Labour should present their business proposals to the respective boards, live before a studio audience, with the winning bids given roses and the losers evacuated by trapdoor.
Because Labour will open the door wide open to National dipping into those funds for other reasons – supporting Tiwai point for instance. Building new economic infrastructure in Northland (motorways). Bailing out Queen St dairy farmer mates who acted speculatively.
Because that’s supporting new businesses and helping existing businesses, right?
then why couldn’t you convince the private investors of that fact?….it is a classic demonstration of neolib philosophy…socailised cost/risk for private profit.
Water security, both resident and farmer.
Fully metered and priced, as it should be.
Large foreign corporates like Veolia will require such metering and pricing to be undertaken before they will look at purchasing public water assets from NZ government organisations.
In other words, it will be a precondition to privatising NZ’s water assets.
It appears to have been formed by a massive slip.
It wasn’t man made! And yes Waikaremoana is a beautiful place .
But I’m sure the planners of the Ruataniwha Dam have no such intentions wrt emulating the beauty of Waikaremoana! And it is as much the environmental down stream effects of the dam that are just as disastrous as the flooding of the podocarp forest.
More humans every day say that living in some idilic little utopian backwater is a fantasy, so I think the government should not only allow things like the dam the should set the rules around the immediate lake surrounds and what the water will be used for.
Like restrict dairy and favour fruit and crop s . if we maximise what we can produce off our good land we could put more of the marginal land into trees.
Socailised cost/risk for private profit is the concern with Labour’s proposal, Pat.
The majority of new start-ups fail.
Moreover, is this a traditional investment whereby ACC and the Super Fund will have shareholder rights and receive dividends? Or is it more of a handout with merely hope of creating new employment and tax revenue?
Additionally, will a company’s ethics and things such as paying a living wage be an expectation of recipients? Will production be allowed to later shift offshore?
But Ad the environmental result is likely to be poisonous to the land and perhaps to the people over time from Ruataniwha. It is being built with the idea being stated that it will pay for itself, eventually. But over long term.
If it ever does get paid off, by that time there will be toxicity result and loss of production and health. The repairs needed to keep it strong will not be done and then….
It is too big and expensive for the needs and purses of the locality, and the planners are full of hubris and greed like the ones around Christchurch. Just get it built they thought, and then the water is available for individual benefit. I bet that they were being greatly helped by Alan Hubbard, hence the bailout of money for SFC so they could keep afloat. Now ACC is going to be used as the slush fund. in Hawkes Bay.
Absolutely there is major environmental damage.
It’s the same with every other major dam that’s every been built in New Zealand over the last 120 years.
Dams are a really costly thing to do from every angle.
AD
You are so right a dam is worth doing.
But the size of this one, the plans for its use, indicate a need to step back and set up another committee. Gummint is always using that ploy to slow down things that without doubt need to go ahead, and should do the same here where there are great big doubts about various airy statements and assumptions. Also Maori are I think seriously concerned from their kaitiaki role and their not just talking nonsense if some pakeha wants to use that disdaining argument.
And finally there is the cavalier way that the increased pollution that our waterways now are suffering is being ignored. This pollution brings a whole new aspect to this dam of today compared to those of the past.
If we look at power generation dams, I doubt that there will ever be any more dams on the Mata-Au (the Clutha). The proposed dams at Beaumont and Luggate are not going to happen because people with different values than yours said no. If we look at existing dams, I don’t have too much of a problem with Roxburgh, it was well before my time so I have no personal sense of the damage done, and it’s one of the underpinnings of us being relatively ff-free in terms of electricity. But the Clyde dam was in my time and if it was choice between flooding above Clyde and Muldoon’s Think Big projects I just don’t think that dam would have been built now.
We have other ways of powering our lives, including using less power. The choice between a dam at Beaumont and Luggate (or another dam on the Waitaki) so that people can consume more, and us actually living within our limits is still a real choice. We’re not forced to rely on dams other than by the choices that our government makes.
Likewise with water. There are plenty of good ways of farming that don’t rely on big storage dams. And managing the harvesting of water for humans to drink and use (including using less). That we think big storage dams are for the public good come from ideology and the desire for things to be easy, not from necessity.
“And in most cases they are worth doing.”
In the US some of the dams literally destroy ecosystems. The salmon are an integral part of the life cycles outside of the river bed. So many salmon spawn up river that the bears fish and leave the carcasses on shore and these then fertilise the forests. When you take the salmon out of the picture (by dams) you affect whole cycles and systems, including ones we are not yet aware of. Hard to make that argument in NZ admittedly, because the catchments of the rivers like the Mata-au and the Waitaki are pretty much screwed by farming anyway, but nevertheless there are still good reasons for us to rethink our values and be honest about them. Asserting something is worth doing doesn’t make it do.
If ecological values about existing environments were the only values to consider, I would agree with you. A few of New Zealand’s lost dam proposals should stay lost.
The step one gets to by simply looking at a river system and considering it a resource to be used (I recall Heidegger railing against this in The Question Concerning technology just after the War), is the step that admits there are more than current ecological values to consider.
It’s good to admit that we evaluate fat modernist projects like dams differently now to when most of them were put in. But we are exceedingly lucky that we didn’t back then.
New Zealand owes its 85% renewable electricity generation level to conceiving the earth as resource to be used.
New Zealand also owes its exceptional preparedness for water scarcity and flood mitigation within global warming to conceiving the earth as resource to be used.
New Zealand also owes its large-scale manufacturing base in forestry, steel, aluminium, horticulture, viticulture, extensive agriculture and others, to that modernist era from Seddon to Muldoon requiring huge electricity and irrigation use from dams, that conceived the earth as resource to be used.
The RMA hasn’t entirely put paid to such coarse thinking, but has enabled more than the environment to be factored in to a decision.
Using less electricity or water can delay the need for major water storage, but won’t avoid it: you can see that for example in Watercare’s Asset Management Plan. You can have the argument about the optimum size of water storage if you like. As for Salmon, those McKenzie Country Salmon farms generating sustainable protein out of dam spillways are a great investment in our future.
I’ll put a proper post up once the deal is all signed and ready for construction.
That makes sense Ad from your world view, but I have to say that there is a problem with the idea that ecological perspecives sit alongside say economic ones and thus are at the risk of not seeing the bigger picture. The paradigm I am coming from is not that they sit side by side, but that everything (literally) is based in the natural world, and if you don’t use that as your starting point you end up with Climate Change (or peak oil, peak soil, peak phosphorus, and even eventually peak metals etc).
I’m generally a pragmatist, so I don’t have too much trouble working with what we’ve got and am not even against another dam being built in NZ but only if it can be done in from the sustainable paradigm.
And I will just repeat, all the things you are saying are important enough to damage the environment for are not without options. So again, let’s be honest. We want to build more dams because we want a certain kind of lifestyle that meets our wants as well as our needs. But that’s not an imperative.
Agree totally CV-Labour should NOT follow Gnats policy of dipping into ACC and Cullen fund. I explained this financial fiddle in a post 5 weeks ago in relation to Nationals selling off of Kiwibank to these funds as follows:
“The way the Kiwibank sale works is like this (using simple numbers):
Now:
Cullen Fund/ACC assets now: $20,000m
Kiwibank Value owned by government now:$1,000m
Government forces Cullen Fund/ACC to buy 45% of Kiwibank
Cullen Fund/ACC sells shares worth $450m in order to buy $450m of Kiwibank
Result:
Cullen Fund/ACC assets $20,000m
Kiwibank owned by government $550m
Money available for tax cuts $450m
The effect is that National is reducing state-owned capital assets in order to finance a short-term tax cut bribe. Of course they are denying that the Cullen Fund/ACC are being forced to buy Kiwibank, but that is yet another big lie for the BLiP list.”
Thank you CV and Greyw. Its all about debits and credits.
The counterpoint is that Labour should adopt Land Tax as a policy. 1% LT with NO exemptions would give then $6.7billion to play with while sticking it to the top 5%.
Such a proposal has to be thought out so that those on fixed incomes and low incomes are not disadvantaged.
A retired couple living in a pensioners flat that they own worth $360K in Auckland, with $1800/month disposable income (mostly from NZ super) would have to use two months worth of income to pay a 1% land tax.
I don’t see any problem if it’s ACC and Super Fund investing in New Zealand business on their merit. They are investment funds and have very good record of picking investments that give a good return and appear to be pretty active in the market.
Investments (really expenditure) with political or “Regional Development” imperatives are totally inappropriate for ACC or Super Fund, for the reason CV identified at 1.2.1.1 That’s a really slippery slope leading to a stinking corrupt and bankrupt hole.
A better idea would be a unit in MBIE to work with businesses and investors to facilitate funding. ACC and SF would be two of their pool of investors. A parallel initiative would be to strengthen rules around ACC and SF to keep political interference right out of it.
Labour needs to be leading the anti corruption angle on this sort of issue and showing where and how it can come unstuck, and seeking solutions to get the good outcomes, ie enhanced NZ investment in NZ, while keeping the nepotistic corruption right out of it.
As ACC and the Super Fund already can and do invest in New Zealand businesses based on their merit, it would suggest Labour’s proposal will go further than that (leaning more towards a handout).
Every time world leaders have one of these international talkfests they look more clownish and ridiculous.
“…global carbon dioxide emissions from energy activities will rise from 36 billion metric tons in 2012, the baseline year used for the 2016 outlook, to 43 billion metric tons in 2040.
That’s a 34 percent increase in energy-related CO2, compared to a 48 percent increase in overall energy consumption from 2010 to 2040”
These talks seem to be more about showing that Something is Being Done™ rather than actually doing doing anything. If the politicians had actually wanted to do something about all this they would have started in 1992 with the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. Instead they’ve kicked the can down the road and allowed and encouraged unsustainable development.
There’s something infinitely nauseating in Judith Collins being a NZ representative on the World Anti Corruption Summit, which is presided by no other than David Cameron himself…The whole damned thing is a farce.
Cunliffe got stuck into her and the irony of her being NZ’s anti-corruption representative on Morning Report this morning mentioning Oravida several times.
“My child’s teacher approached her in the cloak bay and said “sorry I’m going to have to take that off you because your parents haven’t paid the payments”. What right does a teacher have to say that, why not contact me about it first?” he said.
That is absolutely atrocious behaviour by the school.
That said, the guy should have gone to pricespy and had a look. Could have got a decent laptop for half the price.
yes Clinton is certainly working for the wealthy establishment…but she is soiled goods
… and “Sanders supporters argue that the risk of a Clinton scandal blowing up is why their candidate is a better choice, as well as polls that show the Vermont senator beating the billionaire Trump, while new polls show Clinton would either be tied with Trump or trailing come November.”
‘FBI: No deadline or ‘special set of rules’ in Clinton email investigation’
‘FBI: No deadline or ‘special set of rules’ in Clinton email investigation’
The risk is not just that a scandal may blow up and derail her, a potential scandal hanging over her head will strengthen the establishment’s hold on her, so that even if she is happy to step into Bernie’s slipstream rhetorically, she will not be able to afford to act on it in any meaningful way.
“Tonight’s Rumble talks Bernie’s and Trump’s big primary wins, Trumps appointing of Rudy Giuliani as his Muslim Czar, and his selecting of two insiders to tweak his tax plan. Thom discusses how establishment Democrats are already trying to hijack the convention with International Business Times’ David Sirota and in tonight’s Daily Take Thom details how Donald Trump could become the next Ronald Reagan.”
“The question of social justice: As America’s two major parties move toward anointing their presidential nominees, there is a growing sense of disaffection and even insurrection among voters. And this has set the business-as-usual political and financial elites into a panic. It is all their own fault.
CrossTalking with Richard Wolff, Les Leopold, and Inderjeet Parmar.”
Cunliffe getting closer to claiming a Nat scalp. Louise Upson might well become too much of an embarrassment to the Nats at the rate Cunkiffe is skewing her.
Cunliffe has made her look incompetent is her handling of the Onetai Farm purchase by the dodgy Argentian polluters.
I’d love to know which law/trust advisors the Argentians used to move their case across Louise upson’d desk. Was it one if the firms that net with Minister McClay in Shortland Street?
Yep, being a Minister of the Government carries responsibility and foresight, not just throwing weight and money around.Glad Cunliffe is holding them to account.Hopefully we won’t get the usual ” drama triangle” scenario when they cry victim and try to get everyone to feel sorry for them.
“New Zealand has slipped down the ranks of the least corrupt countries, and earlier this year watchdog Transparency International accused the Government of “astonishing” complacency.”
New Zealand is considering setting up a public register of company ownership that would create an accessible and central database of companies with bribery and corruption convictions.
Considering doing something that should be mandatory.
“New Zealand also supports the development of common principles governing the payment of compensation to countries affected by corruption, to ensure that such payments are made safely, fairly and in a transparent manner.”
That sounds like another way for public monies to be given to private businesses.
Collins told RNZ that she wanted honest money invested in New Zealand, and the public central register would contain company beneficial ownership information.
Good old Winston, right now, he’s in the UK telling the people to be wary of big foreign bank money being used in the “Remain in the EU” campaign, and telling the Brits they can come on over and trade with us – think he’s more interested in actual “trade” than our Govt with their TPPA strait-jacket!
I doubt foreign banks are quite the threat to working Britons as one of their own is.
The billionaire donor bankrolling the Brexit campaign Peter Hargreaves has said the EU is too dominated by France and Germany , and believes Singapore is the best business model for Britain outside the European Union.
The businessman also said a steep fall in sterling could be good for the country, and that some workers’ rights – such as part-time employment, flexitime and extended maternity leave – have gone too far.
Jewish-American Professor of History, Lawrence Davidson, on the misuse of “anti-Semitism” in the absurd smear campaign / McCarthyite witch-hunt currently taking place in the UK. While I don’t entirely agree with his treatment of the Ken Livingstone smear (he misinterprets what Livingstone actually said), it’s still a good overall outline.
Incidentally, if you can find a copy, have a read of the multi-authored The Politics of Anti-Semitism. It’s a little dated (2003) but still enlightening.
Corbyn seems like he’s getting lost in inconsequential and unwinnable battles like reshuffles, regional elections, and the one you describe above.
He needs a long range comms theme. Hate to say it, but that’s how Blair got his first nationwide electoral win. (Not defending Blair’s Middle East policies BTW).
Corbyn’s comms strategy has certainly, at times, appeared amateurish and more than a little inept.
But then, Corbyn, McDonnell and Labour’s Campaign Group Left faction really didn’t expect a Corbyn victory at the start of the Leadership campaign. There hadn’t been a great deal of planning. Whereas, in stark contrast, the other 3 highly ambitious contenders had been planning and organising for years, surrounding themselves with all the right people, nurturing media contacts and so on.
And we also, of course, need to factor in the unrelenting hostility from the MSM (and wider Establishment) – which began the moment the first YouGov Poll of the Labour Selectorate came out, suggesting Corbyn’s was the front-runner. Although, to be fair, there have been arguments that Corbyn has played a part in exacerbating the toxic relationship by rejecting useful advice on media management.
Not much he could do about this latest “anti-Semitism” smear campaign, though (uncritically regurgitated, as it has been, by MSM journos in the UK).
A new Pew Research Center Poll finds liberal Democrats turning away from Israel.
While Republicans of all persuasions – together with conservative and moderate Democrats – continue to favour Israel by large margins … for the first time, liberal Democrats sympathise more with the Palestinians (40%) than with the Israelis (33%).
Back in 2001, the liberal Democrat split was 48%/18% in favour of Israel and last year 39%/21%. That’s a huge turn-around. Support for Israel down 6 points but, more importantly, sympathy for the Palestinians up 19 points over the last year (suggesting a significant swing from previous Undecideds).
Apologists for Israel’s Occupation should be a little concerned because Democrats are becoming more and more liberal over time (27% of Dems considered themselves liberal in 2000 / 41% in 2015).
African Americans, Latinos and younger Democrats in general – all demographics making up a larger and larger proportion of the Democratic constituency as time goes on – are more sympathetic than Americans as a whole to the Palestinian cause.
Now this I like, a lot. Young Children in Alabama took a poll (in the picture – it says pill – teehee) to see what their hopes and fears for the future were. Be surprised!
Me too. But I’m not really surprised. Young people have a terribly bad rap, a narrative that Those Who Rule Us like to reinforce.
Had a lovely chat in the supermarket yesterday with a shelf packer, who was well past retirement age.
After explaining to me the nefarious goings on in product pricing, he commented that he was appalled at how young workers were being exploited. How employers expected young workers to begin the job fully trained, and then gave them shit when they messed up. He said how when he began work, things were different. He makes an effort to take young workers ‘under his wing.’
Now there’s a quaint old saying..maybe we should revive it?
…Herald newspaper showed the CEOs from New Zealand’s largest listed companies had an average pay increase of 12 percent in 2015 compared with 3.2 percent for employees.
The average CEO increase was $180,000 while the biggest total salary was Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings. He earned $4.49 million.
The average pay increase for employees was $988, with the average salary $57,000.
As Israel finds itself more and more diplomatically isolated, its legion of apologists is becoming even more extreme and intolerant. The following horror story is currently being played out in Britain, but something similar to this happened in 2002, when the New Zealand equivalents of Jonathan Sacerdoti, Jonathan Arkush and Baroness Deech bullied Gavin Ellis, the then editor of the Herald into firing his cartoonist Malcolm Evans after Evans had the temerity to criticise the Holy State….
Labour antisemitism witch-hunt turns on leading anti-racism campaigner
by Jamie Stern-Weiner, Monday, May 9th, 2016
Last week, prominent Momentum activist Jackie Walker was suspended from the Labour Party for alleged antisemitism. (Momentum is a grassroots movement affiliated with the Labour Party, which currently supports the elected leadership of the socialist and veteran Palestine solidarity campaigner Jeremy Corbyn.)
There are five points to make about this.
1.) The antisemitism allegations against Walker are devoid of factual basis. The evidence against Walker consists of two Facebook comments. In the first, Walker dismissed claims that Labour has ‘a major problem with anti-semitism’….
Nugent is surely a repulsive misogynist & gun fetishist.
But I do have a soft spot for Phil Judd; despite his health problems & stalking conviction. He’s always come across as a visual artist who is a talented songwriter but just can’t stand the live performance part of it. Calling him “an old rocker” is way too simplistic. The Play it Strange album from 2014 is pretty great, and this track (which actually has a video) has a wonderful self awareness:
I see that WhaleOil stopped being measured in February, but couldn’t find any comment why. Presumably it has either had technical problems or is now regarded as a commercial PR site . . .
The Standard appears to be steadily rising in the rankings, and No Right Turn has a surprisingly low ranking – could that result from not having comments?
10. There is still a chance to construct a new world order that will avoid a world war. This new world order must of necessity include the United States—but can only do so on the same terms as everyone else: subject to international law and international agreements; refraining from all unilateral action; in full respect of the sovereignty of other nations.
To sum it all up: play-time is over. Children, put away your toys. Now is the time for the adults to make decisions. Russia is ready for this; is the world?
I would wonder how the Western ‘elites’ took that but I already know. They shut it down so that no one would hear about it and still believes that the war that they’re pushing for will leave them better off.
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Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
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What are your thoughts on Labour’s proposal to dip into ACC and the Super Fund to help fund new start ups and expand current businesses?
Labour should present their business proposals to the respective boards, live before a studio audience, with the winning bids given roses and the losers evacuated by trapdoor.
Idiotic.
why idiotic?
Because Labour will open the door wide open to National dipping into those funds for other reasons – supporting Tiwai point for instance. Building new economic infrastructure in Northland (motorways). Bailing out Queen St dairy farmer mates who acted speculatively.
Because that’s supporting new businesses and helping existing businesses, right?
Labour is fucking stupid.
“Because Labour will open the door wide open to National dipping into those funds for other reasons”
too late ….Ruataniwha
Exactly. And Labour want to do it too. Our political landscape is bereft of new ideas.
was wondering if the irony was evident
Massive water storage will be necessary for the whole of NZ’s east coast.
then why couldn’t you convince the private investors of that fact?….it is a classic demonstration of neolib philosophy…socailised cost/risk for private profit.
That’s what the public sector is for.
Major infrastructure we all rely on is a public good.
You’ll thank them later.
what public good is there in Ruataniwha pray tell?
Trickledown.
/extremesarcasm
Water security, both resident and farmer.
Fully metered and priced, as it should be.
“Fully metered and priced, as it should be.”
Ahh Ad showing your true colours at last.
You should really be in the national party mate – it’s your natural home.
those private farms, some of which may be foreign owned for all we know….rrrrrright, thats definitely a public good
Large foreign corporates like Veolia will require such metering and pricing to be undertaken before they will look at purchasing public water assets from NZ government organisations.
In other words, it will be a precondition to privatising NZ’s water assets.
That’s what all the trucking companies say when rail gets torn up and motorways built.
So is the environment a public good
the dam will be an environmental disaster
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/saving-our-environment/freshwater/wild-rivers/ruataniwha-dam-opposed-forest-bird
I see waikeremoana gets a mention, while it was man made waikerimoana is onle about 2000 years old and it certainly didn’t destroy that environment.
That’s meant to be “wasn’t man made”
Huh???
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-LamPion-t1-body-d9.html
It appears to have been formed by a massive slip.
It wasn’t man made! And yes Waikaremoana is a beautiful place .
But I’m sure the planners of the Ruataniwha Dam have no such intentions wrt emulating the beauty of Waikaremoana! And it is as much the environmental down stream effects of the dam that are just as disastrous as the flooding of the podocarp forest.
More humans every day say that living in some idilic little utopian backwater is a fantasy, so I think the government should not only allow things like the dam the should set the rules around the immediate lake surrounds and what the water will be used for.
Like restrict dairy and favour fruit and crop s . if we maximise what we can produce off our good land we could put more of the marginal land into trees.
Socailised cost/risk for private profit is the concern with Labour’s proposal, Pat.
The majority of new start-ups fail.
Moreover, is this a traditional investment whereby ACC and the Super Fund will have shareholder rights and receive dividends? Or is it more of a handout with merely hope of creating new employment and tax revenue?
Additionally, will a company’s ethics and things such as paying a living wage be an expectation of recipients? Will production be allowed to later shift offshore?
But Ad the environmental result is likely to be poisonous to the land and perhaps to the people over time from Ruataniwha. It is being built with the idea being stated that it will pay for itself, eventually. But over long term.
If it ever does get paid off, by that time there will be toxicity result and loss of production and health. The repairs needed to keep it strong will not be done and then….
It is too big and expensive for the needs and purses of the locality, and the planners are full of hubris and greed like the ones around Christchurch. Just get it built they thought, and then the water is available for individual benefit. I bet that they were being greatly helped by Alan Hubbard, hence the bailout of money for SFC so they could keep afloat. Now ACC is going to be used as the slush fund. in Hawkes Bay.
Absolutely there is major environmental damage.
It’s the same with every other major dam that’s every been built in New Zealand over the last 120 years.
Dams are a really costly thing to do from every angle.
And in most cases they are worth doing.
AD
You are so right a dam is worth doing.
But the size of this one, the plans for its use, indicate a need to step back and set up another committee. Gummint is always using that ploy to slow down things that without doubt need to go ahead, and should do the same here where there are great big doubts about various airy statements and assumptions. Also Maori are I think seriously concerned from their kaitiaki role and their not just talking nonsense if some pakeha wants to use that disdaining argument.
And finally there is the cavalier way that the increased pollution that our waterways now are suffering is being ignored. This pollution brings a whole new aspect to this dam of today compared to those of the past.
I think we need a whole post on the Ruataniwha dam.
Once it’s underway I’ll put one up.
“And in most cases they are worth doing.”
That depends on your values.
If we look at power generation dams, I doubt that there will ever be any more dams on the Mata-Au (the Clutha). The proposed dams at Beaumont and Luggate are not going to happen because people with different values than yours said no. If we look at existing dams, I don’t have too much of a problem with Roxburgh, it was well before my time so I have no personal sense of the damage done, and it’s one of the underpinnings of us being relatively ff-free in terms of electricity. But the Clyde dam was in my time and if it was choice between flooding above Clyde and Muldoon’s Think Big projects I just don’t think that dam would have been built now.
We have other ways of powering our lives, including using less power. The choice between a dam at Beaumont and Luggate (or another dam on the Waitaki) so that people can consume more, and us actually living within our limits is still a real choice. We’re not forced to rely on dams other than by the choices that our government makes.
Likewise with water. There are plenty of good ways of farming that don’t rely on big storage dams. And managing the harvesting of water for humans to drink and use (including using less). That we think big storage dams are for the public good come from ideology and the desire for things to be easy, not from necessity.
“And in most cases they are worth doing.”
In the US some of the dams literally destroy ecosystems. The salmon are an integral part of the life cycles outside of the river bed. So many salmon spawn up river that the bears fish and leave the carcasses on shore and these then fertilise the forests. When you take the salmon out of the picture (by dams) you affect whole cycles and systems, including ones we are not yet aware of. Hard to make that argument in NZ admittedly, because the catchments of the rivers like the Mata-au and the Waitaki are pretty much screwed by farming anyway, but nevertheless there are still good reasons for us to rethink our values and be honest about them. Asserting something is worth doing doesn’t make it do.
If ecological values about existing environments were the only values to consider, I would agree with you. A few of New Zealand’s lost dam proposals should stay lost.
The step one gets to by simply looking at a river system and considering it a resource to be used (I recall Heidegger railing against this in The Question Concerning technology just after the War), is the step that admits there are more than current ecological values to consider.
It’s good to admit that we evaluate fat modernist projects like dams differently now to when most of them were put in. But we are exceedingly lucky that we didn’t back then.
New Zealand owes its 85% renewable electricity generation level to conceiving the earth as resource to be used.
New Zealand also owes its exceptional preparedness for water scarcity and flood mitigation within global warming to conceiving the earth as resource to be used.
New Zealand also owes its large-scale manufacturing base in forestry, steel, aluminium, horticulture, viticulture, extensive agriculture and others, to that modernist era from Seddon to Muldoon requiring huge electricity and irrigation use from dams, that conceived the earth as resource to be used.
The RMA hasn’t entirely put paid to such coarse thinking, but has enabled more than the environment to be factored in to a decision.
Using less electricity or water can delay the need for major water storage, but won’t avoid it: you can see that for example in Watercare’s Asset Management Plan. You can have the argument about the optimum size of water storage if you like. As for Salmon, those McKenzie Country Salmon farms generating sustainable protein out of dam spillways are a great investment in our future.
I’ll put a proper post up once the deal is all signed and ready for construction.
That makes sense Ad from your world view, but I have to say that there is a problem with the idea that ecological perspecives sit alongside say economic ones and thus are at the risk of not seeing the bigger picture. The paradigm I am coming from is not that they sit side by side, but that everything (literally) is based in the natural world, and if you don’t use that as your starting point you end up with Climate Change (or peak oil, peak soil, peak phosphorus, and even eventually peak metals etc).
I’m generally a pragmatist, so I don’t have too much trouble working with what we’ve got and am not even against another dam being built in NZ but only if it can be done in from the sustainable paradigm.
And I will just repeat, all the things you are saying are important enough to damage the environment for are not without options. So again, let’s be honest. We want to build more dams because we want a certain kind of lifestyle that meets our wants as well as our needs. But that’s not an imperative.
Agree totally CV-Labour should NOT follow Gnats policy of dipping into ACC and Cullen fund. I explained this financial fiddle in a post 5 weeks ago in relation to Nationals selling off of Kiwibank to these funds as follows:
“The way the Kiwibank sale works is like this (using simple numbers):
Now:
Cullen Fund/ACC assets now: $20,000m
Kiwibank Value owned by government now:$1,000m
Government forces Cullen Fund/ACC to buy 45% of Kiwibank
Cullen Fund/ACC sells shares worth $450m in order to buy $450m of Kiwibank
Result:
Cullen Fund/ACC assets $20,000m
Kiwibank owned by government $550m
Money available for tax cuts $450m
The effect is that National is reducing state-owned capital assets in order to finance a short-term tax cut bribe. Of course they are denying that the Cullen Fund/ACC are being forced to buy Kiwibank, but that is yet another big lie for the BLiP list.”
Can you please link to where Labour have said this?
Thanks Bearded Git
It’s a help to know what the politico/financial magicians tricks are and how it is actually carried out.
Yes you are right Bearded Git this is an accounting fiddle aimed at screwing over future generations of NZers and it must not be supported.
Anything that returns interest is aimed at screwing over future generations.
Less so these days as most of it is just mathematical equations interacting with mathematical equations.
The result of which is then used to shift public assets into private ownership and the people into serfs of the rich.
Thank you CV and Greyw. Its all about debits and credits.
The counterpoint is that Labour should adopt Land Tax as a policy. 1% LT with NO exemptions would give then $6.7billion to play with while sticking it to the top 5%.
Such a proposal has to be thought out so that those on fixed incomes and low incomes are not disadvantaged.
A retired couple living in a pensioners flat that they own worth $360K in Auckland, with $1800/month disposable income (mostly from NZ super) would have to use two months worth of income to pay a 1% land tax.
“What are your thoughts on Labour’s proposal to dip into ACC and the Super Fund to help fund new start ups and expand current businesses?”
Does anyone have a link? I can’t find anything on this on google.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/kapiti-news/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503789&objectid=11637963
I don’t see any problem if it’s ACC and Super Fund investing in New Zealand business on their merit. They are investment funds and have very good record of picking investments that give a good return and appear to be pretty active in the market.
Investments (really expenditure) with political or “Regional Development” imperatives are totally inappropriate for ACC or Super Fund, for the reason CV identified at 1.2.1.1 That’s a really slippery slope leading to a stinking corrupt and bankrupt hole.
A better idea would be a unit in MBIE to work with businesses and investors to facilitate funding. ACC and SF would be two of their pool of investors. A parallel initiative would be to strengthen rules around ACC and SF to keep political interference right out of it.
Labour needs to be leading the anti corruption angle on this sort of issue and showing where and how it can come unstuck, and seeking solutions to get the good outcomes, ie enhanced NZ investment in NZ, while keeping the nepotistic corruption right out of it.
They should let the Boards make independent decisions, as they are statutorily set up to do.
I don’t want my reliance on the ACC fund or the NZSuper Fund depending on political fancy.
@ Graeme
As ACC and the Super Fund already can and do invest in New Zealand businesses based on their merit, it would suggest Labour’s proposal will go further than that (leaning more towards a handout).
Real Monetary Reform
We really do have to lose the idea that investment should return more money to the investor. It’s that type of delusion that’s destroying our world.
So much for the much lauded Paris accords.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement
Every time world leaders have one of these international talkfests they look more clownish and ridiculous.
It would be funny, if it wasn’t so tragic.
+100
These talks seem to be more about showing that Something is Being Done™ rather than actually doing doing anything. If the politicians had actually wanted to do something about all this they would have started in 1992 with the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. Instead they’ve kicked the can down the road and allowed and encouraged unsustainable development.
The Herald highlights wage inequality.
Pity it spends most of its time pimping for this extreme neo-liberal government.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11638385
It’s like they are rubbing it in our faces, laughing at us – not even pretending to care any more.
Clean Green New Zealand.
Yeah, right.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/303751/ecan-criticised-for-lack-of-action-over-waterways
Yep – such a farce meanwhile the rivers suffer awfully.
There’s something infinitely nauseating in Judith Collins being a NZ representative on the World Anti Corruption Summit, which is presided by no other than David Cameron himself…The whole damned thing is a farce.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/303752/nz's-corruption-fight-'the-world-has-changed‘
Keiser on RT announced the ‘ anti corruption summit’ organised by Cameron but couldn’t stop laughing at the irony.
Yes i agree its a cruel joke
Cunliffe got stuck into her and the irony of her being NZ’s anti-corruption representative on Morning Report this morning mentioning Oravida several times.
Hardly ironic, this is a deliberate subversion of the stated aims.
We’re going to need a whole new prison just for Gnats, once we get a clean government.
It’s a slap in the face to the public, world wide.
“Free Trade, with xtra tax dodging by Kleptocrats and their cronies”.
I’m always suspicious of anonymous writings, but here’s a link anyway
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/dem-congressman-its-far-easier-than-you-think-to-manipulate-a-nation-of-naive-self-absorbed-sheep_052016
Taupo Girl has laptop deemed essential for school taken due to father’s inability to pay.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/79900291/school-laptop-dispute-shocks
That is absolutely atrocious behaviour by the school.
That said, the guy should have gone to pricespy and had a look. Could have got a decent laptop for half the price.
As our working conditions get worse and we race to the bottom like the US, this is something for Kiwis to look forward too…
US poultry workers wear diapers on job over lack of bathroom breaks – report
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/12/poultry-workers-wear-diapers-work-bathroom-breaks
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/12/london-sinkhole-partially-swallows-car
Read the comments comedy gold
You’re right, most hilarious thing I’ve read in ages.
Interestingly if Wall street can’t get the republicans in, they are pushing Hilary Clinton.
Top 2 hedge fund managers bankroll Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emanuel, after making $1.7 billion each in 2015
http://www.salon.com/2016/05/12/top_2_hedge_fund_managers_bankroll_hillary_clinton_and_rahm_emanuel_after_making_1_7_billion_each_in_2015/
yes Clinton is certainly working for the wealthy establishment…but she is soiled goods
… and “Sanders supporters argue that the risk of a Clinton scandal blowing up is why their candidate is a better choice, as well as polls that show the Vermont senator beating the billionaire Trump, while new polls show Clinton would either be tied with Trump or trailing come November.”
‘FBI: No deadline or ‘special set of rules’ in Clinton email investigation’
https://www.rt.com/usa/342848-fbi-no-deadline-clinton/
‘FBI: No deadline or ‘special set of rules’ in Clinton email investigation’
The risk is not just that a scandal may blow up and derail her, a potential scandal hanging over her head will strengthen the establishment’s hold on her, so that even if she is happy to step into Bernie’s slipstream rhetorically, she will not be able to afford to act on it in any meaningful way.
That is one very perceptive thought Olwyn.
Thanks Red 🙂
Very rare to find a comment by Olwyn that isn’t highly perceptive.
In the same class as Puddleglum.
(and one or two others – you know who you are)
Swordfish!! I am utterly flattered – especially to be compared to Puddleglum – thank you 😀
Why on earth would you think you can get elected in the US without them?
Super pacs have permanently tilted the field.
And what about the people who have won with out them?
Are you defending anti-democratic practices now Ad?
Nope. The Supreme Court decision after Obama got elected the first time enabling Super Pacs is exceedingly undemocratic. But it’s the law.
“But it’s the law.”
So was owning slaves.
Still deeply anti-democratic.
Indeed it’s corrosive – and also really hard to revisit and reverse under this SC.
If people thought that we would not have any democracy or freedoms. Too hard, is the language of people who lack vision, and/or have lost hope.
Here some people who have not .
http://www.democracyspring.org/
http://www.wolf-pac.com/
Wolf pac is my pick to over turn this ridiculous anti-democratic court decision.
…and letter from America:
‘Bernie wins West Virginia, his 19th state’
https://www.rt.com/shows/big-picture/342721-big-primary-wins-us/
“Tonight’s Rumble talks Bernie’s and Trump’s big primary wins, Trumps appointing of Rudy Giuliani as his Muslim Czar, and his selecting of two insiders to tweak his tax plan. Thom discusses how establishment Democrats are already trying to hijack the convention with International Business Times’ David Sirota and in tonight’s Daily Take Thom details how Donald Trump could become the next Ronald Reagan.”
‘Social justice?’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/342583-us-elections-insurrection-voters/
“The question of social justice: As America’s two major parties move toward anointing their presidential nominees, there is a growing sense of disaffection and even insurrection among voters. And this has set the business-as-usual political and financial elites into a panic. It is all their own fault.
CrossTalking with Richard Wolff, Les Leopold, and Inderjeet Parmar.”
Cunliffe getting closer to claiming a Nat scalp. Louise Upson might well become too much of an embarrassment to the Nats at the rate Cunkiffe is skewing her.
Cunliffe has made her look incompetent is her handling of the Onetai Farm purchase by the dodgy Argentian polluters.
I’d love to know which law/trust advisors the Argentians used to move their case across Louise upson’d desk. Was it one if the firms that net with Minister McClay in Shortland Street?
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79915397/David-Cunliffe-alleges-second-toxic-incident-as-Terence-Stapleton-QC-begins-OIO-review
Yep, being a Minister of the Government carries responsibility and foresight, not just throwing weight and money around.Glad Cunliffe is holding them to account.Hopefully we won’t get the usual ” drama triangle” scenario when they cry victim and try to get everyone to feel sorry for them.
Cunliffe has been very impressive on RNZ …he is Labour’s trump card imo
(no comparisons with the Donald intended)
“New Zealand has slipped down the ranks of the least corrupt countries, and earlier this year watchdog Transparency International accused the Government of “astonishing” complacency.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79941804/nz-to-consider-setting-up-company-ownership-register–judith-collins
Considering doing something that should be mandatory.
That sounds like another way for public monies to be given to private businesses.
So she’s about to ban the use of bank credit?
Yeah, didn’t think so.
Good old Winston, right now, he’s in the UK telling the people to be wary of big foreign bank money being used in the “Remain in the EU” campaign, and telling the Brits they can come on over and trade with us – think he’s more interested in actual “trade” than our Govt with their TPPA strait-jacket!
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/05/12/remain-campaign-contaminating-brexit-referendum-foreign-money-says-former-new-zealand-deputy-prime-minister/
I doubt foreign banks are quite the threat to working Britons as one of their own is.
The billionaire donor bankrolling the Brexit campaign Peter Hargreaves has said the EU is too dominated by France and Germany , and believes Singapore is the best business model for Britain outside the European Union.
The businessman also said a steep fall in sterling could be good for the country, and that some workers’ rights – such as part-time employment, flexitime and extended maternity leave – have gone too far.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/12/billionaire-brexit-supporter-says-uk-should-emulate-singapore
The irony of it > Judith Collins re anti-corruption – RNZ News today .
“She said she wanted money that was productive and honest invested in New Zealand.”
Was she advertising that 2nd hand car deal ship like a few months ago? Great look for NZ! sarc.
Jewish-American Professor of History, Lawrence Davidson, on the misuse of “anti-Semitism” in the absurd smear campaign / McCarthyite witch-hunt currently taking place in the UK. While I don’t entirely agree with his treatment of the Ken Livingstone smear (he misinterprets what Livingstone actually said), it’s still a good overall outline.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/12/82580/
But … For a more detailed, careful, methodical, and absolutely bang-on rebuttal of the central claims on which this witchhunt is based (the kind of investigation leading UK MSM journos should have done – if they weren’t so hopelessly compliant and compromised)- see Jamie Stern-Weiner here … https://jamiesternweiner.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/ken-livingstone-gobshite-yes-antisemite-no/
and here … https://jamiesternweiner.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/labour-antisemitism-witch-hunt-turns-on-leading-anti-racist-campaigners/
and here … https://jamiesternweiner.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/fact-checking-newsnight-on-labours-antisemitism-problem/
And for a bit of background on the early phase of the campaign (from Stern-Weiner) – here … https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jamie-stern-weiner/new-accusations-of-anti-semitism-thrown-at-left-are-flimsy
and here … https://opendemocracy.net/uk/jamie-stern-weiner/jeremy-corbyn-hasn-t-got-antisemitism-problem-his-opponents-do
Analysis of the affair from Norman Finkelstein here … https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jamie-stern-weiner-norman-finkelstein/american-jewish-scholar-behind-labour-s-antisemitism-scandal
and here … https://jamiesternweiner.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/norman-finkelstein-on-david-camerons-dodgy-friends/
Incidentally, if you can find a copy, have a read of the multi-authored The Politics of Anti-Semitism. It’s a little dated (2003) but still enlightening.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Politics_of_Anti-Semitism
Corbyn seems like he’s getting lost in inconsequential and unwinnable battles like reshuffles, regional elections, and the one you describe above.
He needs a long range comms theme. Hate to say it, but that’s how Blair got his first nationwide electoral win. (Not defending Blair’s Middle East policies BTW).
Corbyn’s comms strategy has certainly, at times, appeared amateurish and more than a little inept.
But then, Corbyn, McDonnell and Labour’s Campaign Group Left faction really didn’t expect a Corbyn victory at the start of the Leadership campaign. There hadn’t been a great deal of planning. Whereas, in stark contrast, the other 3 highly ambitious contenders had been planning and organising for years, surrounding themselves with all the right people, nurturing media contacts and so on.
And we also, of course, need to factor in the unrelenting hostility from the MSM (and wider Establishment) – which began the moment the first YouGov Poll of the Labour Selectorate came out, suggesting Corbyn’s was the front-runner. Although, to be fair, there have been arguments that Corbyn has played a part in exacerbating the toxic relationship by rejecting useful advice on media management.
Not much he could do about this latest “anti-Semitism” smear campaign, though (uncritically regurgitated, as it has been, by MSM journos in the UK).
A new Pew Research Center Poll finds liberal Democrats turning away from Israel.
While Republicans of all persuasions – together with conservative and moderate Democrats – continue to favour Israel by large margins … for the first time, liberal Democrats sympathise more with the Palestinians (40%) than with the Israelis (33%).
Back in 2001, the liberal Democrat split was 48%/18% in favour of Israel and last year 39%/21%. That’s a huge turn-around. Support for Israel down 6 points but, more importantly, sympathy for the Palestinians up 19 points over the last year (suggesting a significant swing from previous Undecideds).
Apologists for Israel’s Occupation should be a little concerned because Democrats are becoming more and more liberal over time (27% of Dems considered themselves liberal in 2000 / 41% in 2015).
African Americans, Latinos and younger Democrats in general – all demographics making up a larger and larger proportion of the Democratic constituency as time goes on – are more sympathetic than Americans as a whole to the Palestinian cause.
http://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11607990/liberal-democrats-israel-pew
Now this I like, a lot. Young Children in Alabama took a poll (in the picture – it says pill – teehee) to see what their hopes and fears for the future were. Be surprised!
http://imgur.com/Cfm3xLO
“Now this I like, a lot.”
Me too. But I’m not really surprised. Young people have a terribly bad rap, a narrative that Those Who Rule Us like to reinforce.
Had a lovely chat in the supermarket yesterday with a shelf packer, who was well past retirement age.
After explaining to me the nefarious goings on in product pricing, he commented that he was appalled at how young workers were being exploited. How employers expected young workers to begin the job fully trained, and then gave them shit when they messed up. He said how when he began work, things were different. He makes an effort to take young workers ‘under his wing.’
Now there’s a quaint old saying..maybe we should revive it?
Matt Nippert had a piece in the NZ Herald online about NZ trusts apparently facilitating corruption in Ecuador & it seems to have been pulled, curious to know why. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11637813
Hmm, curious…here’s the google cache
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:t7a6M4bVPJcJ:m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm%3Fc_id%3D3%26objectid%3D11637813+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
alternative link too
http://archive.li/rz7T7
Thanks Joe90, I can get to read it now.
why indeed….and who?
Winston’s speech to the house of lords,brings some innovative thinking to the brexit argument.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1605/S00251/speech-by-winston-peters-at-the-house-of-lords.htm
Wow, he’s really reaching back into the past. The Commonwealth is dead and has been for decades. It would be simply Bad Form to resurrect it now.
And, no, I don’t think that the European Union going anywhere except down.
CEOs’ pay highlights NZ wealth imbalance – CTU
…Herald newspaper showed the CEOs from New Zealand’s largest listed companies had an average pay increase of 12 percent in 2015 compared with 3.2 percent for employees.
The average CEO increase was $180,000 while the biggest total salary was Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings. He earned $4.49 million.
The average pay increase for employees was $988, with the average salary $57,000.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/303777/ceos-earn-'40-times-average-person‘
As Israel finds itself more and more diplomatically isolated, its legion of apologists is becoming even more extreme and intolerant. The following horror story is currently being played out in Britain, but something similar to this happened in 2002, when the New Zealand equivalents of Jonathan Sacerdoti, Jonathan Arkush and Baroness Deech bullied Gavin Ellis, the then editor of the Herald into firing his cartoonist Malcolm Evans after Evans had the temerity to criticise the Holy State….
Labour antisemitism witch-hunt turns on leading anti-racism campaigner
by Jamie Stern-Weiner, Monday, May 9th, 2016
Last week, prominent Momentum activist Jackie Walker was suspended from the Labour Party for alleged antisemitism. (Momentum is a grassroots movement affiliated with the Labour Party, which currently supports the elected leadership of the socialist and veteran Palestine solidarity campaigner Jeremy Corbyn.)
There are five points to make about this.
1.) The antisemitism allegations against Walker are devoid of factual basis. The evidence against Walker consists of two Facebook comments. In the first, Walker dismissed claims that Labour has ‘a major problem with anti-semitism’….
Read more….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2016/05/09/labour-antisemitism-witch-hunt-turns-on-leading-anti-racism-campaigner/
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04062013/#comment-643332
Israel needs to stop enforcing Gaza as an open air version of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Is either Ozzy Osbourne or Phil Judd the most pathetic old rocker in the world?
Not even close….
http://www.salon.com/2016/05/11/the_nras_unhinged_spokesman_ted_nugents_at_it_again_posting_a_video_of_bernie_sanders_shooting_hillary_clinton/
Nugent is surely a repulsive misogynist & gun fetishist.
But I do have a soft spot for Phil Judd; despite his health problems & stalking conviction. He’s always come across as a visual artist who is a talented songwriter but just can’t stand the live performance part of it. Calling him “an old rocker” is way too simplistic. The Play it Strange album from 2014 is pretty great, and this track (which actually has a video) has a wonderful self awareness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa385_yRerE
Is a long time since I looked at the Blog Rankings :
https://openparachute.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/march-16-nz-blogs-sitemeter-ranking/
I see that WhaleOil stopped being measured in February, but couldn’t find any comment why. Presumably it has either had technical problems or is now regarded as a commercial PR site . . .
The Standard appears to be steadily rising in the rankings, and No Right Turn has a surprisingly low ranking – could that result from not having comments?
The Lurking…
Putin to Western Elites: Playtime is Over
I would wonder how the Western ‘elites’ took that but I already know. They shut it down so that no one would hear about it and still believes that the war that they’re pushing for will leave them better off.