Sperm Whales the biggest toothed whale, and the model for Moby Dick, are washing up on Taranki beaches.
The reason why 13 whales died off the South Taranaki coast is a mystery that may never be solved, but scientists are learning about how they lived.
Marine ecologist Dr Karen Stockin is collaborating with other scientists in studies that may indicate how many of the whales there are, where they roamed and if they ate plastic.
With growing concerns about global warming and plastification of the world’s oceans, this was important research, she said.
A flurry of oil and gas exploration is set to be unleashed in Taranaki during the next 18 to 36 months as companies make decisions on whether to ‘drill or drop’ existing permits.
There are 31 oil and gas exploration permits currently active, 22 are offshore. These permits cover an area of 100,000 square kilometers, nearly the size of the North Island, and run as far out as 2030 and could go an additional 40 years under a mining permit.
Oil and gas companies use seismic airgun blasting to find oil and gas deposits, creating one of the loudest human-made noises in the ocean.
According to government estimates, as many as 138,000 whales and dolphins along the East Coast from Delaware to Florida could soon be injured or possibly killed if seismic blasting is allowed…..
…..The loud and powerful blasts from seismic testing could cause temporary and permanent hearing loss in dolphins and whales. After seismic testing occurred near Peru, about 900 long-beaked common dolphins and black porpoises washed up dead along a stretch of beach. Upon examination, the dolphins were discovered to have had fractures in their ear bones and signs of bleeding from their middle ears.
Russel Norman – Greenpeace’s executive director – and climate activist Sara Howell to be sentenced, July 6, 2018
A week-long trial was due to start today at the Napier District Court, but the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment last week indicated that it would drop charges against Greenpeace if the pair pleaded guilty themselves.
Greenpeace had faced fines of up to $200,000 under the 2013 controversial “Anadarko Amendement” in the Crown Minerals Act, which made it an offence to interfere with oil exploration ships at sea.
It was the first time anyone has been charged with the crime.
Appearing via video link from Auckland, Mr Norman and Ms Howell pleaded guilty and were remanded on bail, on the condition that they must not offend again against the Crown Minerals Act.
Judge Geoff Rae questioned whether that was necessary but the lawyer acting for MBIE, Cameron Stuart, argued it was given there were current protests over offshore oil exploration in Taranaki.
Both Mr Norman and Ms Howell have sought discharge without conviction and will appear again in Napier District Court for sentencing on 6 July.
14/6/18 Daisy Cutter Sports Inc
The Standard Pick Six Trolling Report
Well we absolutely smashed it out of the park yesterday there was great trolling activity, we got the Pick Six easily however it didn’t pay out that well and we nearly picked every winner on the card. We had the usual trolls operating, however some new trolls emerged during the day engaging in healthy debate with other runners in the field. I have been accused of being a troll myself and I suffered abuse from other trolls and trolls who were really pissed off they didn’t make it onto the Official Trolling Register.
I won’t publish the results from yesterday as we all know we had a lot of fun and a very entertaining day debating each other. Pick Six, Early & Late Quaddies, and the 3 x Trebles were correctly selected.
Anyway we are going to introduce a Troll Ranking System please comment if you wish.
Below are the list of identified trolls with no particular ranking as that would be biased and political affiliations are not noted under the Privacy Act 1997
Stunned Mullet
James
Baby Gaga
Tamati Tautuhi
Gosman
David Mac
Solkta
Alwyn
@ Robert, very suspicious circumstances with the whales deaths, you certainly can’t rule out seismic blasting, until the autopsy when perhaps it will be revealed a stomach full of plastic?
Brigid – is there not some forensic evidence when seismic blasting is the cause? Does seismic blasting not kill outright? Is it in fact, a causative agent to an other more deadly factor; that is, does it confuse, leading to beaching or something along those lines?
saveNZ – the whale deaths are presently unexplained. I hope facts will surface. Suspicion is one thing, confirmation another. I wouldn’t like to point the finger till I have something factual to support the accusations because that leaves one vulnerable to easily-taken pot-shots from industries that might be looking for opportunities to belittle their critics.I’ve ruled nothing out, but look forward to reliable information. This issue interests me greatly.
Robert Guyton 3.1.1.1
14 June 2018 at 7:25 am
Jenny – what leads you to believe the whales died as a result of the activities of the oil industry? Genuine question.
Kia ora Robert,
Thanks for the question.
Did these whales die because of the activities of the oil industry, I cannot say.
The reason why 13 whales died off the South Taranaki coast is a mystery that may never be solved…,
Stuff reporter Catherine Groenestein – June 13, 2018
What I can say for certain, is two things; One that the Sperm Whale is endangered, and Two, that deep sea oil prospecting is being done in the waters that they inhabit around our coast.
Also fairly certain, is that sonar mapping of the sub-seabed for hydrocarbon deposits using seismic blasting, is damaging to these creatures.
whaling
(mainly 1800-1987) took at least 436,000 sperm whales, but possibly as many as 1,000,000. Hunting of sperm whales by commercial whalers declined in the 1970s and 1980s, and virtually ceased with the implementation of a moratorium against whaling by the IWC in 1988.
Currently:
ship strikes
entanglements in fishing gear
although these are not as great of a threat to sperm whales as they are to more coastal cetaceans
disturbance by anthropogenic noise
notably in areas of oil and gas activities or where shipping activity is high
pollutants (e.g. polycholorobiphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides (DDT, DDE, etc.), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals)
The potential impact of coastal pollution may be an issue for this species in portions of its habitat, though little is known.
To which I might add, the cause of death of these creatures could possibly have been more definitively determined if an autopsy had been done as had been first promised.
Though an autopsy was promised in the first reports of these deaths, it was not carried out due to the advanced state of decomposition. Instead only skin tissue samples were taken.
If an autopsy had been done, damage done to these animals by seismic blasting could have been ruled out, if there was no damage to their inner ears. Damage caused by seismic blasting to cetaceans is very distinctive, fractures in their ear bones and signs of bleeding from their middle ears.
Oil and gas companies use seismic airgun blasting to find oil and gas deposits, creating one of the loudest human-made noises in the ocean…..
…..The loud and powerful blasts from seismic testing could cause temporary and permanent hearing loss in dolphins and whales. After seismic testing occurred near Peru, about 900 long-beaked common dolphins and black porpoises washed up dead along a stretch of beach. Upon examination, the dolphins were discovered to have had fractures in their ear bones and signs of bleeding from their middle ears.
Thank you so much, Jenny. Why weren’t the inner ear tests done – the inner-ear bones presumably don’t degrade, as flesh does and signs of fractures would be discernible. Can you OIA the details? In any case, do fractures to the ear bones result in death? If so, How? Those dolphins you cite were dead and washed up, as were the whales. Who’s doing the testing? Can you access their findings? So far, I see no definitive evidence, though I would certainly like to. This is an issue that seems to be “smeary” – can you get to the bottom of it? Someone needs to cut through the smog with real details and facts to present. I hope you can.
Ewan Fordyce at Otago is all up on Whaleontology – mostly fossil, but some fresh for comparative purposes. He could tell you who to ask. Whale earbones are fairly robust, they’re some of the last bones to break down so many survive into the fossil record. It would probably be soft tissue damage that would tell the story, and that requires reasonably expeditious postmortem dissection.
Interesting, thanks Stuart. Of course, scientific detail aside, there’s the obvious ” an extraordinary number of sperm whales died mysteriously here – what happened???” aspect of the case; there’s room for commonsense , intelligent guessing and so on, if it’s tempered by some self-awareness of bias, predetermination and confirmation bias, etc. I’m keen to get to the bottom of the whale deaths.
You aren’t the greatest debater in the world yourself.
In fact you simply refuse to get into one.
When you make wild and untruthful comments people ask for some evidence for your fantasies.
Have you ever justified any of your claims?
Have you ever admitted that one of your claims is b**s?
Come on old chap. Just try it.
For a start why don’t you tell us where you got the information that the current Government are going to re-enter Pike River this year.
You made the claim here and I asked for the source. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14-06-2018/#comment-1493693
Now why don’t you put up or admit that you were lying?
———————————————
… ‘ They are simple minded bullies that cannot tolerate other views ‘…
———————————————
The thing is with you RWNJ’s,… is that despite the facts glaring you full in the face your usual resort is to bully and mock , …so here’s some of your own stinking shit thrown back at you ;
———————————
John Key and Bill English :
” Most young NZ workers are too drug addled and lazy to be efficient workers”…
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
‘We want a large source of cheap imported labour to put downwards pressure on wages in this country ‘.
John Key and Bill English :
” Crisis ? – what housing crisis ?!!? ”
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
” We want to degrade state housing so that we can justify selling them off to our corporate mates so that they can then make huge profits by housing the poor and adjusting rents to free market levels ”.
John Key :
”Glen Greenwald is one of Kim Dotcoms little henchmen and Nicky Hager is a screaming left wing conspiracy theorist ” .
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
”SHIT ! , – this Moment of Truth and that damn Greenwald is cutting right to the bone about the XKEYSCORE public surveillance program. And the head of the National Security Agency has just been pinged in court for illegal activity in America !!! , …I hope I don’t get caught out lying about it !!!,… I better approach the SIS to drag out some irrelevant documents to support my stance, – just hope the public doesn’t realize its irrelevant ”…
”And that bloody Hager !!! Dammit !!! , – We better put Jason Ede out to pasture pronto! The Dirty Ops office party is over !!! , – and no , – I NEVER WAS IN CONTINUAL CONTACT WITH CAMERON SLATER !!! ”
” OOPS!! , sorry , – I forgot , – yes I did text him a ‘few’ times… ”
———————————————————
So as you can see, while many of us give the broad elements of an issue ,… doesn’t necessarily mean they are lying. As CLEANGREEN hasn’t lied. However , when put in perspective by viewing just some of the events in NZ ‘s recent political history ,… it must be admitted ,.., that for the last 9 years of National party govt , …NZ was an increasingly dark place to live.
And it was that way because the inner core of the National party have been proven to be consummate duplicitous liars.
Key reminds me of this mug:
Bill Clinton–“I did not have sexual relations with that woman” – YouTube
Video for i never had sex with that woman bill clinton you tube▶ 0:40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe_guezGGc
You aren’t a doppelganger for Cleangreen are you?
Like him you refuse to debate, and you suffer very badly from KDS.
Perhaps you can answer the question he ignores then.
What is the date, this year, that the CoL has identified for re-entering the Pike River mine and penetrating the mine as far as the workface?
Simple question and you could answer it in one of 3 ways.
1. Provide the date, and give the source for your claim
2. Admit they aren’t going to do it this year and provide their nominated future date..
3. Admit your claim was wrong and that you have no idea of the answer.
Since Cleangreen never answers questions and refuses to ever give any evidence to support his claims perhaps you will do it for him?
Too busy taking the piss out of you to be overly concerned with any of your puerile demands ,… however ,… are you trying to pull another ‘Labour does it too ‘ angle?
Truth is they will do it,… and….. after all the lies of Key and English ,… and keeping the family’s hanging for 7 years,… I think we can all rest assured that the Col will be there for the family’s in a timely fashion.
If your so obsessed with exact dates,.. perhaps you could e mail Andrew Little yourself ?
I don’t do demands and I don’t pander to contrarians.
If it means that much to you do some research. Just don’t come along here with your own vacuous negativity trying to use those tactics to undermine your political rivals,… so we could say instead…. that how about YOU find out when the date is set.
Im sure it will fall WAY within the track record of the National party of 7 years complete with trying to use Solid Energy to seal off that shaft forever in case Labour won the election.
And putting it that way and demonstrating the viciousness of both Key and English ? ,… your contrarian squeaking’s are almost comical if they were not so viscous in of themselves.
We have been airfreighting avocados to Australia until the end of May. NZ production of the Hass variety has finished, early production in NZ generally starts around July/August from Motiti Island. The main harvesting season normally starts September.
There is some Reed variety available at the moment, which is about $1.50-$2.00 per fruit on the wholesale market. (Reed is actually a better tasting avocado than Hass however it is a green variety cf Hass which turns black)
Whatever fruit available in the marketplace is probably the tail end of last season’s production.
We sometimes import avocados from Australia at this time of year as their production has started.
That is certainly true. Prior to the election the Green Party made such brave statements about how they were going to cease exporting water or letting foreign companies get access to it.
Now, for the sake of a few jobs, a Green Minister has rolled over and allowed it. She says she had to do it because
“We had to consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand. That’s jobs, exports, greater productivity and additional capital investment for the country.”
Is a few dozen jobs really a “substantial benefit”?
I suspect the only job she was really concerned about was her own. Tsar Winston would have sacked her.
Well the LOL is right. Your wild fantasies about the “great man” certainly made me laugh.
Do you realise how much you sound like the nuttier Trump believers?
Yes the ‘ L0L’ was designed specifically to elicit that response from you.
And I / we knew you would bite like a starving box terrapin. And I also knew you would use the almost Godwin like Trump comparison.
The facts are you , your neo liberal buddy’s who you drink beer with on Saturday nights and your idols in the National party , and their embedded mates in govt depts, – are all shitting bricks when the great man the Right Honourable Winston Peters Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand takes charge.
Because I know and you know , and everybody else knows ,… that signals the end of the neo liberal partytime in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Well you certainly don’t seem to be a beer drinker anyway. They may get a bit maudlin and go quiet but it doesn’t seem to affect people in the way you exhibit.
The closest I have ever seen to your ravings is a person I saw at a party many, many years ago.
He scared the hell out of me with his behaviour. I was told that he had been taking LSD. What is your drug of choice?
I probably scare the hell out of you because I am not some sort of pretentious wanker who likes to be with the in crowd and , unlike you , have a working class background, one hell of a sense of humour ( which you obviously don’t with your stitched up mannerisms ) , – and while growing up in the bush , – soon discovered that you don’t need many consumer trappings at all, and especially to help you feel as if you have a dick that’s ten feet long to prop up your ego’s like your lot , mate.
Round the corner from me was the cutest wee brick house and section. It was a state house and an elderly gentleman lived there. The moment he died the powers that be went in and condemned the house to be demolished.
CONDEMNED.
A few months later the new owner, a banker, adds a large extension to the house while not tearing down a single brick of this ‘condemned structure’.
Now bankers are firmly ensconced in a state house, which is no longer a state house, it has been turned into another sprawling piece of crap without character – like the owners.
There’s a porsche in the drive. A status symbol that reads c**t.
National use any means of “condemn” as a method to prohibit us from anything that was ours.
Take the greymouth westland mine disaster for another example.
the natiomnal Government then hastily closed the mine after the disaster where 30 men perished and tried to seal it with a concrete door to ‘prohibit’ any relatives from entering it in seach to recover their loved ones, and it was a crown owned mine.
Unbelievable, theyare truly a national disgrace that we shall see the truth of later this year as they re-enter the mine to find they were responsible for those deaths of 30 miners needlessly.
Would you care to tell us of the date, this year, that they are going to re-enter the mine?
The various CoL parties promised us a re-entry and going to the workface this year when they were campaigning. They didn’t think that were going to become the Government so it was quite an easy promise to make.
Then it became the end of March 2019. Then Little confessed that it was going to be later than that. He hasn’t given an updated estimate.
Why is it so hard for you to accept that you have been conned. It is never going to happen. Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party have lied to you.
That makes it alright then.
A former National Party leader said it to.
To be fair of course, this Government would be doing a great deal better if they did simply do all the things that National did.
It is when they try to do something different, just for the sake of being different, that they really are stuffing up.
The list of incompetence and vicious ulterior motives of the National party is FAR , FAR too long to be bothered giving any real response to this ridiculous poster.
Consult Blip for further evidence, or even Peter Gluckman.
Andrew Little himself has stated he cannot guarantee a re-entry of the mine and has told family members that he will do what he can but safety is the top priority (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11945226). Although that certainly isn’t what the Coalition Agreement says. More Labour lies.
After the news that there had been several explosions and the men would not have survived, Prime Minister John Key told the miners’ families recovering the bodies would remain “an absolute priority”.
He later promised to do “everything we practically could to get the bodies of the victims out”.
Do you mean to say that some on here have been misquoting what Sir John Key said?
I would also note that the comments I referenced were quoted from a meeting Key had with the families. Key’s detractors have for some time been exploiting the Pike River families in order to make a political point. It’s damned disgraceful.
I can believe it DB. Another villa in flats in Ponsonby has the same ( the developers put demo orders on them so that they can remove easily in historic areas). The place was bought and not pulled down and actually seems to be a social housing project.
The council experts and the associated BS reports from the ‘experts’ are just worthless.
Time to have social and environment issues as important as making a quick $ out of planning in our laws. It was sickening to see the unitary plan being overtaken with greedy developers and people with their paid environmental lawyers who made the rules in their image.
Funny enough I seem to remember that a very expensive cliff top promenade was given status not to be intensified… funny that where the owners of those mansions had their lawyers under full instructions to intensify (aka make money out of zoning changes) where ever they could everywhere else in Auckland.
But wait put an extra kitchen in, in the basement to make an affordable flat in a housing crisis, no way, that would bring down the prices!
I actually rate Shane mostly but sometimes less is more. Rhetoric I mean. And now is not the best time for coalition to be piling on distractions that National buzzards can escalate, usually ably assisted by our world class investigative journalists and political commentators to the detriment of our Government. I feel a little bit jittery about NZF at the moment.
I wasnt meaning to say that what Shane Jones is saying isn’t correct, but just that by the time he’s finished saying it I have forgotten what he is talking about. He goes off into sort of long winded dialogue which takes away from the message he is trying to impart. It would be better if he kept it shorter and more succinct.
Nope Shane Jones is right about this and right about Air NZ, and I am not a Shane Jones fan. Tired of NZ business ripping off Kiwis and having Kiwis subsidise their egos with pathetic overseas investments that lose millions again and again aka Fonterra and Obama Golf games for Air NZ, while crying poor in other areas of service to their customers/owners.
“Marama Davidson: Was the Minister able to consider the environmental impacts of taking the water when she made this decision?
Hon EUGENIE SAGE: That is not a matter that the Minister for Land Information can take into account under the Overseas Investment Act; it is a matter that is considered under the Resource Management Act. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council notified its application.
Marama Davidson: Was she able to take into account Te Tiriti concerns and the opposition of mana whenua when making this decision?
Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The application concerned the purchase of sensitive land under the Overseas Investment Act. That Act limits the issues that can be considered. I considered those issues, and I wasn’t able to take those concerns into account.”
A Minister has responsibilities beyond their party ideals. No Minister can quickly change laws to appease their party members,” (occasionally PG says something sensible, inside of his generally anti-Green posts).
NoRightTurn adds (or more likely began the conversation) :
“ The harsh reality of government
Yesterday Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage granted a consent under the Overseas Investment Act for a Chinese water bottling company to buy land near Whakatane, effectively allowing them to suck the Otakiri Springs dry for foreign profit. Green Party members are naturally upset because the consent flies in the face of local Treaty claims and is contrary to party policies aimed at ending foreign water-theft, or at least charging a fair resource rental for it. Unfortunately here they’re up against the harsh reality of government – namely that being in government doesn’t mean you get to do what you want. Our Ministers are not despots, and have to obey the law – and the law on granting foreign companies consent to purchase sensitive land is very specific and doesn’t let the Minister refuse consent just because her party wants her to. And because the law does not include a Treaty clause (or any respect for Maori rights), she couldn’t refuse on those grounds either. Basicly, Sage had no choice but to grant the consent – and if she had refused it, the decision would likely have been overturned by judicial review.”
“That’s the deal with government, however. What’s easy to smack down in Opposition becomes a head ache when you actually have the power to change things – because with every decision there can be a chain reaction of unintended consequences.”
NZ has masses of water to sell overseas. Providing this is done properly in the right places and it doesn’t affect the local water supply this really is a silly issue for the Greens to get het up over.
What the Greens SHOULD be arguing is that there should be a 10c levy per litre extracted, and that money raised from this levy is 100% used for environmental purposes, especially pest eradication, preferably not 1080.
Well what they could have done is negotiated with National and let both NZFirst and labour know that National was a possibility (even if they weren’t) then they could have negotiated a much better deal from Labour and NZFirst
No the Greens could not have done that as they campaigned on being part of a Labour led government and this strategy was ratified by the membership. Playing the games that you suggest would have destroyed the party.
We actually need all the water that falls on the country for the health of the country and our people. Selling it over seas decreases our ability to live.
We harvest about 2% of rain water that falls on NZ. The rest flows away.
Its ridiculous to claim that we need all the water “that falls on our country.” Why do ‘we need it”? What would we do with it? How do you propose harvesting it all?
We can barely manage that water which currently does fall on the country; Consider the impact of a weeks rain in Poverty Bay.
Its ridiculous to claim that we need all the water “that falls on our country.”
No it’s not. It keeps the rivers and the fish in them healthy. It helps keep them swimmable. It ensures that our forests have the water that they need to thrive.
Basically, it keeps the environment thriving and with that we thrive too.
Harvesting it all will kill the environment and us.
We can barely manage that water which currently does fall on the country; Consider the impact of a weeks rain in Poverty Bay.
I agree DTB, we need all the water that falls on our country!
QFT
“Basically, it keeps the environment thriving and with that we thrive too.”
And then we get the followers like Grantoc that believe that if nature is left to do it’s thing without someone making a buck out of it, well there’s something wrong here……… what about growth!!!
As we are seeing in Christchurch, good high quality drinking water, that can be consumed by humans without any negative effect and little expensive screening/filtration is in very high demand and there isn’t squillions of mega litres of never ending supply some pundits harp on about.
And if Grantoc looked up from his shoelaces he would read/see the many, many reports as to why the rain in Turanganui a Kiwa caused so much devastation…………………….. Growth! (GREED!)
Time for the Greens to reform the RMA and stop overseas firms being handed our assets on a plate (or bottle) while our own citizens who pay the taxes and live here are increasingly in poverty and facing high water prices and costs to clean up polluters.
RMA and it’s narrow focus, has got to go!
If they do that they will appease a lot of Green voters and add more.
It’s hard to credit the OIO decision – what unique benefits does a Chinese bottler bring that a NZ one would lack? Nothing springs to mind. Time the OIO was wound up and a firm no was said to predatory foreign corporates.
Yep. Foreign ownership brings no benefits to NZ but does have serious detrimental effects such as being sued when we try to change our laws for the betterment of our people.
Yep time to ban foreign owner ship of NZ land and property or have it limited to 25% of an asset.
Also time to stop residents/citizens getting free health care and super and voting until they have been resident for 10 years+ and actually resident for 80% of the 10 years and positive tax payers not needing the Kiwis to top them up with welfare after 5 minutes in the country.
We need the money for our own poor so they can escape poverty, not throw more people into the mix to be poor and compete with other poor for housing and jobs.
@Bearded Git, they need to do both. No point getting 10 cents for water if they dry it up or pollute it, or make conditions more difficult for other local businesses.
It is not all about money and short term profits, and the RMA has to be reformed to reflect that and put more consequences on the owners of the consents when things go wrong or if they get caught later having lied about what they were going to do. In those changes the consent should be revoked immediately.
They need to change the OIA and the RMA. According to the link @ 7. someone put out there, she was not able to assess it RMA criteria but it will fail there anyway because it is so weak on environmental criteria. RMA encourages risk because it is up for others to identify the risks and it is not a risk adverse or long term way or wholistic way of looking at planning.
Mark my works, it will sail through council under RMA criteria because it is also not robust enough.
This is the best thing that could have happened to the greens . Time to learn how running a country works . Time to learn that things don’t change because they reckon this is how it should be . Now to the moaning green mps scuttle off ,pull your finger out and work the long game to achieve your goals.
Was not confident up against the might of David Seymour ACT, a true revelation in the Dancing With the Stars Show, he is certainly providing us with some superb entertainment. The schoolgirls in Epsom are drooling over him and going crazy voting on their burner phones. Haven’t seen such dancing skills from a man since I was in Cuba 15 years ago ???
“Jones makes a good point”.
Did you also admire his incredibly witty comment where he insulted a lot of New Zealanders with Dutch ancestry.
“Double Dutch” for crying out load. What a brilliant turn of phrase! How stupid can he be?
Still, he is quite safe. Prime Minister Tsar Winston isn’t going to do or say anything unless he starts to overshadow Winston himself.
Most of the Dutch people in NZ have probably been here for decades or born here and identify as Kiwis rather than being sympathetic to a 8 million CEO screwing up again and again.
Goldstein wants Jacaranda to give that boy a whipping, he should pull his pants up, take his hand off it and go back to that little boys school in Epsom he went to ???
Three hectares of high density social housing sounds a bit crazy.
I think any location would cause an uproar given that social housing is viewed much the same if not worse than a prison. The extremist “we’re not going to kick them out ever”, or ” if someone exhibits anti social we will move their neighbors” bullshit will make the objections louder.
Hell, given the attitude of anything goes I object.
High density housing is not ideal. This practise needs to be reviewed and stopped.
I know of a council complex where the housing manager sanctions anti social behaviour and does not process complaints even when the police have become involved in a complaint. A barrister had a jury lined up to hear a case and the previous tenant settled. The council have become worse.
ALL tenants sign a tenancy agreement and are entitled to not be harassed and feel safe.
Where do you put a tenant who blasts you with sonics and has displayed threatening behaviour?
You need mixed housing. Not social housing. For example if you put in cheap rents for teaches/police it will immediately change the dynamic and make people feel safer.
High rises also are bad for the soul. No gardens. Much greater costs to build per square meter and to maintain and of course fire and fall hazards.
These ideas of social housing in the middle of nowhere seems more like apartheid and out of sight out of mind. Will not work. Soon will be like other countries where there are slums and places so filled with crime the police fear to go and the other residents are forced to live with gangs running the place.
Or in the ‘good’ neighbour hoods the do the Grenfell tower thing and have administrators who eventually kill the residents while taking profits for themselves.
Your clearly have never paid for Body Corporates in NZ or got quotes for any building work on high-rises… in addition it might be great for singles but as soon as you have kids, they are a problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNJch8EhepQ
P.S. on another level why don’t we want refugees in NZ, 100,000 migrants and 1000 refugees… pathetic, something seriously wrong with NZ government thinking
The body corporates need better laws governing them as the laws have been ignored for decades as the government pushed unsustainable sprawl. At least some of us are waking up to the delusion that a car based sprawl really is.
Adrian Crook has discovered life is better once you abandon the accepted wisdom that you need a house and backyard to raise happy kids.
A divorced dad, Mr. Crook lives in a 1,023-sq.-ft. high-rise rental condo with his five children and partner Sarah Zaharia. He has three boys and two girls, ages 8, 7, 6, 5 and 3 – or, as some people call them, “the countdown.”
Mr. Crook and his family might be the extreme, but they are the new model of modern Canadian life – urban, minimal and connected to their community. He doesn’t see their lifestyle as cramped, or as a temporary phase, or second best to living in a detached house. Although living small is not for everyone, Mr. Crook says he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s so pleased with the arrangement that if someone gave him $1-million, he says he still wouldn’t buy a house. Instead, he would sock the money away.
I suspect that he’s going to have some issues once the kids become teens but I doubt it will be serious.
If the city provides good parks then no house needs it’s own playground for the kids.
The ‘American Dream’ may have dominated the last few decades, causing a mass exodus to the suburbs, but today’s families are reversing the trend and turning their attention back to the city. The reasons are many: An appreciation for cultural offerings, the camaraderie and creative cross-pollination of networks of colleagues, friends and family, the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school, work or child care without a long commute—just to name a few. New York City has always been a haven for the forward-thinking, albeit a challenging one. And its newly-”discovered” outer boroughs as well as an unprecedentedly low crime rate have made the city a prime choice for family living.
There’s more where that came from.
The US dream is also the NZ Dream. Wonder why they’re the same dream. Perhaps it was marketed that way.
and what if rehabs is full…. maybe stop the growing number of people going off the edge of society before they get there… and I don’t think a high rise full of similar types is the way forward.
No decent person wants a hoarder, sonics blaster, intimidating, harassing, alcoholic, unemployed, substance abuser, thief or elder abuser where there is a thin wall between you and them and you have to walk past their doorway.
Probably the cost of housing and the cost of living sent them off the rails in the first place.
Some people with very complex health and behavioural problems need specialist and supervised housing.
Fix housing and poverty will be halved. Crime going down would also be apparent.
Some people cannot be rehabilitated and they may have a condition example korsakoff syndrome a type of dementia due to alcoholism. It is unkind and non productive to make a person already struggling homeless.
It is harsh and probably illegal to expect the other tenants to put up with harassment and threatening behaviour.
There are insufficient rehab beds for P addicts, P is fueling crime and prison is not the answer.
What is the answer when a person cannot be rehabilitated, does not want to be or has brain damage?
Doing nothing for the person with the offending behaviour is not the answer. Neither is driving already vulnerable people out of their home.
I did not make the High density housing is not ideal comment.
9 out of 19 Auckland City Councillors are not happy with Goof Ball and have written him a letter telling him there is a culture of “bullying at Auckland City Council” ?????
An effective vote of no confidence has to have 75% support from council – 9 of 19 isn’t 75%, so the letter is nothing more than a media stunt. I reckon.
However it has to be said that one of the 9/19 is rabid commie Cathy Casey, ironically pushing for greater transparency and annoyed that Goff is starting to behave like Stalin.
Has he sent the refuseniks and saboteurs to the gulags? Is he cruising Auckland’s Arbat in black limos grabbing young women off the streets? If not, maybe you need a better simile.
Stuart, the key word here is “starting”… as in just starting to believe he should have absolute power, and thinking how he might wield that power. This Politburo revolt might throw a spanner in the works for a while.
Frankly the Auckland council (including Goff) are such ratbags on average the gulag’d be the best place for them. But he’s not doing that, merely some bureaucratic waltz that will lull his middleclass boomer supporters into ignoring him again.
Penny wants to see his books – seems the case for the waterfront stadium doesn’t stack up. SSDD.
They had a point. Goff has his own agenda to sell out Auckland city to his neoliberal mates aka PWC at 1 million is fine as a fee. Not sure how you can justify a 1 million report that is paid by ratepayers but they are unable to view it, to check it’s value for money and neither can the other councillors?????? If it is just for Goffs eyes only, maybe he should foot the bill himself?
And being redacted??? WTF? It’s not exactly a state secret, maybe one of those fake Jihadii brides might read it? It should be a public document as it’s paid for by public money and these docs never have anything new in them.
It’s probably just a knock off of other docs that they did around stadiums/conference centres and they don’t want any body to find out how pathetic their docs are and what 1 million in the private sector gets you, aka Sweet FA and why they only charged their last customer $100k for it, but feel they can rip off ratepayers! Goff balls licked it up by the sound of it.
Xie continued to unlawfully run his business between July 2010 and August 2015. When he went on to receive approximately $1.5 million in earnings through his business dealings, rather than pay his creditors, he put it into slot machines at SkyCity Casino,” van der Schyff said.
What struck me was a bankrupt was able to gamble $20m at sky icy!!!
ARE THERE NO CHECKS by sky city?
It seems to me that sky city have some responsiblity to pay the creditors.
Point taken. It is a lot to feed into slot machines although for SkyCity it might be a common occurence too.
If SkyCity really addressed problem gambling they’d go broke. To my mind anyone who visits regularly is a problem gambler, the house always wins in the end.
If SkyCity really addressed problem gambling they’d go broke. To my mind anyone who visits regularly is a problem gambler, the house always wins in the end.
Chinese 8th most wanted gambled 500 million at Sky City. Yes not a mistake on that number. Nobody worried about the money laundering, apparently at Sky City. He just gave circa 80 million to the justice people and it all went away and he got 4 months home detention in his penthouse in the end.
So funny, not, when you look at Solka’s comments about Maori in prison. Well if you are Asian and rich maybe you get a free pass… this guy might not be rich enough to avoid a jail term though, There needs to be enforcement of good character in the immigration rules, if you go bankrupt and owe 20 million, revoke the residency/citizenship and never allow them to return to NZ, let alone ability to start another business and go bankrupt again while hiding 20 million is cash.
Just cos the tr0ll uses the name does NOT mean they are tangata whenua. By their actions and words are they known. And the tr0ll above shows what a complete nobody they are.
Yes but apparently hiring an illegal worker for 3.5 years is a $3000 fine and poaching paua is 12 months prison and 3 year ban from fishing and police taking dive gear and sending a fake letter to Fonterra is 8 years in prison, killing 29 miners is a dollar fine from work safe and no criminal prosecution. Me thinks something a bit weird about NZ law and the punishments.
Jones is only saying what should have been said long ago IMO. Fonterra has blown enormous sums on business debacles and they have not received the brickbats they deserve.
Add to that a few hundred $million lost on the Sanlu melamine scandal and $178million awarded to Danone over the botulism scare. They’re not exactly captains of industry are they (paid like it though).
I’m not sure what he does.
I know what he doesn’t do of course.
He clearly doesn’t read any of his papers. When they announced the new prison yesterday he obviously didn’t realise that two thirds of the prisoners were going to be sharing cells. Have a look at him on the TV news and you will see that it was a total surprise to him.
This from a man who before the election attacked any mention of double bunking.
Somehow he also seems to think he is going to save money when he replaces a $1,000 million plan to take the prison up to a 3,000 inmate facility with a $750 million proposal that will provide for a total of 500 people.
Somehow I don’t think he learnt simple arithmetic when he was at school.
I see the Greens are claiming their Minister was only following the law over the water bottling land sale decision.
The law states Ministers must consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand.
Would you class 60 new jobs over 4 years to be a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Would you class export revenue that will largely return to the offshore owners a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Would you class capital investment to upgrade and expand the existing bottling plant that will be used to increase their water take, thus return (which will largely head offshore) a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Therefore, there were/are good grounds for Eugenie Sage to argue there are no real substantial benefits to NZ from this sensitive land sale.
Did she argue these points in case or did she just rollover?
She looked at the law as it is and did what she had to do as a minister. It is not up to dickhead trolls to decide what the law is but rather the Courts. It would have been a huge waste of time and money to decline this and then have the Court overturn the decision under judicial review.
But of course you know that. You really are a crap troll.
I wasn’t attempting to decide what the law is. I was highlighting there are/were good grounds for her to make a case against granting this decision. But it seems she just rolled-over.
And speaking of crap trolls, I see you’re the one on the troll list.
The case would only go to court if the owners disagreed with the ruling. Then it would be up to the court to decide. And as highlighted, there are grounds for this to be argued.
I wasn’t champion anybody, merely highlighting the audacity of solkta calling me a crap troll when they’re the one talking crap and are on the troll list.
NoRightTurn adds (or more likely began the conversation) :
“ The harsh reality of government
Yesterday Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage granted a consent under the Overseas Investment Act for a Chinese water bottling company to buy land near Whakatane, effectively allowing them to suck the Otakiri Springs dry for foreign profit. Green Party members are naturally upset because the consent flies in the face of local Treaty claims and is contrary to party policies aimed at ending foreign water-theft, or at least charging a fair resource rental for it. Unfortunately here they’re up against the harsh reality of government – namely that being in government doesn’t mean you get to do what you want. Our Ministers are not despots, and have to obey the law – and the law on granting foreign companies consent to purchase sensitive land is very specific and doesn’t let the Minister refuse consent just because her party wants her to. And because the law does not include a Treaty clause (or any respect for Maori rights), she couldn’t refuse on those grounds either. Basically, Sage had no choice but to grant the consent – and if she had refused it, the decision would likely have been overturned by judicial review.”
“I wasn’t champion anybody, merely highlighting the audacity of solkta calling me a crap troll when they’re the one talking crap and are on the troll list.”
What troll list? Do you mean a list made by someone that just called asians slanty eyed? Thats the person you’ve decided is a good judge of who is or isn’t a troll?
While she couldn’t have refused on the two grounds NoRightTurn highlighted, she could have made a case on the grounds I highlighted. Yet, it seems she didn’t even try.
“Thats the person you’ve decided is a good judge of who is or isn’t a troll?”
The decision is not made by Sage, it was made by Land Information (OIO).
There are only limited grounds to decline Land informations decision.
Heres what she could do, which is more than NRT suggests.
34 Ministerial directive letter
(1)
The Minister may direct the regulator by a Ministerial directive letter, and the regulator must comply with it.
(2)
Subsection (1) applies even if the subject matter of the Ministerial directive letter relates to a power that has been delegated to the regulator.
(3)
A Ministerial directive letter may direct the regulator about the following things:
(a)
the Government’s general policy approach to overseas investment in sensitive New Zealand assets, including the relative importance of different criteria or factors in relation to particular assets:
(b)
the asset types, value thresholds, and area thresholds over which the regulator has power to make decisions:
(c)
the level of monitoring required in relation to conditions of consent:
(d)
the criteria for including reserves, public parks, or other sensitive areas on the list kept by the regulator under section 37:
(e)
any general or specific matter relating to the regulator’s functions, powers, or duties.
The decision was made with the associate finance minister, based on advice from the Overseas Investment Office.
Under the law the Ministers must consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand. I highlighted grounds that would have allowed to argue for declining the decision.
No. It was me highlighting there are/were good grounds for her to make a case against granting this decision.
And offhand, I have no other examples that set a precedent, which isn’t required for the case in point to be argued. Moreover, arguing for and against is within her roll to do so as a deciding Minister.
And I’m sure other Green supporters would have expected her to do so. Seems she is just another pushover, using the law as an excuse. Causing a lot of discontent among Green supporters. Which won’t help improve their polling.
Precedent is one of the things that the Court would consider. The law as it is has been there for a long time and has been interpreted in a certain way but then along comes a Green minister and makes the decision on party policy rather than the law. I would think it would be a straightforward case.
Based on the law and the precedents set there were not good grounds for declining this application.
More details of jobs needed. AKA salaries are they 8 million like Fonterra or $18 p/h? How do you enforce that over time?
Will we come back in a few years and find they are all jobs for Chinese and at low enough rates so they all qualify for generous benefits like WFF, AS and free health care… cos if that is the case and you do the cost benefit analysis then not only does the company get to strip our water for next to nothing, they make the taxpayers pay a substantial part of the workers welfare as well…and then there is the pollution aspects…
Even if all the new jobs were paid at $100k then they would still not be enough benefits to justify it. 40 jobs is not many. And apparently we need 90,000+ workers in last year and still industry braying for more (under $20 p/h workers of course are the favourites)
@Solka, “If you were unemployed and living in that area you might then consider those jobs significant.”
The weird thing is, that we have our immigration policy that seems to ignore the unemployed when they grant 90,000 people work permits for things like pumping petrol or working in a cafe or liquor store or buying up property or small businesses but then under the OIA a few paltry jobs of 60 means a sell out of public environmental assets to the private sector…
There seems to be no end of ministries of xxxx being set up, latest one is housing, but apparently no interest in going beyond that and maybe setting up our own companies and employing our own unemployed and locals to harvest our own assets. Maybe government too lazy to actually get something off a piece of paper and into a practical realm?
Looks like irony to me puckers, given the fairly blatant dishonesty of ‘us New Zealanders’. If Tomato is also fdom the Depublik off Soth Efdikka, t’s either even more or slightly less ironic.
In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan, Davis revealed the Corrections Department had contingencies in place if numbers continued to grow.
“They are not pretty plans.”
“Corrections is looking at options and talking about what we need to do. They could be mattresses on floors and things like that.”
This is getting beyond a joke, could you imagine the outrage from the left if National suggested anything like this?
Maybe instead of building a prison thats too small they could have built a prison big enough that prisoners don’t have to, potentially, lie on the ground
Its only been six months but the COL should heed these words:
”You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. In the name of God, go!’
This is the guy that went all on National when he was in opposition (and fair enough its his job) yet know hes in charge and you’ve prison officers to scared to go to work in corrections prisons and now potential talk of mattresses on floors, all because they just want to oppose National
Its not good enough, Kelvin Davis isn’t good enough, Labour isn’t good enough, this whole government simply isn’t good enough
Did a social experiment today dressed in older wrinkled up lint coated clothing and $10 warehouse shoes like I was fresh outta the poor shop.
Was in a gardening store, all the canna lillies were dying from pythium. I pointed to a product on the shelf he could use to save them. He looked at me like pond scum. Nope I aint, but I study it. Free advice from a trained plant pathologist – no thanks I’m a businessman!
Took my business elsewhere.
That man wants a sports car from his business, not happy clientele. You can tell them by the way they judge your shoes.
In a cafe got treated like royalty. Cosy Cafe Onehunga, great service and food, thank you.
Went to get a car quote for shocks. The quotes ranged from $470 to $1100. One store I think quoted so high just to make me go away. “*** ****, you’ve come to the wrong place”.
All in all a very interesting morning. There is prejudice against the poor, or possibly bad clothing, even in Onehunga.
Have worn an expensive suit into town a few times and it opened doors… doors to conversations I never wanted. Want to find sickening racism and sexism in NZ, put on a suit and go talk to other suits.
Bloody moths ate that suit. They didn’t eat the cheap clothing, oh no, these moths are from Westmere.
They were his best tweeds.
Now stop teasing the poor chap. Not everybody here can afford to get their clothes tailormade in Saville Row the way you do.
Reminds me of the story I heard when doing a business course.
Farmer walks into a car lot dressed in black shorts, black singlet and gumboots and starts looking Jaguars. The salesman approached and encouraged him to leave.
A short time later he sees the same guy driving up the road in a Jaguar from his competitor. Concerned he races over to his competitor and asks why he was letting that poor bum test drive the Jag.
The competitor looks at him strangely and then says “He’s not test driving it. He bought it. The only reason it took so long was that he had to go to the bank to get the cheque.
Ironically, with regards to your comment: I was in the garden store scoping for a plant supplier in the area as friends (and maybe even myself) are going into a permaculture landscaping business.
He potentially lost a lot of trade. I’ll not deal with or recommend him, but there I was scanning the place.
Business folk need to learn this lesson all right. I’m glad you had it pointed out in your course.
As a somewhat sartorially challenged individual, I often have the same experience. It is an interesting experiment, and worth realising how this translates to different treatment for aspects that can’t be “spruced up” – like gender and race. The constancy of differing treatment in those cases must be wearying.
Mind you, those that don’t seem to notice any issue, usually turn out to be very grounded and worthwhile individuals to know.
Had a fairly similar experience in my yoof in the early 80s.
My best mate’s family had a small but lucrative contracting business, and the dad was full-on hands-on with the work alongside everybody else. Now and then they’d employ me to help out. At the end of one long hard hot dirty day which was plainly apparent in our appearance and smell, on the way home we stopped at the new car dealer, and the dad said “just got to pick up something, you boys may as well come in too”.
So we stroll in, and get a definitely hostile reaction from the new young sales weasel, and I’m starting to feel really out of place. The big cheese manager sees us and disappears out the back at speed. Then the big double doors open and a brand new Range Rover comes through. The big cheese hops out, and says to the dad “Thanks for your business and we look forward to helping with your next purchase”. As we pile in we just caught the start of the big cheese’s lecture for the new young fella.
I felt a little bit sorry for the young fella when the dad later said it had been a setup. But not much.
Good morning The AM Show I warned our new Mp David Clarke to watch out for the setups that situation could have easily been choreography to Duncan. nothing. My questions are why this health board person did not come out to the media and whisle about the shocking condition of our hospital this is clearly another set off blue arrows from the cheats national nobody else is allowed to behave like the national cheats or wants to behave like them no morels.
Eco Maori knows why Robbie Williams flipped the Bird . That’s was a good start to the Russian Football World Cup.
Good story Duncan about people being trafficked/ smuggling it took 2 years for the dairy farmers to change there attitudes to Kiwi workers Slaves is whom national pitted Kiwi workers futures against a totally unfair contest hence I’m working a – – – – job at minute one point is I have not seen heaps of Chinese people on farms???????.
There you go the Aotearoa image might not live up to the advirts but what does. I still say we have to clean up our environmental ACT but our environment is heaps better than some.
I did say that all we need to do is to advise around the world not just the western world the whole world about our Premium quality food products and the wealth will flow its not rocket science. Some People if they can’t find there country of origin food products than they prefer New Zealand food products.???? In the year 1800
The settlers could not understand the Maori consepet of food being Tapu I get it you are what you Eat and could have bad side effects if the food is not healthy and safe.
Good morning W
Ingred weres Amanda.
Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys don’t think I see there supermarkets moves try again ECO MAORI see it all just to much to mention. – – – – – –
The AM Show Are you going to say that national has acted efficly for the last 9 years look at the mess in Aotearoa at the minute Priminster does not do stupid things you know what I mean.
Ka kite ano
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Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
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Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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Sperm Whales the biggest toothed whale, and the model for Moby Dick, are washing up on Taranki beaches.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104672020/scientists-uncover-secrets-of-whales-lives-before-stranding-in-south-taranaki
Related comments and articles:
Russel Norman – Greenpeace’s executive director – and climate activist Sara Howell to be sentenced, July 6, 2018
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356256/russel-norman-pleads-guilty-over-oil-protest
The Fight Goes On
Rally to repeal the Anadarko Amendment
Be in Napier on July 6 to show solidarity with Sara and Russel
+1 Jenny. They need to stop the seismic blasting.
+1 Jenny
14/6/18 Daisy Cutter Sports Inc
The Standard Pick Six Trolling Report
Well we absolutely smashed it out of the park yesterday there was great trolling activity, we got the Pick Six easily however it didn’t pay out that well and we nearly picked every winner on the card. We had the usual trolls operating, however some new trolls emerged during the day engaging in healthy debate with other runners in the field. I have been accused of being a troll myself and I suffered abuse from other trolls and trolls who were really pissed off they didn’t make it onto the Official Trolling Register.
I won’t publish the results from yesterday as we all know we had a lot of fun and a very entertaining day debating each other. Pick Six, Early & Late Quaddies, and the 3 x Trebles were correctly selected.
Anyway we are going to introduce a Troll Ranking System please comment if you wish.
Below are the list of identified trolls with no particular ranking as that would be biased and political affiliations are not noted under the Privacy Act 1997
Stunned Mullet
James
Baby Gaga
Tamati Tautuhi
Gosman
David Mac
Solkta
Alwyn
Happy trolling today ????
Second rate bully attempt trying to shut down debate.
You going to call people cock suckers because they don’t agree with you again today – or you going with fresh insults ?
I’m gutted. Number 3! What’s so special about James and SM?
Maybe Cameron Slater enticed them onto the beach ?
Metaphorically I suppose, yes.
Giving a new meaning to the term;
“Whale Oil”
We used to kill them for the oil in their flesh
Now we kill them for the oil in their seas
Jenny – what leads you to believe the whales died as a result of the activities of the oil industry? Genuine question.
@ Robert, very suspicious circumstances with the whales deaths, you certainly can’t rule out seismic blasting, until the autopsy when perhaps it will be revealed a stomach full of plastic?
An autopsy won’t prove seismic blasting was the cause of death though.
Yes, but autopsy might identify if it was death by plastic.
I’m against the blasting either way.
A whole bachelor pod killed by ingestion of plastic?
Hmmmmm…..
I do believe it’s a very serious issue and one that should be explainable.
Brigid – is there not some forensic evidence when seismic blasting is the cause? Does seismic blasting not kill outright? Is it in fact, a causative agent to an other more deadly factor; that is, does it confuse, leading to beaching or something along those lines?
saveNZ – the whale deaths are presently unexplained. I hope facts will surface. Suspicion is one thing, confirmation another. I wouldn’t like to point the finger till I have something factual to support the accusations because that leaves one vulnerable to easily-taken pot-shots from industries that might be looking for opportunities to belittle their critics.I’ve ruled nothing out, but look forward to reliable information. This issue interests me greatly.
Kia ora Robert,
Thanks for the question.
Did these whales die because of the activities of the oil industry, I cannot say.
What I can say for certain, is two things; One that the Sperm Whale is endangered, and Two, that deep sea oil prospecting is being done in the waters that they inhabit around our coast.
Also fairly certain, is that sonar mapping of the sub-seabed for hydrocarbon deposits using seismic blasting, is damaging to these creatures.
Are Sperm Whales endangered?
To which I might add, the cause of death of these creatures could possibly have been more definitively determined if an autopsy had been done as had been first promised.
Though an autopsy was promised in the first reports of these deaths, it was not carried out due to the advanced state of decomposition. Instead only skin tissue samples were taken.
If an autopsy had been done, damage done to these animals by seismic blasting could have been ruled out, if there was no damage to their inner ears. Damage caused by seismic blasting to cetaceans is very distinctive, fractures in their ear bones and signs of bleeding from their middle ears.
Thank you so much, Jenny. Why weren’t the inner ear tests done – the inner-ear bones presumably don’t degrade, as flesh does and signs of fractures would be discernible. Can you OIA the details? In any case, do fractures to the ear bones result in death? If so, How? Those dolphins you cite were dead and washed up, as were the whales. Who’s doing the testing? Can you access their findings? So far, I see no definitive evidence, though I would certainly like to. This is an issue that seems to be “smeary” – can you get to the bottom of it? Someone needs to cut through the smog with real details and facts to present. I hope you can.
Ewan Fordyce at Otago is all up on Whaleontology – mostly fossil, but some fresh for comparative purposes. He could tell you who to ask. Whale earbones are fairly robust, they’re some of the last bones to break down so many survive into the fossil record. It would probably be soft tissue damage that would tell the story, and that requires reasonably expeditious postmortem dissection.
Interesting, thanks Stuart. Of course, scientific detail aside, there’s the obvious ” an extraordinary number of sperm whales died mysteriously here – what happened???” aspect of the case; there’s room for commonsense , intelligent guessing and so on, if it’s tempered by some self-awareness of bias, predetermination and confirmation bias, etc. I’m keen to get to the bottom of the whale deaths.
National trolls dont ‘debate’.
They just repeat their ‘diatribe’ until they believe it is seen as the truth.
They are simple minded bullies that cannot tolerate other views.
national = toxic.
You aren’t the greatest debater in the world yourself.
In fact you simply refuse to get into one.
When you make wild and untruthful comments people ask for some evidence for your fantasies.
Have you ever justified any of your claims?
Have you ever admitted that one of your claims is b**s?
Come on old chap. Just try it.
For a start why don’t you tell us where you got the information that the current Government are going to re-enter Pike River this year.
You made the claim here and I asked for the source.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14-06-2018/#comment-1493693
Now why don’t you put up or admit that you were lying?
Well no , hes not ‘lying’ at all .
———————————————
… ‘ They are simple minded bullies that cannot tolerate other views ‘…
———————————————
The thing is with you RWNJ’s,… is that despite the facts glaring you full in the face your usual resort is to bully and mock , …so here’s some of your own stinking shit thrown back at you ;
———————————
John Key and Bill English :
” Most young NZ workers are too drug addled and lazy to be efficient workers”…
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
‘We want a large source of cheap imported labour to put downwards pressure on wages in this country ‘.
John Key and Bill English :
” Crisis ? – what housing crisis ?!!? ”
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
” We want to degrade state housing so that we can justify selling them off to our corporate mates so that they can then make huge profits by housing the poor and adjusting rents to free market levels ”.
John Key :
”Glen Greenwald is one of Kim Dotcoms little henchmen and Nicky Hager is a screaming left wing conspiracy theorist ” .
MOTIVE and TRANSLATION ?
”SHIT ! , – this Moment of Truth and that damn Greenwald is cutting right to the bone about the XKEYSCORE public surveillance program. And the head of the National Security Agency has just been pinged in court for illegal activity in America !!! , …I hope I don’t get caught out lying about it !!!,… I better approach the SIS to drag out some irrelevant documents to support my stance, – just hope the public doesn’t realize its irrelevant ”…
”And that bloody Hager !!! Dammit !!! , – We better put Jason Ede out to pasture pronto! The Dirty Ops office party is over !!! , – and no , – I NEVER WAS IN CONTINUAL CONTACT WITH CAMERON SLATER !!! ”
” OOPS!! , sorry , – I forgot , – yes I did text him a ‘few’ times… ”
———————————————————
So as you can see, while many of us give the broad elements of an issue ,… doesn’t necessarily mean they are lying. As CLEANGREEN hasn’t lied. However , when put in perspective by viewing just some of the events in NZ ‘s recent political history ,… it must be admitted ,.., that for the last 9 years of National party govt , …NZ was an increasingly dark place to live.
And it was that way because the inner core of the National party have been proven to be consummate duplicitous liars.
Key reminds me of this mug:
Bill Clinton–“I did not have sexual relations with that woman” – YouTube
Video for i never had sex with that woman bill clinton you tube▶ 0:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe_guezGGc
You aren’t a doppelganger for Cleangreen are you?
Like him you refuse to debate, and you suffer very badly from KDS.
Perhaps you can answer the question he ignores then.
What is the date, this year, that the CoL has identified for re-entering the Pike River mine and penetrating the mine as far as the workface?
Simple question and you could answer it in one of 3 ways.
1. Provide the date, and give the source for your claim
2. Admit they aren’t going to do it this year and provide their nominated future date..
3. Admit your claim was wrong and that you have no idea of the answer.
Since Cleangreen never answers questions and refuses to ever give any evidence to support his claims perhaps you will do it for him?
Too busy taking the piss out of you to be overly concerned with any of your puerile demands ,… however ,… are you trying to pull another ‘Labour does it too ‘ angle?
Truth is they will do it,… and….. after all the lies of Key and English ,… and keeping the family’s hanging for 7 years,… I think we can all rest assured that the Col will be there for the family’s in a timely fashion.
If your so obsessed with exact dates,.. perhaps you could e mail Andrew Little yourself ?
There’s a good wee man,… now… trot along…
Well that is clear enough.
You chose option 3.
Thought you would.
I don’t do demands and I don’t pander to contrarians.
If it means that much to you do some research. Just don’t come along here with your own vacuous negativity trying to use those tactics to undermine your political rivals,… so we could say instead…. that how about YOU find out when the date is set.
Im sure it will fall WAY within the track record of the National party of 7 years complete with trying to use Solid Energy to seal off that shaft forever in case Labour won the election.
And putting it that way and demonstrating the viciousness of both Key and English ? ,… your contrarian squeaking’s are almost comical if they were not so viscous in of themselves.
Wild Katipo – alwyn has a long history of disingenuous and punctiliously disputative squeakings.
This was from Stuff back in February. Avocados have never been less than 3.50-4 bucks each at my local supermarket since exports to China started.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/101230367/first-nz-avocados-arrive-in-china-as-export-harvesting-comes-to-close
We have been airfreighting avocados to Australia until the end of May. NZ production of the Hass variety has finished, early production in NZ generally starts around July/August from Motiti Island. The main harvesting season normally starts September.
There is some Reed variety available at the moment, which is about $1.50-$2.00 per fruit on the wholesale market. (Reed is actually a better tasting avocado than Hass however it is a green variety cf Hass which turns black)
Whatever fruit available in the marketplace is probably the tail end of last season’s production.
We sometimes import avocados from Australia at this time of year as their production has started.
I wonder why we don’t see more Reed and even Fuerte in the shops in NZ?
A majority of the fruit grown here in NZ is Hass which is the most popular variety worldwide for storage and taste.
The growers tend to focus on export and the 2nd grade fruit is sold on the NZ market.
Only small plantings of Reed & Fuerte here in New Zealand.
Yea that price is the same range where I am.
I saw advertised “low fat” avocados (New World) which was just weird. Haven’t seen them since. I don’t think I would have eaten them on a dare.
Never have I looked at an avo with so much suspicion. I think I’ve been traumatised.
What next, low fat olive oil?
… or non fat water from a Chinese Bottling Plant with a Green Label from Otakiri Springs in Whakatane.
You are seriously diminishing the quality of trolling here. Some would have thought that not possible.
“Some would have thought that not possible.”
That is certainly true. Prior to the election the Green Party made such brave statements about how they were going to cease exporting water or letting foreign companies get access to it.
Now, for the sake of a few jobs, a Green Minister has rolled over and allowed it. She says she had to do it because
“We had to consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand. That’s jobs, exports, greater productivity and additional capital investment for the country.”
Is a few dozen jobs really a “substantial benefit”?
I suspect the only job she was really concerned about was her own. Tsar Winston would have sacked her.
And soon the Right Honourable Winston Peters will be the Right Honourable Winston Peters Acting Prime Minister ,… cant wait.
Neo liberal heads of all rank and description will be rolling. Even sued.
They are all scared of him.
Why? – because hes a great man !
L0L !
Well the LOL is right. Your wild fantasies about the “great man” certainly made me laugh.
Do you realise how much you sound like the nuttier Trump believers?
Yes the ‘ L0L’ was designed specifically to elicit that response from you.
And I / we knew you would bite like a starving box terrapin. And I also knew you would use the almost Godwin like Trump comparison.
The facts are you , your neo liberal buddy’s who you drink beer with on Saturday nights and your idols in the National party , and their embedded mates in govt depts, – are all shitting bricks when the great man the Right Honourable Winston Peters Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand takes charge.
Because I know and you know , and everybody else knows ,… that signals the end of the neo liberal partytime in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
For you , and your ideologues?
Its over.
Bye bye.
Well you certainly don’t seem to be a beer drinker anyway. They may get a bit maudlin and go quiet but it doesn’t seem to affect people in the way you exhibit.
The closest I have ever seen to your ravings is a person I saw at a party many, many years ago.
He scared the hell out of me with his behaviour. I was told that he had been taking LSD. What is your drug of choice?
Coffee!
Tea!
And formerly , tobacco.
I probably scare the hell out of you because I am not some sort of pretentious wanker who likes to be with the in crowd and , unlike you , have a working class background, one hell of a sense of humour ( which you obviously don’t with your stitched up mannerisms ) , – and while growing up in the bush , – soon discovered that you don’t need many consumer trappings at all, and especially to help you feel as if you have a dick that’s ten feet long to prop up your ego’s like your lot , mate.
Here’s one just for you.
The Builder – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUq5DdlRsLM
Round the corner from me was the cutest wee brick house and section. It was a state house and an elderly gentleman lived there. The moment he died the powers that be went in and condemned the house to be demolished.
CONDEMNED.
A few months later the new owner, a banker, adds a large extension to the house while not tearing down a single brick of this ‘condemned structure’.
Now bankers are firmly ensconced in a state house, which is no longer a state house, it has been turned into another sprawling piece of crap without character – like the owners.
There’s a porsche in the drive. A status symbol that reads c**t.
I call bullshit on your story.
Is it bedbugs, James? A dripping tap? Cats fighting during the night? Jock itch?
He wet the bed and tripped over the cat this morning.
Going with bed wetting now – how juvenile could you possibly get.
You comment sounds a little deranged Robert.
48 year old male agigtator from Coatesville…lives in a glasshouse…
Two 20 something sons who own their own businesses…
Wow you seem to have an unhealthy obsession with me.
Stalkish.
Poor attempt at hyperbole, James…
Keep on posting information about your made up self…
Naturally you can provide us with an address.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/08/is_the_sickness_beneficiary_real.html
Sounds familiar but can’t quite place it…
National use any means of “condemn” as a method to prohibit us from anything that was ours.
Take the greymouth westland mine disaster for another example.
the natiomnal Government then hastily closed the mine after the disaster where 30 men perished and tried to seal it with a concrete door to ‘prohibit’ any relatives from entering it in seach to recover their loved ones, and it was a crown owned mine.
Unbelievable, theyare truly a national disgrace that we shall see the truth of later this year as they re-enter the mine to find they were responsible for those deaths of 30 miners needlessly.
“lest we forget”.
” later this year as they re-enter the mine”.
Would you care to tell us of the date, this year, that they are going to re-enter the mine?
The various CoL parties promised us a re-entry and going to the workface this year when they were campaigning. They didn’t think that were going to become the Government so it was quite an easy promise to make.
Then it became the end of March 2019. Then Little confessed that it was going to be later than that. He hasn’t given an updated estimate.
Why is it so hard for you to accept that you have been conned. It is never going to happen. Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party have lied to you.
Key promised re -entry too
‘No matter what it takes’ he told the families
‘Dont listen to anyone play on your emotions and tell you otherwise’ he said
That was all said when he was PM and about 9 months after.
He reneged on that of course, and continued to lie that he did inspite of the video being available.
New version was ‘rentry was only a possibility’
That makes it alright then.
A former National Party leader said it to.
To be fair of course, this Government would be doing a great deal better if they did simply do all the things that National did.
It is when they try to do something different, just for the sake of being different, that they really are stuffing up.
The list of incompetence and vicious ulterior motives of the National party is FAR , FAR too long to be bothered giving any real response to this ridiculous poster.
Consult Blip for further evidence, or even Peter Gluckman.
Key never promised anything of the sort. What he said was that recovering the bodies was an ‘absolute priority’, and that they would do “everything we practically could to get the bodies of the victims out”. (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10805355)
Andrew Little himself has stated he cannot guarantee a re-entry of the mine and has told family members that he will do what he can but safety is the top priority (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11945226). Although that certainly isn’t what the Coalition Agreement says. More Labour lies.
After the news that there had been several explosions and the men would not have survived, Prime Minister John Key told the miners’ families recovering the bodies would remain “an absolute priority”.
He later promised to do “everything we practically could to get the bodies of the victims out”.
Do you mean to say that some on here have been misquoting what Sir John Key said?
Gosh that’s unusual
I would also note that the comments I referenced were quoted from a meeting Key had with the families. Key’s detractors have for some time been exploiting the Pike River families in order to make a political point. It’s damned disgraceful.
The worst thing is they think its justified because “fuck John Key”, I’ll be very surprised if anyone goes into that mine to retrieve the bodies
I can believe it DB. Another villa in flats in Ponsonby has the same ( the developers put demo orders on them so that they can remove easily in historic areas). The place was bought and not pulled down and actually seems to be a social housing project.
The council experts and the associated BS reports from the ‘experts’ are just worthless.
Time to have social and environment issues as important as making a quick $ out of planning in our laws. It was sickening to see the unitary plan being overtaken with greedy developers and people with their paid environmental lawyers who made the rules in their image.
Funny enough I seem to remember that a very expensive cliff top promenade was given status not to be intensified… funny that where the owners of those mansions had their lawyers under full instructions to intensify (aka make money out of zoning changes) where ever they could everywhere else in Auckland.
But wait put an extra kitchen in, in the basement to make an affordable flat in a housing crisis, no way, that would bring down the prices!
Siiiigh. Shane Jones. Head in hands!
Agree, but.
Anything in particular?
I actually rate Shane mostly but sometimes less is more. Rhetoric I mean. And now is not the best time for coalition to be piling on distractions that National buzzards can escalate, usually ably assisted by our world class investigative journalists and political commentators to the detriment of our Government. I feel a little bit jittery about NZF at the moment.
*world class* sarc.
I wasnt meaning to say that what Shane Jones is saying isn’t correct, but just that by the time he’s finished saying it I have forgotten what he is talking about. He goes off into sort of long winded dialogue which takes away from the message he is trying to impart. It would be better if he kept it shorter and more succinct.
Nope Shane Jones is right about this and right about Air NZ, and I am not a Shane Jones fan. Tired of NZ business ripping off Kiwis and having Kiwis subsidise their egos with pathetic overseas investments that lose millions again and again aka Fonterra and Obama Golf games for Air NZ, while crying poor in other areas of service to their customers/owners.
Sad comment Tamati.
“Marama Davidson: Was the Minister able to consider the environmental impacts of taking the water when she made this decision?
Hon EUGENIE SAGE: That is not a matter that the Minister for Land Information can take into account under the Overseas Investment Act; it is a matter that is considered under the Resource Management Act. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council notified its application.
Marama Davidson: Was she able to take into account Te Tiriti concerns and the opposition of mana whenua when making this decision?
Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The application concerned the purchase of sensitive land under the Overseas Investment Act. That Act limits the issues that can be considered. I considered those issues, and I wasn’t able to take those concerns into account.”
A Minister has responsibilities beyond their party ideals. No Minister can quickly change laws to appease their party members,” (occasionally PG says something sensible, inside of his generally anti-Green posts).
NoRightTurn adds (or more likely began the conversation) :
“ The harsh reality of government
Yesterday Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage granted a consent under the Overseas Investment Act for a Chinese water bottling company to buy land near Whakatane, effectively allowing them to suck the Otakiri Springs dry for foreign profit. Green Party members are naturally upset because the consent flies in the face of local Treaty claims and is contrary to party policies aimed at ending foreign water-theft, or at least charging a fair resource rental for it. Unfortunately here they’re up against the harsh reality of government – namely that being in government doesn’t mean you get to do what you want. Our Ministers are not despots, and have to obey the law – and the law on granting foreign companies consent to purchase sensitive land is very specific and doesn’t let the Minister refuse consent just because her party wants her to. And because the law does not include a Treaty clause (or any respect for Maori rights), she couldn’t refuse on those grounds either. Basicly, Sage had no choice but to grant the consent – and if she had refused it, the decision would likely have been overturned by judicial review.”
Hindsight is 20/20 and all but I bet the Greens hierarchy are regretting not doing a better job in negotiations for the make up of the government
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/104696508/and-they-thought-being-in-opposition-was-hard
“That’s the deal with government, however. What’s easy to smack down in Opposition becomes a head ache when you actually have the power to change things – because with every decision there can be a chain reaction of unintended consequences.”
NZ has masses of water to sell overseas. Providing this is done properly in the right places and it doesn’t affect the local water supply this really is a silly issue for the Greens to get het up over.
What the Greens SHOULD be arguing is that there should be a 10c levy per litre extracted, and that money raised from this levy is 100% used for environmental purposes, especially pest eradication, preferably not 1080.
Well what they could have done is negotiated with National and let both NZFirst and labour know that National was a possibility (even if they weren’t) then they could have negotiated a much better deal from Labour and NZFirst
No the Greens could not have done that as they campaigned on being part of a Labour led government and this strategy was ratified by the membership. Playing the games that you suggest would have destroyed the party.
Well what they’ve been doing recently (or had done to them) isn’t exactly going gang busters for them either
No we don’t.
We actually need all the water that falls on the country for the health of the country and our people. Selling it over seas decreases our ability to live.
We harvest about 2% of rain water that falls on NZ. The rest flows away.
Its ridiculous to claim that we need all the water “that falls on our country.” Why do ‘we need it”? What would we do with it? How do you propose harvesting it all?
We can barely manage that water which currently does fall on the country; Consider the impact of a weeks rain in Poverty Bay.
No it’s not. It keeps the rivers and the fish in them healthy. It helps keep them swimmable. It ensures that our forests have the water that they need to thrive.
Basically, it keeps the environment thriving and with that we thrive too.
Harvesting it all will kill the environment and us.
Have you considered why heavy is now a problem?
I agree DTB, we need all the water that falls on our country!
QFT
“Basically, it keeps the environment thriving and with that we thrive too.”
And then we get the followers like Grantoc that believe that if nature is left to do it’s thing without someone making a buck out of it, well there’s something wrong here……… what about growth!!!
As we are seeing in Christchurch, good high quality drinking water, that can be consumed by humans without any negative effect and little expensive screening/filtration is in very high demand and there isn’t squillions of mega litres of never ending supply some pundits harp on about.
And if Grantoc looked up from his shoelaces he would read/see the many, many reports as to why the rain in Turanganui a Kiwa caused so much devastation…………………….. Growth! (GREED!)
Greens number of MPs ( from their low party vote) was the problem, hence all other issues flow.
7-8% green vote makes all the difference but 6.25% is just a beginning
Link: http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-harsh-reality-of-government.html
Time for the Greens to reform the RMA and stop overseas firms being handed our assets on a plate (or bottle) while our own citizens who pay the taxes and live here are increasingly in poverty and facing high water prices and costs to clean up polluters.
RMA and it’s narrow focus, has got to go!
If they do that they will appease a lot of Green voters and add more.
It’s hard to credit the OIO decision – what unique benefits does a Chinese bottler bring that a NZ one would lack? Nothing springs to mind. Time the OIO was wound up and a firm no was said to predatory foreign corporates.
Yep. Foreign ownership brings no benefits to NZ but does have serious detrimental effects such as being sued when we try to change our laws for the betterment of our people.
Yep time to ban foreign owner ship of NZ land and property or have it limited to 25% of an asset.
Also time to stop residents/citizens getting free health care and super and voting until they have been resident for 10 years+ and actually resident for 80% of the 10 years and positive tax payers not needing the Kiwis to top them up with welfare after 5 minutes in the country.
We need the money for our own poor so they can escape poverty, not throw more people into the mix to be poor and compete with other poor for housing and jobs.
Disagree SaveNZ-just levy them; see my comment above.
@Bearded Git, they need to do both. No point getting 10 cents for water if they dry it up or pollute it, or make conditions more difficult for other local businesses.
It is not all about money and short term profits, and the RMA has to be reformed to reflect that and put more consequences on the owners of the consents when things go wrong or if they get caught later having lied about what they were going to do. In those changes the consent should be revoked immediately.
The change needed is in the OIA not the RMA.
They need to change the OIA and the RMA. According to the link @ 7. someone put out there, she was not able to assess it RMA criteria but it will fail there anyway because it is so weak on environmental criteria. RMA encourages risk because it is up for others to identify the risks and it is not a risk adverse or long term way or wholistic way of looking at planning.
Mark my works, it will sail through council under RMA criteria because it is also not robust enough.
Not anything to do with RMA. Which is locally decided anyway.
OIA is the issue.
This is the best thing that could have happened to the greens . Time to learn how running a country works . Time to learn that things don’t change because they reckon this is how it should be . Now to the moaning green mps scuttle off ,pull your finger out and work the long game to achieve your goals.
Paul Goldsmith on now. Is he the one who told his people not to vote for him in Empson???
Was not confident up against the might of David Seymour ACT, a true revelation in the Dancing With the Stars Show, he is certainly providing us with some superb entertainment. The schoolgirls in Epsom are drooling over him and going crazy voting on their burner phones. Haven’t seen such dancing skills from a man since I was in Cuba 15 years ago ???
Goldstein has told the Press “Shane Jones is out of line for telling Fonterra that they are useless ???”
Let the farmers decide, not the politicians.
Jones makes a good point.
“Jones makes a good point”.
Did you also admire his incredibly witty comment where he insulted a lot of New Zealanders with Dutch ancestry.
“Double Dutch” for crying out load. What a brilliant turn of phrase! How stupid can he be?
Still, he is quite safe. Prime Minister Tsar Winston isn’t going to do or say anything unless he starts to overshadow Winston himself.
Most of the Dutch people in NZ have probably been here for decades or born here and identify as Kiwis rather than being sympathetic to a 8 million CEO screwing up again and again.
I agree.
Goldstein wants Jacaranda to give that boy a whipping, he should pull his pants up, take his hand off it and go back to that little boys school in Epsom he went to ???
More disconnection from people who are fortunate enough to live in a good home and have enough to eat.
HNZ have purchased 3 hectares of land in a Northland suburb and some of the home owners do not want state/social houses built there.
Three hectares of high density social housing sounds a bit crazy.
I think any location would cause an uproar given that social housing is viewed much the same if not worse than a prison. The extremist “we’re not going to kick them out ever”, or ” if someone exhibits anti social we will move their neighbors” bullshit will make the objections louder.
Hell, given the attitude of anything goes I object.
High density housing is not ideal. This practise needs to be reviewed and stopped.
I know of a council complex where the housing manager sanctions anti social behaviour and does not process complaints even when the police have become involved in a complaint. A barrister had a jury lined up to hear a case and the previous tenant settled. The council have become worse.
ALL tenants sign a tenancy agreement and are entitled to not be harassed and feel safe.
Where do you put a tenant who blasts you with sonics and has displayed threatening behaviour?
Not with law abiding tenants.
You need mixed housing. Not social housing. For example if you put in cheap rents for teaches/police it will immediately change the dynamic and make people feel safer.
High rises also are bad for the soul. No gardens. Much greater costs to build per square meter and to maintain and of course fire and fall hazards.
Terraced housing is a better solution.
These ideas of social housing in the middle of nowhere seems more like apartheid and out of sight out of mind. Will not work. Soon will be like other countries where there are slums and places so filled with crime the police fear to go and the other residents are forced to live with gangs running the place.
Or in the ‘good’ neighbour hoods the do the Grenfell tower thing and have administrators who eventually kill the residents while taking profits for themselves.
Where to put the houses and what type of houses is important. Especially if carless or have chronic health.
No they’re not.
But far cheaper per person after all the added costs of sprawl have been taken into account. Sprawl is far more expensive than high-density.
More propaganda from the public transport lobby. No thanks. Sprawl and build interconnecting high speed rail and road connections. Let’s do this!
No.
Sprawl simply costs too much.
Your clearly have never paid for Body Corporates in NZ or got quotes for any building work on high-rises… in addition it might be great for singles but as soon as you have kids, they are a problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNJch8EhepQ
P.S. on another level why don’t we want refugees in NZ, 100,000 migrants and 1000 refugees… pathetic, something seriously wrong with NZ government thinking
The body corporates need better laws governing them as the laws have been ignored for decades as the government pushed unsustainable sprawl. At least some of us are waking up to the delusion that a car based sprawl really is.
As for kids:
Squeezed, and loving it: 5 kids, 2 adults in a 1,000-square-foot condo
I suspect that he’s going to have some issues once the kids become teens but I doubt it will be serious.
If the city provides good parks then no house needs it’s own playground for the kids.
City Kids: Why Parents Pick City Living Over the Suburbs
There’s more where that came from.
The US dream is also the NZ Dream. Wonder why they’re the same dream. Perhaps it was marketed that way.
Yes it is.
In rehab.
and what if rehabs is full…. maybe stop the growing number of people going off the edge of society before they get there… and I don’t think a high rise full of similar types is the way forward.
I am going to interrupt.
No decent person wants a hoarder, sonics blaster, intimidating, harassing, alcoholic, unemployed, substance abuser, thief or elder abuser where there is a thin wall between you and them and you have to walk past their doorway.
Probably the cost of housing and the cost of living sent them off the rails in the first place.
Some people with very complex health and behavioural problems need specialist and supervised housing.
Fix housing and poverty will be halved. Crime going down would also be apparent.
Some people cannot be rehabilitated and they may have a condition example korsakoff syndrome a type of dementia due to alcoholism. It is unkind and non productive to make a person already struggling homeless.
It is harsh and probably illegal to expect the other tenants to put up with harassment and threatening behaviour.
There are insufficient rehab beds for P addicts, P is fueling crime and prison is not the answer.
What is the answer when a person cannot be rehabilitated, does not want to be or has brain damage?
Doing nothing for the person with the offending behaviour is not the answer. Neither is driving already vulnerable people out of their home.
I did not make the High density housing is not ideal comment.
DTB I owe you an apology for saying I did not make the High density housing is not ideal comment. I made this in 10.1.1.
My sincere apology.
9 out of 19 Auckland City Councillors are not happy with Goof Ball and have written him a letter telling him there is a culture of “bullying at Auckland City Council” ?????
An effective vote of no confidence has to have 75% support from council – 9 of 19 isn’t 75%, so the letter is nothing more than a media stunt. I reckon.
And the media lapped it up.
Like starving alley cats.
However it has to be said that one of the 9/19 is rabid commie Cathy Casey, ironically pushing for greater transparency and annoyed that Goff is starting to behave like Stalin.
Has he sent the refuseniks and saboteurs to the gulags? Is he cruising Auckland’s Arbat in black limos grabbing young women off the streets? If not, maybe you need a better simile.
Stuart, the key word here is “starting”… as in just starting to believe he should have absolute power, and thinking how he might wield that power. This Politburo revolt might throw a spanner in the works for a while.
Frankly the Auckland council (including Goff) are such ratbags on average the gulag’d be the best place for them. But he’s not doing that, merely some bureaucratic waltz that will lull his middleclass boomer supporters into ignoring him again.
Penny wants to see his books – seems the case for the waterfront stadium doesn’t stack up. SSDD.
It’s a wake up call for The Great Leader.
Doesn’t matter at all.
Budget and rates and taxes are set.
With those votes locked and done, Councillors can go home.
Auckland’s CCOs will take those budgets with their mandate and get the tasks done.
They had a point. Goff has his own agenda to sell out Auckland city to his neoliberal mates aka PWC at 1 million is fine as a fee. Not sure how you can justify a 1 million report that is paid by ratepayers but they are unable to view it, to check it’s value for money and neither can the other councillors?????? If it is just for Goffs eyes only, maybe he should foot the bill himself?
And being redacted??? WTF? It’s not exactly a state secret, maybe one of those fake Jihadii brides might read it? It should be a public document as it’s paid for by public money and these docs never have anything new in them.
It’s probably just a knock off of other docs that they did around stadiums/conference centres and they don’t want any body to find out how pathetic their docs are and what 1 million in the private sector gets you, aka Sweet FA and why they only charged their last customer $100k for it, but feel they can rip off ratepayers! Goff balls licked it up by the sound of it.
You have to wonder whether the commercial sensitivity was about how deep the business interests propose dipping into the ratepayers’ pocket.
Sir John Key is mates with Sky City no checks and balances required ???
“ARE THERE NO CHECKS by sky city?”
More like are there no brains at the Herald. He gambled what he lost – $1.5m.
He may have done better tham most, 1.5 against 20 equates to house odds of 7.5% and I thought SkyCity pulled more than that on their pokies.
But no checks anyway, $1.5m is ‘reasonable’ sum too.
No checks against the undischarged bankrupt list either!!!
Point taken. It is a lot to feed into slot machines although for SkyCity it might be a common occurence too.
If SkyCity really addressed problem gambling they’d go broke. To my mind anyone who visits regularly is a problem gambler, the house always wins in the end.
QFT
There is a bright side to this. National wasted 100 million of HNZ money.
The loser is, bad management does not build homes. Less homes built the more expensive they become.
Chinese 8th most wanted gambled 500 million at Sky City. Yes not a mistake on that number. Nobody worried about the money laundering, apparently at Sky City. He just gave circa 80 million to the justice people and it all went away and he got 4 months home detention in his penthouse in the end.
So funny, not, when you look at Solka’s comments about Maori in prison. Well if you are Asian and rich maybe you get a free pass… this guy might not be rich enough to avoid a jail term though, There needs to be enforcement of good character in the immigration rules, if you go bankrupt and owe 20 million, revoke the residency/citizenship and never allow them to return to NZ, let alone ability to start another business and go bankrupt again while hiding 20 million is cash.
Unfortunately not all these little slanty eyed people we have let into NZ under the National Government are honest like us New Zealanders.
[Yeah. Take your racist tripe elsewhere. Banned for one week] – Bill
You are not seriously going to troll that racist line given the number of Maori in prison?
Just cos the tr0ll uses the name does NOT mean they are tangata whenua. By their actions and words are they known. And the tr0ll above shows what a complete nobody they are.
Yes but apparently hiring an illegal worker for 3.5 years is a $3000 fine and poaching paua is 12 months prison and 3 year ban from fishing and police taking dive gear and sending a fake letter to Fonterra is 8 years in prison, killing 29 miners is a dollar fine from work safe and no criminal prosecution. Me thinks something a bit weird about NZ law and the punishments.
What the fuck has that got to do with our new troll and his racist comment?
@Solka, It was in relation to your comment in relation to Maori in prison and why maybe other races don’t end up there in the same numbers.
Some crimes pay, some don’t. Some criminals pay, some don’t.
And of course some people in prison are not actually guilty.
And some people out of prison are guilty.
Stupid comment, Tamati. Not clever, not amusing. Not interesting.
Here’s something far more worthwhile:
Chinese import
racist prick – demean yourself troll
Yesterday it was Cock suckers. Now it’s little slanty eyed people.
This is the level you are taking the standard too.
I called you out on what you were saying yesterday and will do so again today.
Stop with the homophobic and racist language- the site and commenters deserve better.
Sad comment Tamati.
Chinese horticulturalists bringing these in, have you got a phone number or a web link I am interested in getting hold of some seed ?
You want seed from those you call “little slanty eyed people”.
I fear you are a fool.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104692405/shane-jones-tears-strips-off-fonterra-and-says-the-chairman-should-catch-the-next-cab-out-of-town
So Shane Jones is now basically the Minister for Distraction
Jones is only saying what should have been said long ago IMO. Fonterra has blown enormous sums on business debacles and they have not received the brickbats they deserve.
“Fonterra half year loss of $348m after Beingmate writedown of $405m ”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/100780871/hefty-loss-expected-by-fonterras-chinese-investment-partner-beingmate
Add to that a few hundred $million lost on the Sanlu melamine scandal and $178million awarded to Danone over the botulism scare. They’re not exactly captains of industry are they (paid like it though).
He’s running decoy to take the heat off crim-hugger Kelvin Davis.
Kelvin who? Never heard of the guy, what does he do?
I’m not sure what he does.
I know what he doesn’t do of course.
He clearly doesn’t read any of his papers. When they announced the new prison yesterday he obviously didn’t realise that two thirds of the prisoners were going to be sharing cells. Have a look at him on the TV news and you will see that it was a total surprise to him.
This from a man who before the election attacked any mention of double bunking.
Somehow he also seems to think he is going to save money when he replaces a $1,000 million plan to take the prison up to a 3,000 inmate facility with a $750 million proposal that will provide for a total of 500 people.
Somehow I don’t think he learnt simple arithmetic when he was at school.
Here he is!
https://memegenerator.net/instance/66567767/wheres-waldo-wheres-kelvin
You reckon he’s trying to save money wally? You’re a card and no mistake.
What the hell is a crim
hugger. Never saw him giving Key a hug.
Oh look another regular little “Hate In”.
As always; devoid of facts, high on its ideology, and rank in smell.
+111
The RWNJs must be terrified.
Only to those who want to be distracted and want to label him thus. Maybe there’s a club. Maybe you could join.
I see the Greens are claiming their Minister was only following the law over the water bottling land sale decision.
The law states Ministers must consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand.
Would you class 60 new jobs over 4 years to be a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Would you class export revenue that will largely return to the offshore owners a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Would you class capital investment to upgrade and expand the existing bottling plant that will be used to increase their water take, thus return (which will largely head offshore) a substantial benefit to NZ? I don’t.
Therefore, there were/are good grounds for Eugenie Sage to argue there are no real substantial benefits to NZ from this sensitive land sale.
Did she argue these points in case or did she just rollover?
She looked at the law as it is and did what she had to do as a minister. It is not up to dickhead trolls to decide what the law is but rather the Courts. It would have been a huge waste of time and money to decline this and then have the Court overturn the decision under judicial review.
But of course you know that. You really are a crap troll.
I wasn’t attempting to decide what the law is. I was highlighting there are/were good grounds for her to make a case against granting this decision. But it seems she just rolled-over.
And speaking of crap trolls, I see you’re the one on the troll list.
There maybe good reasons but if she did the case would go to court and she’d lose (because of the law) and it’d be a massive waste of money
“And speaking of crap trolls, I see you’re the one on the troll list.”
Probably not a good idea to champion someone that says:
“Unfortunately not all these little slanty eyed people we have let into NZ under the National Government are honest like us New Zealanders.”
The case would only go to court if the owners disagreed with the ruling. Then it would be up to the court to decide. And as highlighted, there are grounds for this to be argued.
I wasn’t champion anybody, merely highlighting the audacity of solkta calling me a crap troll when they’re the one talking crap and are on the troll list.
From the redoubtable Robert Guytons post:
NoRightTurn adds (or more likely began the conversation) :
“ The harsh reality of government
Yesterday Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage granted a consent under the Overseas Investment Act for a Chinese water bottling company to buy land near Whakatane, effectively allowing them to suck the Otakiri Springs dry for foreign profit. Green Party members are naturally upset because the consent flies in the face of local Treaty claims and is contrary to party policies aimed at ending foreign water-theft, or at least charging a fair resource rental for it. Unfortunately here they’re up against the harsh reality of government – namely that being in government doesn’t mean you get to do what you want. Our Ministers are not despots, and have to obey the law – and the law on granting foreign companies consent to purchase sensitive land is very specific and doesn’t let the Minister refuse consent just because her party wants her to. And because the law does not include a Treaty clause (or any respect for Maori rights), she couldn’t refuse on those grounds either. Basically, Sage had no choice but to grant the consent – and if she had refused it, the decision would likely have been overturned by judicial review.”
“I wasn’t champion anybody, merely highlighting the audacity of solkta calling me a crap troll when they’re the one talking crap and are on the troll list.”
What troll list? Do you mean a list made by someone that just called asians slanty eyed? Thats the person you’ve decided is a good judge of who is or isn’t a troll?
Bit slow today, Puck?
While she couldn’t have refused on the two grounds NoRightTurn highlighted, she could have made a case on the grounds I highlighted. Yet, it seems she didn’t even try.
“Thats the person you’ve decided is a good judge of who is or isn’t a troll?”
I made no reference to their judgment.
“Yet, it seems she didn’t even try.”
She didn’t try because it would be a waste of money because the grounds you highlighted mean nothing when it comes to application of the law
“I made no reference to their judgment.”
You just said “And speaking of crap trolls, I see you’re the one on the troll list.” how is that not accepting their judgement
The grounds I highlighted are what she had to consider under the law.
“How is that not accepting their judgement”
It was merely stating a fact. They’re on the list.
I must congratulate you, I wasn’t sure if you were really dumb or being a good troll
Well done
The decision is not made by Sage, it was made by Land Information (OIO).
There are only limited grounds to decline Land informations decision.
Heres what she could do, which is more than NRT suggests.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2005/0082/27.0/DLM356881.html
“The decision is not made by Sage”
Yes it was. But not her alone.
The decision was made with the associate finance minister, based on advice from the Overseas Investment Office.
Under the law the Ministers must consider “substantial and identifiable” benefits to New Zealand. I highlighted grounds that would have allowed to argue for declining the decision.
I was highlighting there are/were good grounds for her to make a case against granting this decision
That’s you right there saying what the law is. Could you give some examples of precedents where similar applications have been denied?
“That’s you right there saying what the law is.”
No. It was me highlighting there are/were good grounds for her to make a case against granting this decision.
And offhand, I have no other examples that set a precedent, which isn’t required for the case in point to be argued. Moreover, arguing for and against is within her roll to do so as a deciding Minister.
And I’m sure other Green supporters would have expected her to do so. Seems she is just another pushover, using the law as an excuse. Causing a lot of discontent among Green supporters. Which won’t help improve their polling.
Precedent is one of the things that the Court would consider. The law as it is has been there for a long time and has been interpreted in a certain way but then along comes a Green minister and makes the decision on party policy rather than the law. I would think it would be a straightforward case.
Based on the law and the precedents set there were not good grounds for declining this application.
I’m not saying a precedent wouldn’t be helpful, However, it’s not required to argue the case.
Moreover, the argument isn’t based on party policy, it’s based on the so-called benefits (which aren’t really benefits IMO).
The law is subjective thus can be challenged. And as you can see, there are grounds there (as I highlighted above).
And where is the precedent set that you are claiming?
I don’t see any grounds at all. 60 jobs is significant in that part of he country.
The precedents are every decision that has been made by every minister since the law was passed.
More details of jobs needed. AKA salaries are they 8 million like Fonterra or $18 p/h? How do you enforce that over time?
Will we come back in a few years and find they are all jobs for Chinese and at low enough rates so they all qualify for generous benefits like WFF, AS and free health care… cos if that is the case and you do the cost benefit analysis then not only does the company get to strip our water for next to nothing, they make the taxpayers pay a substantial part of the workers welfare as well…and then there is the pollution aspects…
Even if all the new jobs were paid at $100k then they would still not be enough benefits to justify it. 40 jobs is not many. And apparently we need 90,000+ workers in last year and still industry braying for more (under $20 p/h workers of course are the favourites)
If you were unemployed and living in that area you might then consider those jobs significant.
@Solka, “If you were unemployed and living in that area you might then consider those jobs significant.”
The weird thing is, that we have our immigration policy that seems to ignore the unemployed when they grant 90,000 people work permits for things like pumping petrol or working in a cafe or liquor store or buying up property or small businesses but then under the OIA a few paltry jobs of 60 means a sell out of public environmental assets to the private sector…
There seems to be no end of ministries of xxxx being set up, latest one is housing, but apparently no interest in going beyond that and maybe setting up our own companies and employing our own unemployed and locals to harvest our own assets. Maybe government too lazy to actually get something off a piece of paper and into a practical realm?
Foreign workers are a different issue. What we are talking about here is an OIA application. Not a lot of work in that part of the country.
60 jobs over 4 years isn’t substantial. 81 jobs in the region (within 25km) were listed over the past month alone.
Every decision previously made isn’t a precedent for this particular ruling. If they were, there would be nothing for the Minister to decide.
OK, enough feeding you for today.
What do you reckon they need the extra land for chairy? They keeping the water in a lake or sutin?
Someone has to be first to set the precedent Solka!
I seem to remember even the Natz managed to prevent one of the Crafer farms maybe? being sold offshore using OIA.
+1 The Chairman
+1. Surprisingly I agree with The Chairman. 60 maybe jobs is not significant. 2-300+ maybe.
The relevant legislation is a bad law (which needs to be changed) but it appears to have been badly applied in this case.
solka;
That was out of order;
Clean your diatribe up please.
Civility please; – you said “dickhead trolls” abusive language.
You don’t like “dickhead trolls” being used and fair enough but just out of curiosity what do you think of the following sentence:
“Unfortunately not all these little slanty eyed people we have let into NZ under the National Government are honest like us New Zealanders.”
Picked up on and dealt with off the back of reading your comment.
Looks like irony to me puckers, given the fairly blatant dishonesty of ‘us New Zealanders’. If Tomato is also fdom the Depublik off Soth Efdikka, t’s either even more or slightly less ironic.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12070140
In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan, Davis revealed the Corrections Department had contingencies in place if numbers continued to grow.
“They are not pretty plans.”
“Corrections is looking at options and talking about what we need to do. They could be mattresses on floors and things like that.”
This is getting beyond a joke, could you imagine the outrage from the left if National suggested anything like this?
Maybe instead of building a prison thats too small they could have built a prison big enough that prisoners don’t have to, potentially, lie on the ground
Its only been six months but the COL should heed these words:
”You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. In the name of God, go!’
Do you think he approves of the mattresses on floor brainwave puckers? It seems more like a Davy Carrot piece of inspiration.
This is the guy that went all on National when he was in opposition (and fair enough its his job) yet know hes in charge and you’ve prison officers to scared to go to work in corrections prisons and now potential talk of mattresses on floors, all because they just want to oppose National
Its not good enough, Kelvin Davis isn’t good enough, Labour isn’t good enough, this whole government simply isn’t good enough
I think you are being a bit too harsh. Once the baby is here, it will be the best government ever!
The sad thing is this is probably going to be the centre point of their election campaign, the kid will be a toddler or some such
You’re suggesting prison guards weren’t being assaulted under the preversnashnlgummnt are you puckers?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/104439499/dozens-of-auckland-prison-guards-call-in-sick-after-organised-violence-from-gang-member-inmates
Maybe someone can help me out and see if this has happened, to this extent, before
I think Kelvin Davis should heed his own words and resign
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11485174
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/politics/davis-calls-corrections-minister-sam-lotu-iigas-resignation
Sorry my mistake, its only a problem that needs to be looked at when Serco are involved
Did a social experiment today dressed in older wrinkled up lint coated clothing and $10 warehouse shoes like I was fresh outta the poor shop.
Was in a gardening store, all the canna lillies were dying from pythium. I pointed to a product on the shelf he could use to save them. He looked at me like pond scum. Nope I aint, but I study it. Free advice from a trained plant pathologist – no thanks I’m a businessman!
Took my business elsewhere.
That man wants a sports car from his business, not happy clientele. You can tell them by the way they judge your shoes.
In a cafe got treated like royalty. Cosy Cafe Onehunga, great service and food, thank you.
Went to get a car quote for shocks. The quotes ranged from $470 to $1100. One store I think quoted so high just to make me go away. “*** ****, you’ve come to the wrong place”.
All in all a very interesting morning. There is prejudice against the poor, or possibly bad clothing, even in Onehunga.
@DB. Good to see others doing similar experiments.
You should go back sometime wearing your best tweeds.
Have worn an expensive suit into town a few times and it opened doors… doors to conversations I never wanted. Want to find sickening racism and sexism in NZ, put on a suit and go talk to other suits.
Bloody moths ate that suit. They didn’t eat the cheap clothing, oh no, these moths are from Westmere.
We’re all snobs round here.
They were his best tweeds.
Now stop teasing the poor chap. Not everybody here can afford to get their clothes tailormade in Saville Row the way you do.
Reminds me of the story I heard when doing a business course.
Farmer walks into a car lot dressed in black shorts, black singlet and gumboots and starts looking Jaguars. The salesman approached and encouraged him to leave.
A short time later he sees the same guy driving up the road in a Jaguar from his competitor. Concerned he races over to his competitor and asks why he was letting that poor bum test drive the Jag.
The competitor looks at him strangely and then says “He’s not test driving it. He bought it. The only reason it took so long was that he had to go to the bank to get the cheque.
Ironically, with regards to your comment: I was in the garden store scoping for a plant supplier in the area as friends (and maybe even myself) are going into a permaculture landscaping business.
He potentially lost a lot of trade. I’ll not deal with or recommend him, but there I was scanning the place.
Business folk need to learn this lesson all right. I’m glad you had it pointed out in your course.
“A man’s character is most evident by how he treats those who are not in a position either to retaliate or reciprocate.”
Couldn’t find the original quote, but your anecdote brings to mind this idea.
As a somewhat sartorially challenged individual, I often have the same experience. It is an interesting experiment, and worth realising how this translates to different treatment for aspects that can’t be “spruced up” – like gender and race. The constancy of differing treatment in those cases must be wearying.
Mind you, those that don’t seem to notice any issue, usually turn out to be very grounded and worthwhile individuals to know.
Had a fairly similar experience in my yoof in the early 80s.
My best mate’s family had a small but lucrative contracting business, and the dad was full-on hands-on with the work alongside everybody else. Now and then they’d employ me to help out. At the end of one long hard hot dirty day which was plainly apparent in our appearance and smell, on the way home we stopped at the new car dealer, and the dad said “just got to pick up something, you boys may as well come in too”.
So we stroll in, and get a definitely hostile reaction from the new young sales weasel, and I’m starting to feel really out of place. The big cheese manager sees us and disappears out the back at speed. Then the big double doors open and a brand new Range Rover comes through. The big cheese hops out, and says to the dad “Thanks for your business and we look forward to helping with your next purchase”. As we pile in we just caught the start of the big cheese’s lecture for the new young fella.
I felt a little bit sorry for the young fella when the dad later said it had been a setup. But not much.
I wonder if the Tories hold up “We hate Jeremy, too” signs directed at the Labour MPs…
“Jeremy Corbyn urged his MPs to abstain but 75 voted for and 15 against, while six quit their frontbench roles.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-44474661
Well, the UK membership know who not to support into being candidates next election.
Warning to Parliamentary cleaners:
BE CAREFUL , MORE TOYS ON THE FLOOR TODAY
This is beautiful. Jones eviscerates…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POR63kzrPk0
How does one eviscerate someone as gutless as Paul Goldsmith?
🙂
Nice that Shane’s found another venue apart from hotel rooms to pleasure himself on the public coin.
Well, with the oversight of Minister Sage, the OIO have done the right thing and gained a bit of Waiheke Island back into New Zealand hands:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104685875/waiheke-airfield-back-in-kiwi-hands-after-controversial-forced-sale-to-foreign-buyers
Gotta catch them doing good 🙂
Good morning The AM Show I warned our new Mp David Clarke to watch out for the setups that situation could have easily been choreography to Duncan. nothing. My questions are why this health board person did not come out to the media and whisle about the shocking condition of our hospital this is clearly another set off blue arrows from the cheats national nobody else is allowed to behave like the national cheats or wants to behave like them no morels.
Eco Maori knows why Robbie Williams flipped the Bird . That’s was a good start to the Russian Football World Cup.
Good story Duncan about people being trafficked/ smuggling it took 2 years for the dairy farmers to change there attitudes to Kiwi workers Slaves is whom national pitted Kiwi workers futures against a totally unfair contest hence I’m working a – – – – job at minute one point is I have not seen heaps of Chinese people on farms???????.
There you go the Aotearoa image might not live up to the advirts but what does. I still say we have to clean up our environmental ACT but our environment is heaps better than some.
I did say that all we need to do is to advise around the world not just the western world the whole world about our Premium quality food products and the wealth will flow its not rocket science. Some People if they can’t find there country of origin food products than they prefer New Zealand food products.???? In the year 1800
The settlers could not understand the Maori consepet of food being Tapu I get it you are what you Eat and could have bad side effects if the food is not healthy and safe.
Good morning W
Ingred weres Amanda.
Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys don’t think I see there supermarkets moves try again ECO MAORI see it all just to much to mention. – – – – – –
The AM Show Are you going to say that national has acted efficly for the last 9 years look at the mess in Aotearoa at the minute Priminster does not do stupid things you know what I mean.
Ka kite ano