A bit of cash can keep someone off the streets for 2 years and is cheaper than the do nothing option.
Researchers compared the eventual fate of individuals and families who called into a homelessness prevention call center in Chicago, Illinois, when funds were available versus those who called when funds were not. The results showed that
If someone is about to become homeless, giving them a single cash infusion, averaging about $1000, may be enough to keep them off the streets for at least 2 years. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which finds that programs that proactively assist those in need don’t just help the victims—they may benefit society as a whole…
It appears that people are often made homeless by an unexpected event/debt. Resolving that one-off crisis prevents homelessness.
Not exactly rocket science, but this research puts in doubt the belief that giving funds to to people at risk of homelessness is futile.
Labour management may as well have said to the 130,000 disenfranchised Labour members: “Here, have your database, and go and form your own party with Corbyn as your leader.”
Effective CENSORSHIP of Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright, by ‘The Nation’.
I was invited to attend The Nation Auckland Mayoral debate on 27 July 2016, then ‘uninvited’ on 8 August 2016, for what I believe to be totally bogus reasons.
Here’s the email correspondence :
26 July 2016
“Thanks for agreeing to be part of the Auckland Mayoral debate August 13.
I wonder if you could be at 3 Flower Street , Eden Terrace at 0830 for makeup .
We can organise you a cab if you would like as parking can be often tight at that time of the day
Lisa Owen will be conducting the panel.
There will be five of you altogether so it promises to be an interesting debate.
I look forward to receiving the main points to your campaign.
Kind regards
…..
(Senior Producer
The Nation)
9 August 2016
“I am afraid that we will have to cancel plans to have you on The Nation this weekend.
For two reasons
1) Having more than four candidates in our studio just doesn’t work and puts too many demands on the studio and doesn’t lend itself to useful debate
2) we have made a decision based on legitimate polling that the maximum people we will have is four.
….”
(Senior Producer
The Nation)
_____________________________
I’m a third time Auckland Mayoral candidate, with over 20 years local government experience fighting for the public and the public interest.
I’m not a corporate or political party ‘sock puppet’, and have proven track record and policies that clearly set me aside from these other ‘centre-right’ Auckland Mayoral candidates.
Do YOU think it’s fair that I was shut out of this Auckland Mayoral debate on The Nation?
“Do YOU think it’s fair that I was shut out of this Auckland Mayoral debate on The Nation?”
Yes, if they based it on publicly available polling figures that shows you far behind the other 4. If that’s not the case, then no.
I wouldn’t expect a 3-way debate between Lianne Dalziel, John Minto and Michael Hansen member of the “Economic Euthenics” party.
This is one of Mike’s previous entreaties to vote for him:
The main issue this election is the treatment of mayoral 3rd party candidates, the use of a type of ray which can pass thru walls and sting, slow cook and annoy candidates to try to tireout and upset them before nomination day, should not be happening during the time of a Labour Govt. The use of an offensive tingle ray at meetings, and looking inside candidates houses and stinging them on the head with cellphone-lasers is disgracefull, there is no co-operation from the Labour Govt police, Remember, it is not compulsory to vote, but if you do vote, vote for me.
“Yes, if they based it on publicly available polling figures that shows you far behind the other 4.”
All candidates should be allowed to partake in a televised debate, regardless of how they’re polling.
Moreover, giving all candidates the opportunity widens their notability and may enable them to grow their support. Ensuring no candidate is disadvantaged by denying them the opportunity to partake.
Looking at the results from the 2013 election he was only a tiny little way behind the winner, Lianne Dalziel. He got a grand total of 364 votes. She was only a little bit ahead with her 72,600 total. Close contest I would say.
On the other hand I think you are being very kind to him when you describe him as a “complete nutjob”. He seems to be far worse than that.
Do YOU think it’s fair that I pay my rates and you choose not to? Perhaps TV3 was showing you the level of respect you show towards the people in the region that pay their way.
Well done Ben, I was wondering when someone would bring that up. If you are so concerned about Bright not paying her rates, how do you feel about Jackson who has already had a gold-plated lifestyle courtesy of the NZ tax payer now expects the ratepayers of Welling to fund his latest ego trip.
I do. Jackson is nothing but a leech. Our rates have to play for his playthings. Our rates, that have gone from $2,400 pa to $3,000 in the space of four years. I will not vote for any mayoral candidate who promotes the convention centre/film museum and the white elephant airport runway extension.
You know what Ben, I wasn’t going to bother replying to your comment as it was “so dull” but I will, as it’s raining and I don’t have a book to read.
Yours was a pointless meaningless passive aggressive comment. It didn’t even have any substance to it. In future, instead of behaving like a whiny kid in the school yard can you provide a solid argument? I don’t mind a smart arse if they actually give me something smart to reply to.
And btw, regionalism is so outdated dude. Are you from the 70’s?
I am from the 70’s. Please explain to me what Peter Jackson has to do with Penny Bright expecting people to vote for her when she is using roads, footpaths, rubbish collection, recycling and countless other Council services without paying for them?
Yes Peter is rich and should pay for his pet projects, but slightly off topic don’t you think? The reason PB was uninvited was probably because she does not have a snowball’s chance in hell in gathering even a few votes, and to be frank doesn’t have a clue what it takes to run a city.
I would like a go at answering that. Peter Jackson wants to use public money from ratepayers for his pet projects. There is your connection. Have you bothered to read why Penny Bright has been refusing to pay her rates? And Penny Bright probably has a better clue than you do Ben.
“The reason PB was uninvited was probably because she does not have a snowball’s chance in hell in gathering even a few votes”
You know that’s not the point in a supposed “democracy” don’t you, Ben?
Oh dear Rosie. I did not acuse you of being “off topic”, but was questioning the relevance of connecting Penny with Peter. Leftie had a go at joining the dots, but the relevance is tenuous at best, with Peter asking for money (they could have said no), and Penny simply not paying her way. I fully understand why Penny is not paying her rates, and fortunately for the other law-abiding ratepayers the court found her case did not stack up.
I do not work at TV3, and note I used the word “probably”. My opinion was based on TV3 stating “we have made a decision based on legitimate polling”.
Ben, Peter Jackson is a very rich man, he has already had the National government change our labour laws to rip off and side line kiwi workers in that industry for his corporate boss, Warner Bros, why should we fund his pet projects? Let him fund it himself if that’s what he wants. You can bet his “museum” won’t be free to view.
Totally agree with you both about PJ funding his own showcase.
In fact it was Wellington’s rates continually going up to fund “events” that we had no interest in (and the daily snarl up at the Mt Vic tunnel) that provoked our move away to a distant place. Now that there is no parking in the city, or that which remains is charging like a wounded bull, we don’t even bother going there. Bit of an own goal, WCC.
In Wellington’s situation, we would fund several large and convenient and cheap parking buildings, on the City dollar, and watch the out of towners stream back to shop and attend all those “events”. You can’t live forever on selling each other coffee, however gourmet.
I thought you were concerned about people rorting the system that is why I brought it to your attention.
So I can take it then, as Jackson is not running for Mayor you are quite comfortable for the rate payers to subsidise his ego tripping, but Bright as she is running for mayor you are getting upset over her non-payment of rates. If you are concerned about non-payment of rates, what about Otago University who is buying up property like it is going out of fashion,, owns nearly all of North Dunedin reducing the rate take of Dunedin as they don’t pay rates or one cent towards that white elephant of a stadium that was forced on to the Dunedin ratepayer after they voted against it, Or the Velodrome at Cambridge Ratepayers voted against it 60/40 but still went ahead. Instead of shooting off glib comments , have you stopped and thought that Bright might have a point in her battle with the council and this could be one of the only weapons she has.
Like Rosie, I am also very concerned about the amount of corporate welfare that goes on in this country, nationally as well as locally, and the amount ratepayers are expected to pay to support the lifestyles of these people who can well afford to pay for these things themselves. Like one Councillor in Hamilton who said “Three million is not a lot of money for a cycle track,” maybe not for her when they are spending others money, but to some ratepayers, it is a further burden on top of their existing rate burden which they are finding more difficult to pay each year.
Perhaps if TV3 had Bright on The Nation programme she could have been crossed examined and asked why she is not paying her rates .
I am sure she would have answered that question.
Ben you fail to understand. She doesn’t pay her rates because she contends there is a legal reason not to. The Council does not publish proper accounts as it is obliged by law to do so. I support her and so do multiple levels of the court system. Whether or not she finally prevails, thus doing a service for us all in terms of forcing contract transparency at council, is a matter for the highest court of our land. I hope they make the right decision.
No it’s not fair at all Penny. You aren’t a corporate/government moll, unafraid of challenging the establishment, so that in itself demonstrates where TV3’s media “objectiveness” lies! Shame on the network!
No it’s a fact on the premise that Penny sits in the novelty nut bar catogorary of mayoral candidates. If Mary is voting for PB because it makes her feel better that’s rationale as long as she is cosignant that her vote will have no impact on who actually becomes mayor
No Penny Bright, it’s not fair and it’s not right. TV 3 ‘s National government funded with tax payer monies was never into democracy, justice and fair play.
“The Clintons’ prior tax returns showed that from 2007 through 2014, the couple made $139.1 million — much of it from paid speeches. The Clintons paid $43.9 million in federal taxes over those years — an average tax rate that works out to 31.6 percent.”
and
“The couple donated 9.8 percent of their adjusted gross income to charity, according to a campaign news release on Friday.”
When the big one comes Jackson’s treasures will be swept into the middle of the harbour where they belong, together with Taonga from Te Papa.
The film industry will probably not survive the next global downturn. One has only to look at the fate of film industries on both sides of the Tasman during the Great Depression.
Andrew Little seems to have shaken the cosy little neoliberal estalishment tree, if the outrage from the rightwing media is any guide. Fran O’Sullivan, Tracey Watkins and the government chief court jester David Farrar have all howled in outrage at Little’s temerity in demanding his MPs don’t frollick with the enemy.
Andrew is trying to set up a precedent so that he can refuse to debate John Key before the next election.
He certainly won’t want to let the public see how hopeless he is by taking part in such a debate and he will be trying to argue that it is a matter of principle that he should avoid the public humiliation he would undergo.
Alwyn seriously you are kidding , JK does not debate, he just spits and shouts/raves like a petulant spiteful child. Watch a few Oxford Debates and then look at JK – he’s a complete bully and idiot when it comes to debating. The moderators need a bloody good lesson in how to manage debates here in NZ – JK is like a runaway juggernaut with no control and needs reining in when debates of importance are taking place. Its more a circus (which is the only place suitable for JK) than a serious debate when he is participating.
Wikileaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange promised to release more damning emails about the Clinton Foundation, and warned he has enough evidence on Hillary Clinton making secret deals with an alleged Islamic State sponsor for the FBI to indict her.
Asked by British journalist Afshin Rattansi on Saturday if he had “the email which will put Hillary Clinton behind bars,” Assange claimed to have 350 emails on a French transnational concrete company named Le Farge that allegedly paid ISIS to do business in regions controlled by the terror group.
The report, by British political blog The Canary, showed the Clinton Foundation accepted upwards of $100,000 from the ISIS sponsoring company.
More right-wing thuggery from a morally redundant NGO. This sorry excuse for a community group needs to be completely shunned off the face of the earth. If its corporate MO isn’t allowing the people in its care to be neglected and abused it’s actively supporting this neo-liberal band of thugs we have as a government to destroy what little’s left of our welfare state. Those running IHC have ensured this is the only NGO with the type of conscience necessary to foist such corporate violence on to the people of New Zealand. They are despicable, greedy neo-liberal filth and must be stood up to.
There is at least one young man who would be alive today were it not for that mob penny pinching on staff.
Always an interesting half hour spent on the Charities Commission website having a gander at their Annual Returns.
There’s GOLD in them there ills….
There was also an interesting wee bit of finagling done a few years back when a certain organisation was put into some kind of statutory management and, bugger me, if one of the top honchos was given a key role in the new management structure…very weird. I’d love to have to time to properly research and document that time.
However…what do I know…these are very clever people….
so you are saying that National has been doing a bad job then the last 8.5 years.
would it be time then to let go of Nick Smith, Paula Bennett and Bill English for failure to perform their task as per their job description? Or would you like your government big enough for these three useless bludgers?
IHC will gradually kick people out and turn them into group homes for people with intellectual disabilities. There is no other reason for them to buy those houses. General community housing provision isn’t part of what IHC does.
I know some people here might bemoan me raising the example of Venezuela again but I am genuinely interested in how people on the left can explain how sugar production in that country has fallen so dramatically after it was nationalised in the early 2000’s. This is not just a one off event that can be explained by the effect of drought. It was a sustained declined over a period of years. Why couldn’t Venezuela keep sugar production at the levels it was when it was largely controlled privately?
Probably something to do with the abolition of slavery among cane cutters.Or perhaps loss of markets for having the temerity to nationalize a USA owned industry.
Do you have evidence it was US owned? By the way the market is Venezuela as they have bot been self sufficient in sugar. Therefore it shouldn’t matter what the US does market access wise. The nationalised sugar producers should have a captive domestic market. Why can’t it satisfy it?
Like you I manufactured an example to justify my argument.We all know the collapse of their economy relates to the collapse of the price of oil. They used the high oil returns to subsidize other industry and provide employment.
How did the price of oil dropping impact on them producing sugar for domestic consumption? Surely it should have made it more attractive to create sugar locally rather than spend scarce foreign exchange to import it.
Val’s the bomb. “A medal and I’m gonna celebrate…..!” What a champ’ ! You look at that and you look at the Fiji Sevens team and their humility. In world excellence……man ! That New Zealand is so naturally the populous part of the Pacific……makes me soooo proud. Guess that’s why I prefer South Aux over Remmers. And dare I say it……brown over…….
Yeah – please note the “rigorous” expert opinions who all said Brexit would crash the stock market. Amusingly, they said Brexit would never happen in the first place.
In the US, “rigorous” expert opinions said there was no housing bubble. Rigorous expert opinions at the Fed believed there would be four hikes this year!
“Rigorous” expert opinions on the global economy have been wrong for years.
The experts have been so wrong, for so long, that it’s a wonder people did not turn to social media sooner.
And that is the big problem in today’s world. The so-called financial ‘experts’ are simply wrong about pretty everything.
I thought you would have a rather more sensitive bullshit detector, Ropata.
So who is Mike Cernovich? He’s an attorney who sells “fit juice” and declares himself to be an “alpha male.” He even has “alpha male posture building exercises” and appears to be rather obsessed with his testosterone level. Seriously, have you ever met anyone who claimed to be an “alpha male” who wasn’t a massive asshole? Oh, and he has another site showing people how to do “juice cleanses.”Best of all, he’d like to teach you “how to pick up hot chicks.” And how to find “legit friends” (the answer, apparently: be a major douchebag). And he’s here to offer “biblical wisdom on friendship,” including such revelatory statements as, “I am the first guy to both do another man a solid and the first guy to kick fuck-ups out of the crew.” Powerful stuff.He has a list of 31 things he’s sure you want to know more about him and there are some real gems like this:
Well well well….looks like Marama Fox is a hard right moral conservative. Homophobic, anti sex, anti abortion, anti women, anti this and anti that. Probably anti evolution as well,
No wonder she supports charter schools – they are perfect for religous indocrination centres.
You give Destiny Church one, and within a generation, you will see gays hanging from the lampposts of South Auckland.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
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A bit of cash can keep someone off the streets for 2 years and is cheaper than the do nothing option.
Researchers compared the eventual fate of individuals and families who called into a homelessness prevention call center in Chicago, Illinois, when funds were available versus those who called when funds were not. The results showed that
It appears that people are often made homeless by an unexpected event/debt. Resolving that one-off crisis prevents homelessness.
Not exactly rocket science, but this research puts in doubt the belief that giving funds to to people at risk of homelessness is futile.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/83133211/Blow-to-Jeremy-Corbyn-as-court-rules-UK-Labour-can-stop-130-000-voting-on-leader
Bad news for corbyn. Gee watching the Labour Party in the U.K. Is amusing.
Guardian version
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/12/labour-wins-appeal-against-ruling-allowing-new-members-a-leadership-vote
Not sure now whether Corbyn’s team can appeal to the Supreme Court. One bit said they are blocked and another says they can appeal.
Reprehensible.
Labour management may as well have said to the 130,000 disenfranchised Labour members: “Here, have your database, and go and form your own party with Corbyn as your leader.”
This is also interesting
http://evolvepolitics.com/labour-appeal-fury-as-high-court-judge-philip-sales-intimate-links-to-tony-blair-revealed/
Wheels within wheels Halfcrown. What a distraction to democracy.
But not “terrifying” like watching the antics of the national party
Effective CENSORSHIP of Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright, by ‘The Nation’.
I was invited to attend The Nation Auckland Mayoral debate on 27 July 2016, then ‘uninvited’ on 8 August 2016, for what I believe to be totally bogus reasons.
Here’s the email correspondence :
26 July 2016
“Thanks for agreeing to be part of the Auckland Mayoral debate August 13.
I wonder if you could be at 3 Flower Street , Eden Terrace at 0830 for makeup .
We can organise you a cab if you would like as parking can be often tight at that time of the day
Lisa Owen will be conducting the panel.
There will be five of you altogether so it promises to be an interesting debate.
I look forward to receiving the main points to your campaign.
Kind regards
…..
(Senior Producer
The Nation)
9 August 2016
“I am afraid that we will have to cancel plans to have you on The Nation this weekend.
For two reasons
1) Having more than four candidates in our studio just doesn’t work and puts too many demands on the studio and doesn’t lend itself to useful debate
2) we have made a decision based on legitimate polling that the maximum people we will have is four.
….”
(Senior Producer
The Nation)
_____________________________
I’m a third time Auckland Mayoral candidate, with over 20 years local government experience fighting for the public and the public interest.
I’m not a corporate or political party ‘sock puppet’, and have proven track record and policies that clearly set me aside from these other ‘centre-right’ Auckland Mayoral candidates.
Do YOU think it’s fair that I was shut out of this Auckland Mayoral debate on The Nation?
I don’t.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Establishment candidates only?
It’s undemocratic.
So much for TV3 upholding their role within the fourth estate.
Don’t worry Penny, any show on Commercial TV is merely a talkfest for muppets these days! They are not interested fair and proper representation.
“Do YOU think it’s fair that I was shut out of this Auckland Mayoral debate on The Nation?”
Yes, if they based it on publicly available polling figures that shows you far behind the other 4. If that’s not the case, then no.
I wouldn’t expect a 3-way debate between Lianne Dalziel, John Minto and Michael Hansen member of the “Economic Euthenics” party.
This is one of Mike’s previous entreaties to vote for him:
“Yes, if they based it on publicly available polling figures that shows you far behind the other 4.”
All candidates should be allowed to partake in a televised debate, regardless of how they’re polling.
Moreover, giving all candidates the opportunity widens their notability and may enable them to grow their support. Ensuring no candidate is disadvantaged by denying them the opportunity to partake.
Even candidates who always come last and are complete nutjobs, like Mike Hansen?
Just because someone is a candidate, doesn’t mean they’re worth listening to, or are on any sort of equal footing with the other candidates.
“Even candidates who always come last…?”
Yes, regardless whether or not one presumes they’re worth listening too.
I think you are being very unfair to Hansen.
Looking at the results from the 2013 election he was only a tiny little way behind the winner, Lianne Dalziel. He got a grand total of 364 votes. She was only a little bit ahead with her 72,600 total. Close contest I would say.
On the other hand I think you are being very kind to him when you describe him as a “complete nutjob”. He seems to be far worse than that.
All 17 of them?
All candidates.
Do YOU think it’s fair that I pay my rates and you choose not to? Perhaps TV3 was showing you the level of respect you show towards the people in the region that pay their way.
Well done Ben, I was wondering when someone would bring that up. If you are so concerned about Bright not paying her rates, how do you feel about Jackson who has already had a gold-plated lifestyle courtesy of the NZ tax payer now expects the ratepayers of Welling to fund his latest ego trip.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/76735650/City-councillor-questions-whether-Jackson-needs-ratepayer-help-for-film-museum
Jackson is not running for mayor, so I don’t care what he gets up to.
I do. Jackson is nothing but a leech. Our rates have to play for his playthings. Our rates, that have gone from $2,400 pa to $3,000 in the space of four years. I will not vote for any mayoral candidate who promotes the convention centre/film museum and the white elephant airport runway extension.
You are well within your rights to vote for stagnation. And people wonder why Wellington is so dull.
🙄
You know what Ben, I wasn’t going to bother replying to your comment as it was “so dull” but I will, as it’s raining and I don’t have a book to read.
Yours was a pointless meaningless passive aggressive comment. It didn’t even have any substance to it. In future, instead of behaving like a whiny kid in the school yard can you provide a solid argument? I don’t mind a smart arse if they actually give me something smart to reply to.
And btw, regionalism is so outdated dude. Are you from the 70’s?
+1 Rosie.
I am from the 70’s. Please explain to me what Peter Jackson has to do with Penny Bright expecting people to vote for her when she is using roads, footpaths, rubbish collection, recycling and countless other Council services without paying for them?
Yes Peter is rich and should pay for his pet projects, but slightly off topic don’t you think? The reason PB was uninvited was probably because she does not have a snowball’s chance in hell in gathering even a few votes, and to be frank doesn’t have a clue what it takes to run a city.
I would like a go at answering that. Peter Jackson wants to use public money from ratepayers for his pet projects. There is your connection. Have you bothered to read why Penny Bright has been refusing to pay her rates? And Penny Bright probably has a better clue than you do Ben.
“The reason PB was uninvited was probably because she does not have a snowball’s chance in hell in gathering even a few votes”
You know that’s not the point in a supposed “democracy” don’t you, Ben?
Sorry Ben, didn’t realise you were a moderator on TS, hence the telling off for “being off topic” on Open Mike.
Yes, that was sarcasm.
Glad you know the reason Penny bright was uninvited by TV3. You must work there and know these things.
Yes, that was sarcasm too. So, really, I’m as bad as you.
Oh, and what Leftie said. Twice.
Oh dear Rosie. I did not acuse you of being “off topic”, but was questioning the relevance of connecting Penny with Peter. Leftie had a go at joining the dots, but the relevance is tenuous at best, with Peter asking for money (they could have said no), and Penny simply not paying her way. I fully understand why Penny is not paying her rates, and fortunately for the other law-abiding ratepayers the court found her case did not stack up.
I do not work at TV3, and note I used the word “probably”. My opinion was based on TV3 stating “we have made a decision based on legitimate polling”.
Ben, Peter Jackson is a very rich man, he has already had the National government change our labour laws to rip off and side line kiwi workers in that industry for his corporate boss, Warner Bros, why should we fund his pet projects? Let him fund it himself if that’s what he wants. You can bet his “museum” won’t be free to view.
Totally agree with you both about PJ funding his own showcase.
In fact it was Wellington’s rates continually going up to fund “events” that we had no interest in (and the daily snarl up at the Mt Vic tunnel) that provoked our move away to a distant place. Now that there is no parking in the city, or that which remains is charging like a wounded bull, we don’t even bother going there. Bit of an own goal, WCC.
In Wellington’s situation, we would fund several large and convenient and cheap parking buildings, on the City dollar, and watch the out of towners stream back to shop and attend all those “events”. You can’t live forever on selling each other coffee, however gourmet.
Well said Rosie, totally agree with you.
I thought you were concerned about people rorting the system that is why I brought it to your attention.
So I can take it then, as Jackson is not running for Mayor you are quite comfortable for the rate payers to subsidise his ego tripping, but Bright as she is running for mayor you are getting upset over her non-payment of rates. If you are concerned about non-payment of rates, what about Otago University who is buying up property like it is going out of fashion,, owns nearly all of North Dunedin reducing the rate take of Dunedin as they don’t pay rates or one cent towards that white elephant of a stadium that was forced on to the Dunedin ratepayer after they voted against it, Or the Velodrome at Cambridge Ratepayers voted against it 60/40 but still went ahead. Instead of shooting off glib comments , have you stopped and thought that Bright might have a point in her battle with the council and this could be one of the only weapons she has.
Like Rosie, I am also very concerned about the amount of corporate welfare that goes on in this country, nationally as well as locally, and the amount ratepayers are expected to pay to support the lifestyles of these people who can well afford to pay for these things themselves. Like one Councillor in Hamilton who said “Three million is not a lot of money for a cycle track,” maybe not for her when they are spending others money, but to some ratepayers, it is a further burden on top of their existing rate burden which they are finding more difficult to pay each year.
Perhaps if TV3 had Bright on The Nation programme she could have been crossed examined and asked why she is not paying her rates .
I am sure she would have answered that question.
Heaps of thumbs up Halfcrown.
Ben you fail to understand. She doesn’t pay her rates because she contends there is a legal reason not to. The Council does not publish proper accounts as it is obliged by law to do so. I support her and so do multiple levels of the court system. Whether or not she finally prevails, thus doing a service for us all in terms of forcing contract transparency at council, is a matter for the highest court of our land. I hope they make the right decision.
Penny Bright (3) …
No it’s not fair at all Penny. You aren’t a corporate/government moll, unafraid of challenging the establishment, so that in itself demonstrates where TV3’s media “objectiveness” lies! Shame on the network!
You will be getting my vote Penny.
Well that’s a vote well wasted.
Well, that’s just your opinion James.
No it’s a fact on the premise that Penny sits in the novelty nut bar catogorary of mayoral candidates. If Mary is voting for PB because it makes her feel better that’s rationale as long as she is cosignant that her vote will have no impact on who actually becomes mayor
It’s quite possible though that she’s the strongest candidate. After all, have you seen the rest of the shoddy selection available?
@ James (3.5.1) … you are entitled to your opinion.
No Penny Bright, it’s not fair and it’s not right. TV 3 ‘s National government funded with tax payer monies was never into democracy, justice and fair play.
I think an appearance on the comedy channel would be more appropriate
Have you considered running for just a position on the council .? as it’s possibly more attainable than the mayors job.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-12/fbi-mutiny-feds-reportedly-launch-clinton-foundation-corruption-probe-despite-doj-ob
Multiple FBI investigations launched into Clinton Foundation corruption.
Jeepers I wonder if zero will do this story
“The Clintons’ prior tax returns showed that from 2007 through 2014, the couple made $139.1 million — much of it from paid speeches. The Clintons paid $43.9 million in federal taxes over those years — an average tax rate that works out to 31.6 percent.”
and
“The couple donated 9.8 percent of their adjusted gross income to charity, according to a campaign news release on Friday.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/83134770/clintons-paid-342-effective-tax-rate-in-2015-campaign-says
Now believe it or not I’m not a great clinton fan but shit she’s so far better the donny it is embarrassing – for his supporters that is.
Good ! When the big one comes Jackson’s treasures will be swept into the middle of the harbour where they belong.
When the big one comes Jackson’s treasures will be swept into the middle of the harbour where they belong, together with Taonga from Te Papa.
The film industry will probably not survive the next global downturn. One has only to look at the fate of film industries on both sides of the Tasman during the Great Depression.
Andrew Little seems to have shaken the cosy little neoliberal estalishment tree, if the outrage from the rightwing media is any guide. Fran O’Sullivan, Tracey Watkins and the government chief court jester David Farrar have all howled in outrage at Little’s temerity in demanding his MPs don’t frollick with the enemy.
Good stuff.
Andrew is trying to set up a precedent so that he can refuse to debate John Key before the next election.
He certainly won’t want to let the public see how hopeless he is by taking part in such a debate and he will be trying to argue that it is a matter of principle that he should avoid the public humiliation he would undergo.
Ejaculate did you Alwyn ? Following that outburst. Tosser !
Alwyn seriously you are kidding , JK does not debate, he just spits and shouts/raves like a petulant spiteful child. Watch a few Oxford Debates and then look at JK – he’s a complete bully and idiot when it comes to debating. The moderators need a bloody good lesson in how to manage debates here in NZ – JK is like a runaway juggernaut with no control and needs reining in when debates of importance are taking place. Its more a circus (which is the only place suitable for JK) than a serious debate when he is participating.
Little-Decisive strong leader stuff. I like it. Not wishy washy, ‘I’m comfortable with that, but what I can say is…………..’ zzzzzzz
More trouble for Hiltlary coming in October
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmYrDNSglag
Wikileaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange promised to release more damning emails about the Clinton Foundation, and warned he has enough evidence on Hillary Clinton making secret deals with an alleged Islamic State sponsor for the FBI to indict her.
Asked by British journalist Afshin Rattansi on Saturday if he had “the email which will put Hillary Clinton behind bars,” Assange claimed to have 350 emails on a French transnational concrete company named Le Farge that allegedly paid ISIS to do business in regions controlled by the terror group.
The report, by British political blog The Canary, showed the Clinton Foundation accepted upwards of $100,000 from the ISIS sponsoring company.
“The report, by British political blog The Canary, showed the Clinton Foundation accepted upwards of $100,000 from the ISIS sponsoring company.”
And….?
The big reveal, just before the election! Now where I have heard that cunning plan before?
Kim Dot Com was spouting about this reveal a good month ago.
I still remember dotcoms moment of truth – one of the funniest efforts for a political reveal ever.
Valerie dropped to Silver after being pipped on a last throw by an American.
Good work though Valerie.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/83106447/government-chooses-preferred-buyer-for-sale-of-1100-tauranga-state-houses
More right-wing thuggery from a morally redundant NGO. This sorry excuse for a community group needs to be completely shunned off the face of the earth. If its corporate MO isn’t allowing the people in its care to be neglected and abused it’s actively supporting this neo-liberal band of thugs we have as a government to destroy what little’s left of our welfare state. Those running IHC have ensured this is the only NGO with the type of conscience necessary to foist such corporate violence on to the people of New Zealand. They are despicable, greedy neo-liberal filth and must be stood up to.
+++many, Chris.
There is at least one young man who would be alive today were it not for that mob penny pinching on staff.
Always an interesting half hour spent on the Charities Commission website having a gander at their Annual Returns.
There’s GOLD in them there ills….
There was also an interesting wee bit of finagling done a few years back when a certain organisation was put into some kind of statutory management and, bugger me, if one of the top honchos was given a key role in the new management structure…very weird. I’d love to have to time to properly research and document that time.
However…what do I know…these are very clever people….
IHC will do a much better job.
“IHC will do a much better job.”
What? At cutting ‘expenditure’ and increasing ‘returns’….?
so you are saying that National has been doing a bad job then the last 8.5 years.
would it be time then to let go of Nick Smith, Paula Bennett and Bill English for failure to perform their task as per their job description? Or would you like your government big enough for these three useless bludgers?
IHC will gradually kick people out and turn them into group homes for people with intellectual disabilities. There is no other reason for them to buy those houses. General community housing provision isn’t part of what IHC does.
They’re experts at shitting on their employees so I’m sure they’ll have no problems doing the same to their tenants.
That’s what they’ll do, all right. No doubt about it. National Party toadies the lot of them. The hypocrisy of that organisation is gobsmacking.
I know some people here might bemoan me raising the example of Venezuela again but I am genuinely interested in how people on the left can explain how sugar production in that country has fallen so dramatically after it was nationalised in the early 2000’s. This is not just a one off event that can be explained by the effect of drought. It was a sustained declined over a period of years. Why couldn’t Venezuela keep sugar production at the levels it was when it was largely controlled privately?
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-venezuela-imports-20160809-snap-story.html
Probably something to do with the abolition of slavery among cane cutters.Or perhaps loss of markets for having the temerity to nationalize a USA owned industry.
Do you have evidence it was US owned? By the way the market is Venezuela as they have bot been self sufficient in sugar. Therefore it shouldn’t matter what the US does market access wise. The nationalised sugar producers should have a captive domestic market. Why can’t it satisfy it?
Like you I manufactured an example to justify my argument.We all know the collapse of their economy relates to the collapse of the price of oil. They used the high oil returns to subsidize other industry and provide employment.
How did the price of oil dropping impact on them producing sugar for domestic consumption? Surely it should have made it more attractive to create sugar locally rather than spend scarce foreign exchange to import it.
Val’s the bomb. “A medal and I’m gonna celebrate…..!” What a champ’ ! You look at that and you look at the Fiji Sevens team and their humility. In world excellence……man ! That New Zealand is so naturally the populous part of the Pacific……makes me soooo proud. Guess that’s why I prefer South Aux over Remmers. And dare I say it……brown over…….
You prefer brown people to white people?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/discovery
One more step in the sff farms sale
Dumb and Dumber: Economist vs. WEF on Biggest Threats to Economy
And that is the big problem in today’s world. The so-called financial ‘experts’ are simply wrong about pretty everything.
funny how these ‘errors’ from financial gurus always benefit wall st. bankers
interesting how the establishment is crapping its pants over social media “the biggest threat to democracy” indeed!
According to her Doctor, Mrs. Clinton suffers from “Dementia, Seizures and Black-outs.”
http://halturnershow.com/images/HillaryMedicalRecords.jpg
Was discussing this with some American friends… they agree something is up
http://www.dangerandplay.com/2016/08/12/hillary-clinton-has-parkinsons-disease-physician-confirms/
This is so trumpish it’s not worthy of a reply…so I won’t.
I thought you would have a rather more sensitive bullshit detector, Ropata.
So who is Mike Cernovich? He’s an attorney who sells “fit juice” and declares himself to be an “alpha male.” He even has “alpha male posture building exercises” and appears to be rather obsessed with his testosterone level. Seriously, have you ever met anyone who claimed to be an “alpha male” who wasn’t a massive asshole? Oh, and he has another site showing people how to do “juice cleanses.”Best of all, he’d like to teach you “how to pick up hot chicks.” And how to find “legit friends” (the answer, apparently: be a major douchebag). And he’s here to offer “biblical wisdom on friendship,” including such revelatory statements as, “I am the first guy to both do another man a solid and the first guy to kick fuck-ups out of the crew.” Powerful stuff.He has a list of 31 things he’s sure you want to know more about him and there are some real gems like this:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatches/2014/09/15/ladies-and-gentlemen-mike-cernovich/
Thanks Joe 90. Boy! there are some nutters around.Worry that the 2nd amendment applies to them.
Yes and the nutters that ran the CIA ,both endorse Clinton and postulate
war crimes as policy.
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/09/ex-cia-chief-who-endorsed-clinton-calls-for-killing-iranians-and-russians-in-syria/
The lack of a signature makes it rather apparent the forgers hadn’t the wit to track down the actual letter from HRC’s quack.
But gullible fuckwits….
//
https://www.scribd.com/doc/273161694/Hillary-Clinton-2015-07-28-Statement-of-Health-Lisa-Bardack?secret_password=v1BRCCAGI7eXSAjlvwE1
Well well well….looks like Marama Fox is a hard right moral conservative. Homophobic, anti sex, anti abortion, anti women, anti this and anti that. Probably anti evolution as well,
No wonder she supports charter schools – they are perfect for religous indocrination centres.
You give Destiny Church one, and within a generation, you will see gays hanging from the lampposts of South Auckland.
Is Marama Fox a Manchurian candidate for the Destiny Church. We shall see..