They claimed Sharma would get disappointed when staff members put fridge magnets in the wrong box.
"It was like walking on eggshells," they said.
"I had to go to counselling.
"I've never been depressed or wanted to harm myself. I'm a happy person who has always been positive. I had never known about mental health," the staffer said.
"I was thinking of ways that I could kill myself. I didn't want to go back to work. I would have rather killed myself than go back to work," they said.
Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be seeing some similarities here.
Dr Gaurav Sharma is the second sitting politician to suffer a major health setback this year after East Coast MP Kiri Allan was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April.
I'm not sure what how this makes him a narcissist….unles you are happy for the same label to apply to Kiri Allan. Allan could quite rightly claim she was drawing attention to cervical cancer and the importance for women, especially wahine Maori, to get checked.
Likewise, Sharma is also drawing attention to the importance of addressing potential health issues and quite rightly highlights how beneficial it is for doctors to experience the health system from the patients' perspective.
No, not seeing how this Fits the narcissist definition.
They are extremely adept at covering themselves. They are also adept at playing the victim game and before the actual victims know it, they are deemed to be the perpetrators.
In some situations it can go on for years and the 'powers that be' just bat it away like a bothersome fly. They don't want to know. If the bully or bullies take it beyond the work-place or where-ever – as happened in my case – it can get dangerous and frightening.
There was an added dimension to my experience which put me in a dangerous position. I was the innocent piggy in the middle involving among other things, a significant incident which took place on NZ soil.
It is starting to look like the victim game-playing model. Narcissistic bullies come in all shapes and sizes and usually also have a personality disorder or two. They are not stable and, as I have said, can become quite dangerous.
Then you too must accept that maybe maybe this 'dark triad' dude was put where he is by Labour and the electorate. What does that say about Labour selection process and vetting?
In saying that, the dude at least has good job prospects once he leaves the Labour Party for good.
I know your replying to PLA @ 1.1.1 Sabine but I will add my cent-worth too.
In one sense you are right. It does not look good for Labour's selection process. But if what I suspect (and PLA) turns out to be correct, then I fully understand why they missed it. These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser.
To be fair, it applies to National and Uffindell too. National can't crystal ball gaze any more than Labour can. It is inevitable that from time to time these mistakes are made. The only difference is: there have been sufficient recent 'mistakes' by National to suggest their selection processes are in need of a major over-haul. Labour? Well time will tell.
"These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser."
Absolutely. While they systematically pull your support from under you. Evil shits.
Aye highly passive-aggressive in my experience. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths most of the time. Also took slight at the mildest of disagreeing with them. Disagreement was always portrayed as disloyalty.
Couldn't be trusted to play by normal rules e.g. confidentiality in meetings.
Very curated front facing view – until they decided you were in the out crowd.
I came home at 10am this very frosty morning after helping with a sausage sizzle duty for the organisation I volunteer at, at our local Farmers Market, to sit down and generally thaw out! I turned the TV on to see if the T20 cricket match between the West Indies and Black Caps was still in progress. It had finished with a good win to the Black Caps. Following that there was a very interesting in depth interview by Laura McGoldrick with recently retired cricketer Ross Luteru Taylor, which delved into passages in his recently published memoir 'Black and White' by/with Paul Thomas. I was so impressed with the way he coped with his treatment (bullying?) by Cricket N Z, regarding the captaincy issues and coming back after a self imposed break to resume his cricketing career was in my humble opinion the very opposite to the manner Dr Sharma has presented and endeavoured to deal with his very real problems. Ross had some great mentors he could rely on to help him, including the late, great Martin Crowe and also Ian Smith who helped him to come through those dark times to be able to finish his illustrious cricket career with honours and retire on a high. I believe Gaurav Sharma could take time out to watch that interview – I saw distinct parallels with the way both scenarios unfolded and in Gaurav's case continues to unravel. I just hope he seeks the help he so needs.
and still i don't care one bit what N does as i don't vote nor have i any intention in voting for N. I have however in the past voted L, gave money to L, gave fence space for hoardings etc to L.
So in an essence i am interested in what L does. And L in this instance either managed to hire someone totally unsuitable for the job, promoted him for the job, took his electoral victory as their own because they thought he fit their profile – another diversity/minority pick – whom they thought would not win, or could not win, but was a body that they put up for appearance sake, or they got played like fools.
Sometimes people have flaws which show up under pressure, but othering does not help.
When a person is successful as an academic, they are often surprised by their own failure to manage people and situations.
In teaching, highly educated people could write excellent units of work, but would fail in the management of implementation.
This man appears to be unwell, highly stressed, and feeling badly misunderstood. His main cry is "no one is listening" and almost "they are out to get me".
What he needs is beyond the expertise of whips and casual help. He appears to need to discover his physical medical problem, plus get treatment for stress.
It is extremely upsetting for a clever person who has been a leader to find himself not coping, and feeling isolated enough that he did not confide in friends. This is a sad situation. Otherwise, it could suggest rationalisation after the fact of lashing out.
His posts are confused cries for help imo. Sadly help has to be accepted before it begins to work. He is angry upset and lashing out. What he is saying is true to his perspective but skewed by unhappiness and anger.
Being an MP is complex and is people centered. A person skilled in noting details to diagnose, is not perhaps the person to carry out management and implementation of treatment. imo.
He appears to find no fault in his own behaviour a big red flag, in my opinion.
I hope he goes for professional assistance. He won’t find that on F.B.
'Judging from his op-ed piece, Sharma may even have been labouring under the misapprehension that he was in Parliament to represent the electors of Hamilton West. He may even have thought that they were the people to whom he was ultimately answerable. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! That is merely his constitutional role.
His actual role is to shut up and do as the Whips command. Make a speech on a subject he knows nothing about. Sit on a Select Committee and vote exactly as the Labour Chair indicates – no matter how wrong or stupid. Most importantly, say nothing, write nothing, and do nothing that attracts unwanted attention.
The poor man would soon have discovered that this “sit still and shut up” rule applied with equal force in caucus. If he was ever incautious enough to stand up in front of his colleagues and express views contrary to those of the Front Bench, then he would very soon have appreciated why those tasked with the responsibility for keeping the Back Bench under control are called “Whips”..'
It seems that Parliament, and the parties, hasn't changed a bit in the last 25 years.
Pam Corkery did one term as an MP in the Alliance Party. After that she wrote a book about it and gave a searing portrait of Jim Anderton. The book was Pam's Political Confessions, and was published in, IIRC, 1999. The Wellington City Library still has a copy available, and others may also.
In it she wrote "Politicians are, by and large, far more self-deluding, devious, bloated, insecure, egocentric wankers than I had feared."
Im not sure she necessarily would do poorly….she would certainly upset many but I suspect she would have considerable appeal to a sizeable cohort.
It is an idle wonder in any case as she has been there , done that and worked out she had better things to do….someone similar however may appear…..whether any mainstream party would stand such a candidate is another question however…I suspect not.
Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be (sic) seeing some similarities here.
Look in the mirror. More than a few narcissists among the Woke Dogmatist element here. Indeed, certain former authors, now long-departed, were notorious for making everyone tiptoe on eggshells around them at all times … resulting in some degree of backlash from a segment of regular commenters.
Same outrageous narcissism, authoritarianism & (highly-disturbed) controlling behaviour from the (mock-)"heroic" Woke warriors on Twitter.
Hardly surprising, then, that more than one recent study in Psychology has suggested both the Alt Right & the Authoritarian Woke attract more than their fair share of activists possessing Dark Triad Personality traits (1. Machiavellianism, 2. Narcissism [esp high Entitlement], 3. Psychopathy).
I find it quite amazing how many contributors here are pontificating on a topic that must surely require a great deal of training and presonal knowledge of the person being discussed.
Are you, for example, a trained and licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist?
Have you ever treated Dr Sharma, or even met him?
In other words are your comments based on professional knowledge, and detailed knowledge of the gentleman concerned or are they just the views of a staunch Labour Party follower who is unhappy that these things are being brought to public attention?
The same questions also seem appropriate for some of the other commenters here.
I can only think of one occasion when I commented on a person's psychological status. That was back in 2016 when someone assumed that I would, if it were possible, vote for Trump instead of Bernie Sanders.
I said I would vote for anyone except Trump because, although Bernie would be useless I thought Trump was totally nuts. That was the only time that I can remember making any such comment.
Now, to get back to the case in point, are you professionally qualified and do you know the person concerned, so that you can comment on his mental state?
Just to remind ourselves that there are two types of Labour parties that have little in common ideologically …
The Socialist Democratic type as represented by Jeremy Corbyn, at one time Bernie Sanders and it could be said recently in NZ by David Shearer.
The Centrist Free Market, Neo-Liberal type as represented by Keir Starmer, Biden (sort of) and Jacinda Ardern in NZ and sadly it seems James Shaw of The Green Party.
All institutions of main stream press and big business fear and hate the former and will generally support the later in any open battle for power between the two, for obvious reasons…a fact that, as I mentioned earlier, is well worth remembering…..
Sounds like things getting worse an worse in the UK but at least some of the unions are fighting back .Gandhi apparently said " if the people elect a fool they will be well represented " Must be fairly obvious now that the shit is well an truely hitting the fan !!
Alex Aleti Seu, who identifies as a woman, was jailed in March 2017 for six years and nine months after admitting a number of charges involving unlawful sexual connection with a male over 16, indecent assault and assault with intent to commit sexual violation in relation to three men.
She dragged him into an alleyway and threw him into a brick wall, stunning him in the process, before pulling down his pants and sexually violating him.
The man was able to escape but Seu chased him and forced him down in the grounds of a church where she raped him a second time
so when ever this dude is getting released there will be a warning going out for a 'woman' rapist, that drags man of the street, throws them into a wall before in the end raping them.
Imagine the surprise when you get instead dragged of the street, thrown into a wall before getting raped by a man instead.
Never mind the dude that has to pretend that he was not raped by a bloke. Good fucking grief, but i totally get that the dignity and safety of the rapists is more important then the dignity and safety of the raped man and any other prospective victims this man will created once he is allowed out of prison. Calling this Rapist a male – he / him – would be total bigotry, cruel and transphobic. Making a mockery out of rape is totally acceptable in order to not be a bigot, cruel and transphobic.
It says a lot about the quality of journalism in this country that in an obvious case of penis driven rape the writer refers to the perpetrator as "woman" and "she". What should have been written is "Man masquerading as a woman rapes man …", used the pronouns "he", and waited for a complaint of misgendering and hate speech. Do what journalists are supposed to do and speak truth to power…
Nah, our current lot of stenographers can not conceive of a more horrible thing then to loose access to the woksters and be cancelled. That would rival death!!
I'm just grateful that they pointed out that it is a man who identifies as a woman. There was a period of time when even that didn't happen, seems to have changed now.
Small mercies.
What I want to know, and what should be reported given the nature of the crime, is when the man started identifying as a woman. If they are trans (have a history of full time being a TW), then report that. If they started IDing after the arrest, report that. If they are part time/cross dresser report that. It matters.
I am not ever going to be OK with a man who rapes a person (rape by penis) being referred to as a women, being she/her'd, and having these crimes counted as a 'woman rapes man' crime, nor with that person potentially being incarcerated with women.
If they are a Fa'afafine, then they should be referred to as such. To me there is a big difference between a Fa'afafine and a Transwomen. Whilst both present feminine the culture behind both idendities are quite different.
The Herald referred to Toko Shane "Ashley" Winter as a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the crime of the sadistic torture and murder of a young woman. By the time of his (failed) appeal they were reporting his correct sex, but they mysteriously left the name of his victim out of a later feature on femicide.
"OPINION: You’ll recall the narrative driven (and accepted by many) during the Wellington protest that it was peaceful and had one objective: to end the mandates.
Scratching not too far beneath the surface, though, it was apparent there was an entirely different – and dangerous – agenda.
At Stuff Circuit our role is to investigate matters that are in the public interest, and two things happened around the time of the occupation that got our attention.
First, we saw talk in social media about making the country “ungovernable”. It sounded like a direct threat to democracy. What did it mean? Who were the people saying it and what was their intent?"
Of course Robert….I read the rags at 5 am before my caring duties begin about 5.45 ish.
I took the bait…as so should you…and clicked on the embedded links that support their view.
And bugger me, the links lead to other Stuffed pieces, which I know from previous clicking sessions, also contain links that predominantly take one to other Stuffed articles. It is rabbit hole Stuff. Very incestuous.
Somebody needs to explain to these so called journalists that their work would have more heft if they used actual factual references to support their argument.
I confess to have tried….but as soon as I suggested that a few more articles interviewing vaccine injured, and perhaps a few more interviewing we fucking filth unvaxxed who have had Covid and who didn't die or need medical intervention, to balance out the near daily "I'm triple vaxxed and Omicron nearly killed me!" pieces that they were running for a while there had me cast into the conspiracy theory basket. Another day in the trenches.
…does the hand- wavey 'we saw placards threatening violence towards politicians and journalists at the protests!!!' journalist have anything to say about these protestors from the Left back in 2012? Shall we compare the guillotine and fake blood and the beheading of lifesize photos of the PM and half the Cabinet with gallows and nooses from Wellington?
Nah. Didn't think so.
I'd love to stay and chat Robert…but I have another cubic metre of compost to mix and spread on my garden beds before it gets too hot to work. Frost here this morning in the Far Far North and it has been hot. Clouding over a little, so I need to get back to my mahi before the sun reappears.
If this opinion piece was written in 1981, it would say angry people protesting the springbok tour and donning motorbike helmets are also a threat to society.
It provides little insight or analysis into the issues at play, it stokes people fears and emotions, and it has the writing style of the King's courtier.
The pandemic be up there, but minority ‘anti-mandate’ protests weren't unique to NZ (497 Deaths/1M pop) – USA (3200), UK (2711), Canada (1123) etc. had them too.
"The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
This reminds one of the fanciful calculations showing Santa Claus would have to be a high-speed blur if he really visited each of the world’s 2 billion children on Christmas Eve. Less humorously, it recalls the sole inspector employed to check mine safety around the time of the Pike River disaster, which killed 29 men."
I reported a house as 'condemned' to the AKL Council a long time ago. I still have the emails, tenancy tribunal ruling and so on and so forth.
I asked why this house could not be condemned to protect any other tenants that may have the misfortune to rent the shitbox. I was told that if they were to do this they would have to condemn most of Aucklands housing and btw, we don't even have enough people to inspect the houses that have the facades fall off, and where the roofs are about to cave in.
Yes , it is indeed by design….and the result of decades of 'free market' economics. Regulation is an anathema to them but politically difficult to sell so we have nominal regulation but ensure we are unable to enforce it.
Did you happen to see this particular developer/landlord incentive announced this week:
Housing Minister Megan Woods today announced that certain types of new and existing build-to-rent developments would be exempt from interest limitation rules in perpetuity.
Legislation for the proposal is expected to be introduced to Parliament at the end of August.
“To qualify, developments need to offer tenants leases of at least 10 years. Tenants can ask for shorter agreements if they wish and the development will still qualify for the exemption,” she said.
Labour (Polytechs, DHBs, 3 Waters, RNZ/TVNZ) and NAct (MBIE, Super City, Schools) may be mergaholics, but we are a small country – best to 'think bigger'?
Interesting idea. What if the Effindell legacy is that the Criminal Law system regarding children is properly reformed?
If children committing serious offences can be managed without a life sentence in Germany and Spain, why can't New Zealand do it too? Instead of ruining more lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions, why not reduce the scope and severity of penalties for children who offend?
At the time the criminal assault at Kings happened, it would have been like hens-teeth for a schoolboy bullying case (no matter how violent) to have ended up in court.
Schools then (and now) do everything in their power to hush up violence – especially under the new privacy laws – which protect the criminal, rather than the victim.
Had Uffindell committed the crime today – and it had gone to court (not at all guaranteed) – it would have been tried in the Youth Court, which means: it would not have been reported; the court record would have been sealed (and it would have been a criminal offence for the victim to reveal it – even 30 years later); and the focus would have been on rehabilitating the perpetrator, rather than the welfare of the victim.
Almost certainly, the victim would be facing the criminal in school, on a daily basis. And the school would do little or nothing to protect them. It's almost always the victims who leave, these days, rather than the perpetrators – certainly in public schools (private schools have different methods of informally giving someone the boot)
ATM, it is only the most serious of crimes (usually resulting in a death) for which children are charged in adult courts (rather than the youth court – which is already doing all of the things you suggest).
In those cases, 'ruining … lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions' might well come a poor second to the fact that someone else's life has been ended forever.
In NZ courts, unlike Germany and Spain 'life' most certainly does not mean 'life' – most will serve 10 years or less.
" In a deglobalizing world we risk dealing with enormous price shocks and dominant economic theory is not preparing us to deal with this. Deglobalisation can be an inflationary force especially if it happens in a chaotic manner. We have an extremely interconnected global economy in which many countries are dependent on monocultural exports. If trade is disrupted this can lead to supply issues, rising prices due to rising costs or simply reflecting temporary scarcities and pricing power. On top of that we need to consider the long-term impact of climate change. Because of high temperatures we can have negative effects on basic infrastructure, such as roads melting, and there are all sorts of industrial processes that need to happen within a certain temperature band. Climate change and extreme weather events can cause or exacerbate supply chain issues. Before the current multifaceted crisis, globalisation was dominated by just-in-time production networks. If demand went up, supply could easily follow and prices were remarkably stable. But now you have the opposite situation. If supply networks are not operating just in time anymore, when supplies stop flowing prices rise. In face of sector wide supply disruptions, the dynamic of competition switches from competition for market shares, to a dynamic of competition which prioritises charging higher prices for available inventories and this can be a further inflationary factor. "
However, [Massey University associate professor Grant] Duncan predicted Molloy would not endorse Collins, and he expected he would look to negotiate policy before endorsing a centre-right candidate.
The first death threat arrived last November, on the very day Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was set to take over her own medical practice.
[…]
Kellermayr’s fears and concerns went, time after time, unaddressed by authorities at all levels of Austrian government and law enforcement. And as a result, her case raises fundamental questions about what responsibility the state has to its citizens in times of unprecedented online hatred and abuse. “You get the feeling you need to protect yourself, because nobody’s going to help you,” she told me last month.
“Everybody up to the chancellor knew about this case before I went public. Everybody said it’s horrifying and I should get help. But nobody helped me.”
While the rivers of water are drying out and cease to exist the rivers of filth are flowing stronger than ever sweeping a path of hatred & destruction.
Michel Wood correctly named it and called it out for what it is on 16 Feb 2022:
But underneath all of that, there is a river of filth. There is a river of violence and menace. There is a river of anti-Semitism. There is a river of islamophobia. There is a river of threats to people who work in this place and our staff.
Those in government/parliament/deep state and Jews and Moslems as the collective of people under threat from the crusaders – it's so post Jan 6 terminology.
For me, this reinforces the need for police to be able to track down the 'real' identities of the anonymous online trolls.
Once a threat has been made, it should simply require signoff from a judge (checking that a threat really does exist), and the online service delivering the threat be required to disclose the identity (IP address at the very least); as well as actively assist police in tracking down the individual.
Most of the time, these trolls aren't exactly IT experts – they're using their home internet connection, and just hiding behind an anonymous name.
Yes, there are lots of good reasons for anonymity in public chat rooms, etc. (TS for example) – but that right vanishes the moment the individual crosses the line into illegal behaviour.
Of course, international platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) etc are inclined to hide behind the facade of 'we're not in your jurisdiction' but law changes imposing hefty penalties or banning from operation across the EU would swiftly change their minds.
It does nothing for the 8chan style of dark net – but, really, they're not significant in the day to day harassment. It mostly is the keyboard warriors using the most basic of IT tools.
Our laws, law enforcement and judicial system is lagging way behind the modern IT world.
It was not so much a social media pile on, but a series of death threats to her and the staff of her practice – and the total lack of action against the perps (a hacker identified someone and even now it seems police have taken no action).
The person who attacked Salman Rushdie is named Hadi Matar.
The name Hadi is derived from the Arabic word for guidance (Hadi'r makes it sound of thunder) and the surname (most common in West Asia/Levant) has a meaning in Latin (to kill) and Arabic (rain).
Currently in Hospital, so I'm not watching much news atm. But the-
Poor bastard, never read his books unfortunately.
But I understand the fatwa is still valid when old mate from Iran made a decreed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad many moons ago.
But stabbing him, is plain BS!
I wonder if this is to with some internal issue/s in Iran atm or worst a possible false flag by Israel's Mossad?
They would be the type of assholes to pull a stunt like this!
Was in UAE when Mossad did their hit on the No3 (the bag man) Man for Hamas or the other mob & it wasn't pretty either considering Mossad used UK Canadian, NZ & Oz Passports as we had a major Military Presence in UAE at the time.
Tensions are getting high in Iraq. No government has been formed since elections in October 2021.
The largest party led by al-Sadr has tried and failed to form a nationalist regime with Sunni and Kurds and now other (pro Iranian) Shia parties want the chance to form a government, but al-Sadr wants to hold new elections.
The other parties fear, if al-Sadr forms a government, he will disband the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias. If these forces become permanent, rather than temporary (allied to the army in the defeat of Islamic State) they would become entrenched like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What happens next will be decided in the next week or two – a civil war is not implausible.
TV3 news leads with Luxon confirming that disabled people on a benefit will face possible sanctions under his policy.
We know what happens next, because it keeps happening: Nicola Willis or another spokesperson will "clarify" his comments, and Luxon will say "let me be clear" while distancing himself from himself.
If he keeps this up, he'll talk himself out of a job.
Luxon is an idiot, but the wider question is why people who have genuine permanent disabilities that mean they can't work, are on the jobseeker benefit at all.
But, my understanding is that 'unemployed' people with significant and permanent disabilities, but who nevertheless would be able to work, either with suitable accommodations or with reduced hours, are on the jobseeker benefit.
The National Government bundled most of the benefits together and called them Jobseekers about 2014 I think. The sickness beneficiaries were included. The word "Dole" was dropped too. A bit odd that Luxon didn't know that.
But, Labour haven't changed it since they came into office in 2017, so presumably they agree with it.
I think it was covered in the WEAG report – though perhaps not in that language – it was about people with disabilities being given financial support to live in dignity.
There’s also the Supported Living benefit – for those who can’t work at all – but don’t think it’s much better (apart from a reduction in the endless pressure to ‘get a job, any job’)
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Supported Living Allowance is quite a bit more generous than the Jobseeker Benefit – National's last "improvement" on it was to reduce the maximum length of Medical Certificate allowable from 5 years to 2 years. Are you still missing limbs? Are you still blind? et cetera
As examples he cites work being done at Housing New Zealand and specifically at the Ministry of Social Development by the welfare working advisory group looking at the big driver of future costs: long-term invalids and sickness beneficiaries, a group he describes as "this big hard lump of long-term waste of human potential".
English says the MSD is not set up to deal with them.
Rather, it is set up to deal with "the easy stuff" – the unemployment and the domestic purposes benefits.
"They do the easy stuff and they do it very well, but they don't worry about these guys. If they were ACC customers, we would be spending a lot of money on trying to move them. They cost a bit less on sickness and invalids [benefits], not a hell of a lot less, but we do nothing and we are actually doing nothing to reduce this very large long-term liability."
A U.S. House candidate in Wyoming who disclosed that he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18 scoffed at the idea of dropping out of the race and challenged any legislators who might make an issue of his past. “That’d be great,” state Sen. Anthony Bouchard…
…then refused to answer questions about the girl he married after she bore his son and who killed herself at age 20 in 1990, the year after they divorced.
The man who founded the birther movement, the election loss cry baby, and those who participate in the cult of allegiance to the liar in chief – for servitude to the lie is the power of the Orwellian regime.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
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Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be seeing some similarities here.
And here i thought they were the elected Labour MP for Hamilton West who is also a Doctor.
Well…Sabine. I'm sure you might..just might maybe, accept that a Doctor, could also be a narcissist. Or worse. And quite adept at covering themselves.
It's also a bit strange for a doctor, especially a GP, to share health information in so much detail and so publicly. Fits the narcissist definition.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labours-hamilton-west-mp-gaurav-sharma-reveals-health-scare-worsening-symptoms/FMMBQVE47ZASXORYC2F4HSMEHY/
Kiri Allan did too, but that was to raise awareness of cervical cancer and getting a smear. And it worked.
Dr Gaurav Sharma is the second sitting politician to suffer a major health setback this year after East Coast MP Kiri Allan was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April.
I'm not sure what how this makes him a narcissist….unles you are happy for the same label to apply to Kiri Allan. Allan could quite rightly claim she was drawing attention to cervical cancer and the importance for women, especially wahine Maori, to get checked.
Likewise, Sharma is also drawing attention to the importance of addressing potential health issues and quite rightly highlights how beneficial it is for doctors to experience the health system from the patients' perspective.
No, not seeing how this Fits the narcissist definition.
They are extremely adept at covering themselves. They are also adept at playing the victim game and before the actual victims know it, they are deemed to be the perpetrators.
In some situations it can go on for years and the 'powers that be' just bat it away like a bothersome fly. They don't want to know. If the bully or bullies take it beyond the work-place or where-ever – as happened in my case – it can get dangerous and frightening.
As ever, Anne. And I hope you escaped most of the toll these type take.
No I didn't PL.A.
There was an added dimension to my experience which put me in a dangerous position. I was the innocent piggy in the middle involving among other things, a significant incident which took place on NZ soil.
I'm off to hide. 😮
Far out. You sure have led the "Interesting" life ! But awesome how youve retained your sense of Humour : )
Thats got me thru some "interesting" times too. Good for you Anne.
It is starting to look like the victim game-playing model. Narcissistic bullies come in all shapes and sizes and usually also have a personality disorder or two. They are not stable and, as I have said, can become quite dangerous.
Then you too must accept that maybe maybe this 'dark triad' dude was put where he is by Labour and the electorate. What does that say about Labour selection process and vetting?
In saying that, the dude at least has good job prospects once he leaves the Labour Party for good.
I know your replying to PLA @ 1.1.1 Sabine but I will add my cent-worth too.
In one sense you are right. It does not look good for Labour's selection process. But if what I suspect (and PLA) turns out to be correct, then I fully understand why they missed it. These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser.
To be fair, it applies to National and Uffindell too. National can't crystal ball gaze any more than Labour can. It is inevitable that from time to time these mistakes are made. The only difference is: there have been sufficient recent 'mistakes' by National to suggest their selection processes are in need of a major over-haul. Labour? Well time will tell.
"These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser."
Absolutely. While they systematically pull your support from under you. Evil shits.
"While they systematically pull your support from under you."
Do they ever. And its incredible the lengths they will go to in order to succeed.
Aye highly passive-aggressive in my experience. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths most of the time. Also took slight at the mildest of disagreeing with them. Disagreement was always portrayed as disloyalty.
Couldn't be trusted to play by normal rules e.g. confidentiality in meetings.
Very curated front facing view – until they decided you were in the out crowd.
I came home at 10am this very frosty morning after helping with a sausage sizzle duty for the organisation I volunteer at, at our local Farmers Market, to sit down and generally thaw out! I turned the TV on to see if the T20 cricket match between the West Indies and Black Caps was still in progress. It had finished with a good win to the Black Caps. Following that there was a very interesting in depth interview by Laura McGoldrick with recently retired cricketer Ross Luteru Taylor, which delved into passages in his recently published memoir 'Black and White' by/with Paul Thomas. I was so impressed with the way he coped with his treatment (bullying?) by Cricket N Z, regarding the captaincy issues and coming back after a self imposed break to resume his cricketing career was in my humble opinion the very opposite to the manner Dr Sharma has presented and endeavoured to deal with his very real problems. Ross had some great mentors he could rely on to help him, including the late, great Martin Crowe and also Ian Smith who helped him to come through those dark times to be able to finish his illustrious cricket career with honours and retire on a high. I believe Gaurav Sharma could take time out to watch that interview – I saw distinct parallels with the way both scenarios unfolded and in Gaurav's case continues to unravel. I just hope he seeks the help he so needs.
and still i don't care one bit what N does as i don't vote nor have i any intention in voting for N. I have however in the past voted L, gave money to L, gave fence space for hoardings etc to L.
So in an essence i am interested in what L does. And L in this instance either managed to hire someone totally unsuitable for the job, promoted him for the job, took his electoral victory as their own because they thought he fit their profile – another diversity/minority pick – whom they thought would not win, or could not win, but was a body that they put up for appearance sake, or they got played like fools.
What is it?
A bit of all of that Sabine.
Sometimes people have flaws which show up under pressure, but othering does not help.
When a person is successful as an academic, they are often surprised by their own failure to manage people and situations.
In teaching, highly educated people could write excellent units of work, but would fail in the management of implementation.
This man appears to be unwell, highly stressed, and feeling badly misunderstood. His main cry is "no one is listening" and almost "they are out to get me".
What he needs is beyond the expertise of whips and casual help. He appears to need to discover his physical medical problem, plus get treatment for stress.
It is extremely upsetting for a clever person who has been a leader to find himself not coping, and feeling isolated enough that he did not confide in friends. This is a sad situation. Otherwise, it could suggest rationalisation after the fact of lashing out.
His posts are confused cries for help imo. Sadly help has to be accepted before it begins to work. He is angry upset and lashing out. What he is saying is true to his perspective but skewed by unhappiness and anger.
Being an MP is complex and is people centered. A person skilled in noting details to diagnose, is not perhaps the person to carry out management and implementation of treatment. imo.
He appears to find no fault in his own behaviour a big red flag, in my opinion.
I hope he goes for professional assistance. He won’t find that on F.B.
As what? And Oh Yeah, we ALL get you hate Labour. Thing is… I also have previously posted about JLR….and John Banks….and….
Anyway. Have a Nice Day. I'm sure the Sun must be shining for you sometime. even UNDER Labour
As a doctor.
Desperate shortage of them in NZ at the moment.
Chris Trotter’s article is worth a read.
'Judging from his op-ed piece, Sharma may even have been labouring under the misapprehension that he was in Parliament to represent the electors of Hamilton West. He may even have thought that they were the people to whom he was ultimately answerable. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! That is merely his constitutional role.
His actual role is to shut up and do as the Whips command. Make a speech on a subject he knows nothing about. Sit on a Select Committee and vote exactly as the Labour Chair indicates – no matter how wrong or stupid. Most importantly, say nothing, write nothing, and do nothing that attracts unwanted attention.
The poor man would soon have discovered that this “sit still and shut up” rule applied with equal force in caucus. If he was ever incautious enough to stand up in front of his colleagues and express views contrary to those of the Front Bench, then he would very soon have appreciated why those tasked with the responsibility for keeping the Back Bench under control are called “Whips”..'
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2022/08/parting-shots.html
It seems that Parliament, and the parties, hasn't changed a bit in the last 25 years.
Pam Corkery did one term as an MP in the Alliance Party. After that she wrote a book about it and gave a searing portrait of Jim Anderton. The book was Pam's Political Confessions, and was published in, IIRC, 1999. The Wellington City Library still has a copy available, and others may also.
In it she wrote "Politicians are, by and large, far more self-deluding, devious, bloated, insecure, egocentric wankers than I had feared."
It sounds as if nothing has changed.
Lol…and that is a very Pam Corkery quote.
Theres a certain type of person that succeeds in politics…unfortunately.
I wonder how she would fare (politically) in todays environment?
Very poorly, I suspect. She excelled in calling a spade a bloody spade, and completely failed to suffer fools at all (let alone gladly).
Im not sure she necessarily would do poorly….she would certainly upset many but I suspect she would have considerable appeal to a sizeable cohort.
It is an idle wonder in any case as she has been there , done that and worked out she had better things to do….someone similar however may appear…..whether any mainstream party would stand such a candidate is another question however…I suspect not.
Pam Squarkery wouldn't cross the road unless you…paid her.![sad sad](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/sad_smile.png?x42494)
.
Look in the mirror. More than a few narcissists among the Woke Dogmatist element here. Indeed, certain former authors, now long-departed, were notorious for making everyone tiptoe on eggshells around them at all times … resulting in some degree of backlash from a segment of regular commenters.
Same outrageous narcissism, authoritarianism & (highly-disturbed) controlling behaviour from the (mock-)"heroic" Woke warriors on Twitter.
Hardly surprising, then, that more than one recent study in Psychology has suggested both the Alt Right & the Authoritarian Woke attract more than their fair share of activists possessing Dark Triad Personality traits (1. Machiavellianism, 2. Narcissism [esp high Entitlement], 3. Psychopathy).
Classic deception, the traits exist amongst all classes and spheres of politics – not just those you resent.
Huh? I usually ignore you…but are you aiming that at me?
I find it quite amazing how many contributors here are pontificating on a topic that must surely require a great deal of training and presonal knowledge of the person being discussed.
Are you, for example, a trained and licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist?
Have you ever treated Dr Sharma, or even met him?
In other words are your comments based on professional knowledge, and detailed knowledge of the gentleman concerned or are they just the views of a staunch Labour Party follower who is unhappy that these things are being brought to public attention?
The same questions also seem appropriate for some of the other commenters here.
Whatever..its sure never stopped you. Maybe you have more "presonal" knowledge when pontificating…..
I can only think of one occasion when I commented on a person's psychological status. That was back in 2016 when someone assumed that I would, if it were possible, vote for Trump instead of Bernie Sanders.
I said I would vote for anyone except Trump because, although Bernie would be useless I thought Trump was totally nuts. That was the only time that I can remember making any such comment.
Now, to get back to the case in point, are you professionally qualified and do you know the person concerned, so that you can comment on his mental state?
Just to remind ourselves that there are two types of Labour parties that have little in common ideologically …
All institutions of main stream press and big business fear and hate the former and will generally support the later in any open battle for power between the two, for obvious reasons…a fact that, as I mentioned earlier, is well worth remembering…..
Sounds like things getting worse an worse in the UK but at least some of the unions are fighting back .Gandhi apparently said " if the people elect a fool they will be well represented " Must be fairly obvious now that the shit is well an truely hitting the fan !!
Happy he has been vindicated. Shame the media are/were such chumps.
The Forde Report is here:
https://www.fordeinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Forde-Report.pdf
and this rapist is a man, not a she/her.
This is not a womans crime.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/woman-who-sexually-assaulted-dunedin-man-after-all-blacks-game-denied-parole-again/IYDVUP3SKJJZQSJKUH4TG4F76A/
so when ever this dude is getting released there will be a warning going out for a 'woman' rapist, that drags man of the street, throws them into a wall before in the end raping them.
Imagine the surprise when you get instead dragged of the street, thrown into a wall before getting raped by a man instead.
Never mind the dude that has to pretend that he was not raped by a bloke. Good fucking grief, but i totally get that the dignity and safety of the rapists is more important then the dignity and safety of the raped man and any other prospective victims this man will created once he is allowed out of prison. Calling this Rapist a male – he / him – would be total bigotry, cruel and transphobic. Making a mockery out of rape is totally acceptable in order to not be a bigot, cruel and transphobic.
assuming he's trans 😉 Anyone can be a woman now!
'you can't make this shit..up'!
It says a lot about the quality of journalism in this country that in an obvious case of penis driven rape the writer refers to the perpetrator as "woman" and "she". What should have been written is "Man masquerading as a woman rapes man …", used the pronouns "he", and waited for a complaint of misgendering and hate speech. Do what journalists are supposed to do and speak truth to power…
Tear the scab of this festering sore.
We have journalism in NZ ?
Best laugh I've had in a long time Rosemary.
Nah, our current lot of stenographers can not conceive of a more horrible thing then to loose access to the woksters and be cancelled. That would rival death!!
I'm just grateful that they pointed out that it is a man who identifies as a woman. There was a period of time when even that didn't happen, seems to have changed now.
Small mercies.
What I want to know, and what should be reported given the nature of the crime, is when the man started identifying as a woman. If they are trans (have a history of full time being a TW), then report that. If they started IDing after the arrest, report that. If they are part time/cross dresser report that. It matters.
Reading the article, possibly they are fa'afafine. I'm ok with them or TW being referred to as they in cases like this.
I am not ever going to be OK with a man who rapes a person (rape by penis) being referred to as a women, being she/her'd, and having these crimes counted as a 'woman rapes man' crime, nor with that person potentially being incarcerated with women.
If they are a Fa'afafine, then they should be referred to as such. To me there is a big difference between a Fa'afafine and a Transwomen. Whilst both present feminine the culture behind both idendities are quite different.
I suspect that the journo and/or editor are concerned over being sued for 'mis-using preferred pronouns' .
However, it it not only the content which spread mis-information, it's the headline (which is the only part many people will see).
I suppose it might be click-bait (What! A woman raping someone)
It might so easily have been better worded, e.g.: Rapist who sexually assaulted a Dunedin man after AB game in Dunedin is denied parole again.
And then make it clear in the first para that (named) offender identifies as a woman, but is biologically male.
The Herald referred to Toko Shane "Ashley" Winter as a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the crime of the sadistic torture and murder of a young woman. By the time of his (failed) appeal they were reporting his correct sex, but they mysteriously left the name of his victim out of a later feature on femicide.
Rosemary – have you looked at this article?
"OPINION: You’ll recall the narrative driven (and accepted by many) during the Wellington protest that it was peaceful and had one objective: to end the mandates.
Scratching not too far beneath the surface, though, it was apparent there was an entirely different – and dangerous – agenda.
At Stuff Circuit our role is to investigate matters that are in the public interest, and two things happened around the time of the occupation that got our attention.
First, we saw talk in social media about making the country “ungovernable”. It sounded like a direct threat to democracy. What did it mean? Who were the people saying it and what was their intent?"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300657828/opinion-why-we-decided-we-should-report-this-dangerous-speech
Of course Robert….I read the rags at 5 am before my caring duties begin about 5.45 ish.
I took the bait…as so should you…and clicked on the embedded links that support their view.
And bugger me, the links lead to other Stuffed pieces, which I know from previous clicking sessions, also contain links that predominantly take one to other Stuffed articles. It is rabbit hole Stuff. Very incestuous.
Somebody needs to explain to these so called journalists that their work would have more heft if they used actual factual references to support their argument.
I confess to have tried….but as soon as I suggested that a few more articles interviewing vaccine injured, and perhaps a few more interviewing we fucking filth unvaxxed who have had Covid and who didn't die or need medical intervention, to balance out the near daily "I'm triple vaxxed and Omicron nearly killed me!" pieces that they were running for a while there had me cast into the conspiracy theory basket. Another day in the trenches.
Again…(and as yet not a single Labour flag waver here on TS has responded to this) … https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/02/20/guest-blog-suzie-dawson-remembering-the-left/
…does the hand- wavey 'we saw placards threatening violence towards politicians and journalists at the protests!!!' journalist have anything to say about these protestors from the Left back in 2012? Shall we compare the guillotine and fake blood and the beheading of lifesize photos of the PM and half the Cabinet with gallows and nooses from Wellington?
Nah. Didn't think so.
I'd love to stay and chat Robert…but I have another cubic metre of compost to mix and spread on my garden beds before it gets too hot to work. Frost here this morning in the Far Far North and it has been hot. Clouding over a little, so I need to get back to my mahi before the sun reappears.
No frost here today, Rosemary, but some of my sub-tropical plants have been "nipped" by the frost that fell on the past 2 mornings.
I asked maui, "… the article suggests that those "very angry people" represent a growing threat to the country's hauora.
What do you think about that suggestion/concern?" and thought to seek your thoughts also, if you can find the time and energy 🙂
In one of the biggest moments in NZ civil rights history, journos found some very angry people. Stunning journalism that…
Maui, the article suggests that those "very angry people" represent a growing threat to the country's hauora.
What do you think about that suggestion/concern?
Concern troll is concerned.
If this opinion piece was written in 1981, it would say angry people protesting the springbok tour and donning motorbike helmets are also a threat to society.
It provides little insight or analysis into the issues at play, it stokes people fears and emotions, and it has the writing style of the King's courtier.
There's a post up now, mauī, on the film.
Looking forward to your participation in the discussion.
https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/12-moments-that-shaped-new-zealands-history/
The pandemic be up there, but minority ‘anti-mandate’ protests weren't unique to NZ (497 Deaths/1M pop) – USA (3200), UK (2711), Canada (1123) etc. had them too.
https://elius-books.com/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-canish-new-zealand/
"The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
This reminds one of the fanciful calculations showing Santa Claus would have to be a high-speed blur if he really visited each of the world’s 2 billion children on Christmas Eve. Less humorously, it recalls the sole inspector employed to check mine safety around the time of the Pike River disaster, which killed 29 men."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/129555393/max-rashbrooke-terrible-landlords-arent-bad-apples–theyre-endemic
The same issue applies to employment law especially pertaining to migrants…the lack of enforcement of already minimal protections.
Claytons regulation.
I reported a house as 'condemned' to the AKL Council a long time ago. I still have the emails, tenancy tribunal ruling and so on and so forth.
I asked why this house could not be condemned to protect any other tenants that may have the misfortune to rent the shitbox. I was told that if they were to do this they would have to condemn most of Aucklands housing and btw, we don't even have enough people to inspect the houses that have the facades fall off, and where the roofs are about to cave in.
Its by design.
Yes , it is indeed by design….and the result of decades of 'free market' economics. Regulation is an anathema to them but politically difficult to sell so we have nominal regulation but ensure we are unable to enforce it.
Did you happen to see this particular developer/landlord incentive announced this week:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/472745/tax-break-for-investors-providing-long-term-rentals
They seem to prefer tax incentives to actual regulation.
Yes, have seen that announcement…and agree that they continue to adhere to the free market ideology in deed even if not in word.
"They seem to prefer tax incentives to actual regulation."
I think they seem to prefer tax incentives to actual building of homes.
One's easy, the other is difficult.
False dichotomy that is not surprising coming from someone who only knows and thinks in B & W.
In any case, this Government has been building new houses, which you would have known unless you’ve been living under a rook.
Santa, however has magic; MBIE…. less so
Labour (Polytechs, DHBs, 3 Waters, RNZ/TVNZ) and NAct (MBIE, Super City, Schools) may be mergaholics, but we are a small country – best to 'think bigger'?
Interesting idea. What if the Effindell legacy is that the Criminal Law system regarding children is properly reformed?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sam-uffindell-was-lucky-to-avoid-nzs-criminal-justice-system-as-a-schoolboy-but-it-was-the-right-outcome/4JJFJQXVOALL5C76BSBTNU4N5Y/
At the time the criminal assault at Kings happened, it would have been like hens-teeth for a schoolboy bullying case (no matter how violent) to have ended up in court.
Schools then (and now) do everything in their power to hush up violence – especially under the new privacy laws – which protect the criminal, rather than the victim.
Had Uffindell committed the crime today – and it had gone to court (not at all guaranteed) – it would have been tried in the Youth Court, which means: it would not have been reported; the court record would have been sealed (and it would have been a criminal offence for the victim to reveal it – even 30 years later); and the focus would have been on rehabilitating the perpetrator, rather than the welfare of the victim.
Almost certainly, the victim would be facing the criminal in school, on a daily basis. And the school would do little or nothing to protect them. It's almost always the victims who leave, these days, rather than the perpetrators – certainly in public schools (private schools have different methods of informally giving someone the boot)
ATM, it is only the most serious of crimes (usually resulting in a death) for which children are charged in adult courts (rather than the youth court – which is already doing all of the things you suggest).
In those cases, 'ruining … lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions' might well come a poor second to the fact that someone else's life has been ended forever.
In NZ courts, unlike Germany and Spain 'life' most certainly does not mean 'life' – most will serve 10 years or less.
The Iranian bounty on Rushdie's life remains active.
― Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
https://twitter.com/Anthony/status/1558235634866786309
" In a deglobalizing world we risk dealing with enormous price shocks and dominant economic theory is not preparing us to deal with this. Deglobalisation can be an inflationary force especially if it happens in a chaotic manner. We have an extremely interconnected global economy in which many countries are dependent on monocultural exports. If trade is disrupted this can lead to supply issues, rising prices due to rising costs or simply reflecting temporary scarcities and pricing power. On top of that we need to consider the long-term impact of climate change. Because of high temperatures we can have negative effects on basic infrastructure, such as roads melting, and there are all sorts of industrial processes that need to happen within a certain temperature band. Climate change and extreme weather events can cause or exacerbate supply chain issues. Before the current multifaceted crisis, globalisation was dominated by just-in-time production networks. If demand went up, supply could easily follow and prices were remarkably stable. But now you have the opposite situation. If supply networks are not operating just in time anymore, when supplies stop flowing prices rise. In face of sector wide supply disruptions, the dynamic of competition switches from competition for market shares, to a dynamic of competition which prioritises charging higher prices for available inventories and this can be a further inflationary factor. "
https://agendapublica.elpais.com/noticia/18172/world-of-overlapping-emergencies-we-need-new-forms-of-price-stabilization
New tools needed…but more importantly an acceptance by the powers that be that the old paradigm is unfit for purpose (if it ever was).
A feature article to look forward to tomorrow: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300657828/opinion-why-we-decided-we-should-report-this-dangerous-speech
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/472792/efeso-collins-could-scoop-molloy-votes-analyst
Sounds more like ‘the kiss of death’ to me, but to the (some) candidates it’ll be ‘mana from heaven’ – votes are votes, after all.
Pile-ons have consequences.
/
The first death threat arrived last November, on the very day Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was set to take over her own medical practice.
[…]
Kellermayr’s fears and concerns went, time after time, unaddressed by authorities at all levels of Austrian government and law enforcement. And as a result, her case raises fundamental questions about what responsibility the state has to its citizens in times of unprecedented online hatred and abuse. “You get the feeling you need to protect yourself, because nobody’s going to help you,” she told me last month.
“Everybody up to the chancellor knew about this case before I went public. Everybody said it’s horrifying and I should get help. But nobody helped me.”
https://www.codastory.com/waronscience/lisa-maria-kellermayr-anti-science/
While the rivers of water are drying out and cease to exist the rivers of filth are flowing stronger than ever sweeping a path of hatred & destruction.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/300660877/european-drought-dries-up-rivers-kills-fish-shrivels-crops
Michel Wood correctly named it and called it out for what it is on 16 Feb 2022:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20220216_20220216_16
Michael Wood our very own Enoch Powell.
Higherstandard, the commenter with the wrong de plume.
Those in government/parliament/deep state and Jews and Moslems as the collective of people under threat from the crusaders – it's so post Jan 6 terminology.
It is so post March 15 terminology
Who in government felt threatened after March 15?
They are us
But not those protesting.
Choices, people make choices and then they try to mould the reality (aka perceptions) to fit & suit those choices (aka confirmation bias).
For me, this reinforces the need for police to be able to track down the 'real' identities of the anonymous online trolls.
Once a threat has been made, it should simply require signoff from a judge (checking that a threat really does exist), and the online service delivering the threat be required to disclose the identity (IP address at the very least); as well as actively assist police in tracking down the individual.
Most of the time, these trolls aren't exactly IT experts – they're using their home internet connection, and just hiding behind an anonymous name.
Yes, there are lots of good reasons for anonymity in public chat rooms, etc. (TS for example) – but that right vanishes the moment the individual crosses the line into illegal behaviour.
Of course, international platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) etc are inclined to hide behind the facade of 'we're not in your jurisdiction' but law changes imposing hefty penalties or banning from operation across the EU would swiftly change their minds.
It does nothing for the 8chan style of dark net – but, really, they're not significant in the day to day harassment. It mostly is the keyboard warriors using the most basic of IT tools.
Our laws, law enforcement and judicial system is lagging way behind the modern IT world.
The term troll has a wider meaning than someone making a direct threat.
Making a threat to kill is itself a crime, regardless of whether it is assessed as a serious one or not.
Yes but it is alot harder to prove a verbal threat than one that can be tracked in the cyber world.
It was not so much a social media pile on, but a series of death threats to her and the staff of her practice – and the total lack of action against the perps (a hacker identified someone and even now it seems police have taken no action).
Her family should sue the police.
Double-you-aitch-eh-eh tee tee ???????????
"Inside the Caesars hotel and casino, rain fell through the ceiling onto the heads of diners in a restaurant."
What?
Where?
No! Surely not!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/us-canada/300661091/las-vegas-casinos-flooding-for-second-time-in-two-weeks
The person who attacked Salman Rushdie is named Hadi Matar.
The name Hadi is derived from the Arabic word for guidance (Hadi'r makes it sound of thunder) and the surname (most common in West Asia/Levant) has a meaning in Latin (to kill) and Arabic (rain).
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62528689
Imad Mughniyeh was a former Hezbollah Chief of Staff reputedly assassinated by Mossad.
https://twitter.com/karol/status/1558217204373618697
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imad_Mughniyeh
The inference is a cult of assassins activated because the nuclear talks have folded.
Currently in Hospital, so I'm not watching much news atm. But the-
Poor bastard, never read his books unfortunately.
But I understand the fatwa is still valid when old mate from Iran made a decreed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad many moons ago.
But stabbing him, is plain BS!
I wonder if this is to with some internal issue/s in Iran atm or worst a possible false flag by Israel's Mossad?
They would be the type of assholes to pull a stunt like this!
Was in UAE when Mossad did their hit on the No3 (the bag man) Man for Hamas or the other mob & it wasn't pretty either considering Mossad used UK Canadian, NZ & Oz Passports as we had a major Military Presence in UAE at the time.
Tensions are getting high in Iraq. No government has been formed since elections in October 2021.
The largest party led by al-Sadr has tried and failed to form a nationalist regime with Sunni and Kurds and now other (pro Iranian) Shia parties want the chance to form a government, but al-Sadr wants to hold new elections.
The other parties fear, if al-Sadr forms a government, he will disband the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias. If these forces become permanent, rather than temporary (allied to the army in the defeat of Islamic State) they would become entrenched like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What happens next will be decided in the next week or two – a civil war is not implausible.
TV3 news leads with Luxon confirming that disabled people on a benefit will face possible sanctions under his policy.
We know what happens next, because it keeps happening: Nicola Willis or another spokesperson will "clarify" his comments, and Luxon will say "let me be clear" while distancing himself from himself.
If he keeps this up, he'll talk himself out of a job.
Luxon is an idiot, but the wider question is why people who have genuine permanent disabilities that mean they can't work, are on the jobseeker benefit at all.
Not supporting this….
But, my understanding is that 'unemployed' people with significant and permanent disabilities, but who nevertheless would be able to work, either with suitable accommodations or with reduced hours, are on the jobseeker benefit.
He is constantly showing his true colours for which we should be thankful.
The National Government bundled most of the benefits together and called them Jobseekers about 2014 I think. The sickness beneficiaries were included. The word "Dole" was dropped too. A bit odd that Luxon didn't know that.
Yeah, looks like 2013.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/benefit/benefit-factsheet-changes-2013.html
But, Labour haven't changed it since they came into office in 2017, so presumably they agree with it.
I think it was covered in the WEAG report – though perhaps not in that language – it was about people with disabilities being given financial support to live in dignity.
There’s also the Supported Living benefit – for those who can’t work at all – but don’t think it’s much better (apart from a reduction in the endless pressure to ‘get a job, any job’)
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Some reaction: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/08/health-and-disability-advocates-hit-out-at-national-s-unfair-new-welfare-policy.html
Supported Living Allowance is quite a bit more generous than the Jobseeker Benefit – National's last "improvement" on it was to reduce the maximum length of Medical Certificate allowable from 5 years to 2 years. Are you still missing limbs? Are you still blind? et cetera
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Groundhog Day it is.
Luxon…nobody can accuse him of not recycling.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/driver-of-the-big-cuts/62IRSCMLOD264ROVUKYXHHQCNQ/
As examples he cites work being done at Housing New Zealand and specifically at the Ministry of Social Development by the welfare working advisory group looking at the big driver of future costs: long-term invalids and sickness beneficiaries, a group he describes as "this big hard lump of long-term waste of human potential".
English says the MSD is not set up to deal with them.
Rather, it is set up to deal with "the easy stuff" – the unemployment and the domestic purposes benefits.
"They do the easy stuff and they do it very well, but they don't worry about these guys. If they were ACC customers, we would be spending a lot of money on trying to move them. They cost a bit less on sickness and invalids [benefits], not a hell of a lot less, but we do nothing and we are actually doing nothing to reduce this very large long-term liability."
#nothingnewunderthesun
What would bomber make of this?
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wyoming-house-elections-teen-pregnancy-health-7ac5a0a6221a0472c7a75263575eaae2
'Murica!
– Edwin Edwards
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/legislature/2020/02/13/wyoming-house-kills-child-marriage-restriction-bill3/
16 year olds would find it hard to predict the realities of marriage. Some in their 20s find it hard.
Don't limit it. There are eternal children in their 30s and 40s – the Peter Pan syndrome is alive and well.
In Wyoming under 16s can marry with judicial approval.
The man who founded the birther movement, the election loss cry baby, and those who participate in the cult of allegiance to the liar in chief – for servitude to the lie is the power of the Orwellian regime.
https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1558218986898210821