Must wear a toga, sandals and bring their sword to fight off angry road users. Those under 2000 years old need not apply, we need a person who actually knows how to build roads.
___________________
How did this country fall so far? A modern first world nation and we can no longer even build roads!
Utentur toga, ferro adducam pugnam calceamentorum iratus via users. Quibus sub MM annorum opus non est nobis omnino necessaria est qui scit quid facere viae.
Must wear a gown, iron I will bring the fight of his shoes was angry with the way of the users. To them He is to us absolutely necessary in 2000-year-old is no one who does not know what to do the work of the road.
I worked for Ministry of Works on the Tongariro Power scheme from 1965 to 1972 ,
Then i saw the best road builers anywhere that i have travelled as they had real engineers and scores of history of building roads.
So yes we have lost so much of what we were so good at for sure, now that everything is ‘Privatised’ the quality of roads have gone from bad to worse’ every blooody week we travel the roads today.
Government is now learning the hard way that the roads are not built for 60 plus tonne trucks.
“you cant get blood out of a stone”
Here is the problem.
We live in rural Gisborne now 70kms north of Gisborne on the Raukamaras mountian 1650 ft above sea level.behind Murupara on the other side of the Uruwereas, and the roads both rural and sealed state roads have been totally wrecked up here.
This all begun after labour firstly increased the ‘size and weight dimensions’ of trucks twice between 2004 and 2007 supposedly for more “efficiency”
Then since 2009 National had increased the size and weight three times again, so now the trucks are so heavy, the three roading companys we discussed road damage with have told our group that the NZ roading stucture is not built for these heavy trucks.
These engineers all recomended the roads to be built to US/EU standards now, with heavy concrete bases of reinforced concrete slabs under them.
We saw happpen while i lived in the US and Canada, every time they sealed a major highway they strip the one lane and dig iut the old concrete slabs and replace them because they also crack after twenty years so more.
This shows that we have no hope in just relying on a layer of crushed rocks then layers of limesand and then chipseal on top agaiin and again with an occassional layer of cement in the holes that appear.
We are in for a massive roading cost now as the trucks are running 90% of the freight; – so for us and the Government the cheaper way is to move half the freight back to rail.
No other choice really now since they have got the biggest heaviest trucks at 63 Tonnes, running on poor standard roads here in NZ.
My Roman history knowledge largely relies on what Graves imparted…but I’m pretty sure said togaed roadbuilders didn’t have today’s juggernauts to factor in.
I can relate to that Rosemary. SH1 north of Puhoi up to the Brenderwyns is a disgrace, some of it downright dangerous at open road speeds for inexperienced drivers. Big sections are pitted with layers of tarmac missing, potholes, loads of dips & bumps in the road, crumbling verges and poor road marking for night driving.
They’ve spent a fortune on these big expressways and totally neglected the state highway north. All their funding for that area seems to have gone into the north side Brenderwyns revamp.
What’s it like north of Whangarei? I don’t get up that way so much.
We travel that route regularly and we’re pretty certain there has been significant deterioration since we last did the trip south back in April. The north side of the Brynderwens is good, and SH1 through to Whangarei is not too bad…but the south bound lane is lumpy. The road surface either side of most of the bridges is really unstable and its very easy to hit a pot hole. Interestingly, they have put in soft poles along the centre line south of Whangarei to stop passing. An understandable reaction to the hideous crashes along that section in the past couple of years. Its a hard lesson when a drift to the right puts you in line with one of the thousands of heavy trucks that pound along that route to the port.
North of Whangarei is not too bad and there has been good work done on areas around Kawakawa and Akerama. We usually turn off onto SH10 at Pakaraka…and this road does need work. The good news is that the replacement to the long single lane bridge at Taipa that Soimon promised all those years ago is finally under construction.
Most folk heading home to Kaitaia seem to stay on SH1…they claim it is a quicker route over the Mangamukas. Our Bus is oldish with a not too powerful engine and I think having a fully laden logging truck running on jet fuel trying to crawl up my exhaust pipe as I labour up the Big Hill is a vastly overrated activity.
North of Kaitaia to the Cape…tarsealed all the way now, and full credit to Higgins (if memory serves) who did the work north of Pukenui as the surface has held up remarkably well considering thousands of truck and trailer loads of logs have been hauled south along that route. The one lane bridges are a little rough…
The real issue in the Far North is the unsealed side roads. We are frequent gravel travelers…but some of these roads are shockers. There has been a wet summer and a wetter winter and a muddy vehicle is de rigueur. The locals laugh it off and claim they don’t mind as it keeps the wussy tourists away, but car repairs are expensive and there’s not a lot of spare cash around.
I strongly suspect there are good road builders and there are shitty ones. It may well be that quality is dictated by the dollars the Gummint of the day is willing to spend, but how any company could be happy to be associated with a crap job is beyond me. These people have no shame.
If anyone is interested…google some of the research on the predicted effects of allowing heavier trucks on the road. One could almost weep with frustration that they were well aware that allowing the increase in maximum weight would cause these problems….and they went ahead and did it anyway. Fools.
Among the crap some great things are happening – such as these repatriations
17 Māori and Moriori ancestral remains have been returned to New Zealand from the United States of America and Germany. The toi moko and kōiwi tangata were formally welcomed to Rongomaraeroa Marae at the Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa.
Head of Repatriation at Te Papa, Te Herekiekie Herewini says, “My soul cries for them as they were overseas for over one hundred years.”
Tamahou Temara from Toi Māori Aotearoa says, “Their spirits can reconnect to the place they were named, the place their umbilical cords were severed, the place where they crumbled into the earth.”
Without sounding like a negative ninny, I am having to enter my name and email for ever comment.
Plus there is no longer a list of replies in the left column.
Does it help to log-in?
Is there anything I can do to my device to help?
Keep up the good work.
Nil sine labora. (Latin from a lifetime ago.)
It seems the “free speech” pot has gone off the boil a bit and I’m reluctant to stir it back up again. But there’s an aspect to it that strikes me as important that hasn’t got attention in the commentary I’ve seen, and it’s taken me this long to put my finger on why it’s important to me.
Had it been the likes of Don Brash, or Tat Loo or even Kyle Chapman that had their booking cancelled, I’m pretty sure I would have been firmly on the “free speech” side and been outraged that an obstacle had been put in front of them getting their message out. Even though I expect I would strongly disagree with what that message actually is.
But since everyone involved in the S & M saga is foreign based (including the promoter), my reaction to the cancellation was just slightly on the favourable side of the balance of strong pros and cons.
It seemed to me S & M were just planning to be seagulls – flap on in squawking loudly, shit all over the place, then flap out again still squawking, leaving others to clean up.
Whereas a local resident with exactly the same messages (or even much more objectionable ones) could be genuinely trying to influence the future direction of the society they are living in. Which strikes me as something much more valuable to protect than someone just shit-stirring from afar.
That is an understandable position but would suggest that although the pair are not citizens (of here) nor the promoter (i’ll take you as correct) there must have been an invitation (or indication) that there was an audience for them (a financial risk the promoter carries)….that likely being so the freedom to speak by its nature must require the freedom (opportunity) to listen…and that would be by ‘locals’.
They may or may not….but as locals Id expect they are ratepayers like everyone else and have as much entitlement to use publicly owned facilities as anyone else.
I just got to reflecting on what a sad state of affairs NZ must be in if a couple of people splabbing whatever they want to splab is regarded as being somehow dangerous.
I also reflected on an aspect of “Project Fear” seen often enough – the “habit” of playing up “fascist threat!” to send people running back to, or safely within the confines of the political status quo.
Fear…and black and white thinking, “youre with us or against us”….we have learned nothing from Trump and Brexit…a more sure fire way of creating the climate you seek to avoid is hard to imagine.
Actually this country is in good nick in opposing hate speech. Every one had their say, no one was stopped. This to me is a sign of a mature country and also a country that had to deal with this sort of talk internally for many, many decades.
They want to monetize hate – that’s why the venue was no issue, that’s why here was a tag at the start or end of the aussie tour. They got their bluff called and a spluttering away they did go.
Well … yes. But the idea I’m interested in exploring is whether my gut reaction is reasonable to have different standards for what is objectionable for residents and for visitors. On the grounds that seeking to influence the society one lives in and will continue to live (however wrongheadedly) is a much more valuable activity than briefly visiting to promote ideas then depart without ever dealing with the consequences. I’m still digesting Pat’s counter that free speech also encompasses freedom and opportunity to listen …
This may double up because I was sure I sent a reply in.
Yep I understand your angle.
The type of speech they wanted to give is awash over the net. Anyone can watch a video and read an article on their ideas (free ideas) – the only need imo for a visit is to bolster up locals who agree with their ideas and to create money for them.
Ya reckon it’s all about the money? Nah, shorely not?
“Tickets for the event are being sold for A$79 (NZ$86) but a half-an-hour “meet and greet” with Southern and Molyneux is priced at A$199, an extra 15 minutes with the pair costs A$499 and tickets to an “intimate” dinner function with the two are being sold for A$749.”
My point was, with an international herd of far right network of videos, books, articles and so on readily available and easily accessible at least for muggle class westerners, the mental borders of who is local and who isnt, is pretty arbitary but hey I’m sure you grokked that.
Nz is well sorted. Didn’t the national front organise a rally a while back? They were allowed to, and people expressed their countering views. But we don’t need to import that shit.
I do agree the Canadian couple are propagandists and provocateurs. My inclination is not to give them much oxygen unless they do actually stir up violence and inflammatory bigotry in NZ.
I don’t think the Freeze Peach coalition really cares that much about the Canadian couple getting a platform in NZ. If they did care about that, they would have tried to book them in an alternative venue, and fund raised for that.
I do think the Canadian couple and the free speech supporters are about trying to shore up white, middle class, masculine privilege in a world where that centuries old status quo is under threat. And that’s why the likes of Trotter are on board with those free speechers.
I think setting up free speech as the ultimate human right ignores issues of power and inequalities – e.g. unequal access to public discourse and platforms, as well as to other powerful institutions.
I think the main focus on the Canadian couple will now shift to their appearances in Aussie.
Meanwhile, I think the free speechers in NZ are out to test the limits of NZ Bill of Rights and Human rights Acts – and the Human Rights Act is due for a review – I think? Many would like to change that to make “free speech” the ultimate right.
But, many in the more marginalised groups have never had equal access to expressing their views in NZ’s media and other parts of the public sphere. The Freeze Peach Coalition includes mostly people who have long had public platforms through which to spread their views – they are the centuries old status quo.
Seems to me those issues of power and privilege are a different aspect again of the problem. As a member of the empowered and privileged group, I’m inclined to go into the ‘sitdown shutup look and listen’ mode when that topic comes up. But I don’t want to look like I’m ignoring that part of it.
I also have benefited from white and middle class privilege in many ways, while also having experienced being on the less privileged side of society s a woman and lesbian.
But sometimes I also tend to listen when some others from powerless groups get to talk. Our media and other establishment voices are very good at demonising some groups when they do express their views: eg there’s a lot of mainstream smearing of Maori, Pacific, Muslim, beneficiaries, etc. When they do speak, they don’t get the same amount of mainstream traction as when the likes of Brash and Trotter have their say.
I smell a rat. Does MSD hope to discredit claimants? Foist their responsibility off upon someone else? Why insist on betraying victims further and go so far as the Court of Appeal??
Plus, transfer hubs not ready despite tomorrows deadline being known for some years now. Sounds about right. I’m off shortly to check out the state of my local hub, being one of the many now having to transfer when once there where multiple one-journey options from all directions to the regional hospital. http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=110716
Congratulations on your legacy before it’s even begun Cr Chris Laidlaw and Co, from all those who have no choice but to continue taking buses, and those who would like to but will end up in their cars more often.
I’m actually afraid to go into town. Extreme you think?
Well the section known as “the bowling alley”, so called because of the abnormally high pedestrian vs bus hit rate combined with 14hr days for drivers…just…no, thanks. I’m staying away.
And double deckers + high winds/narrow streets. I dunno.
Noelle McCarthy conducts a real piece of shit interview with the Guardian’s deputy political editor Anne Perkins , reminding us all in no uncertain terms why MSM is the last place you go to get real news…
Take this one example…Anne Perkins makes the statement during the interview regarding Corbyn, that Theresa May is a formidable opponent one on one…now we all know that, controversially, May would not debate Corbyn one on one during the last election…any push back…no.
In regards to May/Corbyn she could have asked Guardian’s deputy political editor why they ran a negative campaign against Corbyn leading up to the last UK election….of course not
It is exactly because of people like Noelle McCarthy and Perkins that most critical thinking citizens are fast losing/lost their trust in MSM, and unfortunately it is with very good reason.
I will leave you with a quote from Perkins..
“Please, new associate members who will shape the party for the next five years, maybe forever: do a little research. Think what kind of country you want for you and your children and, even more importantly, think how you might get there. Now think, is Jeremy Corbyn in the middle of that picture? I don’t think so.”
I noticed that the linked Guardian article is from “back in the day” when the comments section was usually available. Started reading them. The Guardian line (or that of the columnist) was getting hammered (1500 comments). Can’t quite remember when they pulled down the shutters on comment sections across the site. Not that I see it doing them any good mind – idiotic warbling of shite in the absence of any countervailing opinion on the same platform, is still just idiotic warbling of shite.
Maybe they imagine there’s anyone left who might exclaim “Ooooh, the Guardian says…” as though the mere mention of the publication would lend an air of gravitas to tosh? And/or that they have a reputable brand image to protect? 🙂
“Having the UN recognise our campaign and making that concluding statement that the Government need to evaluate the designation of the housing area here was a relief,” Pania said.
Despite this support, her fight to protect and preserve isn’t over yet.
“This land was promised to be included on the Ōtuataua Stonefields historic reserve, to be a public open space.
“But to change the law overnight and to designate it without considering the whānau or the community here is in many ways ongoing colonisation because we are not being considered.”
I have friends who are part of that community and protest. A lot of broken promises, starting with Manukau District Council who failed to deliver the promised reserve in the first place, and who delivered a legacy package to Auckland Council that did not contain it.
Auckland Council for not having the nerve to stand up to National when posturing about SHA’s, and thereby, completely disregarding any claim to considered planning for Auckland.
There has been further promises made and broken by more recent politicians and bureaucrats. The issue will be ongoing. I am hoping that the Mangere build proposed by Twyford, is nowhere near this until it is sorted.
Good morning Q&A What the neo libreal Lockwood smith had to say is hog wash he is been payed for his opinion 1 trump is deliberately going hard at the start of a topic ie anything he talks about and tactfully simmers his attitude down is full of it trump goes on a rant when he is upset and backs down when he is told to tone it down there is no tacktick there .Just throwing the toys out of the cot .
2 And Lockwood smiths statement that Britain would be able to wind back the clock 150 years and lead world trade is not logical are they going to consume more start manufacturing more well yea but only 2% not the 10 % that would be needed for Britain to become the top world trade market .
The west coast mines once you calve up the land with a bulldozer it never returns to the pristeen state it was in before it has been calved up by bulldozers that’s a fact.
We take a lot from Papatuanuku and give back very little.
Free speech is a farce why let these people come to Aotearoa and stir up the cultural divide when we all ready have big cultural differences now we need to work together
for the bright happy future for te mokopunas . Ka kite ano
Here we go lets treat the waste recycling problem as a opportunity to create more jobs use the waste to create a closed lop systems for most products we could work with the Australians on this as we trade the most with Australia link is below .
Ka kite ano .
Good evening Newshub many thanks for you storys on the destructive weather caused by human influenced global warming is hitting Aotearoa at the minute It makes me happy that so many Kiwis can see that climate is here and now once one admits there is a problem then we can start to fix that problem green energy and a change of life styles close luped systems for all goods .
Thats good new electric Double Decker buses for Wellington it will be good when most transport is electric we will be in utopia .
I’v said enough about trump already to day but one note I just thought of .trump is displaying the traits that most neo liberals have the difference is every other neo liberal hid this bad behavour trump is letting all the common tangata know how bad neo liberals are all over Papatuanuku .
Ka kite ano
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Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
* Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR:Auckland MayorWayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
Open access notables The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products has put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
* Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here. A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon may be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but he could be tapping into a rich political vein in describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining, with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return scheme for beverage containers. ...
The Government’s decision to introduce ‘mass arrivals’ legislation goes against the values we all share of Aotearoa as a place where all people are treated fairly, the Green Party says. ...
MINISTER DAVIDSON MUST RESIGN AFTER 'VIOLENCE' COMMENTS Marama Davidson should stand down as ‘Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence’ for the clear and outrageous statement she made at the Posie Parker protest that ‘white straight men’ are the cause of violence. Her offensive, racist, and sexist remarks ...
In response to Newshub and Amelia Wade’s obvious and ham-fisted attempt at a typical and predicted political hit job. As any politically aware reporter would know, any Cabinet subcommittee has a duty and obligation as a part of any government to respond to any UN declaration, in this case ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today and in your busy lives turning up to this meeting. Forty five years ago, in Howick, often described as racist, and where few Maori lived because it had been a ‘Fencible’ settlement at the time of the Anglo-Maori ...
The Green Party has marked the National Party’s new education policy and given it a fail, especially for its failure to address the underlying drivers of school performance. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
Wānanga will gain increased flexibility and autonomy that recognises the unique role they fill in the tertiary education sector, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.3), that had its first reading today, proposes a new Wānanga enabling framework for the three current ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to Vanuatu today, announcing that Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further relief and recovery assistance there, following the recent destruction caused by Cyclones Judy and Kevin. While in Vanuatu, Minister Mahuta will meet with Vanuatu Acting Prime Minister Sato Kilman, Foreign Minister Jotham ...
The Government is backing Police and making communities safer with the roll-out of state-of-the-art tools and training to frontline staff, Police Minister Ginny Andersen said today. “Frontline staff face high-risk situations daily as they increasingly respond to sophisticated organised crime, gang-violence and the availability of illegal firearms,” Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government has provided Police with more tools to crack down on gang offending with the passing of new legislation today which will further improve public safety, Justice Minister Kiri Allan says. The Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill amends existing law to: create new targeted warrant and additional search powers ...
The Government today announced far-reaching changes to the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of waste, ushering in a new era for New Zealand’s waste system. The changes will ensure that where waste is recycled, for instance by households at the kerbside, it is less likely to be contaminated ...
New legislation passed by the Government today will make it harder for gangs and their leaders to benefit financially from crime that causes considerable harm in our communities, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan says. Since the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 came into effect police have been highly successful in ...
This evening I have advised the Governor-General to dismiss Stuart Nash from all his ministerial portfolios. Late this afternoon I was made aware by a news outlet of an email Stuart Nash sent in March 2020 to two contacts regarding a commercial rent relief package that Cabinet had considered. In ...
Legislation to enable more build-to-rent developments has passed its third reading in Parliament, so this type of rental will be able to claim interest deductibility in perpetuity where it meets the requirements. Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods, says the changes will help unlock the potential of the build-to-rent sector and ...
A law passed by Parliament today exempts employers from paying fringe benefit tax on certain low emission commuting options they provide or subsidise for their staff. “Many employers already subsidise the commuting costs of their staff, for instance by providing car parks,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “This move supports ...
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), our gold standard free trade agreement between New Zealand and Australia. “CER was a world-leading agreement in 1983, is still world-renowned today and is emblematic of both our countries’ commitment to free trade. The WTO has called it the world’s ...
The Government is making procedural changes to the Immigration Act to ensure that 2013 amendments operate as Parliament intended. The Government is also introducing a new community management approach for asylum seekers. “While it’s unlikely we’ll experience a mass arrival due to our remote positioning, there is no doubt New ...
The Government welcomes progress on public sector pay adjustment (PSPA) agreements, and the release of the updated public service pay guidance by the Public Service Commission today, Minister for the Public Service Andrew Little says. “More than a dozen collective agreements are now settled in the public service, Crown Agents, ...
The Government has introduced the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill to further support the recovery and rebuild from the recent severe weather events in the North Island. “We know from our experiences following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes that it will take some time before we completely understand the ...
Further assistance is now available to businesses impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with Customs able to offer payment plans and to remit late-payments, Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri has announced. “This is part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to assist economic recovery in the regions,” Meka Whaitiri said. “Cabinet has approved the ...
More than 41,000 sole parent families will be better off with a median gain of $20 a week Law change estimated to help lift up to 14,000 children out of poverty Child support payments will be passed on directly to people receiving a sole parent rate of main benefit, making ...
A major investment by Government-owned New Zealand Green Investment Finance towards electrifying the public bus fleet is being welcomed by Climate Change Minister James Shaw. “Today’s announcement that NZGIF has signed a $50 million financing deal with Kinetic, the biggest bus operator in Australasia, to further decarbonise public transport is ...
A world-leading payments system is expected to provide a significant cash flow boost for Kiwi innovators, Minister of Research, Science, and Innovation Ayesha Verrall says. Announcing that applications for ‘in-year’ payments of the Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) were open, Ayesha Verrall said it represented a win for businesses ...
Minister of Transport Michael Wood joined crowds of keen cyclists and walkers this morning to celebrate the completion of the Te Awa shared path in Hamilton. “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, greener, and more efficient for now and future generations to come,” Michael ...
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges. Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Can I begin by thanking Gary Taylor, Raewyn Peart and others in the EDS team for their herculean work in support of the environment. I’d also like to acknowledge Hon Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, my parliamentary colleagues, and the many activists here who strive ...
A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment. “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
$2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
[CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā tangata katoa, o moana-nui-a-kiwa, E ngā mate, haere, haere, haere atū ra, manuia lau Malaga. Thank you for the kind introduction and opportunity to join you this morning. It is always good to be here in Aukilani, where I ...
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi, tēnā koutou katoa. Talofa lava and thank you Catherine, for the warm welcome. I’m sorry that I can’t be there in person today but it’s great for the opportunity to contribute virtually. I’d like to start by acknowledging: Alzheimers New Zealand, ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Dan Himbrechts/AAP Labor is unlikely to win more than 46 of the 93 lower house seats at Saturday’s New South ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Nash’s sacking means a deeper probe into Cabinet “insider trading” is requiredStuart Nash, Labour MP for Napier. Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was sacked last night for violating Cabinet Collective Responsibility rules, when it was revealed he disclosed sensitive Government information to business supporters ...
“We’re deeply concerned to learn that just as Pacific leaders have launched a call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, the New Zealand Government has decided to grant a new fossil fuel exploration permit,” says Oxfam Aotearoa ...
Police is beginning the nationwide roll-out of its highly successful Tactical Response Model (TRM). TRM is a safety system designed to ensure the frontline is trained, equipped, and supported to keep themselves and communities safer. It was created ...
“If New Zealand is ever going to tackle the productivity challenges it faces there needs to be real solutions for the ongoing teacher strikes,” says ACT’s Education spokesperson Chris Baillie. “ACT’s combination of tax cuts and a new Teaching ...
This month, unionised teachers all over Aotearoa have taken strike action in an effort to secure improved pay and conditions. Charlotte Muru-Lanning explains why some teachers are going back on strike today.Thousands of secondary and area school teachers across the country will put down their whiteboard markers and pick ...
Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) has today announced the findings of the 2022 National Litter Audit (NLA), the most comprehensive and scientifically robust litter audit in New Zealand. The 2022 NLA follows on from a baseline audit carried out by KNZB ...
National's leader Christopher Luxon is calling for a full review of sacked minister Stuart Nash's communications across all his previous portfolios. ...
Jeremy Lightfoot, Chief Executive The murder of Juliana Bonilla Herrera was a tragic event, and our thoughts remain with Juliana’s family and loved ones. Corrections manages the most complex, dangerous people in New Zealand and we must always learn ...
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Government to pass a law requiring all employers to take action on gender, Māori, Pacific, and other ethnic pay gaps. Today, the Human Rights Commission released an open letter urging the Government ...
If you’re still out there mourning the loss of Laneway Festival 2023: here is something to help you on your recovery. The Beths played a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR that’s been released this morning, showcasing four hits from their catalogue. It’s a great watch. ...
Bus drivers across the country are celebrating a significant milestone with the news of New Zealand’s first-ever initiation of a Fair Pay Agreement. Today, MBIE has given the green light to bus drivers to negotiate an FPA, in a move that will ...
Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed 2023/24 Budget for Auckland is both morally reprehensible and financially calamitous, according to FIRST Union’s submission to Auckland Council on the Budget (attached) , which argues for an alternative route that trades Brown’s ...
A strong coalition of organisations, unions and employers across the country are calling on the Government to take immediate action to close ethnic, gender and disability pay gaps in the workplace. In support of this call, an open letter ...
Wayne Brown has given a fairly lengthy and casual interview with the Herald’s new editor-at-large Shayne Currie over lunch. It’s a wide-ranging interview, as the mayor talks about his personal life (he calls his wife “princess” and she calls him “Brownie”), his food interests (“salmon and champagne”) and, of course, ...
Some findings: New Zealanders eat a lot of McDonald’s and drink a lot of Long White RTDs.Litter has got into te taiao, detrimentally affecting the health of humans, animals and the environment. In the ocean alone, there is a staggering amount of rubbish – 5.25 trillion pieces, to be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Old, Associate Professor, Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Western Sydney University Shutterstock If you look at where wombats deposit their poo, you realise they must be able to perform some surprising acrobatics. It has always amazed me to see wombat ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW Sydney This is the first article in our three-part series explaining Voice, Treaty and Truth. This week, the government will introduce a constitutional amendment into parliament to establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Work isn’t just about getting paid. Employment can provide a number of benefits for people in terms of health, wellbeing, social, economic and financial inclusion. It can also reduce reliance on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Herb Marsh, Distinguished Professor of educational psychology, Australian Catholic University Shutterstock Your child comes home from school and tells you three classmates are teasing her constantly. One even put chewed gum in her hair as she was listening to the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate lecturer, Flinders University NetflixReview: Wellmania, Netflix. What does it mean to be well? Wellmania, inspired by Brigid Delaney’s book of the same name, attempts to answer this question. Liv (Celeste Barber) is stranded in ...
David Seymour was more reflective and pragmatic than National leader Christopher Luxon last night. Luxon called on Nash to resign from parliament immediately, triggering a byelection. Luxon said the “crime” was “akin to insider trading”. Asked whether Luxon’s demand was hypocritical given National’s criticism of government spending, Seymour said his concern ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson was “horrified” and in shock after being hit by a motorcycle before attending a rally against an anti-trans speaker over the weekend. For the first time, Davidson, who was this week asked to clarify comments she made at the rally about “white cis men”, has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Petousis-Harris, Associate Professor Primary Health, University of Auckland Bastiaan Beentjes/Getty Images Following the deaths of two infants, doctors and scientists worry New Zealand’s whooping cough epidemic could be the worst in years. Known as pertussis or the 100-day ...
Nash’s career is over after being sacked by the prime minister but questions about outsider access to cabinet decisions and perceptions of influence remain, 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. The last ...
The National Party has been quick to call for a by-election in the Napier electorate after Stuart Nash was sacked as a minister over a breach of Cabinet rules. ...
Daily traffic chaos is the norm on one of the city’s major arterial routes. This week, it got even worse. About a week ago, almost all the overhead signs heading into Auckland on the northwestern motorway disappeared. Covered by what appeared to be thick green tape, anyone using State Highway ...
Pacific child poverty rates haven’t budged since 2019, despite government attention. A new report suggests some key areas to focus on.The Pacific population in Aotearoa New Zealand is young. A third of Pacific people are under the age of 15, compared to 20% of the total population of New ...
Only 10 percent of the Red Cross relief fund for post-Gabrielle recovery in Hawkes Bay has been given out - so what’s the hold-up? Matthew Scott finds out. Volunteer organisers in the post-cyclone Hawkes Bay recovery are asking where the millions of dollars donated to the recovery effort is going as people are ...
Chris Hipkins spent a huge amount of political capital when he gave Stuart Nash a fourth chance in his Cabinet. Now the Prime Minister faces big questions as to how much confidential Cabinet information has been leaked and the influence it’s had. Political editor Jo Moir explains. It has barely ...
Who are the middle classes and what do they want? The book launch for Megan Nicol Reed's novel One of Those Mothers was not the kind of quiet, low-key, scantily catered book launch that takes place in quiet, low-key, scantily catered ways every week in New Zealand publishing. ...
Mandating domestic violence training for family court judges to ensure they have the evidence-based expertise to do their jobs appropriately does not threaten judicial independence - it enhances it, argues Carrie Leonetti Opinion: Since their inception about 50 years ago, family courts around the world have been subject to the nearly universal ...
Emma Godwin aims to be just the second Kiwi female from the provinces to swim at a senior long course world champs, and become an Aquablack. And she's determined to get to the Paris Olympics, but not to move to a big city to do so. It’s not often a swimmer from ...
Australia has drawn closer to traditional allies the US and UK by inking its nuclear submarine deal. Meanwhile our foreign minister's just returned from China where some delicate diplomacy has been deployed. The geopolitical chess game in the Indo-Pacific has become increasingly complicated in recent weeks. In the latest ...
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By Gorothy Kenneth in Port Moresby Private security companies are currently holding Papua New Guinea together with the largest workforce of 29,445 and supporting the police in managing law and order issues. There are only 6832 policemen and women serving the country currently, according to reports. Internal Security Minister Peter ...
By Gorothy Kenneth in Port Moresby Private security companies are currently holding Papua New Guinea together with the largest workforce of 29,445 and supporting the police in managing law and order issues. There are only 6832 policemen and women serving the country currently, according to reports. Internal Security Minister Peter ...
US President Joe Biden (right) meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) during the AUKUS summit at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California on 13 March 2023. Image: RNZ Pacific/Jim Watson/AFP “But it is what it is,” he said of the tripartite arrangement. ‘Escalation of ...
US President Joe Biden (right) meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) during the AUKUS summit at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California on 13 March 2023. Image: RNZ Pacific/Jim Watson/AFP “But it is what it is,” he said of the tripartite arrangement. ‘Escalation of ...
Procurement professional Ankit Bansal has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Palmerston North for the 2023 General Election. “I’d like to thank our local party members for endorsing me to campaign in Palmerston ...
Executive Manager of Te Mahia Community Village Rima Nakhle has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Takanini for the 2023 General Election. “The Takanini electorate is my home and I’m really excited to have the opportunity ...
Property management company director Dr Carlos Cheung has been selected as National’s candidate in Mt Roskill for the 2023 General Election. “Mt Roskill is my home and I’m grateful for the opportunity to campaign here for a National Government that ...
The Chairperson of the Governance and Administration Committee is calling for submissions on the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill The Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill is the second bill in response to Cyclone Gabriel. The ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins’ full statement, as shared to media, on the decision to remove Stuart Nash from cabinet: This evening I have advised the Governor-General to dismiss Stuart Nash from all his ministerial portfolios. Late this afternoon I was made aware by a news outlet of an email Stuart ...
Four strikes and Stuart Nash has been ousted from cabinet. It follows revelations this evening that he shared private cabinet discussions with business leaders and criticised decisions made in a 2020 email, according to reporting by Stuff. In the email, Nash set out his opposition to a decision cabinet had ...
The future of Stuart Nash, recently demoted to the bottom rung of cabinet, hangs in the balance following reports that he shared private cabinet discussions with business leaders and criticised decisions made in a 2020 email, according to reporting by Stuff. It follows Nash losing his police portfolio for breaching ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Fileborn, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, The University of Melbourne ShutterstockThe following article discusses sexual violence, self-harm and suicide. Gender and sexuality diverse (LGBTQ+) people experience disproportionately high levels of sexual violence, but we still know very little about ...
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Toni Collette and John Leguizamo tell Tara Ward about the electric drama set in a world where gender equality becomes a sudden and shocking reality.There’s a moment halfway through in The Power when it seems Toni Collette could be channeling Jacinda Ardern. A mysterious medical event is sweeping the ...
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Sending peace, from the east of Africa, to all. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/eritrea-ethiopia-peace-good-news-africa-180711081433471.html
Vive la France!
Situations Vacant
CEO Roadbuilding division, NZTA
Must wear a toga, sandals and bring their sword to fight off angry road users. Those under 2000 years old need not apply, we need a person who actually knows how to build roads.
___________________
How did this country fall so far? A modern first world nation and we can no longer even build roads!
Surely the ad must have read:
Utentur toga, ferro adducam pugnam calceamentorum iratus via users. Quibus sub MM annorum opus non est nobis omnino necessaria est qui scit quid facere viae.
Hey, my retained latin only goes as far as amo amas amat…
That would probably weed out the wannabes although for all I know you just insulted me 😉
hahahahahah 🙂
Sanctury here is the google translation.
Must wear a gown, iron I will bring the fight of his shoes was angry with the way of the users. To them He is to us absolutely necessary in 2000-year-old is no one who does not know what to do the work of the road.
They can build roads…just that national wanted them finished fast before election year
DH well said,
I worked for Ministry of Works on the Tongariro Power scheme from 1965 to 1972 ,
Then i saw the best road builers anywhere that i have travelled as they had real engineers and scores of history of building roads.
So yes we have lost so much of what we were so good at for sure, now that everything is ‘Privatised’ the quality of roads have gone from bad to worse’ every blooody week we travel the roads today.
Yeah, MoW had its flaws but still shows up these private mobs.
These new road debacles defy belief, how can they get them so wrong?
DH, thanks for the feedback,
Government is now learning the hard way that the roads are not built for 60 plus tonne trucks.
“you cant get blood out of a stone”
Here is the problem.
We live in rural Gisborne now 70kms north of Gisborne on the Raukamaras mountian 1650 ft above sea level.behind Murupara on the other side of the Uruwereas, and the roads both rural and sealed state roads have been totally wrecked up here.
This all begun after labour firstly increased the ‘size and weight dimensions’ of trucks twice between 2004 and 2007 supposedly for more “efficiency”
Then since 2009 National had increased the size and weight three times again, so now the trucks are so heavy, the three roading companys we discussed road damage with have told our group that the NZ roading stucture is not built for these heavy trucks.
These engineers all recomended the roads to be built to US/EU standards now, with heavy concrete bases of reinforced concrete slabs under them.
We saw happpen while i lived in the US and Canada, every time they sealed a major highway they strip the one lane and dig iut the old concrete slabs and replace them because they also crack after twenty years so more.
This shows that we have no hope in just relying on a layer of crushed rocks then layers of limesand and then chipseal on top agaiin and again with an occassional layer of cement in the holes that appear.
We are in for a massive roading cost now as the trucks are running 90% of the freight; – so for us and the Government the cheaper way is to move half the freight back to rail.
No other choice really now since they have got the biggest heaviest trucks at 63 Tonnes, running on poor standard roads here in NZ.
My Roman history knowledge largely relies on what Graves imparted…but I’m pretty sure said togaed roadbuilders didn’t have today’s juggernauts to factor in.
Blame dildo face….https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636549
Still recovering am I from an horrendous trip south from Cable Bay to Hamilton on Wednesday.
SH 1 is utterly appalling. I am sending the bill for my next wheel alignment to Transit…or whoever.
Absolute crap…until bizarrely the Johnston’s Hill toll road. Then the Road’s surface magically became smooooth and even and wondrously intact.
Continued thus until descending the Bombay Hill and the Road becomes the Waikato Expressway…then normality resumes the juddering begins, again.
Now…its all really the same bit of Road.
And the same types of vehicles in similar proportions are found over the entire distance of said Road.
So why is the condition of the Road so much better along the Auckland section?
I can relate to that Rosemary. SH1 north of Puhoi up to the Brenderwyns is a disgrace, some of it downright dangerous at open road speeds for inexperienced drivers. Big sections are pitted with layers of tarmac missing, potholes, loads of dips & bumps in the road, crumbling verges and poor road marking for night driving.
They’ve spent a fortune on these big expressways and totally neglected the state highway north. All their funding for that area seems to have gone into the north side Brenderwyns revamp.
What’s it like north of Whangarei? I don’t get up that way so much.
We travel that route regularly and we’re pretty certain there has been significant deterioration since we last did the trip south back in April. The north side of the Brynderwens is good, and SH1 through to Whangarei is not too bad…but the south bound lane is lumpy. The road surface either side of most of the bridges is really unstable and its very easy to hit a pot hole. Interestingly, they have put in soft poles along the centre line south of Whangarei to stop passing. An understandable reaction to the hideous crashes along that section in the past couple of years. Its a hard lesson when a drift to the right puts you in line with one of the thousands of heavy trucks that pound along that route to the port.
North of Whangarei is not too bad and there has been good work done on areas around Kawakawa and Akerama. We usually turn off onto SH10 at Pakaraka…and this road does need work. The good news is that the replacement to the long single lane bridge at Taipa that Soimon promised all those years ago is finally under construction.
Most folk heading home to Kaitaia seem to stay on SH1…they claim it is a quicker route over the Mangamukas. Our Bus is oldish with a not too powerful engine and I think having a fully laden logging truck running on jet fuel trying to crawl up my exhaust pipe as I labour up the Big Hill is a vastly overrated activity.
North of Kaitaia to the Cape…tarsealed all the way now, and full credit to Higgins (if memory serves) who did the work north of Pukenui as the surface has held up remarkably well considering thousands of truck and trailer loads of logs have been hauled south along that route. The one lane bridges are a little rough…
The real issue in the Far North is the unsealed side roads. We are frequent gravel travelers…but some of these roads are shockers. There has been a wet summer and a wetter winter and a muddy vehicle is de rigueur. The locals laugh it off and claim they don’t mind as it keeps the wussy tourists away, but car repairs are expensive and there’s not a lot of spare cash around.
I strongly suspect there are good road builders and there are shitty ones. It may well be that quality is dictated by the dollars the Gummint of the day is willing to spend, but how any company could be happy to be associated with a crap job is beyond me. These people have no shame.
If anyone is interested…google some of the research on the predicted effects of allowing heavier trucks on the road. One could almost weep with frustration that they were well aware that allowing the increase in maximum weight would cause these problems….and they went ahead and did it anyway. Fools.
Among the crap some great things are happening – such as these repatriations
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/these-ancestor-remains-were-stolen-and-sold-overseas
Without sounding like a negative ninny, I am having to enter my name and email for ever comment.
Plus there is no longer a list of replies in the left column.
Does it help to log-in?
Is there anything I can do to my device to help?
Keep up the good work.
Nil sine labora. (Latin from a lifetime ago.)
Mine has autofill, so only 2 letters.
Thanks dv, draco and Bill.
If you have an account then my advice is to login.
Log in.
I seem to recall Lynn saying he was looking into why name and email had to entered all of the time for some people.
But I’m pretty sure that logging in sorts it. If I don’t log in, I get blank fields too. And no side bar. Been that way “since forever”.
Metus massa semper accumsan nunc ut ego puto.
‘Fears mass layer is always what I think…’
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
It seems the “free speech” pot has gone off the boil a bit and I’m reluctant to stir it back up again. But there’s an aspect to it that strikes me as important that hasn’t got attention in the commentary I’ve seen, and it’s taken me this long to put my finger on why it’s important to me.
Had it been the likes of Don Brash, or Tat Loo or even Kyle Chapman that had their booking cancelled, I’m pretty sure I would have been firmly on the “free speech” side and been outraged that an obstacle had been put in front of them getting their message out. Even though I expect I would strongly disagree with what that message actually is.
But since everyone involved in the S & M saga is foreign based (including the promoter), my reaction to the cancellation was just slightly on the favourable side of the balance of strong pros and cons.
It seemed to me S & M were just planning to be seagulls – flap on in squawking loudly, shit all over the place, then flap out again still squawking, leaving others to clean up.
Whereas a local resident with exactly the same messages (or even much more objectionable ones) could be genuinely trying to influence the future direction of the society they are living in. Which strikes me as something much more valuable to protect than someone just shit-stirring from afar.
That is an understandable position but would suggest that although the pair are not citizens (of here) nor the promoter (i’ll take you as correct) there must have been an invitation (or indication) that there was an audience for them (a financial risk the promoter carries)….that likely being so the freedom to speak by its nature must require the freedom (opportunity) to listen…and that would be by ‘locals’.
The ‘locals’ dont care about the venue or do they ?
They may or may not….but as locals Id expect they are ratepayers like everyone else and have as much entitlement to use publicly owned facilities as anyone else.
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/southern-and-molyneux-hard-questions-and-no-easy-answers
I just got to reflecting on what a sad state of affairs NZ must be in if a couple of people splabbing whatever they want to splab is regarded as being somehow dangerous.
I also reflected on an aspect of “Project Fear” seen often enough – the “habit” of playing up “fascist threat!” to send people running back to, or safely within the confines of the political status quo.
Fear…and black and white thinking, “youre with us or against us”….we have learned nothing from Trump and Brexit…a more sure fire way of creating the climate you seek to avoid is hard to imagine.
Couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly there Pat.
Actually this country is in good nick in opposing hate speech. Every one had their say, no one was stopped. This to me is a sign of a mature country and also a country that had to deal with this sort of talk internally for many, many decades.
They want to monetize hate – that’s why the venue was no issue, that’s why here was a tag at the start or end of the aussie tour. They got their bluff called and a spluttering away they did go.
Well … yes. But the idea I’m interested in exploring is whether my gut reaction is reasonable to have different standards for what is objectionable for residents and for visitors. On the grounds that seeking to influence the society one lives in and will continue to live (however wrongheadedly) is a much more valuable activity than briefly visiting to promote ideas then depart without ever dealing with the consequences. I’m still digesting Pat’s counter that free speech also encompasses freedom and opportunity to listen …
This may double up because I was sure I sent a reply in.
Yep I understand your angle.
The type of speech they wanted to give is awash over the net. Anyone can watch a video and read an article on their ideas (free ideas) – the only need imo for a visit is to bolster up locals who agree with their ideas and to create money for them.
Ya reckon it’s all about the money? Nah, shorely not?
“Tickets for the event are being sold for A$79 (NZ$86) but a half-an-hour “meet and greet” with Southern and Molyneux is priced at A$199, an extra 15 minutes with the pair costs A$499 and tickets to an “intimate” dinner function with the two are being sold for A$749.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/105491677/its-ok-to-be-white-far-right-speaker-lauren-southern-lands-in-australia
My point was, with an international herd of far right network of videos, books, articles and so on readily available and easily accessible at least for muggle class westerners, the mental borders of who is local and who isnt, is pretty arbitary but hey I’m sure you grokked that.
Nz is well sorted. Didn’t the national front organise a rally a while back? They were allowed to, and people expressed their countering views. But we don’t need to import that shit.
I do agree the Canadian couple are propagandists and provocateurs. My inclination is not to give them much oxygen unless they do actually stir up violence and inflammatory bigotry in NZ.
I don’t think the Freeze Peach coalition really cares that much about the Canadian couple getting a platform in NZ. If they did care about that, they would have tried to book them in an alternative venue, and fund raised for that.
I do think the Canadian couple and the free speech supporters are about trying to shore up white, middle class, masculine privilege in a world where that centuries old status quo is under threat. And that’s why the likes of Trotter are on board with those free speechers.
I think setting up free speech as the ultimate human right ignores issues of power and inequalities – e.g. unequal access to public discourse and platforms, as well as to other powerful institutions.
I think the main focus on the Canadian couple will now shift to their appearances in Aussie.
Meanwhile, I think the free speechers in NZ are out to test the limits of NZ Bill of Rights and Human rights Acts – and the Human Rights Act is due for a review – I think? Many would like to change that to make “free speech” the ultimate right.
But, many in the more marginalised groups have never had equal access to expressing their views in NZ’s media and other parts of the public sphere. The Freeze Peach Coalition includes mostly people who have long had public platforms through which to spread their views – they are the centuries old status quo.
Thanks for those thoughts Carolyn.
Seems to me those issues of power and privilege are a different aspect again of the problem. As a member of the empowered and privileged group, I’m inclined to go into the ‘sitdown shutup look and listen’ mode when that topic comes up. But I don’t want to look like I’m ignoring that part of it.
I also have benefited from white and middle class privilege in many ways, while also having experienced being on the less privileged side of society s a woman and lesbian.
But sometimes I also tend to listen when some others from powerless groups get to talk. Our media and other establishment voices are very good at demonising some groups when they do express their views: eg there’s a lot of mainstream smearing of Maori, Pacific, Muslim, beneficiaries, etc. When they do speak, they don’t get the same amount of mainstream traction as when the likes of Brash and Trotter have their say.
WHAT is wrong with MSD’s legal team?
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/105347867/msd-appeals-ruling-not-to-hand-over-court-claims-about-historic-abuse
I smell a rat. Does MSD hope to discredit claimants? Foist their responsibility off upon someone else? Why insist on betraying victims further and go so far as the Court of Appeal??
Scotland, you beauty.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dh8SHN0W4AUoU1T.jpg
Final day of what was the best functioning bus system in New Zealand and they’ve finally acknowledged they’ve stuffed up.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/105463120/future-changes-to-wellingtons-new-bus-network-inevitable-despite-seven-years-of-planning
Plus, transfer hubs not ready despite tomorrows deadline being known for some years now. Sounds about right. I’m off shortly to check out the state of my local hub, being one of the many now having to transfer when once there where multiple one-journey options from all directions to the regional hospital.
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=110716
Congratulations on your legacy before it’s even begun Cr Chris Laidlaw and Co, from all those who have no choice but to continue taking buses, and those who would like to but will end up in their cars more often.
I’m actually afraid to go into town. Extreme you think?
Well the section known as “the bowling alley”, so called because of the abnormally high pedestrian vs bus hit rate combined with 14hr days for drivers…just…no, thanks. I’m staying away.
And double deckers + high winds/narrow streets. I dunno.
Noelle McCarthy conducts a real piece of shit interview with the Guardian’s deputy political editor Anne Perkins , reminding us all in no uncertain terms why MSM is the last place you go to get real news…
Take this one example…Anne Perkins makes the statement during the interview regarding Corbyn, that Theresa May is a formidable opponent one on one…now we all know that, controversially, May would not debate Corbyn one on one during the last election…any push back…no.
In regards to May/Corbyn she could have asked Guardian’s deputy political editor why they ran a negative campaign against Corbyn leading up to the last UK election….of course not
75% press negative towards Corbyn….
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-media-bias-labour-mainstream-press-lse-study-misrepresentation-we-cant-ignore-bias-a7144381.html
The Guardians response…
https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/jul/19/yes-jeremy-corbyn-has-suffered-a-bad-press-but-wheres-the-harm
It is exactly because of people like Noelle McCarthy and Perkins that most critical thinking citizens are fast losing/lost their trust in MSM, and unfortunately it is with very good reason.
I will leave you with a quote from Perkins..
“Please, new associate members who will shape the party for the next five years, maybe forever: do a little research. Think what kind of country you want for you and your children and, even more importantly, think how you might get there. Now think, is Jeremy Corbyn in the middle of that picture? I don’t think so.”
I noticed that the linked Guardian article is from “back in the day” when the comments section was usually available. Started reading them. The Guardian line (or that of the columnist) was getting hammered (1500 comments). Can’t quite remember when they pulled down the shutters on comment sections across the site. Not that I see it doing them any good mind – idiotic warbling of shite in the absence of any countervailing opinion on the same platform, is still just idiotic warbling of shite.
Maybe they imagine there’s anyone left who might exclaim “Ooooh, the Guardian says…” as though the mere mention of the publication would lend an air of gravitas to tosh? And/or that they have a reputable brand image to protect? 🙂
The Guardian was once a credible Liberal outlet. Taken over now by whom?
Thanks Adrian.
Check out this lady
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/meet-young-auckland-woman-taking-fight-protect-her-ancestral-land-un
“Having the UN recognise our campaign and making that concluding statement that the Government need to evaluate the designation of the housing area here was a relief,” Pania said.
Despite this support, her fight to protect and preserve isn’t over yet.
“This land was promised to be included on the Ōtuataua Stonefields historic reserve, to be a public open space.
“But to change the law overnight and to designate it without considering the whānau or the community here is in many ways ongoing colonisation because we are not being considered.”
Awesome wahine toa!
I have friends who are part of that community and protest. A lot of broken promises, starting with Manukau District Council who failed to deliver the promised reserve in the first place, and who delivered a legacy package to Auckland Council that did not contain it.
Auckland Council for not having the nerve to stand up to National when posturing about SHA’s, and thereby, completely disregarding any claim to considered planning for Auckland.
There has been further promises made and broken by more recent politicians and bureaucrats. The issue will be ongoing. I am hoping that the Mangere build proposed by Twyford, is nowhere near this until it is sorted.
noice
Good morning Q&A What the neo libreal Lockwood smith had to say is hog wash he is been payed for his opinion 1 trump is deliberately going hard at the start of a topic ie anything he talks about and tactfully simmers his attitude down is full of it trump goes on a rant when he is upset and backs down when he is told to tone it down there is no tacktick there .Just throwing the toys out of the cot .
2 And Lockwood smiths statement that Britain would be able to wind back the clock 150 years and lead world trade is not logical are they going to consume more start manufacturing more well yea but only 2% not the 10 % that would be needed for Britain to become the top world trade market .
The west coast mines once you calve up the land with a bulldozer it never returns to the pristeen state it was in before it has been calved up by bulldozers that’s a fact.
We take a lot from Papatuanuku and give back very little.
Free speech is a farce why let these people come to Aotearoa and stir up the cultural divide when we all ready have big cultural differences now we need to work together
for the bright happy future for te mokopunas . Ka kite ano
Here we go lets treat the waste recycling problem as a opportunity to create more jobs use the waste to create a closed lop systems for most products we could work with the Australians on this as we trade the most with Australia link is below .
Ka kite ano .
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/15/rethinking-recycling-could-a-circular-economy-solve-the-problem P.S We should change all shopping bags to brown paper bags like we use to have
Good evening Newshub many thanks for you storys on the destructive weather caused by human influenced global warming is hitting Aotearoa at the minute It makes me happy that so many Kiwis can see that climate is here and now once one admits there is a problem then we can start to fix that problem green energy and a change of life styles close luped systems for all goods .
Thats good new electric Double Decker buses for Wellington it will be good when most transport is electric we will be in utopia .
I’v said enough about trump already to day but one note I just thought of .trump is displaying the traits that most neo liberals have the difference is every other neo liberal hid this bad behavour trump is letting all the common tangata know how bad neo liberals are all over Papatuanuku .
Ka kite ano
Some music from Eco Maori