Now who said this? “Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?”
Its not fair that the Lab NZF part of our government is signing away OUR future TO the gangs of Big business the tpp these people are just evil self serving organizations.
In your reality is it impossible for you to think that 200 years ago that some busness people got together and made a long term plan to dominate the worlds society .
They would have pooled there money together to use to manipulate nz society to benefit the one%. that is quite plausible to ECO Maori as these people will get more money and more control by these actions I know what data you have access to of mine Breaks fast people every bit ECO knows Ka pai water off a ducks back
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Yes if the government signs the TPP, future governments hand will be tied if they want to tackle housing, inequality, obesity, suicide, in a meaningful way,
Corporations already run the country.
The signing of the TPP will set that rule in stone.
I am concerned that NZ citizens will lose even more control of their sovereignty to big business once it is signed.
I am not party political on this.
Both 2017 Labour and 2017 National are parties that support the neoliberal globalist agenda of multinational corporations.
Are you concerned by the fact our sovereignty will be eroded?
I wanted the TPP signed in the first place so I’m well pleased with what Labours is doing , they’re putting NZs interests ahead of thier own ideology and should be congratulated for that
I’ll admit I was a little disappointed with the election result but Labour thus far has shown me to be a center-left government so I can live with that
What do the chapters say Ed.
You appear to be aware of all the information that the rest of us mere mortals have had kept from them.
What are the contents of these “chapters” you refer to and that so upset you? Please tell.
It really isn’t research, you know: finding articles you agree with on the internet. “What happened to Mexico” is at least as well described in the lyrics of Los Cuates De Sinaloa. NAFTA had nothing to do with that, although the USA certainly played its part.
That they be tied at all is problematic. Treaties between nations impose responsibilities, our courts constrain Parliament’s excesses. That I can live with. And defend.
Limited liability private business concerns, not so much. Hire a lawyer and go to court like everyone else.
At last night’s anti-TPPA-11 meeting in Auckland, Laila Harre said that there is no protection for NZ sovereignty over it’s labour/employment laws in the TPP agreement our government plans to sign on 8th March.
Harre has been researching and writing a thesis on it.
She says such agreements cannot protect our labour laws and this needs to be done through the ILO.
Under the TPPA that our government plans to sign, they could be sued for the labour regulations the government is planning to implement.
Harre and Kelsey say that if this agreement is signed, it will be used as a model for other trade agreements.
Kelsey said some in the labour caucus won’t to maintain such a model. But this model is in crisis, and we need to respectful campaign to shift the balance in the government to something more progressive.
National Day of anti-TPPA action on Sunday 4th March.
How will future governments hands be tied in relation to housing, inequality, obesity and suicide if the CPTPP is entered into ?
They can’t go against the agreement. So, say the NZ government decides to build 100,000 homes and the decide that the best way to do that would be to reinstitute the Ministry of Works and have it all done in house.
Well, they can’t do that. The FTAs, including the TPP, demand that the government put it out to tender instead. And even in doing that they can’t choose a NZ company over a foreign company in NZ’s interests.
But the contents of the treaty remain secret. And you’re happy about that?
You trust Labour and NZFirst to do what’s best for you?
But you didn’t vote for either.
Why not?
Why’s The Guardian teaming up with the government to “do a number” on Oxfam?
Some workers in Haiti used prostitutes = loss of government funding with The Guardian leading the charge? Wtf?
Anyone remember War on Want getting buried because they were “too political”?
Oxfam have released a number of good reports on poverty/inequity etc. Anyone want to tell me that’s not why they’re in the firing line?
And if Oxfam UK goes down the gurgler, then what of Oxfam NZ. And where in the name of fuck is the next NGO speaking out against the bullshit effects of global capitalism?
He don’t agree leaders of the world are responsible for the state its in …
And he don’t agree that putting children into poverty is abuse …
In Keys case … when he was creatively helping u.s.a corporations become Irish ones ….. the result was less money for things like schools and infrastructure in the u.s.a. ….. How much money did that deprive from the poor in the u.s.a ?
When Key got bailed out …. he took even more money from the long suffering u.s.a taxpayers .
And then the greedy dirt bag plugged New Zealand into the Tax Haven net-work …. The biggest cause of inequality and poverty in the world …. as high lighted by Oxfam.
Please tell us all how stealing from poor children is not child abuse James …
Explain yourself without looking like a dirt bag yourself …. if you can.
Unless I’ve missed something, there was no abuse of children. Some employees paid prostitutes for sex. No allegations of paying for underage sex have been made as far as I’ve read.
Now sure, it’s not the best look to be all “I’m here to help, and by the way, how much for a blow-job around these parts?”
But I guess we need to understand that no business in receipt of government assistance or support (like say an arms manufacturer) has employees who go to prostitutes. And if they did have, then government would of course, cut said company loose.
And next time a government MP goes to a prostitute and is sprung, they won’t just resign, but the government will throw a vote of no confidence against itself and a general election will ensue.
I think one of the things you’ve maybe missed, Bill, is that prostitution is often fine when everyone is on an equal power footing, but not so much when the customer is well resourced and secure but the “prostitute” is struggling to find basic essentials for life. Especially when the customer is also responsible for the distribution of those essentials.
There is always a power differential in prostitution, it’s why our law around prostitution is a crook. It makes little difference if the place is Haiti or if it is South Dunedin.
I did not see anywhere where they didn’t pay. Or curried favour for the client/john/user of prostitutes. Did you see that?
And the employees employments were terminated regardless of any power at play. I don’t know whether these guys “created” prostitutes due to peoples circumstances or paid pre-existing prostitutes.
But either way, it’s a howling bullshit excuse for government and whatever media lackeys to leverage in a way that could bury the entire organisation.
Do you believe for even one second that the following statement is meant to apply to any and all organisations government works with? Or just those those that “show it up” from time to time?
I suspect the outrage of the government is cynical as you suggest.
But given that some of your links refer to problem men flowing from one organisation to another, employment termination isn’t the solution it might seem at first glance.
Why should an org. be held accountable for the fact an ex-employee secured employment elsewhere? Are they meant to hire Private Dicks, monitor and surveil them?
Beyond not giving references (and there are potential issues with that in a NZ context), what the fuck are they legally capable of doing?
Well sure. Some poorly handled shit justifies sinking an entire org that just happens to be vocally critical….how?
No winks and nods to the EU from the UK to follow suit and rid themselves of an annoying thorn in the side? Just upstanding governments, aye?
Fuck. I’d hate to be running the next arms fair given this upstanding morality government’s discovered for itself!
The Guardian “reporting”. Anything new in those dozen pieces from the past two days that wasn’t previously reported last October? (I don’t think there is.) So, if not a campaign of righteous indignation and condemnation then, why now?
edit – and when did paying another person for sex become a definition for abuse?
edit no. 2 “Two staff members resigned before investigations were complete” Not much can be done about that.
I think if the UK outright begged the EU to do something at the moment, the EU would fucking laugh in their face. Seems to be the norm with the brexit negotiations.
edit – and when did paying another person for sex become a definition for abuse?
sounds like capitalism is always a free exchange between indiciduals, eh. No power imbalance there, even if one party has no shoes.
edit no. 2 “Two staff members resigned before investigations were complete” Not much can be done about that.
Except continue the investigations and deliver your findings to the police if something illegal turns up.
A mutual interest in silencing Oxfam requires no begging on any party’s part. And there’s been a fair amount of this silencing of dissident opinion lately. (Yes, I know you disagree on that front)
Prostitution and power imbalances exist right here in NZ. You against the legalisation of sex work? You think Johns should be jailed or some-such?
Oxfam has referred cases to the police.
But the headline case involves paying for sex in Haiti. That’s illegal in
Haiti. You think Oxfam should refer that to the English police? You think the UK would/should extradite someone to answer allegations of having paid for sex in Haiti?
You think Oxfam should refer that to the English police? You think the UK would/should extradite someone to answer allegations of having paid for sex in Haiti?
That depends entirely on the circumstances in which the transaction was made.
Frankly, if the person who was paid for sex felt coerced into it or received unfair advantage in aid, then either the local police or the British ones should be involved.
Prostitution and power imbalances exist right here in NZ. You against the legalisation of sex work? You think Johns should be jailed or some-such?
The reason sex work is legal in NZ is because it helps create safe spaces for sex workers. I’m unconvinced that it’s an apt metaphor for a disaster zone, expect inasmuch as NZ is an ongoing “free” “market” disaster itself.
It was a comparison, not a metaphor. But let me put it this way. Paying people for sex has been normalised. There are possible debates and arguments around that fact, but it’s the fact I’m pointing to.
So a guy paid someone for sex in a country where that’s not legal. And an entire aid agency that has a habit of producing “embarrassing” reports (from a government perspective) has its future put in jeopardy by government.
As I asked in my originla comment – anyone remember War on Want and how they were silenced and shut down? Because I’m seeing parallels, though the pre-text for hitting Oxfam is different.
“So a guy paid someone for sex in a country where that’s not legal.”
In addition to the comment I made below about minimising, let me put it another way. Your critique of the Guardian would carry more punch if you stopped minimising the rape culture and gender issues here.
If the argument is that the Guardian are blowing something out of proportion in order to manipulate the public against an NGO, you’re going to run up against the problems I outlines below. We don’t know what happened, and there are still issues to look at about what Oxfam did even if what you say about the Guardian is true.
As a sidebar, this is another example of how one can frame things that undermines other politics. If the problem here is that the Guardian has an agenda of supporting the status quo, that seems reasonable to critique. But one doesn’t actually have to do that by way of minimising the issues around the thing being badly reported.
Prostitution includes children doing sex work, including in NZ and irrespective of legislation. When we change the subject in that sentence, we can say that by definition someone using sex work services is committing rape if the worker is underage. Because of the nature of the patriarchy, that is very hard to address, so politically I think it’s better to not assume that no underage people were involved as a base line. If you think that’s daft, consider how many men can’t tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 15 year old. Or don’t want to. The way you are putting your arguments here makes that stuff less visible.
I haven’t followed the story much, but afaik there is at least question of whether underage people were involved.
Prostitution in Haiti is illegal. Again, given the nature of the powers involved, it makes more political sense to me to include the problems inherent in that. For instance a population that is eating mud pies due to lack of food is much more likely to have high numbers of women, transgender people, children and men doing sex work in conditions that are coercive.
That’s not necessarily a comment on *your politics, but on the framing that *might be going on here. For instance, this sentence,
“Now sure, it’s not the best look to be all “I’m here to help, and by the way, how much for a blow-job around these parts?”
seriously minimises the broader politics in the situation. The critique of the Guardian doesn’t require that.
Making a sardonic comparison with arms dealers and MPs likewise. I mean, I get it, it’s funny and pointed if one is looking at the hypocrisy of the establishment in the West. It’s less funny if one is looking at rape culture politics.
There hasn’t been any allegation of underage sex in what I’ve read.
And the comparisons to arms fairs/arms dealers and MPs and the reaction (obvious lack of) isn’t meant to be funny.
The critique isn’t about “supporting the status quo” but that a newspaper is quite overtly running a government’s political agenda out to the public. (Nothing new in that, I know)
As disgusting as it might seem, as authorities crack down on paedophilia in the developed world, predatory paedophiles are now going to the developing world to gain access to children. One of their preferred methods is to join a children’s charity
Shocking revelations on BBC’s Newsnight on Friday 9 February saw former Oxfam head Dame Barbara Stocking admit that she “knew for years” after an internal Oxfam investigation that sexual exploitative behaviour has been going on at Oxfam. The behaviour included hiring prostitutes in earthquake-torn Haiti – who may have been underage – and downloading illegal material. It was revealed that the aid workers involved in such acts moved from aid job to aid job with spotless references.
Yep. I think it’s safe to assume that there is probably abuse going on, rather than not. We can wait for an investigation for details about specific people, but in terms of discussing the general politics, I can’t see that Oxfam should be given the benefit of the doubt as an organisation. No-one should.
You suggesting I google Oxfam workers in Haiti paying for underage sex? Or what? Presumably what I’ll get will be in line with the dozen or so links I provided in my original comment.
none of that addresses the issues I am raising, and that you haven’t yet read more widely doesn’t mean the issues aren’t pertinent.
If you google Oxfam Haiti underage you will find some reading.
“And the comparisons to arms fairs/arms dealers and MPs and the reaction (obvious lack of) isn’t meant to be funny.”
Take out the word funny then, and reread it. The point stands.
“The critique isn’t about “supporting the status quo” but that a newspaper is quite overtly running a government’s political agenda out to the public. (Nothing new in that, I know)”
Good to have the clarification, but again, it avoids the point I was making.
I’m not “avoiding” your point so much as simply not focusing on it. You and who-ever can look at all this through lenses of gender, but you can’t reasonably insist that everyone else does.
A publication running government attack lines. Where we seen that before?
If the pieces focused on the men, who are known, and investigated their past behaviours, allegations against them, positions held and which other orgs money they had spent for personal gratification (though I think it’s reasonable to assume it was their own money and on their own time), then that would be entirely different to what is actually happening.
These men having paid for sex is being used to attack and silence an organisation that is a reasonable and vocal critic of governments and their policies. And media are willfully running governments attack lines against that org. I think that’s hugely important.
What I’m suggesting is that you have an opportunity here to engage in some solidarity politics. That’s a good thing, because solidarity, but also it means you won’t get as much push back on your actual points because of the framing. At the moment I’m just seeing dismissal and minimising, so I’m not convinced this is simply choosing not to focus on it. Looks more like discounting it.
There’s a limit to how much support can be given to strategies that misuse gender and rape culture issues to address this kind of issue. That’s not new either.
Sorry Bill … the Guardians blitz of stories, combined with James …. our king of grubby toilet sex using the word “bad” … lead me to assume it was something like underage prostitutes …. and memories of UN sex trafficking sucked me in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexual_abuse_by_UN_peacekeepers
That it is not …. shows a contrived Guardian hit job ….and pathetic excuse for the Tory Tax haven party to threaten Oxfams funding.
James hypocrisy and criticism of Oxfam ……….. stands in stark contrast to his excuses and support of Rugby players abusing sex workers … or rooting strangers in public toilets…. while being in a relationship.
‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it’ is his advice over toilets …. but sex with prostitutes is bad.
Indicating both his morals and taste …….. are located up his arse.
Hopefully good Poms …. decent ones like Corbyn …. fight against this Guardian / Tory abuse.
“An Associated Press investigation revealed in 2017 that more than 100 UN peacekeepers ran a child sex ring in Haiti over a 10 year period and none were ever jailed.”
I know that a lot of Maori leaders are saying you Ngati Porou sided with the crown during the turmoils of the early days of out country been turned into NZ why should we listen to you Eco Maori .
In reality when one is swimming and gets caught in a big a Rip tide if one does not swim with the rip tide one will get tired swimming against the tide that one drowns ka pai.
So If Ngati Porou Great leaders Ropata Wahawaha. Kohere Mokena. Potae Henare sided with other Maori and we killed all the settlors this would have given the neo liberals the power to up set the Killer Whale I.E rally Great Briton against Aoetearoa . She was the Superpower in those days we would have been at war for years a lot of tangata would have been lost and in reality we would not have any Mana now we would all be living on the Ruapehu the desert road and the neo librels would have total control .
IF we lett the government sign the tpp go have a look at America look at its roads look at its dams are running dry look at its ghettos look at its health systems look at its finance systems .
Is this what you want to leave behind for all OUR Mokos ECO MAORI says NO .
We are but caretakers of Papatuanuku for the very short time we are here OUR main job is to pass her on to OUR mokos in a good healthy state .
That is a good point Jack and Haley the state of our poor housing the Tidal wave of inequality instigated by nationals shonky and bills polices will still be rolling in for years . Ana to kai
Ka kite ano
Rock Rumble I know what to say I dont want this tpp to stuff up Aotearoa and I wont fall for the bait others are putting out there I get to chose what I talk about I will forgive them I see the bigger picture .Give us a sore face P.S the sandflys delete things out of my inbox for me IPCA files
Ka pai ka kite ano
All the best on your new journey Bill English.
Time for he tangata of Aotearoa to take a new path to ensure all OUR mokos are all treated equally time for New Zealanders to respect Papatunuku / Mother Earth and all her creatures .So all our mokos can be guarantee a health prosperous future.
Hilary & Jeremy some think that I should have deleted my e-mail encourageing Tops party to help me to stop this farcical ttp trade our sovereign away contract .
New Zealand doesn’t need that the whole world wants our food that is the best food on Papataunuku we are not even known in a lot of countries we just have to tell the World our beautiful story about our clear sky’s green grass ect.
I told people that I would hold them accountable for there actions .
I was disappointed with one policy I bit my tongue .Eco Wil not bite his tongue on this farcical trade our sovereignty away contract tpp. Anyway I’m not a person who does things behind-the-scenes or behind one’s back .I want everyone to know my view on the reality of the ttp . I new labour would find out /be informed from the sandflys about my e-mail to Gareth Morgan .This action of mine puts labour on notice don’t underestimate ECO MAORI . I still back Labour lead Government I just want some of Tops researched good policies to be legislated into our laws sooner or later he got us all talking about Maori receiving 1cent in the dollar for compensating for our land being stolen by the NZ Company he is a great good hounerable Kiwi who put his money were his mouth is . Ka kite ano
National’s legacy. Not content with elevating NZ to the top of domestic abuse statistics, they underfund support services so badly, under the banner of restructuring, no-one answers the phone.
I’m seeing some evidence by way of hit and run comments on other blogs that the dirty politics brigade is going to target Clark Gayford’s past as a way to attack JA and the government.
The Nats know this is a very, very dangerous strategy but I think they’re incapable of changing their ways, and it worked with Metiria Turei after all, even though they lost the election in the end.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Gayford’s past is in the spotlight soon.
These “innuendoes” have been going on for about three weeks with several kiwiblog commentators chiming in as if they know something. Farrar, as per his instructions, is letting it go and the shit slinging is continuing. Much like the innuendoes regarding Ardern’s mental health status pre election. There are a few specific commentators who kept that one up with regularity.
Depends what they are – and who says its dirty politics – what if its a #MeToo type issue?
(Not saying it is (nor have I read anything suggesting that this is the case – Just using this as an example of something in his past that isnt dirty politics and may indeed be a valid complaint from somebody).
If the revealing and dirt digging is being run by a political party and/or their proxies then it is dirty politics regardless of the nature of the accusations.
A self-described drug dealer claims to have supplied ecstasy and “speed” to a third party. It’s all part of a big conspiracy against journalists and writers, apparently.
While he hasn’t run for office hes certainly been front and centre, he accepted the wiro at Waitangi, has wrote some pieces about why we should vote for Jacinda
Hes not like Peter Davis or Bronagh Key in that respect so if you want to have influence you need to accept the negative with the positive
He’s had a bigger profile than Ardern over much of his career through his radio and tv work. I actually think he’s done a good job of being in the background considering. It doesn’t look like he’s going to use his new found fame to get tv jobs either.
And his wife, Mary English, who was also with him today when he resigned along with three of the sons.
Mrs English (or rather Dr) also featured in a number of fluff pieces in the Herald etc as well as Gayford about their relationships with their respective partners.
Mary English didn’t start doing much campaigning until late in the picture, she was fairly anonymous for much of Bills career (which is a shame as shes quite the catch)
And kids should be off limits up until they start chiming in so, as an example, criticism of Max Key is fine but criticism of Stephanie Key isn’t
As Maui says, Gayford has had a public profile for almost 20 years through his TV and radio work.
He left his safe TV and radio jobs about three years ago to take a gamble and follow his dream of creating his own TV series combining travel, fishing and food, and marine sustainability and protection – with Jacinda Ardern’s blessing and encouragement.
The third series of “Fish of the Day” is due to run here in NZ soon on Prime TV (it was previously on Choice TV) and in about 38 countries through the National Geographic’s network (up from about 20 countries for the previous two series).
Brilliant (award winning) photography, particularly underwater, by his partner in this venture – Mike Bhana, a NZer also known as ‘Mr Shark’ as one of the creators of the largest shark exhibition in the world – Planet Shark http://www.planetshark.com – a huge educational installation designed to promote awareness, conservation and understanding of sharks and our oceans. Bhana is also known for his photographic/video work in documenting the work of the Red Cross teams worldwide.
Gayford and Bhana also do a lot of other work in relation to marine sustainability and protection both in NZ and in the Pacific, eg the proposed Niue Marine Sanctuary and the annual Humpback Whale migration. The ‘Fish of the Day’ also focuses on these issues.
They have also done a series of short travel promotion videos for Niue – keeping in with the ‘father in law’! – Ross Ardern, NZ High Commissioner to Niue, soon to return to NZ and become the NZ Administrator of Tokelau, based in Auckland.
Gayford will be putting most of the above on hold to become the prime caregiver of their child, so he deserves credit for this.
[And no, Ed – I am not getting paid for this promo.]
Turei tried to paint the picture she had no other choice but to commit fraud. Which is only half a step away from telling NZ that her former partner and his family did bugger all to help support their daughter/granddaughter
When in fact Turei had massive support from them, they were always going to hit back at Turei. Of course, you do know who the grandmother is of Metiria Turei baby?
[if you’re going to make statements of fact about a public/political figure on this political blog, you need to back them up. I’d now like to see some credible back up for the statement that Turei had ‘massive support’ from her family. Putting you in moderation so I can pick it up when it comes through – weka]
For context, many lies have been told about Turei, and much of them were politically motivated. If you want to make claims in the future, don’t make me ask for back up, provide it at the time.
Turei claim of she had to commit fraud was BS. She received massive support (her own words were “really fantastic support”).
It belittled the sole parents who do not have the support of their family or friends.
Sorry, but Turei was caught out.
[You need to provide evidence of your assertion of fact. i.e. actual links that are credible, and quotes from those links that explicitly support what you are saying. Your reckons aren’t enough, nor are vague references to other commenters. The onus is on *you to do the work. Note that for future reference too in what I said in the other note. Please also read the Policy about wasting moderator time. I’ve asked twice now, don’t make me come back at it again because I’m more likely just to ban you – weka]
“I’d now like to see some credible back up for the statement that Turei had ‘massive support’ from her family.”
Quote from Turei: “I have always said I did have really fantastic support from friends and family and that Piupiu’s family really supported me especially when I was in law school with things like you know, child care, stuff like that. Like the sort of stuff that you would expect.
If you want me to link to Turei admitting she did not have to cheat…well I can’t.
[good. Because now we can see the difference between what Turei actually said, and what you claimed as fact. People can then respond to your comment without having to deal with you asserting opinion as fact. From now on I suggest that at the time you either don’t assert fact but instead state clearly that things are in your opinion, or you put up a link and quote to back up the claim of fact. I don’t want to have to waste my time on this again, nor do I think it’s ok to have this cleared up a day after the conversation is moved on. You are allowed to express opinion on this site (within bounds), but misusing statements of facts to take part in a long attack on a public figure is not ok – weka]
Turei: I have always said I did have really fantastic support from friends and family and that Piupiu’s family really supported me especially when I was in law school with things like you know, child care, stuff like that. Like the sort of stuff that you would expect.
You: When in fact Turei had massive support from them
There is nuance in what Turei is saying. Obviously she is sending a message to her family and friends that she really appreciated the support she received from. We don’t know how much of the ‘really fantastic support’ was financial, or of the financial support, what weekly or yearly amount that was.
We also don’t know what shortfall she had in her budget over time. That she had wealthy in laws who gave some financial support doesn’t mean that they were giving her what she needed.
The crux of the issue here is whether Turei needed the additional money from the benefit or not. Again, we don’t know the figures involved, so there is no way to assess this from a maths point of view. What we do know is that at that time, the benefit wasn’t enough to live on. It is widely held opinion that benefits were already at that time set below the poverty line in order to force people into work. For a single parent raising a child and going to law school there is very little space to take on extra work to supplement income. This is why most compassionate and knowledgeable people either understand what Turei did or actively support it.
Further, as Bill pointed out, financial support from family (or anyone) is technically considered income by WINZ and had she declared it she would have had a portion of her benefit taxed. Catch 22.
I don’t actually care who Turei’s in laws are. There are plenty of middle class beneficiaries whose families help in some ways but where the beneficiary still struggles and the family is either aware or unaware. This is neither news nor surprising. The only people that don’t understand this social reality are people who are ignorant. And far too many people are wilfully ignorant and want their bigotry to trump everything else. That is what I see in your series of posts. You are willing to believe second or third hand information and rumour instead of looking at what was most likely to have been going on.
John Campbell is a very compassionate man. But in this instance he did one of the worst things I have ever seen him do. He did that interview from a place of utter ignorance of the reality of being a beneficiary and he chose to amplify the voices of reactionaries rather than vulnerable people. He ran a line of sex workers and drug addicts might be justified in needing more income, but that law students with wealthy in laws aren’t. That is as fucked up as it comes, and I don’t care what someone’s politics are at that point, if they are abusing their position of power by promoting bludger memes. Campbell should be ashamed of himself.
You mean when the family contacted the press to say that her comments were ‘galling’
“The allegations were put to Turei by RNZ Checkpoint who said a family member told them the extended family found Turei’s comments about the hardships she faced in her 20s and her benefit fraud “galling”.
Fuck off James. Any financial aid from a family member would have been viewed as income, and if not declared to WINZ (so they could dock payments accordingly) then said aid becomes a matter of fraud.
Bill English a millionaire lives in a house owned by his trust … but claims $900 per week in rent expenses … the motive was pure greed …but he ADMITS nothing
James and our dirty politics goons go on and on about a solo mum getting a fraction of that to try and live on a benefit that the national party set at punitive poverty levels …..
James ADMITS his clearly dirty stinking morals …. underpinned by hypocrisy.
All good? As a species, we’ve made our bed. What a world we lived in. At least Binglish is gone (small mercies; anyone feeling for Paula?) – like Key, toddling off to those greener pastures…
If anything happens to me like the games the sandflys are playing with me on the roads every time I get in a vehicle.
That will turn ECO MAORI into a Martyr then YOU will have really big problems you create OK sandflys. Ana to kai
Bill English stepping down? Our caption contest had a sharp edge? Listen in to Radionz.
And if you have been doing so and heard Rod Oram, there seemed some very interesting points raised. Ad would have some comments about this I imagine. Trade with Russia and Fonterra. Possible unhappiness with Fonterras initiatives of recent years by shareholders.
NZ government revenue is highly leveraged Rod says. When times are good this works well, but when there is a drop gummint needs to be prepared to borrow and initiate activity? (and there is room to do so within conservative management policies.)
English goes on Tuesday 27 February. (I misheard and thought it was 22 Feb.) He referred to the weight of service hanging over the whole family for many years, and it was an emotional moment for him. (This is not verbatim and my take on it.)
Interesting. Let me put it this way, while I can imagine a world in which I could actually vote for Bill English, there just isn’t one in which I ticked a party led by any of his probable successors.
Well that was a long career and in years to come he’ll be remembered a bit like Jim Bolger, ‘for a Tory he could’ve been a lot worse’.
I can’t. He is a pseudo nice guy. He engaged lawyers and accountants to steal from us with a veil of legitimacy, he denied a housing cris, he denied poverty, he proppped up Ruth Richardson and her lot. he lied about a hole when he knew the real hole was 21b which he and Joyce hid from PREFU. ALL of his actions enabled the appalling attack and denigration on our vulnerable that is prevalent today. He oversaw a campaign designed to set kiwi against kiwi.
Anti gay marriage (an dcivil union) anti aborton
Fed farmers given adavnc enotice of the decision furthe rproving their place as a Nat lobby group (and NO they do not represent farmers in NZ, only about 15-20% of the despite what they Nats and media portray)
Nope, cannot envisage a world where he would ever have got my vote.
Former Prime Ministers MPs should always be allowed to do this when they step down. If they want to hang on until the next election that is fine but they shouldn’t continue past that.
Lange and Muldoon are two who hung on and on.
They both ended up as sad figures from the past hanging around the House. Lange admitted when he finally quit, in failing health, in 1996 that he should have gone earlier but he wanted the money.
Muldoon also stayed on, a thorn in his parties side, until he also stood down in ill health at the end of 1991 not long before his death.
Both should have gone long before their actual retirement date.
English has the time to try a new career. He is, after all, only just 56.
They haven’t cottoned on to the George Constanza method of success –
When you are a loser – just do everything the opposite and by a sort of logic you should then be sure of success, with your fingers crossed.
The sandflys master are really upset about me cutting there farcical Tpp to pieces they are playing all the low down moves today people here is a music video to show them ECO MAORI Mana
Technology annoying. Woogle have to have a noise start when going to the search line. It is something to do with some game they have devised. It’s not a toy so stop trying to amuse the punters will you developers; just stay out of my head.
Its supposed to be something to do with the winter olympics, a blizzard type noise or the sound the luge makes…who knows? Damned annoying, and until I muted things I thought my laptop had finally caught fire.
I know, I know – just had that same feeling myself. Have I got tinnitus, are there cicadas in the room, is there something collapsing behind the computer? Everyone is trying to be so clever these days. Its exhausting, I wish they would stop and spend 30 minutes having a drink and pondering about life. I think that’s what’s needed these days – more pondering time.
We have been pondering how to utilise the sadly deceased crickets invading our home at the moment. Deceased, because they are so numerous stepping upon them is unavoidable. Someone in the house just told the dogs they have to develop a taste for them…
What did you expect from Winston Peters?
Once an a*hole, always an a*hole.
And he is, supposedly the “Right Honourable” Winnie the Pooh.
That is one title that should definitely be dumped.
You might think exactly the same thing.
It certainly doesn’t say much for your character then.
I guess, if that is the way you really think, the second line of my comment must apply to you as well.
What sort of character makes banal platitudes when a mediocre leader with a history of failure is finally put out to pasture by his supposed colleagues?
The public “servant” was on double or treble what most NZers get for the better part of three decades, still felt the need to double-dip on his accommodation allowance, and during his career participated in some of the worst economic abuses of society’s most vulnerable we’d seen in a century.
Ka pai Duncan & Zane from Rock radio your segment with Johnny K the lawyer is a good service for he Tangata the kumara
never tells how sweet it is but I got the welcome home sirens again they are up set ECO gets blamed for lots of phenomenon Ka kite ano
Nelson, Chch, and Dunedin meetings still have a bit more time before they occur if you want to plan around them.
(If I had spotted this earlier, I would have posted it, but with all the news today and as a last minute notification… lol no. I hope plenty of you showed in Auckland!)
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
SIR GEOFFREY PALMER is worried about democracy. In his Newsroom website post of 27 January 2025 he asserts that “the future of democracy across the world now seems to be in question.” Following a year of important electoral contests across the world, culminating in Donald Trump’s emphatic recapture of the ...
The Government hasn’t stopped talking about growth since the Prime Minister made his “yes” speech at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last week. But so far, the measures announced would seem hardly likely to suddenly pitch New Zealand into the fast-growth East Asian league. The digital nomad announcement hardly deserved ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
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Thoughts with the people of Tonga this morning.
There was a brief item on the new on mon? where a shop had opened in tonga for a couple of hours on sun afternoon for emergency supplies.
The police shut them down, cause there is NO trading on sunday.
Seemed a bit over the top.
Never underestimate the stupidity of people.
Now who said this? “Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?”
That person understood Christianity in action.
Indeed. Just reading about it this morning. Hard to imagine seeing your beautiful country devistated like that.
(Ps – let’s just agree on something and not make this a cc debate)
Its not fair that the Lab NZF part of our government is signing away OUR future TO the gangs of Big business the tpp these people are just evil self serving organizations.
In your reality is it impossible for you to think that 200 years ago that some busness people got together and made a long term plan to dominate the worlds society .
They would have pooled there money together to use to manipulate nz society to benefit the one%. that is quite plausible to ECO Maori as these people will get more money and more control by these actions I know what data you have access to of mine Breaks fast people every bit ECO knows Ka pai water off a ducks back
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Yes if the government signs the TPP, future governments hand will be tied if they want to tackle housing, inequality, obesity, suicide, in a meaningful way,
Corporations already run the country.
The signing of the TPP will set that rule in stone.
And it will impact on the Treaty.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Kh3_KBtNs
Don’t know what you’re worrying about, don’t you remember this:
https://thespinoff.scdn5.secure.raxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TPPA-billboard_feat.jpg
I am concerned that NZ citizens will lose even more control of their sovereignty to big business once it is signed.
I am not party political on this.
Both 2017 Labour and 2017 National are parties that support the neoliberal globalist agenda of multinational corporations.
Are you concerned by the fact our sovereignty will be eroded?
I wanted the TPP signed in the first place so I’m well pleased with what Labours is doing , they’re putting NZs interests ahead of thier own ideology and should be congratulated for that
I’ll admit I was a little disappointed with the election result but Labour thus far has shown me to be a center-left government so I can live with that
Are you not worried by the main chapters of the TPP that will restrict your rights as a NZ citizen ?
Are you aware of the contents of these chapters?
Have you? Considering labour have kept them secret.
I have listened to Jane Kelsey.
How is it possible to “put NZ’s interests ahead of their (sic) own ideology”?
chris73?
Except that they’re not. They’re putting ideology ahead of NZ’s interests.
Nope. I’ve always been for the signing of the TPPA. But like a lot thought labour were going to cause it to fail (which I thought was stupid)
Turns out they just assumed voters were stupid and did a bait and switch.
Are you aware of the contents of these chapters?
Have you? Considering labour have kept them secret.
What do the chapters say Ed.
You appear to be aware of all the information that the rest of us mere mortals have had kept from them.
What are the contents of these “chapters” you refer to and that so upset you? Please tell.
Listen to Jane Kelsey.
Go on the It’s our future website.
Which corporations run NZ ?
How will future governments hands be tied in relation to housing, inequality, obesity and suicide if the CPTPP is entered into ?
Google is your friend.
Tin foil hats must be yours?
Are you aware of the contents of these chapters?
Have you? Considering labour have kept them secret.
Research what happened to Mexico after NAFTA.
We disagree.
What a surprise.
“Research”.
It really isn’t research, you know: finding articles you agree with on the internet. “What happened to Mexico” is at least as well described in the lyrics of Los Cuates De Sinaloa. NAFTA had nothing to do with that, although the USA certainly played its part.
That they be tied at all is problematic. Treaties between nations impose responsibilities, our courts constrain Parliament’s excesses. That I can live with. And defend.
Limited liability private business concerns, not so much. Hire a lawyer and go to court like everyone else.
At last night’s anti-TPPA-11 meeting in Auckland, Laila Harre said that there is no protection for NZ sovereignty over it’s labour/employment laws in the TPP agreement our government plans to sign on 8th March.
Harre has been researching and writing a thesis on it.
She says such agreements cannot protect our labour laws and this needs to be done through the ILO.
Under the TPPA that our government plans to sign, they could be sued for the labour regulations the government is planning to implement.
Harre and Kelsey say that if this agreement is signed, it will be used as a model for other trade agreements.
Kelsey said some in the labour caucus won’t to maintain such a model. But this model is in crisis, and we need to respectful campaign to shift the balance in the government to something more progressive.
National Day of anti-TPPA action on Sunday 4th March.
Demo in Wellington on day of signing, 8 March.
FUrther meetings around NZ before then.
All of them.
It’s generally how oligarchies operate.
They can’t go against the agreement. So, say the NZ government decides to build 100,000 homes and the decide that the best way to do that would be to reinstitute the Ministry of Works and have it all done in house.
Well, they can’t do that. The FTAs, including the TPP, demand that the government put it out to tender instead. And even in doing that they can’t choose a NZ company over a foreign company in NZ’s interests.
It’s not IF it’s when they sign it.
But the contents of the treaty remain secret. And you’re happy about that?
You trust Labour and NZFirst to do what’s best for you?
But you didn’t vote for either.
Why not?
Housing us the top issue but I’m more concerned about the commercialisation of water.
Signing the TPPA in any form will ensure that gap between have/have not expands.
The special protection for foreign investors remains.
Sorry
Hey, eco maori
Can you please tell me; what does, “Ana to kai” mean?
http://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/222
Take that!
Aha!
Why’s The Guardian teaming up with the government to “do a number” on Oxfam?
Some workers in Haiti used prostitutes = loss of government funding with The Guardian leading the charge? Wtf?
Anyone remember War on Want getting buried because they were “too political”?
Oxfam have released a number of good reports on poverty/inequity etc. Anyone want to tell me that’s not why they’re in the firing line?
And if Oxfam UK goes down the gurgler, then what of Oxfam NZ. And where in the name of fuck is the next NGO speaking out against the bullshit effects of global capitalism?
This piece is from last October.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/31/oxfam-says-it-has-sacked-22-staff-in-a-year-over-sexual-abuse-allegations
Then there’s nothing until …well, here’s the Guardian articles from the past two days.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-staff-raise-concerns-over-charity-vetting-processes-haiti-abuse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/haiti-demands-oxfam-identify-workers-who-used-prostitutes
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/oxfam-hit-cancelled-donations-charity-shop-volunteers-shock
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/we-fear-whats-next-oxfam-reels-from-prostitution-scandal
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-show-moral-leadership-lose-government-funds-prostitutes-haiti
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/10/oxfam-faces-allegations-staff-paid-prostitutes-in-chad
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/12/the-oxfam-scandal-shows-colonialism-is-alive-and-well
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/12/aid-worker-oxfam-scandal-haiti-abuse-bullying-culture
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/how-has-recent-news-affected-oxfam-donations-where-you-are-tell-us
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/monday-briefing-oxfam-pleads-for-charity-amid-sex-scandal
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2018/feb/11/penny-mordaunt-oxfam-moral-leadership-video
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2018/feb/10/i-am-deeply-ashamed-says-oxfam-ceo-of-the-haiti-sex-scandal-video
If they don’t want bad press – don’t do bad things.
They are only getting what they caused.
That’s not doing a number – that’s reporting.
So James. You’re saying that any org. receiving government funds should have those funds pulled if a staff member pays someone for sex?
The matter was reported last October. Once.
Twelve articles in two days that excuse and condone government moves to pull funding isn’t reporting. It’s campaigning.
This is much worse.
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/30/world/france-un-car-sex-abuse-claims/index.html
Oxfam were doing a good job in highlighting Tax havens as being the biggest drivers of inequality and poverty in the world ….
Starving children in poor countries … Student loans and ‘Austerity’ for kids in rich ones.
In a world with decent leaders oxfam would not be needed.
Abuse of children starts with sick leaders …. like our own John Key.
He personally would have abused thousands of times more children than oxfam ..
And he’d be happier than James about the Guardians oxfam campaign …
I wonder if they have written as much about vulture capitalists ? … another group of prolific family and child abusers.
“Abuse of children starts with sick leaders …. like our own John Key.
He personally would have abused thousands of times more children than oxfam”
Now there is a perfectly sane and reasonable comment / sarc.
James is the lowest form of argument …
He don’t agree leaders of the world are responsible for the state its in …
And he don’t agree that putting children into poverty is abuse …
In Keys case … when he was creatively helping u.s.a corporations become Irish ones ….. the result was less money for things like schools and infrastructure in the u.s.a. ….. How much money did that deprive from the poor in the u.s.a ?
When Key got bailed out …. he took even more money from the long suffering u.s.a taxpayers .
And then the greedy dirt bag plugged New Zealand into the Tax Haven net-work …. The biggest cause of inequality and poverty in the world …. as high lighted by Oxfam.
Please tell us all how stealing from poor children is not child abuse James …
Explain yourself without looking like a dirt bag yourself …. if you can.
You can’t.
Unless I’ve missed something, there was no abuse of children. Some employees paid prostitutes for sex. No allegations of paying for underage sex have been made as far as I’ve read.
Now sure, it’s not the best look to be all “I’m here to help, and by the way, how much for a blow-job around these parts?”
But I guess we need to understand that no business in receipt of government assistance or support (like say an arms manufacturer) has employees who go to prostitutes. And if they did have, then government would of course, cut said company loose.
And next time a government MP goes to a prostitute and is sprung, they won’t just resign, but the government will throw a vote of no confidence against itself and a general election will ensue.
I think one of the things you’ve maybe missed, Bill, is that prostitution is often fine when everyone is on an equal power footing, but not so much when the customer is well resourced and secure but the “prostitute” is struggling to find basic essentials for life. Especially when the customer is also responsible for the distribution of those essentials.
There is always a power differential in prostitution, it’s why our law around prostitution is a crook. It makes little difference if the place is Haiti or if it is South Dunedin.
I did not see anywhere where they didn’t pay. Or curried favour for the client/john/user of prostitutes. Did you see that?
No, I get all that McFlock.
And the employees employments were terminated regardless of any power at play. I don’t know whether these guys “created” prostitutes due to peoples circumstances or paid pre-existing prostitutes.
But either way, it’s a howling bullshit excuse for government and whatever media lackeys to leverage in a way that could bury the entire organisation.
Do you believe for even one second that the following statement is meant to apply to any and all organisations government works with? Or just those those that “show it up” from time to time?
Penny Mordaunt. UK’s International Development Secretary –
I am very clear: we will not work with any organisation that does not live up to the high standards on safeguarding and protection that we require.
I suspect the outrage of the government is cynical as you suggest.
But given that some of your links refer to problem men flowing from one organisation to another, employment termination isn’t the solution it might seem at first glance.
Why should an org. be held accountable for the fact an ex-employee secured employment elsewhere? Are they meant to hire Private Dicks, monitor and surveil them?
Beyond not giving references (and there are potential issues with that in a NZ context), what the fuck are they legally capable of doing?
Firstly, try handling the initial complaint about your country director properly, instead of transferring him to the next disaster zone.
Secondly, try firing them rather than allowing resignations. That’ll make it more difficult for them to move into other organisations to abuse.
And it’s not just May’s govet looking at funding, so is the European Union.
BTW, everything I’m saying comes from the list of links you’re outraged over.
Well sure. Some poorly handled shit justifies sinking an entire org that just happens to be vocally critical….how?
No winks and nods to the EU from the UK to follow suit and rid themselves of an annoying thorn in the side? Just upstanding governments, aye?
Fuck. I’d hate to be running the next arms fair given this upstanding morality government’s discovered for itself!
The Guardian “reporting”. Anything new in those dozen pieces from the past two days that wasn’t previously reported last October? (I don’t think there is.) So, if not a campaign of righteous indignation and condemnation then, why now?
edit – and when did paying another person for sex become a definition for abuse?
edit no. 2 “Two staff members resigned before investigations were complete” Not much can be done about that.
I think if the UK outright begged the EU to do something at the moment, the EU would fucking laugh in their face. Seems to be the norm with the brexit negotiations.
sounds like capitalism is always a free exchange between indiciduals, eh. No power imbalance there, even if one party has no shoes.
Except continue the investigations and deliver your findings to the police if something illegal turns up.
A mutual interest in silencing Oxfam requires no begging on any party’s part. And there’s been a fair amount of this silencing of dissident opinion lately. (Yes, I know you disagree on that front)
Prostitution and power imbalances exist right here in NZ. You against the legalisation of sex work? You think Johns should be jailed or some-such?
Oxfam has referred cases to the police.
But the headline case involves paying for sex in Haiti. That’s illegal in
Haiti. You think Oxfam should refer that to the English police? You think the UK would/should extradite someone to answer allegations of having paid for sex in Haiti?
That depends entirely on the circumstances in which the transaction was made.
Frankly, if the person who was paid for sex felt coerced into it or received unfair advantage in aid, then either the local police or the British ones should be involved.
The reason sex work is legal in NZ is because it helps create safe spaces for sex workers. I’m unconvinced that it’s an apt metaphor for a disaster zone, expect inasmuch as NZ is an ongoing “free” “market” disaster itself.
It was a comparison, not a metaphor. But let me put it this way. Paying people for sex has been normalised. There are possible debates and arguments around that fact, but it’s the fact I’m pointing to.
So a guy paid someone for sex in a country where that’s not legal. And an entire aid agency that has a habit of producing “embarrassing” reports (from a government perspective) has its future put in jeopardy by government.
As I asked in my originla comment – anyone remember War on Want and how they were silenced and shut down? Because I’m seeing parallels, though the pre-text for hitting Oxfam is different.
As you know, I think charity is obscene in the first place. From a realpolitik perspective, you’re probably right.
“So a guy paid someone for sex in a country where that’s not legal.”
In addition to the comment I made below about minimising, let me put it another way. Your critique of the Guardian would carry more punch if you stopped minimising the rape culture and gender issues here.
If the argument is that the Guardian are blowing something out of proportion in order to manipulate the public against an NGO, you’re going to run up against the problems I outlines below. We don’t know what happened, and there are still issues to look at about what Oxfam did even if what you say about the Guardian is true.
As a sidebar, this is another example of how one can frame things that undermines other politics. If the problem here is that the Guardian has an agenda of supporting the status quo, that seems reasonable to critique. But one doesn’t actually have to do that by way of minimising the issues around the thing being badly reported.
Prostitution includes children doing sex work, including in NZ and irrespective of legislation. When we change the subject in that sentence, we can say that by definition someone using sex work services is committing rape if the worker is underage. Because of the nature of the patriarchy, that is very hard to address, so politically I think it’s better to not assume that no underage people were involved as a base line. If you think that’s daft, consider how many men can’t tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 15 year old. Or don’t want to. The way you are putting your arguments here makes that stuff less visible.
I haven’t followed the story much, but afaik there is at least question of whether underage people were involved.
Prostitution in Haiti is illegal. Again, given the nature of the powers involved, it makes more political sense to me to include the problems inherent in that. For instance a population that is eating mud pies due to lack of food is much more likely to have high numbers of women, transgender people, children and men doing sex work in conditions that are coercive.
That’s not necessarily a comment on *your politics, but on the framing that *might be going on here. For instance, this sentence,
“Now sure, it’s not the best look to be all “I’m here to help, and by the way, how much for a blow-job around these parts?”
seriously minimises the broader politics in the situation. The critique of the Guardian doesn’t require that.
Making a sardonic comparison with arms dealers and MPs likewise. I mean, I get it, it’s funny and pointed if one is looking at the hypocrisy of the establishment in the West. It’s less funny if one is looking at rape culture politics.
There hasn’t been any allegation of underage sex in what I’ve read.
And the comparisons to arms fairs/arms dealers and MPs and the reaction (obvious lack of) isn’t meant to be funny.
The critique isn’t about “supporting the status quo” but that a newspaper is quite overtly running a government’s political agenda out to the public. (Nothing new in that, I know)
There have been allegations.
As disgusting as it might seem, as authorities crack down on paedophilia in the developed world, predatory paedophiles are now going to the developing world to gain access to children. One of their preferred methods is to join a children’s charity
Shocking revelations on BBC’s Newsnight on Friday 9 February saw former Oxfam head Dame Barbara Stocking admit that she “knew for years” after an internal Oxfam investigation that sexual exploitative behaviour has been going on at Oxfam. The behaviour included hiring prostitutes in earthquake-torn Haiti – who may have been underage – and downloading illegal material. It was revealed that the aid workers involved in such acts moved from aid job to aid job with spotless references.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/oxfam-aid-work-prostitutes-un-workers-child-sex-abuse-harassment-dfid-a8204526.html
Yep. I think it’s safe to assume that there is probably abuse going on, rather than not. We can wait for an investigation for details about specific people, but in terms of discussing the general politics, I can’t see that Oxfam should be given the benefit of the doubt as an organisation. No-one should.
Please look at James’s 2 comments at 6.47 pm on Daily Review.
Personal attacks and clearly stalking me.
you need to provide links Ed
With reference to Oxfam and Haiti, that reads as speculation on the authors part rather than any reporting of an allegation.
Is there anywhere (any article) stating that allegations have been made that Oxfam employees in Haiti had sex with minors?
The Guardian article you posted up thread.
–Oxfam staff in Haiti paid prostitutes – possibly underage – for sex in 2011,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-staff-raise-concerns-over-charity-vetting-processes-haiti-abuse
Joe. That’s bloody speculation again. The piece could just as well have said …paid prostitutes – possibly boys – for sex in 2011.
No claim or allegation is made, and no allegation or claim is referred to.
I’ve suggested you google it. Try putting ambassador in the search.
You suggesting I google Oxfam workers in Haiti paying for underage sex? Or what? Presumably what I’ll get will be in line with the dozen or so links I provided in my original comment.
I’ve already said Bill.
Oxfam Haiti underage. Now add ambassador. This isn’t difficult.
Oh. I already did. And predictably got articles in a similar vein to those already posted in my orignal comment.
none of that addresses the issues I am raising, and that you haven’t yet read more widely doesn’t mean the issues aren’t pertinent.
If you google Oxfam Haiti underage you will find some reading.
“And the comparisons to arms fairs/arms dealers and MPs and the reaction (obvious lack of) isn’t meant to be funny.”
Take out the word funny then, and reread it. The point stands.
“The critique isn’t about “supporting the status quo” but that a newspaper is quite overtly running a government’s political agenda out to the public. (Nothing new in that, I know)”
Good to have the clarification, but again, it avoids the point I was making.
I’m not “avoiding” your point so much as simply not focusing on it. You and who-ever can look at all this through lenses of gender, but you can’t reasonably insist that everyone else does.
A publication running government attack lines. Where we seen that before?
If the pieces focused on the men, who are known, and investigated their past behaviours, allegations against them, positions held and which other orgs money they had spent for personal gratification (though I think it’s reasonable to assume it was their own money and on their own time), then that would be entirely different to what is actually happening.
These men having paid for sex is being used to attack and silence an organisation that is a reasonable and vocal critic of governments and their policies. And media are willfully running governments attack lines against that org. I think that’s hugely important.
I think it’s important too.
What I’m suggesting is that you have an opportunity here to engage in some solidarity politics. That’s a good thing, because solidarity, but also it means you won’t get as much push back on your actual points because of the framing. At the moment I’m just seeing dismissal and minimising, so I’m not convinced this is simply choosing not to focus on it. Looks more like discounting it.
There’s a limit to how much support can be given to strategies that misuse gender and rape culture issues to address this kind of issue. That’s not new either.
Sorry Bill … the Guardians blitz of stories, combined with James …. our king of grubby toilet sex using the word “bad” … lead me to assume it was something like underage prostitutes …. and memories of UN sex trafficking sucked me in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexual_abuse_by_UN_peacekeepers
That it is not …. shows a contrived Guardian hit job ….and pathetic excuse for the Tory Tax haven party to threaten Oxfams funding.
James hypocrisy and criticism of Oxfam ……….. stands in stark contrast to his excuses and support of Rugby players abusing sex workers … or rooting strangers in public toilets…. while being in a relationship.
‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it’ is his advice over toilets …. but sex with prostitutes is bad.
Indicating both his morals and taste …….. are located up his arse.
Hopefully good Poms …. decent ones like Corbyn …. fight against this Guardian / Tory abuse.
“An Associated Press investigation revealed in 2017 that more than 100 UN peacekeepers ran a child sex ring in Haiti over a 10 year period and none were ever jailed.”
Odd, you seem to have changed your tune since Sunday, you realise it’s only 2 days and your now running with a different tune.
Get your attack points sorted james, you’re looking unhinged.
.
I know that a lot of Maori leaders are saying you Ngati Porou sided with the crown during the turmoils of the early days of out country been turned into NZ why should we listen to you Eco Maori .
In reality when one is swimming and gets caught in a big a Rip tide if one does not swim with the rip tide one will get tired swimming against the tide that one drowns ka pai.
So If Ngati Porou Great leaders Ropata Wahawaha. Kohere Mokena. Potae Henare sided with other Maori and we killed all the settlors this would have given the neo liberals the power to up set the Killer Whale I.E rally Great Briton against Aoetearoa . She was the Superpower in those days we would have been at war for years a lot of tangata would have been lost and in reality we would not have any Mana now we would all be living on the Ruapehu the desert road and the neo librels would have total control .
IF we lett the government sign the tpp go have a look at America look at its roads look at its dams are running dry look at its ghettos look at its health systems look at its finance systems .
Is this what you want to leave behind for all OUR Mokos ECO MAORI says NO .
We are but caretakers of Papatuanuku for the very short time we are here OUR main job is to pass her on to OUR mokos in a good healthy state .
That is a good point Jack and Haley the state of our poor housing the Tidal wave of inequality instigated by nationals shonky and bills polices will still be rolling in for years . Ana to kai
Ka kite ano
Rock Rumble I know what to say I dont want this tpp to stuff up Aotearoa and I wont fall for the bait others are putting out there I get to chose what I talk about I will forgive them I see the bigger picture .Give us a sore face P.S the sandflys delete things out of my inbox for me IPCA files
Ka pai ka kite ano
All the best on your new journey Bill English.
Time for he tangata of Aotearoa to take a new path to ensure all OUR mokos are all treated equally time for New Zealanders to respect Papatunuku / Mother Earth and all her creatures .So all our mokos can be guarantee a health prosperous future.
Hilary & Jeremy some think that I should have deleted my e-mail encourageing Tops party to help me to stop this farcical ttp trade our sovereign away contract .
New Zealand doesn’t need that the whole world wants our food that is the best food on Papataunuku we are not even known in a lot of countries we just have to tell the World our beautiful story about our clear sky’s green grass ect.
I told people that I would hold them accountable for there actions .
I was disappointed with one policy I bit my tongue .Eco Wil not bite his tongue on this farcical trade our sovereignty away contract tpp. Anyway I’m not a person who does things behind-the-scenes or behind one’s back .I want everyone to know my view on the reality of the ttp . I new labour would find out /be informed from the sandflys about my e-mail to Gareth Morgan .This action of mine puts labour on notice don’t underestimate ECO MAORI . I still back Labour lead Government I just want some of Tops researched good policies to be legislated into our laws sooner or later he got us all talking about Maori receiving 1cent in the dollar for compensating for our land being stolen by the NZ Company he is a great good hounerable Kiwi who put his money were his mouth is . Ka kite ano
Thanks for the tautoko Big man Ka pai E hoa Ka kite ano
National’s legacy. Not content with elevating NZ to the top of domestic abuse statistics, they underfund support services so badly, under the banner of restructuring, no-one answers the phone.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/350270/child-abuse-hotline-overwhelmed-by-calls
I’m seeing some evidence by way of hit and run comments on other blogs that the dirty politics brigade is going to target Clark Gayford’s past as a way to attack JA and the government.
The Nats know this is a very, very dangerous strategy but I think they’re incapable of changing their ways, and it worked with Metiria Turei after all, even though they lost the election in the end.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Gayford’s past is in the spotlight soon.
Well if he hasn’t don’t anything to be ashamed of then he’s got nothing to worry about.
He is after all NZ’s first man of fishing.
So you agree with this kind of dirty politics?
If he hasn’t run for public office then he shouldn’t have anything to worry about regardless of whether he “hasn’t don’t anything” (sic).
Some of the accusations are rather serious and if true I can’t see how Ardern could survive.
And yesterday.
Without linking what was the post name from yesterday?
The one about the Chris Bishop smear.
Wow! Who knew that shadowy figures have been murdering NZ journalists and writers for years, and something about the KGB.
Serious stuff. 😆
These “innuendoes” have been going on for about three weeks with several kiwiblog commentators chiming in as if they know something. Farrar, as per his instructions, is letting it go and the shit slinging is continuing. Much like the innuendoes regarding Ardern’s mental health status pre election. There are a few specific commentators who kept that one up with regularity.
Depends what they are – and who says its dirty politics – what if its a #MeToo type issue?
(Not saying it is (nor have I read anything suggesting that this is the case – Just using this as an example of something in his past that isnt dirty politics and may indeed be a valid complaint from somebody).
If the revealing and dirt digging is being run by a political party and/or their proxies then it is dirty politics regardless of the nature of the accusations.
I disagree.
Sure, but that just makes you a very small cog in a rather large machine.
A self-described drug dealer claims to have supplied ecstasy and “speed” to a third party. It’s all part of a big conspiracy against journalists and writers, apparently.
While he hasn’t run for office hes certainly been front and centre, he accepted the wiro at Waitangi, has wrote some pieces about why we should vote for Jacinda
Hes not like Peter Davis or Bronagh Key in that respect so if you want to have influence you need to accept the negative with the positive
Mind you I also haven’t heard any rumours either
He’s had a bigger profile than Ardern over much of his career through his radio and tv work. I actually think he’s done a good job of being in the background considering. It doesn’t look like he’s going to use his new found fame to get tv jobs either.
” It doesn’t look like he’s going to use his new found fame to get tv jobs either.”
Doesn’t matter, he tried to influence the election, he accepted on behalf of either Jacinda or the Labour party the wiro at Waitangi so hes fair game
Then so are (or now were) Bill English’s kids who went around campaigning with him.
And his wife, Mary English, who was also with him today when he resigned along with three of the sons.
Mrs English (or rather Dr) also featured in a number of fluff pieces in the Herald etc as well as Gayford about their relationships with their respective partners.
Mary English didn’t start doing much campaigning until late in the picture, she was fairly anonymous for much of Bills career (which is a shame as shes quite the catch)
And kids should be off limits up until they start chiming in so, as an example, criticism of Max Key is fine but criticism of Stephanie Key isn’t
As Maui says, Gayford has had a public profile for almost 20 years through his TV and radio work.
He left his safe TV and radio jobs about three years ago to take a gamble and follow his dream of creating his own TV series combining travel, fishing and food, and marine sustainability and protection – with Jacinda Ardern’s blessing and encouragement.
The third series of “Fish of the Day” is due to run here in NZ soon on Prime TV (it was previously on Choice TV) and in about 38 countries through the National Geographic’s network (up from about 20 countries for the previous two series).
Brilliant (award winning) photography, particularly underwater, by his partner in this venture – Mike Bhana, a NZer also known as ‘Mr Shark’ as one of the creators of the largest shark exhibition in the world – Planet Shark http://www.planetshark.com – a huge educational installation designed to promote awareness, conservation and understanding of sharks and our oceans. Bhana is also known for his photographic/video work in documenting the work of the Red Cross teams worldwide.
http://fishoftheday.tv/profiles
A teaser video for the third series – https://www.facebook.com/pg/fishofthedaytv/videos/?ref=page_internal
Gayford and Bhana also do a lot of other work in relation to marine sustainability and protection both in NZ and in the Pacific, eg the proposed Niue Marine Sanctuary and the annual Humpback Whale migration. The ‘Fish of the Day’ also focuses on these issues.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11930357
https://twitter.com/NZClarke/status/916829442630082560
They have also done a series of short travel promotion videos for Niue – keeping in with the ‘father in law’! – Ross Ardern, NZ High Commissioner to Niue, soon to return to NZ and become the NZ Administrator of Tokelau, based in Auckland.
Gayford will be putting most of the above on hold to become the prime caregiver of their child, so he deserves credit for this.
[And no, Ed – I am not getting paid for this promo.]
Of course he does solkta, james has no morals.
So Turei comes out and ADMITS benefit fraud in a speech and that’s nationals dirty politics.
Your tin foil hat is slipping.
They did go after her family. Even you’d have to admit that’s pretty low.
“They did go after her family.”
Metiria Turei pushed “her family” under the bus.
Turei tried to paint the picture she had no other choice but to commit fraud. Which is only half a step away from telling NZ that her former partner and his family did bugger all to help support their daughter/granddaughter
When in fact Turei had massive support from them, they were always going to hit back at Turei. Of course, you do know who the grandmother is of Metiria Turei baby?
[if you’re going to make statements of fact about a public/political figure on this political blog, you need to back them up. I’d now like to see some credible back up for the statement that Turei had ‘massive support’ from her family. Putting you in moderation so I can pick it up when it comes through – weka]
moderation note for you to respond to.
For context, many lies have been told about Turei, and much of them were politically motivated. If you want to make claims in the future, don’t make me ask for back up, provide it at the time.
Sure weka.
Read the stuff link that james posted…
Turei claim of she had to commit fraud was BS. She received massive support (her own words were “really fantastic support”).
It belittled the sole parents who do not have the support of their family or friends.
Sorry, but Turei was caught out.
[You need to provide evidence of your assertion of fact. i.e. actual links that are credible, and quotes from those links that explicitly support what you are saying. Your reckons aren’t enough, nor are vague references to other commenters. The onus is on *you to do the work. Note that for future reference too in what I said in the other note. Please also read the Policy about wasting moderator time. I’ve asked twice now, don’t make me come back at it again because I’m more likely just to ban you – weka]
“I’d now like to see some credible back up for the statement that Turei had ‘massive support’ from her family.”
Quote from Turei: “I have always said I did have really fantastic support from friends and family and that Piupiu’s family really supported me especially when I was in law school with things like you know, child care, stuff like that. Like the sort of stuff that you would expect.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/95624422/metiria-turei-says-support-from-her-childs-grandparents-wasnt-financial
Tureis statement was in response to John Campbell putting written questions to her re-extend family contacting Checkpoint.
Now John Campbell is respected on the left…so is he making this up?
I know Ann Hartley and the thought she would let any child let alone her granddaughter go without is just ridiculous.
For those not familiar with Ann Hartley here is a good overview…
https://ancad.org.nz/sites/default/files/Ann%20Hartley_LoRes.pdf
If you want me to link to Turei admitting she did not have to cheat…well I can’t.
[good. Because now we can see the difference between what Turei actually said, and what you claimed as fact. People can then respond to your comment without having to deal with you asserting opinion as fact. From now on I suggest that at the time you either don’t assert fact but instead state clearly that things are in your opinion, or you put up a link and quote to back up the claim of fact. I don’t want to have to waste my time on this again, nor do I think it’s ok to have this cleared up a day after the conversation is moved on. You are allowed to express opinion on this site (within bounds), but misusing statements of facts to take part in a long attack on a public figure is not ok – weka]
Turei: I have always said I did have really fantastic support from friends and family and that Piupiu’s family really supported me especially when I was in law school with things like you know, child care, stuff like that. Like the sort of stuff that you would expect.
You: When in fact Turei had massive support from them
There is nuance in what Turei is saying. Obviously she is sending a message to her family and friends that she really appreciated the support she received from. We don’t know how much of the ‘really fantastic support’ was financial, or of the financial support, what weekly or yearly amount that was.
We also don’t know what shortfall she had in her budget over time. That she had wealthy in laws who gave some financial support doesn’t mean that they were giving her what she needed.
The crux of the issue here is whether Turei needed the additional money from the benefit or not. Again, we don’t know the figures involved, so there is no way to assess this from a maths point of view. What we do know is that at that time, the benefit wasn’t enough to live on. It is widely held opinion that benefits were already at that time set below the poverty line in order to force people into work. For a single parent raising a child and going to law school there is very little space to take on extra work to supplement income. This is why most compassionate and knowledgeable people either understand what Turei did or actively support it.
Further, as Bill pointed out, financial support from family (or anyone) is technically considered income by WINZ and had she declared it she would have had a portion of her benefit taxed. Catch 22.
I don’t actually care who Turei’s in laws are. There are plenty of middle class beneficiaries whose families help in some ways but where the beneficiary still struggles and the family is either aware or unaware. This is neither news nor surprising. The only people that don’t understand this social reality are people who are ignorant. And far too many people are wilfully ignorant and want their bigotry to trump everything else. That is what I see in your series of posts. You are willing to believe second or third hand information and rumour instead of looking at what was most likely to have been going on.
John Campbell is a very compassionate man. But in this instance he did one of the worst things I have ever seen him do. He did that interview from a place of utter ignorance of the reality of being a beneficiary and he chose to amplify the voices of reactionaries rather than vulnerable people. He ran a line of sex workers and drug addicts might be justified in needing more income, but that law students with wealthy in laws aren’t. That is as fucked up as it comes, and I don’t care what someone’s politics are at that point, if they are abusing their position of power by promoting bludger memes. Campbell should be ashamed of himself.
You mean when the family contacted the press to say that her comments were ‘galling’
“The allegations were put to Turei by RNZ Checkpoint who said a family member told them the extended family found Turei’s comments about the hardships she faced in her 20s and her benefit fraud “galling”.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/95624422/metiria-turei-says-support-from-her-childs-grandparents-wasnt-financial
Anonymous family member, eh? Interesting…
to quote you from a couple of days ago “so obviously there was something inappropriate going on.”
Fuck off James. Any financial aid from a family member would have been viewed as income, and if not declared to WINZ (so they could dock payments accordingly) then said aid becomes a matter of fraud.
Bill English a millionaire lives in a house owned by his trust … but claims $900 per week in rent expenses … the motive was pure greed …but he ADMITS nothing
James and our dirty politics goons go on and on about a solo mum getting a fraction of that to try and live on a benefit that the national party set at punitive poverty levels …..
James ADMITS his clearly dirty stinking morals …. underpinned by hypocrisy.
…. his fingers do the talking .
No – James goes on about a self admitted benefit fraud.
you capitalized whats important to you ….
and your past form sticks and stinks ………..
Anyway good to see Bill English flushed from power …. another head for winston …. the key slayer.
Who next ?
There’s a really simple sequence to kill all that:
1. 2018. Prime Minister gives birth. That’s worth a year of publicity including international. WHo will supply the outfits?
2. 2019. Prime Minister take the baby to Waitangi. Solid month of coverage.
He proposes. That’s worth about 6 months of solid magazine covers and tv interviews locally.
3. 2020. They get married at start of campaign.
That’s worth 4% in the polls by itself, because it kills all other political coverage.
They get a second term.
4. 2022. Second baby. Gets a third term. Retires from politics end of Year 8.
Job done.
Pity you think she needs to be a baby factory / get married etc to get re-elected.
So much for substance.
Yeah, that’s a pretty insulting post.
Ad seems to think Arderns main worth is to be a breed mare and grace the covers of the woman’s mags.
You’d think impressing voters with her PM skills would be what gets her reelected, but, nope it’s babies and weddings.
No Ad’s just pointing out the shallow nature of what it takes to get elected in this country.
y’know smile n wave etc using the womens mags, have the msm repeat your spin, photo mop’s with the AB’s, get on the cover of Rugby times etc etc
Weak attempt at diversion BM, you can do better than that.
A woman who gives birth to two babies is a “baby factory”, James?
Pretty scabby stuff from you today. BM’s comments (below) are equally pustular.
using the term for knocking out another baby for the purpose of getting re-elected – yes.
But as usual – you miss the big point.
And you show us once again you have no moral compass.
Each and every day your lack of morals just becomes more and more apparent james.
So today your on a James has no morals kick huh.
Wonder what your pathetic meme of the day will be tomorrow?
to be fair, it’s not like you’ve shown much evidence of having a needle in your moral compass.
Like the March Hare’s fob-watch, stuffed with gobs of butter.
The smears are deranged drivel.
One of the other headlines at the blogsite which has the smears –
‘Exclusive – Is Jacinda Ardern another KGB Tavistock Agent Working for Putin & Netanyahu?’
Batshite lala land stuff.
I had to google for the blog site you hinted at above…”shape-shifting alien lizard conspiracy” kind of says it all 🙂
“deranged drivel”.
Thats the best it could be described as.
Has it all come from that one website?
Oh look if three of them say it , it must be true.
You lot are tired as you are predictable.
Proof, just show some real proof your not scumbags, with no morals, who hate on working people. That’s all we are asking for.
It has only taken our new Government four months to turn this country around.
$600M more tax collected than what National had forecasted.
Let the good times begin
More money collected, but not a single new house built, tree planted or child saved from poverty. The good times are definitely rolling!
But the TPP signing in on-track – so thats good.
It looks like a criminals charter …… judging by the corruption levels of those we are opening up to …
Brunei …. http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2014/04/30/corrupt-sultan-of-brunei-introduces-tough-islamic-penal-code/
Malaysia…… http://www.sarawakreport.org/2014/06/the-sarawak-timber-mafias-global-menace/
Mexico … https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/world/americas/mexico-corruption-commission.html
Singapore …. https://www.oxfam.org/en/even-it/singapore-switzerland-worlds-worst-tax-havens
What type of ‘trade agreement’ signs up such criminal elements ????
Will james be concerned ……….. or do they have to ADMIT something?.
“What type of ‘trade agreement’ signs up such criminal elements ????”
One that Labour will sign.
Its easy to see the greens taking 10% support off them over this …
Good to see the greens getting up around 15% …. because of Labour acting like National with corporate welfare….
The greens will rise further if they attack Nationals Tax Haven pollution…. And reverse Nationals damage to our corruption index ranking.
Seizure of criminal assets … just needs a politician or police officer to get the ball rolling and do the right thing .http://www.sarawakreport.org/2014/06/the-sarawak-timber-mafias-global-menace/
All good? As a species, we’ve made our bed. What a world we lived in. At least Binglish is gone (small mercies; anyone feeling for Paula?) – like Key, toddling off to those greener pastures…
https://twitter.com/domesticanimal/status/689526785881452544
https://earthfirstnews.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/tpp-shirt-comic.jpg
https://admin62b4b.davidicke.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Untitled-7-1-2.jpg
https://concisepolitics.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/tpp-free-trade.png
https://images.dailykos.com/images/56606/story_image/NAFTA_Whip.gif?1383851570
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ae/25/1c/ae251c0cd3846c68c950ea17363101a7–agenda-corporate.jpg
http://www.thedawn-news.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/west-virginia-chemical-coal-spill-tpp-cartoon-1024×729.jpg
If anything happens to me like the games the sandflys are playing with me on the roads every time I get in a vehicle.
That will turn ECO MAORI into a Martyr then YOU will have really big problems you create OK sandflys. Ana to kai
Bill English gone.
BREAKING – Bill English holding press conference at 11.30am. Expected to step down.
EDIt – He was late for Nat Party Caucus and Mary and two sons at Parliament with him.
Bill English stepping down? Our caption contest had a sharp edge? Listen in to Radionz.
And if you have been doing so and heard Rod Oram, there seemed some very interesting points raised. Ad would have some comments about this I imagine. Trade with Russia and Fonterra. Possible unhappiness with Fonterras initiatives of recent years by shareholders.
NZ government revenue is highly leveraged Rod says. When times are good this works well, but when there is a drop gummint needs to be prepared to borrow and initiate activity? (and there is room to do so within conservative management policies.)
English goes on Tuesday 27 February. (I misheard and thought it was 22 Feb.) He referred to the weight of service hanging over the whole family for many years, and it was an emotional moment for him. (This is not verbatim and my take on it.)
Umm. Perhaps he shouldn’t have dragged them around on the campaign trail then.
I laugh at how politicians and sportspeople pretend they are doing it for their families…
Interesting. Let me put it this way, while I can imagine a world in which I could actually vote for Bill English, there just isn’t one in which I ticked a party led by any of his probable successors.
Well that was a long career and in years to come he’ll be remembered a bit like Jim Bolger, ‘for a Tory he could’ve been a lot worse’.
Funny that, you could say roughly the same thing about Helen Clark ‘for a leftie he could’ve been a lot worse’.
Wonder what will be said about Jacinda in years to come
I wonder what will be said about you PR in the years you have left? And then – dearly loved …..
I’d imagine it’ll be something like this:
>about Helen Clark ‘for a leftie he could’ve been a lot worse’.<
Attention to detail! – or are you saying Helen Clark is a man?
No thats my bad, I should have been more careful on the cut and paste, heres what I should have said:
“for a leftie she could’ve been a lot worse”
Helen Clark is a better man than Bill English is.
I can’t. He is a pseudo nice guy. He engaged lawyers and accountants to steal from us with a veil of legitimacy, he denied a housing cris, he denied poverty, he proppped up Ruth Richardson and her lot. he lied about a hole when he knew the real hole was 21b which he and Joyce hid from PREFU. ALL of his actions enabled the appalling attack and denigration on our vulnerable that is prevalent today. He oversaw a campaign designed to set kiwi against kiwi.
Anti gay marriage (an dcivil union) anti aborton
Fed farmers given adavnc enotice of the decision furthe rproving their place as a Nat lobby group (and NO they do not represent farmers in NZ, only about 15-20% of the despite what they Nats and media portray)
Nope, cannot envisage a world where he would ever have got my vote.
Well said Tracey Agree 200%
I have often wondered about the stats of how many ordinary farmers – on the land – actually feel that Fed Farmers is good for them and their needs.
Leaving parliament effective 27 Feb
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1802/S00098/bill-english-announces-retirement-from-parliament.htm
Wow, only just caught on he’s not just stepped down as leader but is leaving parliament altogether and immediately.
Former Prime Ministers MPs should always be allowed to do this when they step down. If they want to hang on until the next election that is fine but they shouldn’t continue past that.
Lange and Muldoon are two who hung on and on.
They both ended up as sad figures from the past hanging around the House. Lange admitted when he finally quit, in failing health, in 1996 that he should have gone earlier but he wanted the money.
Muldoon also stayed on, a thorn in his parties side, until he also stood down in ill health at the end of 1991 not long before his death.
Both should have gone long before their actual retirement date.
English has the time to try a new career. He is, after all, only just 56.
Here is link for Rod Oram, economic watchers might think it striking stuff.
Radionz
business economy
Business commentator Rod Oram
From Nine To Noon, 36 minutes ago
Listen duration 16′ :54″
More bad news from Fletcher Building and Fonterra invests in a controversial joint venture in Russia.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018631839/business-commentator-rod-oram
that sounds about right.
Those wealth creators at it again.
They haven’t cottoned on to the George Constanza method of success –
When you are a loser – just do everything the opposite and by a sort of logic you should then be sure of success, with your fingers crossed.
The sandflys master are really upset about me cutting there farcical Tpp to pieces they are playing all the low down moves today people here is a music video to show them ECO MAORI Mana
https://youtu.be/CevxZvSJLk8
Ana to kai
Technology annoying. Woogle have to have a noise start when going to the search line. It is something to do with some game they have devised. It’s not a toy so stop trying to amuse the punters will you developers; just stay out of my head.
Its supposed to be something to do with the winter olympics, a blizzard type noise or the sound the luge makes…who knows? Damned annoying, and until I muted things I thought my laptop had finally caught fire.
I know, I know – just had that same feeling myself. Have I got tinnitus, are there cicadas in the room, is there something collapsing behind the computer? Everyone is trying to be so clever these days. Its exhausting, I wish they would stop and spend 30 minutes having a drink and pondering about life. I think that’s what’s needed these days – more pondering time.
“…are there cicadas in the room”
We have been pondering how to utilise the sadly deceased crickets invading our home at the moment. Deceased, because they are so numerous stepping upon them is unavoidable. Someone in the house just told the dogs they have to develop a taste for them…
A tale of two leaders
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1802/S00100/jacinda-ardern-statement-on-bill-english.htm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11993543
good on peters , english has been part of a government that has dragged politics in nz to new lows.
I did like Ardern’s mention of how English’s children were born and raised while he was an MP – gets a jab in, but with full deniability.
What did you expect from Winston Peters?
Once an a*hole, always an a*hole.
And he is, supposedly the “Right Honourable” Winnie the Pooh.
That is one title that should definitely be dumped.
Stop being so politically correct. On this subject, Peters says what we’re all thinking. Diddums.
You might think exactly the same thing.
It certainly doesn’t say much for your character then.
I guess, if that is the way you really think, the second line of my comment must apply to you as well.
Hi there! I’m your very own asshole.
What sort of character makes banal platitudes when a mediocre leader with a history of failure is finally put out to pasture by his supposed colleagues?
The public “servant” was on double or treble what most NZers get for the better part of three decades, still felt the need to double-dip on his accommodation allowance, and during his career participated in some of the worst economic abuses of society’s most vulnerable we’d seen in a century.
Well done, good and faithful servant, indeed…
Well put. I’ve found the praise of the Double Dipper today nauseating.
I’m not a big fan of Peters but sometimes he nails it.
He brought some healthy perspective to the assessments of English.
Ka pai Duncan & Zane from Rock radio your segment with Johnny K the lawyer is a good service for he Tangata the kumara
never tells how sweet it is but I got the welcome home sirens again they are up set ECO gets blamed for lots of phenomenon Ka kite ano
It’s hard to credit, but the lamentable Richard
Dimblebore is becoming even more obnoxious.
His interruptions and condescending remarks begin at about the 4:00 mark…
Wellington people who want something to do tomorrow evening, there is a public meeting featuring Jane Kelsey and Laila Harre about the TPP-11 at Wesley Church. See:
https://itsourfuture.org.nz/nationwide-public-meetings-tppa-11/
for more details.
Nelson, Chch, and Dunedin meetings still have a bit more time before they occur if you want to plan around them.
(If I had spotted this earlier, I would have posted it, but with all the news today and as a last minute notification… lol no. I hope plenty of you showed in Auckland!)
Yes we should donate as much as we can; we wouldn’t want the Tongan Royal family to dip into their personal massive coffers, would we.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]