the wonder of the natural world as appreciative parts of it, not as the clean up crew for their first experience, and let them feel connected before getting them fix the mess.
Ideally, take adults who think it is a really good programme, to do the clean up, while others who both like children and understand the significance of them not knowing their own coastline introduce them to their coastline and let them explore.
The point I was making James…a really important point so I put it in CAPITALS and got all shouty about it, was …
“That was three quarters of the children living in South Auckland HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH.”
Think about that for a minute….out of 12 children bussed to the beach to pick up rubbish….9 had never been to the beach before.
Molly got it…make their first trip to the beach a happy, positive recreational experience….exploring, sandcastles barbecue and ice cream,
Fuck it, I give up….be happy in your wallow James…you are beyond teaching. No point in trying to raise a person’s consciousness when they are not conscious.
From the comment:
“We invite low-decile schools first and there’s an obvious reason for this. If kids have never been to the beach then you can’t engage them to change their behaviour about what they’re doing outside their house in terms of littering because it goes into the stream. That issue is prevalent in areas surrounding the Manukau Harbour and we are very aware of this from experience.”
So this according to those who organise it seems that rich kids don’t need to change their behavior, that they obviously don’t litter and such. Right ? Right? All those people that do go to the beach always clean up after themselves? And all those people in town shopping, and outsides their homes never flick a cigarette, drop a macdo bag, and and and.
At least in the communist East Germany when they had their annual clean up day of rivers and coast lines it was all the schools that went there, all the factory workers, all the office workers.
Not just the free labour of poor kids under the thin camouflage of ‘education’.
Yes indeed, many’s the time I see gaggles of excited teens going down the street on their Saturday rubbish collection, wondering aloud what they might find. All the rage in the poorer suburbs, apparently. 🙄
“pretty much every time we go to the beach with the dogs”
The point is made, you’ve gone to the beach for your own enjoyable purposes. ie. You have not gone to the beach to clean up the rubbish and happened to take the dogs….
“You should try it. Feels nice doing just a little something for the community.”I’m guessing that many on this site often do “something” or more for the community. Just not part of the brigade that Keri Hulme refers to as: “I wear my heart on my sleeve, so mind you look at my sleeve”.
“*edit – rubbish on the beach – not my dogs ‘rubbish’
“
Ewhh… pick up your dog’s rubbish James.
You would be providing a practical real world example, and protecting the environment.
(Yes, I know – wilful misunderstanding on my part. Thought you might recognise it) 🙂
Sounds like a good program. A day at the beach, but I hope that it isn’t wet and raining and cold for them. Also that they have good footwear so that they don’t step on broken glass and open tins.
But it is hard to get out and about when you are poor. There has been a lot of talk about the beaches being NZs heritage. The ones who are heard in the media most, that is, the ones who claim everything possible for their own use and to hell with the rest. We don’t even have health camps any more. There is no concerted desire and drive to be kind and caring, show empathy and respect for others who haven’t been born with a silver spoon in the mouth, which includes having opportunities and being able to grasp them to better yourself.
Here is a nice happy song about going to the beach. Teachers and parents could sing it with their kids. Day Trip to Bangor – it is a bit out of sync – the audio and image but the song is great and more it is a great way of being transported back to the 60’s with the long hair etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8WiPy1xSkw
@AndrewLittleMP Dec 9: “For the record, I have no intention of standing in Mt Albert”.
Little has stated he wants an early election instead of a by-election:
“We have anticipated that there could be an earlier election and more so given the change of leadership in the National Party.
“So I think I’d probably rather avoid a byelection and just get straight into an earlier election.”
1 I think little is trying to force Englishs had – but I doubt he will
2 I think he is too chicken to go for that seat knowing just 8%want him as pm and that the spotlight would be on the by election – he’s scared it will make him look bad for the general – possibly with good cause.
Mt Albert is not New Plymouth. National’s policies are hurting the people of Mt Albert, while New Plymouth is fed by the proceeds of unregulated dairy intensification.
No, a by election in Mt Albert would be the 4th significant loss for the government this term alone along with Northland, Auckland, and Mt Roskill. Not to mention the disaster that was the flag referendum.
National are petrified of Mt Albert and won’t risk it.
Now I know you’re taking the proverbial, do you really think Labour winning a safe Labour seat in a by-election is what’s going to get businesses to open their cheque books?
“No, a by election is a no win situation for National.”
Sure it is, Labour raise less money than the Greens so wasting money on a by-lection means Labour have even less to spend on the general election
Now while money is the most important factor in an election, if it was Internet Mana would have a couple of seats and the Greens would have more seats then Labour, you still need to spend a certain amount so draining Labour would be a good move by National
“They are very unsure of themselves in Auckland and completely disconnected from the community”
Sure and Labours Chinese sounding name debacle proves how connected they are
If I was Little I’d stand there because it would give him more legitimacy by holding an electorate seat and he’s shown he can’t win a swing seat in a general election so what he needs to win is a safe seat in a by-election
You are just stirring PR.
If Little stood in that electorate he would win. It is safe Labour after all.
However what would he have to do? Suppose that Shearer resigned on 31 December. English gets to set the by-election date and he could make it sometime in the first half of March.
Little would then have to spend all his time in Auckland campaigning. He wouldn’t be in Parliament at all for the first 2 or 3 months of the year.
He would also look like a fool.
If National had any sense they would arrange for local people to turn up wherever Little was and ask him questions about local problems in the electorate.
He wouldn’t have a clue about any of them so he would be like the Green’s Gareth Hughes. You remember? “Clint what do we think about this?”
Imagine him trying to explain how Labours transport policies were going to improve transport on some road in the electorate when he doesn’t even know where the road is, and probably whether there actually is such a road?
Better still would be asking him questions about things that aren’t even in the electorate. He wouldn’t have time to check and would look even sillier. Plus, given his practice of simply spouting his prepared lines when questioned, it would be clear that he knows nothing about the electorate and very little about Auckland.
The carpet bagger line wouldn’t matter. The electorate accepted that when Shearer was parachuted in and it doesn’t really matter in the bigger cities. It is only in the provincial centres that bringing someone in from outside is a very bad idea.
However looking ignorant is never a good idea and a party leader abandoning Parliament for months is an even worse one. Worst of all would be a candidate in a by election who never turned up at all to any organised event or came up to Auckland only for weekends.
Well if Labour drop anymore in the polls he might not even get in on the list vote so for me that’s another good reason to be getting an electorate seat
I actually think Andrew little could win Mt Albert! But it is probably not worth the risk if for some reason he does not win. Again another area in Auckland where families might be sitting on large mortgages. But the unitary plan and super city from the Natz have not been popular!
Honest question. I know 8% seems low but what did John Key rate as preferred PM when he was leader of the opposition? I would expect that it would not have been much higher than 8% but I may be wrong.
I think National are terrified of the momentum Labour has after Mt Roskill (Key resigned over it), and will be desperate not to lose any further ground with another heavy defeat in Mt Albert.
The message would be clear after three landslides – National has lost Auckland to Labour. National’s policies are hurting more and more people in Auckland.
They are scared and will call an early election just to avoid this scenario.
Labour humiliated National in Mt Roskill. Labour increased their strength while National believed they had narrowed the gap. National lost touch with the community and a disinterested Key read that and quit before he was pushed.
Does anyone else think Paula Bennett’s suddenly publicly discovering her Maori ties, is somehow a way to try mimic Labour’s ‘I’m local” campaign?
Natz not just a party of 1% globalists pushing free trade and massive lazy immigration, but now a u turn to offer their ‘local’ side in deputy and future PM, Bennett.
James @ 9.20am wrote
“Do you honestly think Key quit over Mt Roskill ?”
No. but one definitely gets the feeling that he is quitting before the manure stuff has a conflict with the revolving thing.
He’s scuttling off to Hawai tomorrow, Rats leaving sinking things comes to mind.
What just happened is John Key all but guaranteed a fourth National government with NZfirst
It is true NZFirst has gone into power with National and Labour in the past however what is also true is that NZFirst has gone into power with the party with the most votes
So National will have to drop a lot and Labour, not Lab/Green, will have to increase a lot
Even better is that people will know its because of the strength (mid to high 40s) John Key left National in
One last present from John Key to the Labour party 🙂
But Pucky, prior to Key’s scuttling-to-Hawaii, you were certain that he’d guaranteed National a win in 2017.Now you’re saying, all but. You’ve suffered a lost, a set-back, a slap-in-the-face.
Never mind, just keep your pecker up and don’t let your fear show.
But Pucky, prior to Key’s scuttling-to-Hawaii, you were certain that he’d guaranteed National a win in 2017.
He had
Now you’re saying, all but. You’ve suffered a lost, a set-back, a slap-in-the-face.
Its true but now I’ve had to the weekend to contemplate the situation and I say all but because its possible something could happen to cause National to lose support (English inexplicably does an impromptu strip tease, Bennett demonstrates the quickest way to kill a kitten with a brick, that kind of thing) but short of that its…three more years!
Never mind, just keep your pecker up and don’t let your fear show.
I’ll make sure my pecker stays up don’t you worry about that
@ Cinny, Although a cheer leader piece for Key, it is not really a complementary way to look at NZ. Would you really want to go and live in NZ or be proud of your country after looking at that neoliberal classification of success under Key?
The investigation’s revelations suggest Mourinho’s image rights were ceded from a company owned by him called Koper, located in the British Virgin Islands, to two companies in Ireland.
Koper was in turn controlled by Kaitaia Trust, formed in Auckland in 2008. The investigation allegedly found the beneficiaries of the trust were listed as “Mourinho’s current wife and his children”.
So formed soon after JK became PM.
This story actually broke a couple of days before John Key resigned:
It would be difficult for the scavenger hunt to lead further away from Mourinho than New Zealand. Compared to a standard game of hide-and-seek, it was quite a masterful effort at invisibility. But who in New Zealand? The foundation is called Kaitaia Trust and Mourinho’s name is not listed in the commercial register. Indeed, the only name that appears is that of an Auckland-based firm that specializes in the founding of companies. The hunt, in other words, isn’t over.
To make it more confusing, searching on “Kaitaia Trust” shows there’s a far north Iwi trust, referred to in English as the Kaitaia Trust. There’s also the Destiny Church Kaitaia Trust.
“So formed soon after JK became PM”
Citation?
Key was sworn in on the 19th November 2008, so one of his first acts of office was to change trust laws to allow Mourinho to allegedly dodge taxes?
I can’t see any record of such trust laws being changed in that first month in charge…don’t tell me Labour were the ones that turned NZ into a tax haven! Or does that not fit your tinfoil hat conspiracy?
Key ignored the warnings, and, as I recall, made it even easier for tax avoiding offshore entities.
Key may well have been aware of the potential of NZ’s foreign tax laws. He talked early on: eg 2009; of his hopes for NZ to become an offshore banking sector like Ireland
Well. I find JK’s resignation as puzzling as I always found his decision to return to NZ to go into politics.
The day of his leaving suggests it was a snap decision – even though he may have been kinda planning it for a while. He had several interviews planned last Monday. Did one, cancelled the rest, then called an early press conference.
So, there may have been a few factors contributing to his resignation. But something (maybe?) happened last Monday (or recently that he became aware of on Monday), so he rushed to do the announcement.
Tax havens is one possible factor – so will watch that space.
On the First day of Christmas – a great quote about Friendship
from Mark Twain (with his own wee humourous, ironic twist.)
The holy passion of friendship is so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring in nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money. Mark Twain
Is anyone following the Electoral College voter thing in the US? I keep seeing snippets that are suggesting that Trump might not get to be president, but I haven’t seen a good analysis of what is possible or probably.
I have been following the trend toward Pence being actual President and Trump being figurehead. Pence now taking all intelligence briefings, not Trump (Trump admits).
Interesting theory is the old guard Republicans will move at some point to impeach Trump leaving Pence as official Pres.
In Wisconsin there is almost no change. At the 95% mark Clinton would appear to have gained about a net 25 votes over Trump. Clinton is up 653 and Trump is up 628.
That is certainly not going to overcome a 27,000 vote majority is it? http://elections.wi.gov/node/4760
Where did you see anything that argued that Trump could lose the Presidency?
“At the 95% mark Clinton would appear to have gained about a net 25 votes over Trump. Clinton is up 653 and Trump is up 628.
That is certainly not going to overcome a 27,000 vote majority is it?”
I have no idea, because I don’t understand what you just said.
“Where did you see anything that argued that Trump could lose the Presidency?”
The idea is that there is building movement for enough electoral college voters to not vote for Trump.
“I don’t understand what you just said”
Oh. OK I’ll spell it out a bit more fully.
At the latest report I found, which is the link I included, they had completed a recount of 95% of the ballots. They have recounted 2,826,909 of the 2,975,313 that were cast.
On election day Trump had led in the state by 22,000 votes (correction from the 27,000 I listed). Trump got about 1,404,000 votes and Clinton 1,382,000.
At this point in the recount Trump’s total has risen by 628. Clinton’s total has gone up by 653. They both gained in some counties and lost in others. That is the net figure.
Thus Trump’s majority in the state has only dropped by 25 votes and there really doesn’t seem any possibility that the last 5% of the ballots to be counted (about 150,000 of them) can give a swing to Clinton of another 21,975 does there?
I thought that your comment “Is anyone following the Electoral College voter thing in the US” meant the make up of the College which depends on the recounts. That is why I was talking about it.
I didn’t realise that you were talking about the possibility of pledged voters jumping ship and voting for Clinton when they were pledged to Trump. Now I see why you didn’t see what I was talking about.
That isn’t going to happen in my view. An awful lot of them would have to jump and they would all become pariahs. It isn’t like the dixiecrats in 1948.
What is almost certainly going to happen is the Electors will cast their ballots on 19th December, and that Trump and Pence will get more than 270 each, and so everything will stay on the track it’s on now. Anything else is a very very long shot.
It doesn’t specify how each state chooses electors, or that the electors are in any way bound in who they vote for. It just so happens that all states have chosen some form of FPP for their electors. Some states (not all) do have laws specifying some sort of penalty for electors that don’t vote how they’re supposed to (faithless electors), but the penalties are fairly trivial.
There are efforts to get enough electors to vote for a moderate Republican other than Trump, which would require at least 37 faithless Republican electors to join up in order to deny Trump the 270 he needs to win the Electoral College. So far the effort seems to be led by Colorado electors (Democrats) and only one Republican elector so far publicly supports it. That may open the floodgates, but probably not. Although another elector from Texas has said he couldn’t vote for Trump and resigned, presumably replaced by a Trump loyalist.
If Trump doesn’t get 270 electors, the choice gets thrown to the House, which then votes by some sort of state delegation basis, between the top three Electoral College vote-winners . So chances are Trump would win that vote anyway. The VP choice goes to the Senate which votes between the top two choices, so Pence is gonna be VP no matter what (barring Sweet Meteor of Death).
I haven’t seen any one or several articles that gather it all together, but if I do I’ll post it.
“If Trump doesn’t get 270 electors, the choice gets thrown to the House, which then votes by some sort of state delegation basis, between the top three Electoral College vote-winners . So chances are Trump would win that vote anyway.”
“The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice.”
Unless of course there is substance to the leaks the WaPo cites.
Hamilton (Federalist 68) thought Electoral College would prevent "foreign powers" from putting a "creature of their own" in U.S. presidency.— Deepak Gupta (@deepakguptalaw) December 10, 2016
Well, yeah, one of the arguments used in defense of the Electoral College is it’s a final check against electing someone totally unfit to the presidency. That moment has arrived, what with the nominal winner being clearly unfit, indebted to the foreign government owned Bank of China and having alleged hidden links to Russia among a multitude of other disqualifiers, and losing the popular vote by about 2%. But I’d be utterly astonished if enough electors actually put aside partisanship to do their duty to the country.
It seems Trump’s ethics are too smelly to swallow even for the likes of Richard Painter, GW Bush’s ethics lawyer (!!!?!) and Peter Schweizer, the author of “Clinton Cash” (!!!!!).
Republicians left the party vacant for Trump to waddle in and take down his pants and crap right in the middle of it. Now Trump is setting the stage to destroy the Republician party for good, his admistration aint even started and i suspect Republicians in Congress are thinking impeachment already. Trump what a joke.
Keynes was no fool, we would do well to reconsider his ideas. They may have needed some tweaking, but overall far better than the current nonsense.
The good news, Keynes hears, is that lessons were learned from the 1930s. Governments committed themselves to maintaining demand at a high enough level to secure full employment. They recycled the tax revenues that accrued from robust growth into higher spending on public infrastructure. They took steps to ensure that there was a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor.
The bad news was that the lessons were eventually forgotten. The period between FDR’s second win and Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House can be divided into two halves: the 40 years up until 1976 and the 40 years since
Bill English gave a hugely impressive performance in his first press conference as newly elected National Party leader, with deputy leader Paula Bennett alongside.
The 10 years he spent in his so-called masterclass of leadership under John Key were evident.
So too was the 54 years English has been exercising his own natural intelligence and tinder dry sense of humour.
One of the biggest surprises was a reference to supporting unions in his prepared statement – perhaps a first for a leader of the National Party which has traditionally been the party of bosses.
“By supporting families, businesses, volunteers, parents, iwi, unions and churches Government can do a better job of changing lives,” he said.
Thanks, now things become clear. Double dipper casts aside the rugby image and trys to concentrate on the arts–eg poets –on a farming theme’ Mary had a little lamb’ etc.
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TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
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Yesterday the Herald had Heather DPA wringing her hands over poor middle NZ stuck in traffic agonising over whether they can take the kids on holiday and today we have another Herald reporter telling us that….
“The first time some 10 to 12-year-olds ever set foot on the beach is when they arrive on a school trip to help clean up the beach.
Many of the school children who turn up to the annual Love Your Coast Manukau Harbour clean-up event attend schools in South and West Auckland, as well as the Awhitu Peninsula which juts out into the harbour – yet they have never felt the sand between their toes.
Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust New Zealand chief executive Sam Judd said at one event he held, three-quarters of the children had not been to the beach.”
That was three quarters of the children living in South Auckland HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH.
However, before y’all get all gooey over the generosity of Auckland Airport paying for these children from low decile South Auckland schools to go to the beach…it ain’t for sandcastles and a sausage sizzle.
No, no…the poor kids are put on the bus, after a lecture about how the rubbish they drop outside their own houses ends up in the harbour…are driven to the beach to clean it up…because ALL of the rubbish there must come from the poor people.
“We invite low-decile schools first and there’s an obvious reason for this. If kids have never been to the beach then you can’t engage them to change their behaviour about what they’re doing outside their house in terms of littering because it goes into the stream. That issue is prevalent in areas surrounding the Manukau Harbour and we are very aware of this from experience.”
“Manukau Harbour extends along 450km of coastline and the Sustainable Coastlines clean-up runs for six weeks, with an estimated 1500 students helping out.
As part of being involved in the clean-up, the students are given an educational presentation before boarding the bus. They then help pick up the rubbish along the shore.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11761677
It’s teaching kids that what they do has consequences even if they do not see it.
I think it’s a really good program.
Kids are been taught that they can do real damage to the environment- how can this be bad.
And for your info – decile 10 schools on the shore do similar things.
“It’s teaching kids that what they do has consequences even if they do not see it.”
You have already made the assumption that these kids don’t already know that.
Another assumption is that these kids are all included in the cohort of people who wilfully litter.
“I think it’s a really good program. “
That’s because you are not a long-term consequence thinker James.
Create urban environments that are not hostile to those that live and work in them, and they will be valued and treated as such. Introduce children to the wonder of the natural world as appreciative parts of it, not as the clean up crew for their first experience, and let them feel connected before getting them fix the mess.
Ideally, take adults who think it is a really good programme, to do the clean up, while others who both like children and understand the significance of them not knowing their own coastline introduce them to their coastline and let them explore.
These two comments above say it all.
James… right wing prat
Molly… empathetic leftie.
Well done you two.
Yep. I get called rightwong for educating kids with a practical real world example and protecting the environment.
Ffs – not everything is political – this is just teaching kids not to littler and if they do – what happens.
If my kids were given this as a class – I would be right behind it.
You’ve missed the boat James.
The whole point is these poor kids haven’t had a life. But like your ex leader you’re quite comfortable with that.
The point I was making James…a really important point so I put it in CAPITALS and got all shouty about it, was …
“That was three quarters of the children living in South Auckland HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH.”
Think about that for a minute….out of 12 children bussed to the beach to pick up rubbish….9 had never been to the beach before.
Molly got it…make their first trip to the beach a happy, positive recreational experience….exploring, sandcastles barbecue and ice cream,
Fuck it, I give up….be happy in your wallow James…you are beyond teaching. No point in trying to raise a person’s consciousness when they are not conscious.
The fact that they have parents who dont take them to the beach is not the schools fault.
The fact that collecting rubbish from the beach can be a fun as positive exprience seems to miss you.
From the comment:
“We invite low-decile schools first and there’s an obvious reason for this. If kids have never been to the beach then you can’t engage them to change their behaviour about what they’re doing outside their house in terms of littering because it goes into the stream. That issue is prevalent in areas surrounding the Manukau Harbour and we are very aware of this from experience.”
So this according to those who organise it seems that rich kids don’t need to change their behavior, that they obviously don’t litter and such. Right ? Right? All those people that do go to the beach always clean up after themselves? And all those people in town shopping, and outsides their homes never flick a cigarette, drop a macdo bag, and and and.
At least in the communist East Germany when they had their annual clean up day of rivers and coast lines it was all the schools that went there, all the factory workers, all the office workers.
Not just the free labour of poor kids under the thin camouflage of ‘education’.
Yep. Sounds like some rich folks have found another way to reintroduce slavery.
🙄
+100
How often do you go picking up rubbish for fun?
Yes indeed, many’s the time I see gaggles of excited teens going down the street on their Saturday rubbish collection, wondering aloud what they might find. All the rage in the poorer suburbs, apparently. 🙄
Actually – pretty much every time we go to the beach with the dogs – I pick up the rubbish.
You should try it. Feels nice doing just a little something for the community.
*edit – rubbish on the beach – not my dogs ‘rubbish’
“pretty much every time we go to the beach with the dogs”
The point is made, you’ve gone to the beach for your own enjoyable purposes. ie. You have not gone to the beach to clean up the rubbish and happened to take the dogs….
“You should try it. Feels nice doing just a little something for the community.”I’m guessing that many on this site often do “something” or more for the community. Just not part of the brigade that Keri Hulme refers to as: “I wear my heart on my sleeve, so mind you look at my sleeve”.
“*edit – rubbish on the beach – not my dogs ‘rubbish’
“
Ewhh… pick up your dog’s rubbish James.
You would be providing a practical real world example, and protecting the environment.
(Yes, I know – wilful misunderstanding on my part. Thought you might recognise it) 🙂
Sounds like a good program. A day at the beach, but I hope that it isn’t wet and raining and cold for them. Also that they have good footwear so that they don’t step on broken glass and open tins.
But it is hard to get out and about when you are poor. There has been a lot of talk about the beaches being NZs heritage. The ones who are heard in the media most, that is, the ones who claim everything possible for their own use and to hell with the rest. We don’t even have health camps any more. There is no concerted desire and drive to be kind and caring, show empathy and respect for others who haven’t been born with a silver spoon in the mouth, which includes having opportunities and being able to grasp them to better yourself.
Here is a nice happy song about going to the beach. Teachers and parents could sing it with their kids. Day Trip to Bangor – it is a bit out of sync – the audio and image but the song is great and more it is a great way of being transported back to the 60’s with the long hair etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8WiPy1xSkw
and then there is a takeoff by Jasper Carrott which is not suitable for those of polite disposition.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elmfnHHs8Yg
Phile Quin offering free advice with a side order of bitterness and snide .
He assumes there’ll be a by-election in Mt. Albert, so I figure we’ll be having an early election.
Even I thought that was a little over the top scathing.
And little won’t run for the seat.
@AndrewLittleMP Dec 9: “For the record, I have no intention of standing in Mt Albert”.
Little has stated he wants an early election instead of a by-election:
“We have anticipated that there could be an earlier election and more so given the change of leadership in the National Party.
“So I think I’d probably rather avoid a byelection and just get straight into an earlier election.”
…but I think that’s unlikely.
Two things –
1 I think little is trying to force Englishs had – but I doubt he will
2 I think he is too chicken to go for that seat knowing just 8%want him as pm and that the spotlight would be on the by election – he’s scared it will make him look bad for the general – possibly with good cause.
I think Jacinda will stand.
Little would clean up in Mt Albert.
Like he did in New Plymouth?
Mt Albert is not New Plymouth. National’s policies are hurting the people of Mt Albert, while New Plymouth is fed by the proceeds of unregulated dairy intensification.
No, a by election in Mt Albert would be the 4th significant loss for the government this term alone along with Northland, Auckland, and Mt Roskill. Not to mention the disaster that was the flag referendum.
National are petrified of Mt Albert and won’t risk it.
No, a by-election in Mt Albert would be another serious drain on Labours finances which is why, if I was English I’d make sure there was a by election
Success breeds success and a 3rd victory in Auckland would increase the interest of likely donors.
No, a by election is a no win situation for National. They are very unsure of themselves in Auckland and completely disconnected from the community.
“increase the interest of likely donors.”
Now I know you’re taking the proverbial, do you really think Labour winning a safe Labour seat in a by-election is what’s going to get businesses to open their cheque books?
“No, a by election is a no win situation for National.”
Sure it is, Labour raise less money than the Greens so wasting money on a by-lection means Labour have even less to spend on the general election
Now while money is the most important factor in an election, if it was Internet Mana would have a couple of seats and the Greens would have more seats then Labour, you still need to spend a certain amount so draining Labour would be a good move by National
“They are very unsure of themselves in Auckland and completely disconnected from the community”
Sure and Labours Chinese sounding name debacle proves how connected they are
If I was Little I’d stand there because it would give him more legitimacy by holding an electorate seat and he’s shown he can’t win a swing seat in a general election so what he needs to win is a safe seat in a by-election
You are just stirring PR.
If Little stood in that electorate he would win. It is safe Labour after all.
However what would he have to do? Suppose that Shearer resigned on 31 December. English gets to set the by-election date and he could make it sometime in the first half of March.
Little would then have to spend all his time in Auckland campaigning. He wouldn’t be in Parliament at all for the first 2 or 3 months of the year.
He would also look like a fool.
If National had any sense they would arrange for local people to turn up wherever Little was and ask him questions about local problems in the electorate.
He wouldn’t have a clue about any of them so he would be like the Green’s Gareth Hughes. You remember? “Clint what do we think about this?”
Imagine him trying to explain how Labours transport policies were going to improve transport on some road in the electorate when he doesn’t even know where the road is, and probably whether there actually is such a road?
Better still would be asking him questions about things that aren’t even in the electorate. He wouldn’t have time to check and would look even sillier. Plus, given his practice of simply spouting his prepared lines when questioned, it would be clear that he knows nothing about the electorate and very little about Auckland.
The carpet bagger line wouldn’t matter. The electorate accepted that when Shearer was parachuted in and it doesn’t really matter in the bigger cities. It is only in the provincial centres that bringing someone in from outside is a very bad idea.
However looking ignorant is never a good idea and a party leader abandoning Parliament for months is an even worse one. Worst of all would be a candidate in a by election who never turned up at all to any organised event or came up to Auckland only for weekends.
Well if Labour drop anymore in the polls he might not even get in on the list vote so for me that’s another good reason to be getting an electorate seat
I actually think Andrew little could win Mt Albert! But it is probably not worth the risk if for some reason he does not win. Again another area in Auckland where families might be sitting on large mortgages. But the unitary plan and super city from the Natz have not been popular!
Well of course he’d win, its a Labour seat in a by-election so its his best chance of winning a seat
Honest question. I know 8% seems low but what did John Key rate as preferred PM when he was leader of the opposition? I would expect that it would not have been much higher than 8% but I may be wrong.
I think National are terrified of the momentum Labour has after Mt Roskill (Key resigned over it), and will be desperate not to lose any further ground with another heavy defeat in Mt Albert.
The message would be clear after three landslides – National has lost Auckland to Labour. National’s policies are hurting more and more people in Auckland.
They are scared and will call an early election just to avoid this scenario.
Do you honestly think Key quit over Mt Roskill ?
You are delusional.
I know Key quit over Mt Roskill.
You are naive.
Key quit because a Labour retained a Labour seat in a by-election…wow
Labour humiliated National in Mt Roskill. Labour increased their strength while National believed they had narrowed the gap. National lost touch with the community and a disinterested Key read that and quit before he was pushed.
So Labour in the mid twenties humiliated National in the 40s and thus John Key resigned, you don’t happen to work for the Labour party by any chance?
Am I on The Standard or Kiwiblog? More bloody right wingers on here than sandflies at Milford Sounds.
OK – Here you go – simply question for you – How do you “Know” – anything to back that up other than a feeling?
You ned to seperate thoughts / feelings from facts when you are presenting it as such.
Presumably your comment was meant as irony
Does anyone else think Paula Bennett’s suddenly publicly discovering her Maori ties, is somehow a way to try mimic Labour’s ‘I’m local” campaign?
Natz not just a party of 1% globalists pushing free trade and massive lazy immigration, but now a u turn to offer their ‘local’ side in deputy and future PM, Bennett.
James @ 9.20am wrote
“Do you honestly think Key quit over Mt Roskill ?”
No. but one definitely gets the feeling that he is quitting before the manure stuff has a conflict with the revolving thing.
He’s scuttling off to Hawai tomorrow, Rats leaving sinking things comes to mind.
Nope, he’d just be a distraction for the media, “it would be “How’s Bill going?”, “what do you think of Paula?”, etc.
The best thing any decent leader can do is step completely out of the picture and let the new leader get on with it.
The whole Key resignation has been a masterclass in power transition.
I’m surprised you are still using the negative ‘resignation’ instead of the positive ‘retirement’.
Didn’t you get the memo?
Good point, retired undefeated would have been more accurate than resigned.
In cricket the correct term is retired hurt.
Nothing sums up Key’s absconsion better than that.
No its more accurate to say retired, sort of like in kids grades where one player so dominant they actually have to retire to give others a go
Kids grades? He certainly treated the office like a school playground.
Yery true, high chance he retired because he’d worn his shoulders out mopping the floor with all those labour leaders.
Poor bugger knobbled by the sheer incompetence of his opponents
BM @ 10.35 am wrote.
“The best thing any decent leader can do is step completely out of the picture and let the new leader get on with it.”
Shit this is happening too often and that is agreeing with you BM
Correction, don’t agree with the “decent” bit. where Key is concerend
Since you’re half way there already: https://www.mynational.org.nz/support
Don’t get carried away Puckish, I was agreeing with BM’s statement only, as I have seen many a great leader do just that.
But I qualified the political part about it with tongue in cheek when I said I didn’t agree with the decent bit about Key.
Change comes from its members so if you want National to improve you need to join 🙂
Do it, do it now!
Key’s in Hawaii, Pucky’s in a spin.
What happened??? What just happened? Guys???
What just happened is John Key all but guaranteed a fourth National government with NZfirst
It is true NZFirst has gone into power with National and Labour in the past however what is also true is that NZFirst has gone into power with the party with the most votes
So National will have to drop a lot and Labour, not Lab/Green, will have to increase a lot
Even better is that people will know its because of the strength (mid to high 40s) John Key left National in
One last present from John Key to the Labour party 🙂
Apparently Shane Jones and Peters were spotted at the Parker fight looking very matey matey.
so what are the odds of Shane Jones becoming the next leader of NZFirst and continuing the National/NZFirst partnership in years to comes…
But Pucky, prior to Key’s scuttling-to-Hawaii, you were certain that he’d guaranteed National a win in 2017.Now you’re saying, all but. You’ve suffered a lost, a set-back, a slap-in-the-face.
Never mind, just keep your pecker up and don’t let your fear show.
But Pucky, prior to Key’s scuttling-to-Hawaii, you were certain that he’d guaranteed National a win in 2017.
He had
Now you’re saying, all but. You’ve suffered a lost, a set-back, a slap-in-the-face.
Its true but now I’ve had to the weekend to contemplate the situation and I say all but because its possible something could happen to cause National to lose support (English inexplicably does an impromptu strip tease, Bennett demonstrates the quickest way to kill a kitten with a brick, that kind of thing) but short of that its…three more years!
Never mind, just keep your pecker up and don’t let your fear show.
I’ll make sure my pecker stays up don’t you worry about that
Al Jazeera does a summary about Key the quitter.
Just another sycophantic rant from the MSM.
@ Cinny, Although a cheer leader piece for Key, it is not really a complementary way to look at NZ. Would you really want to go and live in NZ or be proud of your country after looking at that neoliberal classification of success under Key?
So happy he is no longer PM, such an embarrassment he was.
This white dude gots more soul than Obama
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2016/12/09/this-white-dude-gots-more-soul-than-obama/
Putin-oil-ExxonMobil-Tillerson-Trump. How and maybe why the dots join up.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-putin-and-exxonmobil-team-up-to-destroy-the-planet-fb88650acfa1#.7oxbjfac8
Ahhh NZ the Tax Haven, I wonder where this story will go..
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11765101
Interesting.
So formed soon after JK became PM.
This story actually broke a couple of days before John Key resigned:
article Dec 2nd
To make it more confusing, searching on “Kaitaia Trust” shows there’s a far north Iwi trust, referred to in English as the Kaitaia Trust. There’s also the Destiny Church Kaitaia Trust.
“So formed soon after JK became PM”
Citation?
Key was sworn in on the 19th November 2008, so one of his first acts of office was to change trust laws to allow Mourinho to allegedly dodge taxes?
I can’t see any record of such trust laws being changed in that first month in charge…don’t tell me Labour were the ones that turned NZ into a tax haven! Or does that not fit your tinfoil hat conspiracy?
Ihe tax laws were in existence well before Key became PM – from the end of the century, I think.
It became obvious at a later date, that the law was being taken advantage of by tax avoiders. IRD warned the government.
Key ignored the warnings, and, as I recall, made it even easier for tax avoiding offshore entities.
Key may well have been aware of the potential of NZ’s foreign tax laws. He talked early on: eg 2009; of his hopes for NZ to become an offshore banking sector like Ireland
Thanks for the info Carolyn, what a fascinating sequence of events. Will be following this and see where it goes.
Well. I find JK’s resignation as puzzling as I always found his decision to return to NZ to go into politics.
The day of his leaving suggests it was a snap decision – even though he may have been kinda planning it for a while. He had several interviews planned last Monday. Did one, cancelled the rest, then called an early press conference.
So, there may have been a few factors contributing to his resignation. But something (maybe?) happened last Monday (or recently that he became aware of on Monday), so he rushed to do the announcement.
Tax havens is one possible factor – so will watch that space.
On the First day of Christmas – a great quote about Friendship
from Mark Twain (with his own wee humourous, ironic twist.)
Here is another take on “russian interference”
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/12/cias-absence-conviction/
Is anyone following the Electoral College voter thing in the US? I keep seeing snippets that are suggesting that Trump might not get to be president, but I haven’t seen a good analysis of what is possible or probably.
I have been following the trend toward Pence being actual President and Trump being figurehead. Pence now taking all intelligence briefings, not Trump (Trump admits).
Interesting theory is the old guard Republicans will move at some point to impeach Trump leaving Pence as official Pres.
In Wisconsin there is almost no change. At the 95% mark Clinton would appear to have gained about a net 25 votes over Trump. Clinton is up 653 and Trump is up 628.
That is certainly not going to overcome a 27,000 vote majority is it?
http://elections.wi.gov/node/4760
Where did you see anything that argued that Trump could lose the Presidency?
“At the 95% mark Clinton would appear to have gained about a net 25 votes over Trump. Clinton is up 653 and Trump is up 628.
That is certainly not going to overcome a 27,000 vote majority is it?”
I have no idea, because I don’t understand what you just said.
“Where did you see anything that argued that Trump could lose the Presidency?”
The idea is that there is building movement for enough electoral college voters to not vote for Trump.
“I don’t understand what you just said”
Oh. OK I’ll spell it out a bit more fully.
At the latest report I found, which is the link I included, they had completed a recount of 95% of the ballots. They have recounted 2,826,909 of the 2,975,313 that were cast.
On election day Trump had led in the state by 22,000 votes (correction from the 27,000 I listed). Trump got about 1,404,000 votes and Clinton 1,382,000.
At this point in the recount Trump’s total has risen by 628. Clinton’s total has gone up by 653. They both gained in some counties and lost in others. That is the net figure.
Thus Trump’s majority in the state has only dropped by 25 votes and there really doesn’t seem any possibility that the last 5% of the ballots to be counted (about 150,000 of them) can give a swing to Clinton of another 21,975 does there?
I’m not talking about the recount.
I thought that your comment “Is anyone following the Electoral College voter thing in the US” meant the make up of the College which depends on the recounts. That is why I was talking about it.
I didn’t realise that you were talking about the possibility of pledged voters jumping ship and voting for Clinton when they were pledged to Trump. Now I see why you didn’t see what I was talking about.
That isn’t going to happen in my view. An awful lot of them would have to jump and they would all become pariahs. It isn’t like the dixiecrats in 1948.
What is almost certainly going to happen is the Electors will cast their ballots on 19th December, and that Trump and Pence will get more than 270 each, and so everything will stay on the track it’s on now. Anything else is a very very long shot.
The relevant bit of the Constitution is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
It doesn’t specify how each state chooses electors, or that the electors are in any way bound in who they vote for. It just so happens that all states have chosen some form of FPP for their electors. Some states (not all) do have laws specifying some sort of penalty for electors that don’t vote how they’re supposed to (faithless electors), but the penalties are fairly trivial.
There are efforts to get enough electors to vote for a moderate Republican other than Trump, which would require at least 37 faithless Republican electors to join up in order to deny Trump the 270 he needs to win the Electoral College. So far the effort seems to be led by Colorado electors (Democrats) and only one Republican elector so far publicly supports it. That may open the floodgates, but probably not. Although another elector from Texas has said he couldn’t vote for Trump and resigned, presumably replaced by a Trump loyalist.
If Trump doesn’t get 270 electors, the choice gets thrown to the House, which then votes by some sort of state delegation basis, between the top three Electoral College vote-winners . So chances are Trump would win that vote anyway. The VP choice goes to the Senate which votes between the top two choices, so Pence is gonna be VP no matter what (barring Sweet Meteor of Death).
I haven’t seen any one or several articles that gather it all together, but if I do I’ll post it.
“If Trump doesn’t get 270 electors, the choice gets thrown to the House, which then votes by some sort of state delegation basis, between the top three Electoral College vote-winners . So chances are Trump would win that vote anyway.”
State delegation?
The relevant bit of the Twelfth Amendment reads:
“The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice.”
Unless of course there is substance to the leaks the WaPo cites.
Well, yeah, one of the arguments used in defense of the Electoral College is it’s a final check against electing someone totally unfit to the presidency. That moment has arrived, what with the nominal winner being clearly unfit, indebted to the foreign government owned Bank of China and having alleged hidden links to Russia among a multitude of other disqualifiers, and losing the popular vote by about 2%. But I’d be utterly astonished if enough electors actually put aside partisanship to do their duty to the country.
Some of the people that aren’t electors that are trying on the conflict of interest argument to sway electors.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/norm-eisen-richard-painter-ethics-214512
It seems Trump’s ethics are too smelly to swallow even for the likes of Richard Painter, GW Bush’s ethics lawyer (!!!?!) and Peter Schweizer, the author of “Clinton Cash” (!!!!!).
Republicians left the party vacant for Trump to waddle in and take down his pants and crap right in the middle of it. Now Trump is setting the stage to destroy the Republician party for good, his admistration aint even started and i suspect Republicians in Congress are thinking impeachment already. Trump what a joke.
Good article on the Grauniad today – what would Keynes say if he could see the world today?
Keynes was no fool, we would do well to reconsider his ideas. They may have needed some tweaking, but overall far better than the current nonsense.
Hi Mod
I have a couple from this morning stuck when you have time one O/M and one Essential Forest think its called.
[r0b: Have they appeared yet? Nothing stuck in the queue that I can see, sorry]
[I released a bunch of comments this morning, I think at least one was grey’s – weka]
ground control over buzz
https://twitter.com/Buzzs_xtina/status/805733612368736257/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Check out the indepth interview with Dr Peter Vincent Pry, expert on EMP attacks.
Let me be the first to offer my commiserations to the Labour party and all left voters:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11765282
John? John Who?
Bill English gave a hugely impressive performance in his first press conference as newly elected National Party leader, with deputy leader Paula Bennett alongside.
The 10 years he spent in his so-called masterclass of leadership under John Key were evident.
So too was the 54 years English has been exercising his own natural intelligence and tinder dry sense of humour.
One of the biggest surprises was a reference to supporting unions in his prepared statement – perhaps a first for a leader of the National Party which has traditionally been the party of bosses.
“By supporting families, businesses, volunteers, parents, iwi, unions and churches Government can do a better job of changing lives,” he said.
Ah, so Blinglish has started out as PM with an outright lie. There’s no way that National’s ever going to support workers unions.
That’s three more years right there, stable leadership, careful stewardship and inclusiveness with a hint of humour
The apprentice has learned well from his master
Same old drivel from you, Pucky, under a new Head Boy.
How dull you are.
Don’t worry I’m sure Winnie will make a things a bit more exciting
Winnie Peters more exciting than Bill? Winnie the Pooh is more exciting than Bill.
Winnie’ll bring the sizzle and Bill will bring the steak 🙂
Bill’s no beef farmer, he’ll come like the lamb.
“he’ll come like the lamb”
Crickey!
…to the slaughter (less apocalyptic than you imagined 🙂
“There’s no way National’s ever going to support workers’ unions”.
He meant the Taxpayers Union.
The aspiration and inspirational John Key
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/jake-millar-how-john-key-changed-my-life-jake-millar
Oh Captain! My Captain! Why did you leave us so soon, you were like a beautiful sunset at noon
A comet across the sky, the wind beneath my wings, as kiwi as a mince and cheese pie
We’ll never see the likes of you in this world again
O Captain My Captain?
More like Ginsburg’s O Master Master.
Saturday Night Live might give you a good visual PR, of your romantic view of the National Party.
Especially at 2:30. 😉
https://youtu.be/Ie6LpKOJVf0
Sing, sing a song…
Spooky resemblance to John Key’s resignation in the last few seconds, don’t you think?
Thanks, now things become clear. Double dipper casts aside the rugby image and trys to concentrate on the arts–eg poets –on a farming theme’ Mary had a little lamb’ etc.