The NZ Herald use the word "Downfall" of Poto. But I guess in your view the NZH is a hard right wing publication.
It was only a week ago that Jacinda said she had full confidence in Poto but I guess a week is a long time in politics. I agree with your comment "Williams was wrong for Police and Ardern has corrected that." I guess Jacinda has to wear that error of judgement appointing her in the first place, but she took an awful long time to correct that, and has now been forced to act due to public pressure and probably internal polling.
Over the previous weeks there were plenty of Labour supporters here who defended Williams a whole lot more than Ardern did yesterday. For them, such love is blind.
I don't particularly like Ardern granted, but TBH Labour is always going to lose a Law and Order debate no matter what they do.
Ardern has renewed with 18 months to get the game back for a 3rd term.
"Over the previous weeks there were plenty of Labour supporters here who defended Williams"
That is a bit like going to an AA meeting and asking "Do any of you like beer?"
People on the Standard will of course defend any Labour or Green MP (and knock any Nats) no matter what they do. Remember when David Clark broke his own party's lockdown rules and went mountain biking, it was all fine according to people on here. Imagine if it had been a National MP that went biking!
Poto Williams is a fantastic caring and kind person with a huge background with helping the misfortune downtrodden and abused and vulnerable, she was the wrong person for police (and frankly Mahuta is a terrible pic for Mahuta but Mahutas faction is too powerful to reshuffle her)
Poto will do an incredible job in her new portfolios. Things she is strong and confident in, police was always a bizarre and strange pick for Poto but if you're offered a cabinet position you take it.
Call it a demotion call it whatever you want but she's still a minister, she's still in an extremely safe seat and will do a very good job with disabilities.
Trevor, compared to Carter as speaker, did a great job. Carter was probably the worst speaker in my lifetime (quite a long time!)
Poto did a great job of supporting the police. Not much will change under Hipkins because strong foundations have been laid by Poto and Labour. He just might be able to answer bully boy Mercenary Mitchell's attacks on the police a little better than Williams (though I think she did a good job of that too).
A few months back I said if I was advising the PM, I would be telling her to move off shore once her tenure in politics was over.
Fast forward, and Newshub reports threats against the PM have trebled. It's interesting to note for those who still believe our media is rightwing, the reasons given for these increased threats:
''The official information shows anti-vaccination sentiment was a driving force. Opposition to the Government's firearms crackdown post-March 15 was another factor.''
Understandable, especially watching well looked after semi-autos being destroyed by dint of a liberal governments ultimate political wet dream.
''Police said it was not possible to determine the motivation for many of the threats because they were simply "offensive, obscene or threatening words directed at the PM".
Yeah, it's possible to determine another cause for a solid core of threats against the PM. Of course that would be hard for liberal media to report because it may be considered offensive?
Flash back over a decade ago. Banskie was at his best. He had just received a threat on air from a Maori bro who told Banksie to keep his opinions about Maori to himself, or he would come up to Auckland and ''do Banksie, himself.'' ( Banks was proud to have his own case manager at the racist Race Relations Office.)
Banks then spoke about the many threats he had received as a politician. He said he ignored most of them because most people who really wish you harm don't rant and rave – they just get on with the job as one person had tried to do.
So when it comes to the PM, I doubt there's any conspiracy to ''get her'' once she no longer has diplomatic protection. More likely she will be walking to the dairy one day, when Bob Kiwi who is sitting in his car rolling a smoke happens to glance up and sees the woman responsible for not allowing him to hold the hand of his beloved grandma as passed away with no one by her side. The woman who'd brought Bob up. The person he loved the most. His mind goes blank as he exits the car.
Here's the problem. There are many Bobs up and down the length of our once great land. These people don't detest the PM. They don't dislike her. They hate her with a vengeance.
You should think before you post. You just reinforce the stereotype of the nasty Leftie. In your case brainless halfwit at that. Talking of nasty things. Check out this legacy.
"I don't comment on people's private lives and certainly when Trevor Mallard and David Benson-Pope made their allegations in Parliament about Dr Brash's private life they crossed the line," Mrs Collins said on National Radio today.”
You don't see your own hypocrisy Blade? You should follow your own advice and think before you post. You are coming across just like what you are accusing others of being.
That's quite an unhinged, rather threatening rant.
Why should the PM "move off shore once her tenure in politics was over'? I note John key and Paula Bennett, who were quite despised by many still live in NZ. Why should the PM leave NZ? it's her home.
Sounds like the Bob you are describing is yourself Blade, you're the one that hates the PM with a vengeance.
''That's quite an unhinged, rather threatening rant.''
No it's not. That's what you want it to be. That is my honest opinion. You didn't need to abuse. Or did you?
''Why should the PM "move off shore once her tenure in politics was over'? ''
Well, believe it of not, the answer to that is in my post.
''I note John key and Paula Bennett, who were quite despised by many still live in NZ. Why should the PM leave NZ? it's her home.''
''Quite true, and of course, Jacinda does not have to leave NZ. My post said… if I was advising her. John Key and Paula Bennett are not in the same dislike club as Jacinda, simply because Jacinda has had to make decisions that have pissed way more people off – whether rightly or wrongly.''
''Sounds like the Bob you are describing is yourself Blade, you're the one that hates the PM with a vengeance.''
I am neutral regarding the PM – she does nothing for me, or against me. In fact I have praised her on occasions. Not that that would interest you with your cheap point scoring.
"Cheap point scoring" That's what you're doing. Your opinion was abusive and threatening, you don't need to be like that but neither are you neutral either when it comes to the PM and her govt, quite the opposite in fact. Key and Bennett did indeed piss off a hell of a lot of people and the anti Jacinda brigade appear to be a minority, albeit loud and fodder for media clickbait. btw, unlike John key, it's not in Jacinda's DNA to do a runner when times get tough. NZ couldn't have a better leader than Ardern, particularly during these global crises.
No need. I have written time and again there is no one better than Jacinda for fronting a crisis. She is the best of all times. I have written she has bewitched the global community(not all though) with her special brand of Jacinda fairy dust.
Stu.. you are asleep at the wheel. Stay awake and I will learn you.
You need to establish that you are not merely a toxic turkey begging for the axe by showing that some tiny proportion of your sad contributions are based in fact.
You are a dull Blade, but the habit of validating your assertions will (eventually) grind away that superficial dross and scale, until you are no longer a blunt instrument.
I noticed that too. Rather than stop threats of violence against public figures, that she should move. Thankfully she has other advisors.
Or we could treat threats of violence in public life with the severity it deserves and act sharply against extremism. Those who deliberately spread untrue statements about government actions and create all kinds of trouble.
On Groundswell I guess we have to wait until a significant number of farms are rendered uneconomic by flooding and so on and even then perhaps we won’t see any kind of teal/green realization like Aussie.
This is the reality of transition surgery for some. It’s also why so many people are against affirmation of gender identity in children, because once they get to puberty the paths to this kind of surgery is often uncritically offered.
Tullip is a British man in his thirties who was so distressed he couldn’t give informed consent. His doctors certainly didn’t seek it. He had radical transition surgery on the NHS and is left permanently disabled in multiple ways. This is both medical negligence (I would guess much worse than negligence, there’s the sense of experimentation), but also part of a medical scandal that few will talk about but affects many.
The politics of this are that large chunks of the left had supported No Debate (the political position that no one should be allowed to criticises any trans issues), and cancel culture to the point that people are afraid to speak out for fear of losing the jobs and careers. Hence we don’t know what is happening, good research isn’t being done, and we are passing bad laws.
Tulip did a good interview last week on Transition Radio Show's Youtube channel. They also interviewed Shapeshifter a couple of weeks ago, another MtF transitioner talking openly about their medical interventions.
The backstory and timeline of Transition Radio show is interesting to look into, as well.
Scrolling through the replies leads to this contribution from the outstanding UnHerd platform.
Is it a result of the 'baby led' trend that has contributed to this crop of tantrum throwing snowflakes that demand their every wish be not only fulfilled, but accepted and embraced without question by all?
Time for the grown ups to put aside the 'cringe' from their own youthful struggles and step up and be actual parents.
I was talking to a friend recently about a mutual friend whose daughter has said she is a boy, and so her mum bought her a chest binder, and I said how sad I found that. My friend was shocked by my sadness.
“But what would you do if your daughter wanted one?” she asked.
“I’d ask her what she thought she could do as a boy that she can’t do as a girl, and I’d ask if she wanted to be a boy, or did she want to be different person,” I said.
“But it’s the daughter’s choice,” my friend said.
“It would be her choice if she wanted to self-harm. But I wouldn’t buy her the razor,” I replied.
I'm a bit worried about David, he appears to be the only ACT rep allowed to talk to the media. They don't care about his mental health and will work him delusional if he can't delegate. Could ACT find a representative to cover him while he takes a break?
Surely this lack of sharpness says a lot about why hes considered too Socialist in some circles.
Especially with your increased risk of substantive capital loss,on investment watch the capital gains of the last 2 years contract to their real price of around 5 median incomes to median price.
US mortgage rates just crashed through to 6.13%,and the bloody monday event on wall street saw a 4% wack on your super fund.
The substantive rates increases coming for AK will be a problem going forward with the debt blowout heading to 20b by 2027.(excluding the cost blowouts and uncosted changes to infrastructure for the light rail lemon.
Treasury stated in the budget update that ownership had yet to be determined for light rail.The cost of land and infrastructure realignment has not been determined or costed into the project,and is expected to double the cost.
Look at the cost of the blowouts on cycleways alone,all funded on increased debt.
Yes that's Treasury keeping the back door open for a PPP + 'targeted rates'. Whether they went through with a targeted rate, it's not determined if Ak Council would collect it, but I very much doubt they will.
Minister Robertson was clearer, saying: "the Government will fund the "lion's share" of the $15b project and look at other options, including "value uplift" – a charge on businesses and developments that benefit from the project – and some kind of targeted rate."
In the major projects industry we are generally viewing light rail is dead, unless Labour get back for a third term.
My general view of cycleway cost blowouts is simply: every single major transport project is about to blow out. Nothing we can do except kill projects if we want to stay in budget.
the full cost is 25B as neither land or moving of infrastructure and services has been costed in,treasury warning also stated interest costs and forex costs not fully included.
The $$ for ones on the starting line like PenLink, AMETI to Botany, Riverlink, 2nd Harbour Crossing, Downtown Wellington, and the next tranche of Ak trains … I would watch them closely as they are going to blow sky high.
In the US and Europe construction materials such as rebar and lumber have fallen off peaks,the latter in the US coming back 55% in 3 months as new inventory stalls in the housing market.
The RBNZ review into housing determined the NZ housing and construction sectors were operating at 133% of capacity and it needed to contract to sustainable levels to constrain build inflation.
The OECD suggested pausing large infrastructure,to constrain both deflation and forward debt risk.
House prices will fall,thats a given as the central banks QT and ratchet interest mechanisms start to rotate both buyers and sellers to the new reality.
Well the sandflys are still breaking into my whare at will trying to set me up to crashs everyday i go to work next minute national are waving the flag
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
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This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
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Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
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Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
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TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
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Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
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As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
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TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
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This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
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Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
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The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
With Poto Williams being demoted and Trevor Mallard going, that's National's two best assets gone which should strengthen Labour.
Cabinet reshuffle: Chris Hipkins new Police Minister as PM says Poto Williams 'lost focus' – NZ Herald
In my world Conservation is a promotion.
Spot on, Ad. Conservation is a very important portfolio!
You really should do stand up comedy (or spin for Labour. So in your view Poto has been promoted!)………that's gold!
Moved to Disabilities and Conservation where Jacinda hopes even Poto cant fuck those up!
Conservation is the primary Ministry within which our colonial sins are now washed clean. Sure ain't in Office of Treaty Settlements.
Check out the depth of partnership through all the national parks that we have with iwi.
Check out also Minister Williams' depth of background in disability issues.
Williams was wrong for Police and Ardern has corrected that.
The NZ Herald use the word "Downfall" of Poto. But I guess in your view the NZH is a hard right wing publication.
It was only a week ago that Jacinda said she had full confidence in Poto but I guess a week is a long time in politics. I agree with your comment "Williams was wrong for Police and Ardern has corrected that." I guess Jacinda has to wear that error of judgement appointing her in the first place, but she took an awful long time to correct that, and has now been forced to act due to public pressure and probably internal polling.
Over the previous weeks there were plenty of Labour supporters here who defended Williams a whole lot more than Ardern did yesterday. For them, such love is blind.
I don't particularly like Ardern granted, but TBH Labour is always going to lose a Law and Order debate no matter what they do.
Ardern has renewed with 18 months to get the game back for a 3rd term.
"Over the previous weeks there were plenty of Labour supporters here who defended Williams"
That is a bit like going to an AA meeting and asking "Do any of you like beer?"
People on the Standard will of course defend any Labour or Green MP (and knock any Nats) no matter what they do. Remember when David Clark broke his own party's lockdown rules and went mountain biking, it was all fine according to people on here. Imagine if it had been a National MP that went biking!
Poto Williams is a fantastic caring and kind person with a huge background with helping the misfortune downtrodden and abused and vulnerable, she was the wrong person for police (and frankly Mahuta is a terrible pic for Mahuta but Mahutas faction is too powerful to reshuffle her)
Poto will do an incredible job in her new portfolios. Things she is strong and confident in, police was always a bizarre and strange pick for Poto but if you're offered a cabinet position you take it.
Call it a demotion call it whatever you want but she's still a minister, she's still in an extremely safe seat and will do a very good job with disabilities.
plus 1 Ad, Conservation is massive, the fact RWs don't get that is rather showing IMO.
But weren’t Trevor and Poto doing a great job? And just the other day Kris Faafoi said he loved Parliament and wasn’t going anywhere.
Trevor, compared to Carter as speaker, did a great job. Carter was probably the worst speaker in my lifetime (quite a long time!)
Poto did a great job of supporting the police. Not much will change under Hipkins because strong foundations have been laid by Poto and Labour. He just might be able to answer bully boy Mercenary Mitchell's attacks on the police a little better than Williams (though I think she did a good job of that too).
Chris Trotter invokes the ghost of Muldoon.
https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-recession-new-zealand-has-to-have.html
Fuck he just moans.
He's incapable of admitting that this is the most interventionist social democratic government we've had since Kirk.
That is hard to argue against.
Intervention is not automatically a bad thing.
Chris Trotter spends his whole life living in 1982.
And complaining that the Labour Party don't invite him to sing at their Conferences any more.
He's done very well out of being a 'lefty' for the media to use as 'balance' like pagani etc.
Nice work If you can get it.
Agreed Sanc….that's why he hates the Greens. But he can write superbly at times
Hmmm…8 comments and not one addressed the theme of the article….no surprises there.
Mens Health..a sad indictment. And its this week !
A few months back I said if I was advising the PM, I would be telling her to move off shore once her tenure in politics was over.
Fast forward, and Newshub reports threats against the PM have trebled. It's interesting to note for those who still believe our media is rightwing, the reasons given for these increased threats:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/threats-against-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-involving-police-almost-triple-in-three-years.html
Quote:
''The official information shows anti-vaccination sentiment was a driving force. Opposition to the Government's firearms crackdown post-March 15 was another factor.''
Understandable, especially watching well looked after semi-autos being destroyed by dint of a liberal governments ultimate political wet dream.
''Police said it was not possible to determine the motivation for many of the threats because they were simply "offensive, obscene or threatening words directed at the PM".
Yeah, it's possible to determine another cause for a solid core of threats against the PM. Of course that would be hard for liberal media to report because it may be considered offensive?
Flash back over a decade ago. Banskie was at his best. He had just received a threat on air from a Maori bro who told Banksie to keep his opinions about Maori to himself, or he would come up to Auckland and ''do Banksie, himself.'' ( Banks was proud to have his own case manager at the racist Race Relations Office.)
Banks then spoke about the many threats he had received as a politician. He said he ignored most of them because most people who really wish you harm don't rant and rave – they just get on with the job as one person had tried to do.
So when it comes to the PM, I doubt there's any conspiracy to ''get her'' once she no longer has diplomatic protection. More likely she will be walking to the dairy one day, when Bob Kiwi who is sitting in his car rolling a smoke happens to glance up and sees the woman responsible for not allowing him to hold the hand of his beloved grandma as passed away with no one by her side. The woman who'd brought Bob up. The person he loved the most. His mind goes blank as he exits the car.
Here's the problem. There are many Bobs up and down the length of our once great land. These people don't detest the PM. They don't dislike her. They hate her with a vengeance.
Are you always an idiot, or do you work on it for this site?
You should think before you post. You just reinforce the stereotype of the nasty Leftie. In your case brainless halfwit at that. Talking of nasty things. Check out this legacy.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/trevor-mallard-retires-a-look-back-at-the-long-time-mp-s-career-in-parliament.html
Yep saw that on TV3 last night. Scalping rugby tickets to students ….how low can you go.
In terms of "lowness" that wouldn't even leave a mark
To be fair he probably needed the cash, MPs aren't well remunerated for their efforts![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png?x42494)
Terrible stuff, Jimmy. I think he went lower though.
Talking of nasty things = Talking of affairs.
Remember this? I would like to say plenty more about the character of the Left. But Sanctuary above and below has obliged me.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labours-questioning-of-brash-a-disgrace/MK5GPXOIUJONA2A2PF2B75XKJM/
Quote:
"I don't comment on people's private lives and certainly when Trevor Mallard and David Benson-Pope made their allegations in Parliament about Dr Brash's private life they crossed the line," Mrs Collins said on National Radio today.”
That's a wicked tag-team.
What a snowflake.
You don't see your own hypocrisy Blade? You should follow your own advice and think before you post. You are coming across just like what you are accusing others of being.
The first of your 2 options, Sanctuary!
LOL, I think the PM is a child ,in mind only.She hasnt any depth,she shall be remembered by many for what she has forced on NZ,hers to deal with.
bobnaki lol You show such depth of perception sarc.
I bet she can manage basic grammar and punctuation though.
The last 5 years proves your opinion wrong bobnaki
That's quite an unhinged, rather threatening rant.
Why should the PM "move off shore once her tenure in politics was over'? I note John key and Paula Bennett, who were quite despised by many still live in NZ. Why should the PM leave NZ? it's her home.
Sounds like the Bob you are describing is yourself Blade, you're the one that hates the PM with a vengeance.
''That's quite an unhinged, rather threatening rant.''
No it's not. That's what you want it to be. That is my honest opinion. You didn't need to abuse. Or did you?
''Why should the PM "move off shore once her tenure in politics was over'? ''
Well, believe it of not, the answer to that is in my post.
''I note John key and Paula Bennett, who were quite despised by many still live in NZ. Why should the PM leave NZ? it's her home.''
''Quite true, and of course, Jacinda does not have to leave NZ. My post said… if I was advising her. John Key and Paula Bennett are not in the same dislike club as Jacinda, simply because Jacinda has had to make decisions that have pissed way more people off – whether rightly or wrongly.''
''Sounds like the Bob you are describing is yourself Blade, you're the one that hates the PM with a vengeance.''
I am neutral regarding the PM – she does nothing for me, or against me. In fact I have praised her on occasions. Not that that would interest you with your cheap point scoring.
"Cheap point scoring" That's what you're doing. Your opinion was abusive and threatening, you don't need to be like that but neither are you neutral either when it comes to the PM and her govt, quite the opposite in fact. Key and Bennett did indeed piss off a hell of a lot of people and the anti Jacinda brigade appear to be a minority, albeit loud and fodder for media clickbait. btw, unlike John key, it's not in Jacinda's DNA to do a runner when times get tough. NZ couldn't have a better leader than Ardern, particularly during these global crises.
In fact I have praised her on occasions.
Citation required.
No need. I have written time and again there is no one better than Jacinda for fronting a crisis. She is the best of all times. I have written she has bewitched the global community(not all though) with her special brand of Jacinda fairy dust.
Stu.. you are asleep at the wheel. Stay awake and I will learn you.
I'm afraid there is every need, Blade.
You need to establish that you are not merely a toxic turkey begging for the axe by showing that some tiny proportion of your sad contributions are based in fact.
You are a dull Blade, but the habit of validating your assertions will (eventually) grind away that superficial dross and scale, until you are no longer a blunt instrument.
I noticed that too. Rather than stop threats of violence against public figures, that she should move. Thankfully she has other advisors.
Or we could treat threats of violence in public life with the severity it deserves and act sharply against extremism. Those who deliberately spread untrue statements about government actions and create all kinds of trouble.
Spin-off report on online mischief at the protests
On Groundswell I guess we have to wait until a significant number of farms are rendered uneconomic by flooding and so on and even then perhaps we won’t see any kind of teal/green realization like Aussie.
+1 newsense
This is the reality of transition surgery for some. It’s also why so many people are against affirmation of gender identity in children, because once they get to puberty the paths to this kind of surgery is often uncritically offered.
Tullip is a British man in his thirties who was so distressed he couldn’t give informed consent. His doctors certainly didn’t seek it. He had radical transition surgery on the NHS and is left permanently disabled in multiple ways. This is both medical negligence (I would guess much worse than negligence, there’s the sense of experimentation), but also part of a medical scandal that few will talk about but affects many.
The politics of this are that large chunks of the left had supported No Debate (the political position that no one should be allowed to criticises any trans issues), and cancel culture to the point that people are afraid to speak out for fear of losing the jobs and careers. Hence we don’t know what is happening, good research isn’t being done, and we are passing bad laws.
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1536454022407655424
Tulip did a good interview last week on Transition Radio Show's Youtube channel. They also interviewed Shapeshifter a couple of weeks ago, another MtF transitioner talking openly about their medical interventions.
The backstory and timeline of Transition Radio show is interesting to look into, as well.
Detrans subreddit now at 33.6K members.
https://youtu.be/qtNVFljdo1E
Scrolling through the replies leads to this contribution from the outstanding UnHerd platform.
Is it a result of the 'baby led' trend that has contributed to this crop of tantrum throwing snowflakes that demand their every wish be not only fulfilled, but accepted and embraced without question by all?
Time for the grown ups to put aside the 'cringe' from their own youthful struggles and step up and be actual parents.
I was talking to a friend recently about a mutual friend whose daughter has said she is a boy, and so her mum bought her a chest binder, and I said how sad I found that. My friend was shocked by my sadness.
“But what would you do if your daughter wanted one?” she asked.
“I’d ask her what she thought she could do as a boy that she can’t do as a girl, and I’d ask if she wanted to be a boy, or did she want to be different person,” I said.
“But it’s the daughter’s choice,” my friend said.
“It would be her choice if she wanted to self-harm. But I wouldn’t buy her the razor,” I replied.
Indeed.
Political blindness 101. This lot should be the last to be pontificating.
Quote:
''But the changes haven't gone over well at the ACT Party, and Seymour said the reshuffle doesn't change the Government's "lack of talent.''
Oh, boy!
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/act-national-decry-cabinet-reshuffle-say-it-won-t-change-government-s-lack-of-delivery.html
I'm a bit worried about David, he appears to be the only ACT rep allowed to talk to the media. They don't care about his mental health and will work him delusional if he can't delegate. Could ACT find a representative to cover him while he takes a break?
Surely this lack of sharpness says a lot about why hes considered too Socialist in some circles.
Stats just released food index inflation came in at 6.8% annual increase,rental index cam in at 3.8% for existing tenancy ,and 5.3% for new tenancy.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-food-price-increase-remains-high-at-6-8-percent/
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/rental-price-indexes-may-2022/
prices will not affect next months ocr review as housing costs are still substantive,and property prices need a good wack.
Yep my fixed term tenancies ending at the end of this year will have prices going up. Got to pay that higher mortgage.
Especially with your increased risk of substantive capital loss,on investment watch the capital gains of the last 2 years contract to their real price of around 5 median incomes to median price.
US mortgage rates just crashed through to 6.13%,and the bloody monday event on wall street saw a 4% wack on your super fund.
My gearing is tiny and the cashflow just needs to stay balanced.
I'm reasonably sanguine on Growth … so far.
The substantive rates increases coming for AK will be a problem going forward with the debt blowout heading to 20b by 2027.(excluding the cost blowouts and uncosted changes to infrastructure for the light rail lemon.
Light rail is on central government's books not local government.
But Auckland Council is on the hook for the cost increases within City Rail Link which are already substantial.
Treasury stated in the budget update that ownership had yet to be determined for light rail.The cost of land and infrastructure realignment has not been determined or costed into the project,and is expected to double the cost.
Look at the cost of the blowouts on cycleways alone,all funded on increased debt.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469068/cycleway-building-programme-faces-delays-deferrals-over-potential-670m-overspend
Yes that's Treasury keeping the back door open for a PPP + 'targeted rates'. Whether they went through with a targeted rate, it's not determined if Ak Council would collect it, but I very much doubt they will.
Minister Robertson was clearer, saying: "the Government will fund the "lion's share" of the $15b project and look at other options, including "value uplift" – a charge on businesses and developments that benefit from the project – and some kind of targeted rate."
Auckland $15b light rail project will largely be paid for by Government and built by 2033, say ministers – NZ Herald
In the major projects industry we are generally viewing light rail is dead, unless Labour get back for a third term.
My general view of cycleway cost blowouts is simply: every single major transport project is about to blow out. Nothing we can do except kill projects if we want to stay in budget.
The QS and Estimating teams are going nuts.
the full cost is 25B as neither land or moving of infrastructure and services has been costed in,treasury warning also stated interest costs and forex costs not fully included.
It's not a project we need to worry about.
The $$ for ones on the starting line like PenLink, AMETI to Botany, Riverlink, 2nd Harbour Crossing, Downtown Wellington, and the next tranche of Ak trains … I would watch them closely as they are going to blow sky high.
In the US and Europe construction materials such as rebar and lumber have fallen off peaks,the latter in the US coming back 55% in 3 months as new inventory stalls in the housing market.
The RBNZ review into housing determined the NZ housing and construction sectors were operating at 133% of capacity and it needed to contract to sustainable levels to constrain build inflation.
The OECD suggested pausing large infrastructure,to constrain both deflation and forward debt risk.
House prices will fall,thats a given as the central banks QT and ratchet interest mechanisms start to rotate both buyers and sellers to the new reality.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/us-canada/300612838/how-to-murder-your-husband-author-jailed-for-murdering-her-husband
For some reason I felt like listening to this song…
Bloody hell. Compton, here comes Aotearoa. It's been reasonably quiet in my neck of the woods recently. Just a couple of bashings and two ram raids.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/taupiri-shooting-man-dropping-his-child-off-at-school-injured-when-gunman-opened-fire/
Blade – you remind me of Marilyn Monroe luxuriating in a bubble-bath. Except for your appearance, of course.
Kia Ora whano
Well the sandflys are still breaking into my whare at will trying to set me up to crashs everyday i go to work next minute national are waving the flag