Tianjin is a port city, about three hours from beijing by car. It’s a megacity, with at least ten million people, although city population stats in china tend to be pretty wild guesses. wikipedia calls it at 15 mil. It’s one of four cities directly controlled from the central government.
Two seriously good pieces on Chinese disaster news management:
the latter one gives you an excellent ancient-historical backgrounder to the modern phenomenon of censorship.
quotable quote from the first link:
…the one thing unique that emerged from this disaster [2015 yangtse ship disaster] is the confirmation that disaster communication in this country has thoroughly morphed into a kind of grand “mood management” exercise which involves state control as well as the negotiation within the society itself. The fundamental questions that are being asked by those watching the unfolding of the tragedy are not “what happened” and “why did it happen”, but “how should people feel about it” and “when is the right time to feel about what.”
mind you some of this will bounce back on eqc and the government due to the way in which claims were handled by eqc (very poorly and miserly)
there has been loads of shoddy workmanship by the building sector in Christchurch. On top of that there is a tremendous market in as-is where-is buildings which are damaged, not repaired and now uninsureable. Being bought, slap of paint and out into the rental market…..
avoid pre-earthquake homes in Christchurch in the future
the cowboy builders were used by EQC and Fletchers to reduce the standard and their liability…it is deliberate and systemic and has been known about for years and the minister brushed it off….these repairs were carried out under consent exemption which means they were performed under producer statements issued by Fletchers EQR and the responsibility to meet code was theirs….the Minister is either complicit or negligent.
I see the Commonwealth Bank of Australia has just announced a $9 BIllion profit.
Austerity is certainly working for them.
As the banks are making these obscene profits, one thing The Double Dipping Dickhead from Dipton can do, is do away with the OBR (Open Bank Resolution). Obviously as the banks are making obscene profits, there is not the need to keep the legislation to bail them out by depositors, or the tax payer, just to fund their massive bonuses.
I think a simpler solution would be to forbid trading banks from borrowing money. The banks have gained undue power by leveraging their membership of the central bank system to gain access to funding they have no real right to.
As things stand the banks simply borrow more when they run out of cash reserves & want to make more loans. But they can only borrow because their membership of the RBNZ gives them a solid credit rating. No serious lender would lend so cheaply to them otherwise, a bank would just be another finance company without the RBNZ guarantees.
Admittance to RBNZ funding could be made conditional on members lending out only depositors funds. If banks want to be a finance company they can, they just can’t be an accredited trading bank at the same time. That would really cramp their style
Jeremy Corbyn proposes re-opening coal mines in South Wales. He wants to turn the clock back 40 years with this and a number of other policies. Sounds like a winning formula.
haha I was just thinking to myself, surely he isn’t going to re-open the shipyards or starting digging up Wales… it’s nostalgia writ large. Good luck to him.
“But if there’s to be substantial coal fire generation it’s got to be clean burn technology, it’s got to have carbon filters on it, it’s got to be carbon neutral.
[there’s a bit here in the video about CCS (carbon capture and storage), which they’ve left out of the article, so they’ve mangled what he said and actually misrepresented it]
“I’ve looked at it, I’ve discussed it, I’ve heard about it. It’s complicated. At one level it looks very expensive. But the advantages also look quite attractive.
“But the principles have to be that we’re protective of our environment, guaranteeing affordable energy supplies for everybody, and we’re not ripped off by big companies.”
To me this looks like he just doesn’t know what he is talking about (re CCS and carbon neutrality). Or, he’s hedging his bets between the workers and the greenies and the economists. His comment was saying that there are few coal mines left in the UK, and that the remaining high quality coal might be worth more in the future.
He said that if coal prices rose in the future and if carbon capture tech meant there was zero net additional emissions (it won’t) then there might be a case for opening the deep mines in S. Wales – mines that just happen to contain the worlds’ highest quality coal.
I was thinking a while back that we should run a lottery here on how long she’d last, but didn’t bother bringing it up because who’d bet on a sure thing.
I admire her courage but question her wisdom, being so outspoken was just asking for trouble and now we’ve lost her.
We might also spare a little though for journalists in general. Who’d be a journalist in this country. Their choices of employer are limited and if they buck the system they get fired or shunted out to bumfucksville writing trivia for the village idiots.
Thats right we live in a country when people who are paid to be a commentator are expected to give the same opinion as all the other commentators. It is ‘unwise’ not to do so.
Opinions censored in MSM to all lead to the same pro government conclusions or so tepid, the content is irrelevant .
Her latest piece on the Canterbury rebuild is, well, scathing:
Like Tim Groser ignoring his best scientists over the issue of carbon emissions, Brownlee appeared to ditch large parts of his advisory board’s advice so he would retain final veto over major projects and council plans in the city. His own draft in response waters down the local role in the rebuild, ensures the Government’s paw prints are all over a new body looking to snap up prime central city land for redevelopment, and generally provokes more annoyance from locals.
He gave a month for feedback – which ended at the end of July – without public forums for debate and discussion.
For those opposed to corporate control – this is going to be quite a weekend!
In Auckland on Saturday 15 August 2015 – is what should be a sizeable TPPA – WALK AWAY! public protest – assembling at Aotea Square at 1pm.
In Auckland on Sunday 16 August 2015 – is the RATE$ RIPOFF RALLY!
WHERE: Assemble 1 PM Aotea Square
So – if you’ve just received your latest Auckland Council Rates Assessment Notice / Rates Invoice, and you are NOT happy about your latest rates increase – you can ‘stand up and be counted’ :
The reality is that in Auckland – we have effectively been under direct corporate control for nearly 5 years – when this ‘Supercity for the 1%’ was forced upon us – without a democratic vote by citizens and ratepayers.
We had 7 democratically elected Councils (warts and all) – replaced with 7 (now 6) undemocratically selected Council (CORPORATE) Controlled Organisations (CCOs) – which have been the mechanism for the Auckland region to be run ‘like a business – by business – FOR business.
There has been a significant transfer of public rates monie$ to the private sector – but WHERE exactly is that money going?
Talking about radionz – did anyone yesterday hear Judith Collins refer to Radionz as Radio Albania? Apparently they are unliked by her because they persist in trying to find out truths and information that she doesn’t want them to bother asking.
And a few weeks ago English saying similar. And yet doesn’t National Radio have the highest listener numbers?
Must look. This is all I can find.
“Weekly live cumulative audience for Radio New Zealand National is 434,000 or 12% of the 15+ population. National’s station share is 9.1%.”
@Double Plus Good
I didn’t even notice that, actually. I was attempting ‘sarcastic’ as I could imagine Judith Collins saying that. I don’t think she could have spelt it, or even know the name and who he was.
Glad you mentioned this ianmac@11.07am, excellent questioning of key by david parker all this week. and in spite of some criticism of andrew little by a commenter yesterday on “sheepgate mixed metaphors”.
In fact Little did really well on Tuesday in that he appeared to lull key into a false sense of security with his fonterra questioning after which i actually saw key lean towards english as if to say ” i think we got away with that one and now joyce is up.” Thus andrew bayly began asking patsy questions of stephen who began rejoicing in the wonderful diversity (first time i had heard the natwits using that term) of their economic strategy. How seductive was joyce with his words, words he repeated almost verbatim after another patsy question on Wednesday!
But back to Tuesday when, if that commenter had hung on, he would have seen Parker attack and attack key on sheepgate with brilliant support from Little and key didn’t look quite so relieved or chipper as he had done earlier.
Parker continued this attack yesterday so effectively (and i’m sure helped by fergusson’s a.m. ‘softening him up’) that at the end i think key was forced to lie but i couldn’t hear him properly as he sank to his seat and looked quite cowed, or is that ‘sheeped’
Well done David Parker and Labour. And it takes a lot for me to say that and especially to type it on this bloomin’ tablet.
(Obviously the sight of arch fabricator key looking queasy was aspirshinul enough to get my finger, gritted teeth and patience working in tandem. Hope this all makes sense.)
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
(Aye there’s the rub. Trump may chirp the words from Hamlet Soliloquy? but would have no concept of bringing the meaning to bear, or I doubt, any real wish to do so as he is just another money-rich intellect-poor actor on the power and glory stage.)
To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d.
To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
“For households doing it tough this winter, particularly in rural areas where the plummeting dairy price is hitting hard, hearing that the Prime Minister is likely to get an $11,000 pay rise won’t do much to lift their spirits or help them pay their bills.”
Ah, so after promising to do something about it National then ensured that they’d still get massive pay rises.
Except amongst the Wellington ‘Beltway’ types David Farrar is very well respected on both sides of the political spectrum. I only presume you are based outside Wellington and/or have never had any interaction with him. If he was a slimy and manipulative as you make out it is unlikely he would be so well regarded by key people across the political spectrum.
lol
Cite, pls.
I suspect that in many cases you are confusing “behaving professionally towards” with being “very well respected “.
Are you based in Wellington McFlock? If so, do you attend any of the many political events that David Farrar attends? I’m not sure you realise how much of a political operator he is.
I will grant you that Cameron Slater is not well respected nor liked by a number of people. The same can not be stated for David Farrar. In terms of the mainstream politicians across the political spectrum that I have observed interacting with him on a social basis there seems to be genuine fondness (if not friendship) and no anomosity. It is only people such as yourself who seemingly think mainstream politics is a battle to the death that paint him as some master manipulator doing his masters bidding.
Well, if your impression of “mainstream politicians'” behaviour is as accurate as you “granting me” something I did not claim (however true it might or might not be) and as accurate as your attribution of those thoughts to me, I’ll take that with a large block of salt, too.
Although I notice that you’ve lid from a general “Wellington beltway types” to “mainstream politicians”. Do you think Seymour is in that latter group? What about the Greens?
I’m generally meaning the average Politician. I am sure there are a couple of Politicians and their supporters who do have an issue with David Farrar. I’d suggest that is because of their ideological position rather than anything David Farrar has done though. The worst accusation I have seen made here about him for example is that he pretends to be moderate and reasonable but rarks up his supporters with subtle dog-whistling blog posts and that he spins for National for cash. Even if true this hardly makes him a terrible person. He just seems to understand how to play the political game better than many on the left.
The worst accusation I have seen made here about him for example is that he pretends to be moderate and reasonable but rarks up his supporters with subtle dog-whistling blog posts and that he spins for National for cash. Even if true this hardly makes him a terrible person.
Actually yes, yes it does.
As for your comment about playing the political “game”, well that says it all. What you tories never understand is that it’s not a game. If you run down prisons and the health sector, have such concern for worker safety that unions have to take private prosecutions when workers are killed on the job, and turn income support and welfare services into confrontational and alienating abuse of the poor, people die.
Shortly after Israel’s mass slaughter of more than 1,400 people in Gaza in 2008-9, Farrar accepted a free trip to Israel by the Israeli regime, which included a brief visit to illegally occupied East Jerusalem. With a display of resolute blindness and deafness, Farrar reported that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”…. http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/11/jerusalem.html
So, yes, on that behaviour alone, Farrar would be a terrible person. His behaviour in New Zealand is just as disgusting.
I will grant you that Cameron Slater is not well respected nor liked by a number of people. The same can not be stated for David Farrar. In terms of the mainstream politicians across the political spectrum that I have observed interacting with him on a social basis there seems to be genuine fondness (if not friendship) and no anomosity. It is only people such as yourself who seemingly think mainstream politics is a battle to the death that paint him as some master manipulator doing his masters bidding.
The business community has spoken and say it’s time for the National party to groom a replacement.
NZME’s fourteenth annual Mood of the Boardroom survey has shown three quarters of business leaders want a new John Key.
The survey had 110 respondents from the Deloitte top 200 list of chief executives, company heads and heads of industry-leading businesses including the private and public sector.
Business Editor Fran O’Sullivan said last year, two thirds of respondents felt the ‘Key’ brand was damaged …
“The West’s hardline towards Russia is driving Russia closer to China, with deepening Sino-Russian relations posing a strong challenge to global Western hegemony, founding partner at Prosperity Capital Management Mattias Westman told RT”
“Bill English has admitted meeting with 10 organisations who want to get their hands on these assets but is refusing to say who they are. These organisations are most likely merchant bankers, private/public partnership investors and property developers – so it’s no wonder National wants to keep them secret.
“This comes as a Bill giving the Government extraordinary powers to sell-off state houses gets its first reading in Parliament. This legislation allows Ministers to take direct personal control of selling these homes, exempts them from normal legal requirements and leaves the sale process wide open for corruption.
very disturbing …good to see Phil Twyford and Labour Party is on to it!….hope Labour jumps up and down…and NZF…and the Greens in Parliament….and Mana/Int…and all social welfare groups…this is the future housing of NZ’s poorest!
…It should not be for property speculators or private control and gain
….state housing is an asset built up over the years by generations of New Zealand taxpayers
where is the Maori Party on this ?…and Peter Dunn?
if any state houses are put up for sale they should be offered to the existing tenants first…and loan money should be made available for existing tenants so that they can buy
Sounds like a good idea but the wealthy in NZ have their real income hidden away in Trusts. One family that I know are very wealthy but because on paper they are poor they were able to claim Student allowances for their daughter. So how likely is it in NZ that say My Key would pay big money for speeding?
Fines should always be proportional to the persons income as this would make the fine equivalent across the income spectrum.
Say two people get fined for speeding. One is rich and the on minimum wage but the fine is the same $150. For the person on minimum wage that could mean not eating for a week, bills not being paid and significant stress. The rich person would be thinking if they should have wine with lunch or not and then buy the wine anyway. The fine is meaningless to them.
This is the first point. The fine actually has to have meaning to the person being fined.
The second point is that the fine should be proportional to the crime and having to go without food for a week, not pay bills and being subjugated to a huge amount of stress for a time is disproportional to mere speeding*.
* If it was speeding resulting in death then I would expect murder charges.
Prisoner dead at Mt Eden. Did you notice the clamour of people saying that the government was unfit to run the prison and must immediately let someone else do it?
Scumbag who plead guilty to nearly 80 charges including rape, sexual violation, assault, kidnapping, threatening to kill and grievous bodily harm kills himself in Mt Eden. Excellent news for his victims and their families.
And didn’t Alan Hubbard say John Key would sort this out and speak up for him when he got back………. for of course when the story broke of Mr. Hubbard doing something wrong with his accounting or some such thing, Key was else where. And when key did return from wherever, he wouldn’t even speak to Mr Hubbard. I thought then that something fishy was going on…….and obviously there was………. apparently a rather nasty set up.
I did think at the time that Alan Hubbard must have felt so hurt and bemused and, unfortunately for him, was beginning to see the true measure of john key…. together with his sidekicks bill english and simon power (who had also figured in the maligning of Winston Peters.)
What a horror to behold at his time of life.
Hey Chooky, the radio story on National succession to John Key was taken down by NZME (Newstalk) because it was inaccurate in several places. It was replaced – The initial Herald story was accurate. Fran O’Sullivan
[lprent: It must be a new email. Sorry about the delay releasing from first time moderation. But I suspect that everyone was out getting some healthy exercise around midday. ]
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Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
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 ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
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. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
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 ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Big double explosion in Tianjin. Some background:
Tianjin is a port city, about three hours from beijing by car. It’s a megacity, with at least ten million people, although city population stats in china tend to be pretty wild guesses. wikipedia calls it at 15 mil. It’s one of four cities directly controlled from the central government.
Two seriously good pieces on Chinese disaster news management:
http://chublicopinion.com/2015/06/11/titanic-on-the-yangtze/
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/21/china-media-xi-jinping-crackdown-newspaper/
the latter one gives you an excellent ancient-historical backgrounder to the modern phenomenon of censorship.
quotable quote from the first link:
…the one thing unique that emerged from this disaster [2015 yangtse ship disaster] is the confirmation that disaster communication in this country has thoroughly morphed into a kind of grand “mood management” exercise which involves state control as well as the negotiation within the society itself. The fundamental questions that are being asked by those watching the unfolding of the tragedy are not “what happened” and “why did it happen”, but “how should people feel about it” and “when is the right time to feel about what.”
Ah, sounds like China is starting to catch up with the West in public manipulation.
Next leaky buildings?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71071043/gerry-brownlee-targets-cowboy-builders-after-eqc-foundation-review
surprise surprise
mind you some of this will bounce back on eqc and the government due to the way in which claims were handled by eqc (very poorly and miserly)
there has been loads of shoddy workmanship by the building sector in Christchurch. On top of that there is a tremendous market in as-is where-is buildings which are damaged, not repaired and now uninsureable. Being bought, slap of paint and out into the rental market…..
avoid pre-earthquake homes in Christchurch in the future
So if some of the builders are cowboys doesn’t that make him the corrupt robber baron mayor living on the plush of this wild west town?
the cowboy builders were used by EQC and Fletchers to reduce the standard and their liability…it is deliberate and systemic and has been known about for years and the minister brushed it off….these repairs were carried out under consent exemption which means they were performed under producer statements issued by Fletchers EQR and the responsibility to meet code was theirs….the Minister is either complicit or negligent.
I really don’t think that’s an either/or statement but most likely needs an ‘and’.
Make no mistake, National ministers really don’t give a shit about anybody and if they can find a way to make a profit they will.
lets give him the benefit of the doubt and stick with the”or”
Once again, everything Brownlee gets his paws on turns to shit. Is he related to Nick Smith?
I see the Commonwealth Bank of Australia has just announced a $9 BIllion profit.
Austerity is certainly working for them.
As the banks are making these obscene profits, one thing The Double Dipping Dickhead from Dipton can do, is do away with the OBR (Open Bank Resolution). Obviously as the banks are making obscene profits, there is not the need to keep the legislation to bail them out by depositors, or the tax payer, just to fund their massive bonuses.
The only ‘money’ in banks comes in the form of deposits
Everything else is an IOU / accounting method
I think a simpler solution would be to forbid trading banks from borrowing money. The banks have gained undue power by leveraging their membership of the central bank system to gain access to funding they have no real right to.
As things stand the banks simply borrow more when they run out of cash reserves & want to make more loans. But they can only borrow because their membership of the RBNZ gives them a solid credit rating. No serious lender would lend so cheaply to them otherwise, a bank would just be another finance company without the RBNZ guarantees.
Admittance to RBNZ funding could be made conditional on members lending out only depositors funds. If banks want to be a finance company they can, they just can’t be an accredited trading bank at the same time. That would really cramp their style
Jeremy Corbyn proposes re-opening coal mines in South Wales. He wants to turn the clock back 40 years with this and a number of other policies. Sounds like a winning formula.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyn-could-bring-back-6213691
haha I was just thinking to myself, surely he isn’t going to re-open the shipyards or starting digging up Wales… it’s nostalgia writ large. Good luck to him.
It’s nostalgic in exactly the same way that being able to afford a house on one income is nostalgic.
Let’s look at the whole of what he said,
To me this looks like he just doesn’t know what he is talking about (re CCS and carbon neutrality). Or, he’s hedging his bets between the workers and the greenies and the economists. His comment was saying that there are few coal mines left in the UK, and that the remaining high quality coal might be worth more in the future.
He is the opposite of progressive. “Preservationist”?
I didn’t read it like that. Isn’t he talking about reopening mines for economic reasons?
Not sure there is anything wrong with preservationist. We’d be better off if we’d preserved quite a few things a long time ago 😉
“He is the opposite of progressive”
Utter poppycock. Corbyn is one of the most progressive UK Labour MPs there are.
How do you get away with making such statements? Look at Osborne, look at Cameron.
They are the “opposite” of progressive.
I suppose it is better to back 40 years than 150 years the Neo’ want to do.
Arn’t sales of coal dropping world-wide? Whos going to buy the coal in that case?
Why would sales of coal be dropping during this marvellous global economic recovery in consumption and demand?
He didn’t propose any such thing.
He said that if coal prices rose in the future and if carbon capture tech meant there was zero net additional emissions (it won’t) then there might be a case for opening the deep mines in S. Wales – mines that just happen to contain the worlds’ highest quality coal.
So he essentially said nothing about anything at all. If he said something it might have been said if he had said anything….. Possibly.
Sad news, Dita de Boni axed from the NZ Herald. Hope The Standard readers can show support.
Another brave writer axed. Clearly too good for the Herald to tolerate.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/08/12/dita-de-boni-axed-from-the-nz-herald-any-more-room-left-at-rnz/
Don’t worry i’m sure she’ll find gainful employment at radio nz
3 weeks notice given. What rotten employers the Herald are.
You would think with their declining readership they might want to encourage a diverse range of opinions so they maintain a central readership base…
Probably want to turn themselves into a niche newspaper
They’ve already found their niche as National Party propagandists which is probably why they’re getting rid of somebody who writes the truth.
i always thought here was far too many left wing commentators so its good to see some balance
Far too many celebrity stories for my taste though
Reality has a radical Left wing bias.
Everyone chooses their own reality i guess:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11492634
Including our prime minister, who pretends he lives on Planet Key.
You do understand that that is the result of RWNJ indoctrination of there being no society right?
I was thinking a while back that we should run a lottery here on how long she’d last, but didn’t bother bringing it up because who’d bet on a sure thing.
I admire her courage but question her wisdom, being so outspoken was just asking for trouble and now we’ve lost her.
We might also spare a little though for journalists in general. Who’d be a journalist in this country. Their choices of employer are limited and if they buck the system they get fired or shunted out to bumfucksville writing trivia for the village idiots.
Thats right we live in a country when people who are paid to be a commentator are expected to give the same opinion as all the other commentators. It is ‘unwise’ not to do so.
Opinions censored in MSM to all lead to the same pro government conclusions or so tepid, the content is irrelevant .
Her latest piece on the Canterbury rebuild is, well, scathing:
For those opposed to corporate control – this is going to be quite a weekend!
In Auckland on Saturday 15 August 2015 – is what should be a sizeable TPPA – WALK AWAY! public protest – assembling at Aotea Square at 1pm.
In Auckland on Sunday 16 August 2015 – is the RATE$ RIPOFF RALLY!
WHERE: Assemble 1 PM Aotea Square
So – if you’ve just received your latest Auckland Council Rates Assessment Notice / Rates Invoice, and you are NOT happy about your latest rates increase – you can ‘stand up and be counted’ :
The reality is that in Auckland – we have effectively been under direct corporate control for nearly 5 years – when this ‘Supercity for the 1%’ was forced upon us – without a democratic vote by citizens and ratepayers.
We had 7 democratically elected Councils (warts and all) – replaced with 7 (now 6) undemocratically selected Council (CORPORATE) Controlled Organisations (CCOs) – which have been the mechanism for the Auckland region to be run ‘like a business – by business – FOR business.
There has been a significant transfer of public rates monie$ to the private sector – but WHERE exactly is that money going?
Penny Bright
“There has been a significant transfer of public rates monie$ to the private sector”
I would have thought you have to actually pay rates before you can get uppity about how they are being spent Penny. It is 1%’ers like you who avoid paying your fair share in the community that are ruining society:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/69504984/Rates-dodger-Penny-Bright-fails-to-see-hypocrisy-in-not-contributing-to-society-while-complaining-about-the-so-called-one-percent
This Morning Report had the Arab sheep Saga on, with a soundbite from the QT yesterday where Key answers that Parker should check his answers to Suzie. Suzie replayed his comments from yesterday. Ooops John.
David Parker explicitly explained why McCulley was breaking the law.
10 o’clock news on Radio National summarised the issue. Well done.
Not on 11 o’clock news.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201766290/labour-claims-subterfuge-over-saudi-sheep-deal-may-be-illegal
Talking about radionz – did anyone yesterday hear Judith Collins refer to Radionz as Radio Albania? Apparently they are unliked by her because they persist in trying to find out truths and information that she doesn’t want them to bother asking.
And a few weeks ago English saying similar. And yet doesn’t National Radio have the highest listener numbers?
Must look. This is all I can find.
“Weekly live cumulative audience for Radio New Zealand National is 434,000 or 12% of the 15+ population. National’s station share is 9.1%.”
Someone should probably tell her that Enver Hohxa died 30 years ago.
Who??
Sorry, spelling mistake, it’s Hoxha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enver_Hoxha
@Double Plus Good
I didn’t even notice that, actually. I was attempting ‘sarcastic’ as I could imagine Judith Collins saying that. I don’t think she could have spelt it, or even know the name and who he was.
Glad you mentioned this ianmac@11.07am, excellent questioning of key by david parker all this week. and in spite of some criticism of andrew little by a commenter yesterday on “sheepgate mixed metaphors”.
In fact Little did really well on Tuesday in that he appeared to lull key into a false sense of security with his fonterra questioning after which i actually saw key lean towards english as if to say ” i think we got away with that one and now joyce is up.” Thus andrew bayly began asking patsy questions of stephen who began rejoicing in the wonderful diversity (first time i had heard the natwits using that term) of their economic strategy. How seductive was joyce with his words, words he repeated almost verbatim after another patsy question on Wednesday!
But back to Tuesday when, if that commenter had hung on, he would have seen Parker attack and attack key on sheepgate with brilliant support from Little and key didn’t look quite so relieved or chipper as he had done earlier.
Parker continued this attack yesterday so effectively (and i’m sure helped by fergusson’s a.m. ‘softening him up’) that at the end i think key was forced to lie but i couldn’t hear him properly as he sank to his seat and looked quite cowed, or is that ‘sheeped’
Well done David Parker and Labour. And it takes a lot for me to say that and especially to type it on this bloomin’ tablet.
(Obviously the sight of arch fabricator key looking queasy was aspirshinul enough to get my finger, gritted teeth and patience working in tandem. Hope this all makes sense.)
tweet…’if Trump becomes president…there will be hell….toupee’!;)
Toupee or not toupee. That is the question.
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
(Aye there’s the rub. Trump may chirp the words from Hamlet Soliloquy? but would have no concept of bringing the meaning to bear, or I doubt, any real wish to do so as he is just another money-rich intellect-poor actor on the power and glory stage.)
To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d.
To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
(What’s the bet that he will die and never have realised the good and transcendent things he could do for his own people and the world. He is just another Roman emperor with a heart of gold.)
http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/hamlet-to-be-or-not-to-be/
Solid Energy put into voluntary adminstration…
[[breaking news on stuff.co.nz]]
Here the link.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/71077310/solid-energy-expected-to-announce-voluntary-administration
Let me add, this is another sale of a state asset by stealth. Bill English should be congratulated for his sneakiness.
When it gets sold, watch national bend over backwards to hand out more coal mining rights alongside the sale.
More coal is going to burnt because of this.
And just another disaster for the coast – this is a government who hates the working man, the working women, and their children!
Thanks and +1, I think the public are starting to see through that this wasn’t just a massive failure because of low coal prices too.
Another Bill English Success Story folks.
To true, same old lies from national, producing the same out comes. M.P.’s getting fat on the public purse.
Was I the only one to miss this?
https://www.greens.org.nz/news/press-releases/groundhog-day-mp-pay
Ah, so after promising to do something about it National then ensured that they’d still get massive pay rises.
And, no, you’re not the only one who missed it.
from the seymour puppet thread:
gos:
lol
Cite, pls.
I suspect that in many cases you are confusing “behaving professionally towards” with being “very well respected “.
Are you based in Wellington McFlock? If so, do you attend any of the many political events that David Farrar attends? I’m not sure you realise how much of a political operator he is.
nope. But through the weirdness that is small NZ, I do know people who are well acquainted with him.
Although that’s beside the point, really – you’re confusing being a “political operator” with “being respected and well regarded”.
I’ve read more than enough of kiwiblog (and seen the actual outcomes it asserted) to take it with a large block of salt.
I will grant you that Cameron Slater is not well respected nor liked by a number of people. The same can not be stated for David Farrar. In terms of the mainstream politicians across the political spectrum that I have observed interacting with him on a social basis there seems to be genuine fondness (if not friendship) and no anomosity. It is only people such as yourself who seemingly think mainstream politics is a battle to the death that paint him as some master manipulator doing his masters bidding.
Well, if your impression of “mainstream politicians'” behaviour is as accurate as you “granting me” something I did not claim (however true it might or might not be) and as accurate as your attribution of those thoughts to me, I’ll take that with a large block of salt, too.
Although I notice that you’ve lid from a general “Wellington beltway types” to “mainstream politicians”. Do you think Seymour is in that latter group? What about the Greens?
I’m generally meaning the average Politician. I am sure there are a couple of Politicians and their supporters who do have an issue with David Farrar. I’d suggest that is because of their ideological position rather than anything David Farrar has done though. The worst accusation I have seen made here about him for example is that he pretends to be moderate and reasonable but rarks up his supporters with subtle dog-whistling blog posts and that he spins for National for cash. Even if true this hardly makes him a terrible person. He just seems to understand how to play the political game better than many on the left.
Actually yes, yes it does.
As for your comment about playing the political “game”, well that says it all. What you tories never understand is that it’s not a game. If you run down prisons and the health sector, have such concern for worker safety that unions have to take private prosecutions when workers are killed on the job, and turn income support and welfare services into confrontational and alienating abuse of the poor, people die.
+100 McFlock…and if people dont die they have a miserable existence thanks to these amoral, immoral creeps
Shortly after Israel’s mass slaughter of more than 1,400 people in Gaza in 2008-9, Farrar accepted a free trip to Israel by the Israeli regime, which included a brief visit to illegally occupied East Jerusalem. With a display of resolute blindness and deafness, Farrar reported that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”….
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/11/jerusalem.html
So, yes, on that behaviour alone, Farrar would be a terrible person. His behaviour in New Zealand is just as disgusting.
I will grant you that Cameron Slater is not well respected nor liked by a number of people. The same can not be stated for David Farrar. In terms of the mainstream politicians across the political spectrum that I have observed interacting with him on a social basis there seems to be genuine fondness (if not friendship) and no anomosity. It is only people such as yourself who seemingly think mainstream politics is a battle to the death that paint him as some master manipulator doing his masters bidding.
ouch
wonder why it was removed 😛
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3A0aOBNNhVb7sJ%3Awww.newstalkzb.co.nz%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fbusiness-leaders-say-time-for-key-to-go%2F+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
Yes, so hard to imagine 😈
+100 says it all really..
“The ‘Key’ brand is over.
The business community has spoken and say it’s time for the National party to groom a replacement.
NZME’s fourteenth annual Mood of the Boardroom survey has shown three quarters of business leaders want a new John Key.
The survey had 110 respondents from the Deloitte top 200 list of chief executives, company heads and heads of industry-leading businesses including the private and public sector.
Business Editor Fran O’Sullivan said last year, two thirds of respondents felt the ‘Key’ brand was damaged …
risildowgtn…that link is no longer working…I wonder why?
can you get it up again?
Re : dairy price crisis, European and British farmer protests, USA inspired sanctions against Russia :
‘West’s aggressive stance pushes Russia to China, threatens Western dominance’
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/312132-russia-china-western-dominance/
“The West’s hardline towards Russia is driving Russia closer to China, with deepening Sino-Russian relations posing a strong challenge to global Western hegemony, founding partner at Prosperity Capital Management Mattias Westman told RT”
http://www.rt.com/news/312115-eu-russia-sanctions-westman/.
Anyone seen this?
http://campaign.labour.org.nz/secret_meetings_to_sell_off_state_houses
” The Government is having secret meetings with groups interested in buying state houses and refuses to release the names of these organisations, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
“Bill English has admitted meeting with 10 organisations who want to get their hands on these assets but is refusing to say who they are. These organisations are most likely merchant bankers, private/public partnership investors and property developers – so it’s no wonder National wants to keep them secret.
“This comes as a Bill giving the Government extraordinary powers to sell-off state houses gets its first reading in Parliament. This legislation allows Ministers to take direct personal control of selling these homes, exempts them from normal legal requirements and leaves the sale process wide open for corruption.
very disturbing …good to see Phil Twyford and Labour Party is on to it!….hope Labour jumps up and down…and NZF…and the Greens in Parliament….and Mana/Int…and all social welfare groups…this is the future housing of NZ’s poorest!
…It should not be for property speculators or private control and gain
….state housing is an asset built up over the years by generations of New Zealand taxpayers
where is the Maori Party on this ?…and Peter Dunn?
if any state houses are put up for sale they should be offered to the existing tenants first…and loan money should be made available for existing tenants so that they can buy
Well, that would explain why this government is passing this legislation.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/71074397/fulton-hogan-investigated-over-safety-concerns
Silly silly Fulton Hogan, blocking the EMPU is never a good PR decision, and sure as hell suggests things are not okay on the work site.
and preumably the other safety inspections are scheduled ones.
Interesting article about Income based fines…
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland-home-of-the-103000-speeding-ticket/387484/
“Income-based fines could introduce fairness to a legal system that many have shown to be biased against the poor”
Sounds like a good idea but the wealthy in NZ have their real income hidden away in Trusts. One family that I know are very wealthy but because on paper they are poor they were able to claim Student allowances for their daughter. So how likely is it in NZ that say My Key would pay big money for speeding?
Yes, well, that’s something else that we really need to address – the fact that the rich can hide their true wealth and not pay their way.
Fines should always be proportional to the persons income as this would make the fine equivalent across the income spectrum.
Say two people get fined for speeding. One is rich and the on minimum wage but the fine is the same $150. For the person on minimum wage that could mean not eating for a week, bills not being paid and significant stress. The rich person would be thinking if they should have wine with lunch or not and then buy the wine anyway. The fine is meaningless to them.
This is the first point. The fine actually has to have meaning to the person being fined.
The second point is that the fine should be proportional to the crime and having to go without food for a week, not pay bills and being subjugated to a huge amount of stress for a time is disproportional to mere speeding*.
* If it was speeding resulting in death then I would expect murder charges.
DTB
I have heard that they do this in some country, Iceland, Finland? The fine is proportional to income.
Prisoner dead at Mt Eden. Did you notice the clamour of people saying that the government was unfit to run the prison and must immediately let someone else do it?
Me too.
Prisoner died overnight. Serco still manage Mt Eden at night, but get corrections help during the day. Hapless Minister refusing to comment.
Got a source for that? It’s not how Natrad or the Herald are reporting it.
Oh look The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell, got the facts wrong again. What a sorry excuse for a Tory you are.
Scumbag who plead guilty to nearly 80 charges including rape, sexual violation, assault, kidnapping, threatening to kill and grievous bodily harm kills himself in Mt Eden. Excellent news for his victims and their families.
They might have an excuse for a somewhat warped perspective, but what’s yours?
Besides, I wasn’t aware they’d released the deceased’s name yet.
Breaking News: Bomber has an appointment with a detective at the police station but he may not go :
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/08/13/breaking-the-nz-police-would-like-to-have-a-word-with-me/
…and just seen this over on the Daily Blog which is quite shocking:
“A series of unfortunate events leading up to Alan Hubbard’s untimely death. ”
‘John Key Set Up Allan Hubbard To Fail & Sold Assets To His Mates, Paul Carruthers’
https://youtu.be/E9CE1a4pSeQ
– See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/08/10/take-your-car-keys-shopping-with-you/#sthash.TBULYfjj.dpuf
( I always thought there was something strange about that car crash just before Hubbard was about to put his case for justice before the courts)
And didn’t Alan Hubbard say John Key would sort this out and speak up for him when he got back………. for of course when the story broke of Mr. Hubbard doing something wrong with his accounting or some such thing, Key was else where. And when key did return from wherever, he wouldn’t even speak to Mr Hubbard. I thought then that something fishy was going on…….and obviously there was………. apparently a rather nasty set up.
I did think at the time that Alan Hubbard must have felt so hurt and bemused and, unfortunately for him, was beginning to see the true measure of john key…. together with his sidekicks bill english and simon power (who had also figured in the maligning of Winston Peters.)
What a horror to behold at his time of life.
Hey Chooky, the radio story on National succession to John Key was taken down by NZME (Newstalk) because it was inaccurate in several places. It was replaced – The initial Herald story was accurate. Fran O’Sullivan
[lprent: It must be a new email. Sorry about the delay releasing from first time moderation. But I suspect that everyone was out getting some healthy exercise around midday. ]