Thanks for this traffic and the news that the housing market is taking off – Labour is the govt and we have all these issues that they were to address – Thanks for doing Nothing – Deliver on the vision you sold us at the election.
In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually.
This the role of contemporary government – to present a flaccid façade of democracy while Treasury drives through the epic stupidity that has gifted NZ the fastest inequality growth in the world. The incompetent technocrats are counting on the 'niceness' of the current government to stave off the richly deserved pitchforks for a while yet.
The police hope a new strategy will bring down Māori over-representation in criminal justice statistics.
…Te Huringa o Te Tai is a refreshed version of The Turning of The Tide strategy, released in 2012.
Julia Whaipooti, a justice reform advocate who is part of an independent advisory group appointed by Justice Minister Andrew Little says “The one thing I’d be critical about that is that it puts it on Māori … in order to do that, the onus needs to be on police to change how they practise, where they patrol, and how they exercise discretion.”
…But Whaipooti says the introduction of armed police patrol trials flies in the face of what the police strategy sets out, by introducing armed police in areas with predominantly brown populations.
“This seems really contradictory in terms of what the police actions are showing, to what their strategy says that they’re doing.
“The strategy comes out and says we want to work differently with Māori… and then at the same time, they release a policy which has not done any of that.”
Oh wow. Giuliani's latest talking point to … ummm … defend America's prolapsed rectum is that only a part of his phone call to Ukraine's president was about extorting Ukraine into smearing his political opponent.
Like when Ronnie Biggs only spent part of his day robbing that train. Hence jumping the wall and only doing part of his sentence. Trump's 'smart', he's built his own wall to jump over. Not sure he thought about the reception he'll get on the other side though.
If nothing else, he's exposed the utter fraud that is the Republicans feigning any interest in ethics, morals, their country or their constituents. Just more self-obsessed Tory corporate sock puppets from where I'm sitting.
When the congresswoman Ilhan Omar called Donald Trump’s top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, a white nationalist in April, the chorus of outrage from Republicans could not have been louder.
… The attacks on Omar were puzzling to anyone who knew about Miller’s role pushing hard-right immigration policies in the White House, but now a Southern Poverty law Center report analyzing 900 leaked emails between Miller and staff at Breitbart newsreveal that she was right all along.
The investigation into how Budget-sensitive material was accessed at the Treasury has hit a hurdle. Yet, despite that, it is expected to be completed within or near the original budget of $250,000.
The Great French cyclist from the heroic era of cycle racing the eternal second Raymond Poulidor has sadly passed today. Known fondly by his legion of fan over the decades by his nick name Pou-Pou, his career (unfortunately for him) spanned the reigns of two of the greatest cyclist the world has ever known, firstly Jacques Anquetil (5 times winner of the Tour de France) and then 'The Cannibal" Eddy Merckx, regarded as the greatest all round rider in the history of the sport.
Poulidor was adored by the public for his humble demeanor off the bike, but his ferocious fighting spirit on in the saddle, his epic shoulder to shoulder battle with Anquetil during the 1964 Tour de France on the mountains of the Puy de Dome is remembered as one of the classic stages on the history of the TdF.
The story goes that when Poulidor visited Anquetil on his death bed in 1987, Anquetil told his greatest rival the he would now have to finish second yet again.
"I believe that that’s the challenge: to give Nature the chance, not impose human technology, and try to manage our way into the future. Give Nature — which has had 3.8 billion years to evolve — give Nature a chance, and my hope is that she will be far more generous than we deserve."
seriously this 'give this a chance' is simply just a really cheap cop out to 'get the fuck of your lazy arse and learn how to do the same with less and if you can walk, walk'.
well Mr. Suzuki might believe that people get out of their cars and walk, and he might even advocate for this (something i don't dispute) but 'this give nature a chance' is failing because people a. don't give nature a chance – in fact where ever they can they concrete/tar it over so they can park their cars and drive them too, and b. walking? that is for suckers. As the same people that pave everything over to park their cars only ever jog, on a well paved road.
nature? she dying and we are doing a bang of job on killingher.
David Suzuki is arguing for that – to consume less and walk more. And arguing that we cannot rely on technology to save us as it is technology that got us into this mess in the first place. You want less carbon in the atmosphere? – consume less, especially fossil fuels and highly polluting products. Plant trees and allow regeneration of natural environments to take place.
I heard Simon Bridges talking about the news out today about discussions around TVNZ and RNZ.
He is concerned that "Where it took an editorial line – and it inevitably would – that would become the received wisdom … a liberal democracy needs many voices that check each other."
No doubt he is happy when the 'received' wisdom comes from big, reputable, authoritative sources with minor others presenting different voices. NZME with Hosking and co. = good, a big united TVNZ/RNZ = bad.
No surprises – he is routinely embarrassed on RNZ and is no friend of the platform. And structurally-speaking, it's in the right's interest to have those opinions formed inside corporate media, and sympathetic to establishment economic interests, as the dominant ones the public is exposed to. They'd drown RNZ in a bathtub if they thought they could get away with it.
The Nats success in this endeavour requires that the public has no working concept of private power. The mantra of "sate bad, private good" requires that the state be identified as the locus of oppressive power, whereas the private is characterised as just other people like us. In reality the purpose of the state (including, the state broadcaster) is to free us from domination by private power.
Why are Ukraine and Russian forces in conflict? Is the Ukraine attempting to recover Crimea? Is providing more weapons to Ukraine expected to de-escelate or to escelate this situation and the military toll there?
The conflict is the Ukraine is because Pootee is trying recover the glory days of the grand Soviet Empire by incrementally grabbing bits of former Soviet states here and there.
That's so he can truly be a leader on the world, instead of just the head thug of a rundown trailer park with a petrol station that does double-duty as a liquor store. With nukes.
Actually Andre, it sounds as though Volodymyr Zelensky is getting the message that it makes more sense to talk with, or even side with Russia since its NATO sponsor has proved itself ineffectual, other than by giving tacit support to Ukraine's Nazi militias. Of course, being big on democracy, one would have thought that you would have supported the Crimean vote to join with Russia. Those matters sorted, would you care to reflect on which thug is waging war on democratic South American states that refused to be yoked by the IMF, while at the same time, creating endless mayhem in the Middle East – Putin?
If your going to answer then do read the question. Several soldiers were killed this year, where were they (presumably Ukraine/Crimea). Who escellated to the point of that occurring?
Was your question a rhetorical device that you think you already knew the answer to?
The simple fact is in both Crimea and the Donbas, russian military forces (read up about little green men et al) made an uninvited and unwanted appearance in Ukraine territory, and are still there. There are zero Ukrainian military forces in Russian Federation territory.
No matter how much diversionary smoke gets blown, those two simple facts make Russia the aggressor in an act of territorial expansion.
Erm, no, the russians are on ukrainian soil outside of the annexed crimea, so more a continued defensive operation rather than an offensive push to recapture lost territory.
Which is, of course, like a decision to ally with nato and the EU, as a sovereign nation, their self determined right.
Because the Carpathian mountains and the Balkan mountains are to the west of Ukraine and it is all flat country as the southern part of Great European Plain, right to the gates of Moscow. Even today mountain ranges and water barriers are vital for security. If the Ukraine sides more with the west then Western troops would only be hours from Moscow and with a 3000 kms open country approach that makes it very vulnerable.
Russias only friend when invaded is winter which has saved it at least twice, once each from France and Germany.
That is a great point, not to mention that from the Russian point of view (rightly or wrongly) any defense of Russia would hinge on the Russian Black Sea Fleet being fully functional.
Here is a good discussion on the situation of USA/Russia/Ukraine…
Ukrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold War
"We want to promote democracy, particularly constitutionalism, as opposed to political caprice in the former Soviet territories. That's been official Amercan policy. Why then would you support the overthrow by a street mob..there were plenty of neo-facists among them….[of] a leader who had been by all ratifying monitoring organisations freely and fairly elected.. especially when he'd agreed to move elections up within 9 months..
Why would the United States therefore immediately, this being President Obama, support what was essentially a street coup,
It's a blow to constitutionalism, the cause we claim to be promoting.
That was a turning point, it was a message about what the United State was prepared to send. It was a very important moment and it was very wrong headed…
….Its sets a precedent for American behaviour"
Those who as so pigheadedly Russiaphobic would do well to listen to this video and gain themselves some knowledge.
Actually Brigid, I couldn't agree with you more with regard to Russia phobia and the suggestion of manipulation in relation to interpretation pertaining to constitutional matters.
But global dynamics will always significantly influence interpretation of a myriad of things related to ideals, both domestic and foreign.
Russia does tend to get a hammering, but when observers can overlook a lot of the self fueled media hype, along with much of the fear mongering in relation to Russia generally, viewed in balance, it is evident that both the USA and Russia play a very interesting game of chess.
Axiomatic, although not as economically strong as either the USA or the PRC, Russia does now to have an edge in relation to both global and regional influence which the United States of America seems to have fallen well behind on in many regions. Perhaps, in part, due to the amount of of distrust that has been created again and again, through various administrations in relation to foreign policy and influence.
Quite sad really, when you consider that for many, the USA was once respected as a model of liberty, security and good intentions, correctly or incorrectly as the case may be.
On the telephone wording, my point was that just a word or two out of place, or misinterpreted can change both perspective and dynamic considerably, though nothing at all may have changed in reality, or "on the ground."
It's width actually and width is very hard to defend as the invader has all the options and the invaded needs to be able react over in this case about 3000kms , The reason why the Normandy landings were effective as they were spread over quite a distance with numerous "feint " attacks.
@ McFlock , Are you fucking serious..26 million Russians died defending their homeland from a fascist invasion made up of various hostile European nations in World War Two….are you laughing out loud at that are you?, personally I don't find that funny at all.
The only reason countries like NZ didn't lose twice as many men in that conflict is that the Russians had already broken the fascists back on the Eastern Fronts by the time we landed in Normandy….maybe you should show them some respect for that at least.
not to mention that from the Russian point of view (rightly or wrongly) any defense of Russia would hinge on the Russian Black Sea Fleet being fully functional.
This would be the "defense of Russia" in 1942 that you were talking about?
Any leader of Russia is going to feel exactly the same about the Ukraine as part of their defense strategy, so no I am not talking about Putin, I am talking about any Russian leadership generally, and further, as I made clear, and you even quoted, I said "rightly or wrongly", so was making no defense of Putin, just pointing out a fact…don't you get the difference?
And yes I could have been talking about WW2, or now..that was my point.
Your comments @ 6, 11.1, and 11.1.2.1, have no substance, are not constructive, and don’t stimulate healthy debate. You have been trolling this site for too long IMO. Start packing your bags with your ‘free speech’ and ‘political opinion’ if you cannot or don’t want to make positive and constructive contributions to the discourse here.
We're just trying to help you lift your game. If we don't point out that you come across as a tory troll who delights in trying to sow alarm and despondency amongst "the left", how can you expected to rectify your inability to deliver constructive criticism instead of incessant moaning?
Your constant failing in this regard is a blight on progressive discourse and serves only to provide comfort to tories. Hopefully our raising of this issue will help you end your track record of disappointment.
And special thanks to The Chairman for his sterling work revealing all of Labour's failings. Without his constant soulful moaning and his tireless efforts to undermine our confidence in the Labour Party, where would we be?? The Chairman puts the wet in blanket, the stick in mud and the boot into Labour at every opportunity.
I have accused Concern Troll Chairman of blowing his own cover so many times that I have given up doing so, because all he does is over-protest about how genuinely 'Left' he is, then try to spread more gloom.
Chairman, please give in to the vast majority here, and cease your bleatings. It must be pretty obvious by now that your influence is zilch, or even the opposite of what you want.
@The Chairman, True that, except I had no illusions going in…unfortunately.
Don’t worry about these Labour Party sycophants, they are very easily upset, as well they should be, defending the centrist free market ideology of this New Labour Party gets harder and harder for them as it becomes more and more obvious that the project has run it’s course..straight on to the rocks…hence their hysterical out bursts at any dissent.
If you can't tell the difference between people fucked off at someone trashing an online community, and political sycophancy, maybe your political analysis isn't up to scratch either. I can't see anyone in this thread that objects to useful critique of Labour (don't know Alan). Lots of regulars here don't even vote Labour.
I don't quite have my moderator hat on, but you may as well know I'm getting annoyed at the bullshit going on in comments like this. Have a go at the politics. When you start spraying shit around about fellow commenters, you'll get moderator attention.
I happen to agree with lot's of the critique's that The Chairman levels at Labour..that is what a political forum is for…the way The Standard is going you lot are going to be talking to each other in an extremely small box soon (and in case you haven't noticed it's getting pretty close to that now), and the echoes will probably start to hurt even your ears..or maybe not.
When was the last time you came on here and defended me when the piles of shit get sprayed at me…I will tell when..never thats when.
I will say what I believe on The Standard when and how I want, so don't threaten me, unless you are prepared to threaten the commenters who attack me for my political positions the same way.
[you know how this works. So consider this a formal warning. There two moderators who consider TC a liability for the site and it has absolutely nothing to do with his politics. It’s about his pattern of behaviour. It doesn’t matter if you agree with that or not, other than how that affects what you post and whether that gets moderator attention.
You can say and do whatever you like here, but don’t complain when you get moderated for breaking the rules and ignoring what moderators say. If you are getting harrassed, please let me or one of the other mods know. We don’t all read everything on site.
Commenting is at a low point at the moment, in terms of numbers. Maybe in terms of content as well. My long experience both here and elsewhere online is that the one sure thing that will put people off is shit fights instead of debate. Both Incognito and I are putting too much time into fighting stupid fires at the moment. I’d rather be writing posts. Posts will always take precedent over comments, for obvious reasons.
I’m running out of patience for explaining all this to long term commenters who should know better and who still don’t take notice when it’s spelled out for them. Fastest way to get a ban is to waste moderator time. – weka]
There’s a difference between warning and threatening.
Please give a sign to moderators when you feel someone is personally attacking you instead of your political position. I concur that these lines blur all too often but we are not omniscient nor omnipresent.
IMHO the main problem with The Chairman critiquing left-leaning political party policies/MPs is that The Chair is not commenting in good faith.
Until The Chairman increases the ratio of their 'comments critical of right-leaning parties' to 'comments critical left-leaning parties' (in Government or opposition), I'll continue to believe that they are a concern troll bent on promoting National party kleptocrat attack lines.
The ratio of The Chairman's ‘anti-right’ comments to "relentlessly soggy" ‘anti-left’ comments currently stands at about 1 in 1000, so they wouldn't need to do much to bolster their "lefty" "more left than most" credentials. Or they can continue to reap the rewards of being "as transparent as a transparent thing".
" the ratio of their 'comments critical of right-leaning parties' to 'comments critical left-leaning parties' "
I too am 'guilty' of this Thought Crime.
I almost never comment on The Republicans, the Tories or National…simply because they are not the parties, nor do they have philosophies, that I have any interest in as they simply stand for everything I abhor..
In other words, to my mind, it goes without saying that I object to their actions. And complaining about them would be pointless.
I do regularly criticise NZ Labour, NZ Greens, the Centrist arm of UK Labour and the Democrats regularly..simply because they are parties that I feel are best able to deliver change and create equality..and their failure to enact real progres is a daily disappointment.
There are a number of people on this site I would consider 'trolls' on the basis of their abusive tone, The Chairman is not one of them.
And if he is a concern troll, which I very much doubt, then credit where credit is due, his arguments and comments are better thought out and far more considered than many folk around here…
The way The Standard is going you lot are going to be talking to each other in an extremely small box soon (and in case you haven't noticed it's getting pretty close to that now), and the echoes will probably start to hurt even your ears..or maybe not.
Indeed, Adrian. Could explain the increase in comments over at the Daily Blog. Although, I suspect Save NZ posting there (were they banned from here?) has also helped in lifting the numbers commenting over there.
On a side note, thanks again for your support. Sorry it got you a warning.
FYI, last time SaveNZ had been banned for 6 months for making deliberate defamatory comments and putting the site at legal risk. TDB can have them and keep them, thanks.
I've been reading some blog sites attacking Ardern. It seems her hopes to do something about mental health services haven't been fulfilled either. Maybe a good election result might do something for the symptoms even if the underlying problems aren't sorted.
Here in Murchison at the top pf the South Island we have had an unusually wet spring with weeks and weeks of rain. The slugs are playing havoc with my vegetable garden.
More concerning than my slug problem, this week has seen the closure of SH6 north of Murchison, for several days due to torrential rain causing a series of slips involving enormous rocks. SH6 reopened at 1pm today, however there has just been another rockfall closing SH6 south of Murchison, which hit a vehicle. Sadly it is reported someone has died.
We are going to more of these weather events causing havoc with the infrastructure that we all take for granted.
Controversial opinion but I think there are quite a few places in NZ that need to plan around not having road access at times. A big quake will do that so we should be thinking about this anyway, but I'm not sure how many people have gotten to grips yet with the huge cost of regular big slips from rain. I don't know if this is solvable in the long term by constructing roads in different places, but in the short and medium term it seems like something we may as well get used to and plan for.
Food supply lines shouldn't be too hard, but jobs are going to be a tough one for people that travel a lot. Maybe we should be relocalising economies too, for this and all the good reasons, and moving away from a driving culture.
The solution could be as simple as a few mandatory forms filed online, and a direct debit authority.
We entrust our political leaders and government generally to find solutions to daunting problems when there is a crisis or serious issue of some sort. Yes?
So. Just as with tobacco related issues, foreign speculation fueling the rise of housing costs and property market values, and like so many other things that political government especially seems to need to respond to, the following could be the ultimate solution by governments regionally and internationally:
Firstly. Express concerns via the internet and with some street protests and marches.
Secondly. Go back to doing what you ordinarily do.
Thirdly. Sit back and relax.
BECAUSE THEY CAN JUST TAX GLOBAL WARMING OUT OF EXISTENCE
A useful primer on Latin American coups if you've got the time or interest in it. Bananas in 1954, lithium in 2019. Time and technology moves on, but some things are constant. It is after all true what we learnt in Sunday school – that it's the love of money that turns humans into evil, sadistic chimps. (apologies to chimps)
But where would we be without it AB? Money, that is.
Actually, money is one of the best indicators in relation to people's position, disposition, behavior, perception and so many other things.
It really seems to be a reflection of general human behavior in relation to it's acquisition, disposal (what it is spent on), how it is managed or mismanaged, and how well it can be used with which to manipulate.
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
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A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
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Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
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The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
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Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
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Net Migration Dec 2017 = 52 646
Sept 2019 = 54,623
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/102531/migration-added-54623-people-countrys-population-year-september
Thanks for this traffic and the news that the housing market is taking off – Labour is the govt and we have all these issues that they were to address – Thanks for doing Nothing – Deliver on the vision you sold us at the election.
In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually.
https://www.labour.org.nz/immigration
Don't want to ramp down 'business confidence'.
Without imported cheap labour, profits and GDP 'growth' would stagnate.
Well sooner or later we have to consolidate and become sustainable … "Procrastination is the thief of time " Start now.
This the role of contemporary government – to present a flaccid façade of democracy while Treasury drives through the epic stupidity that has gifted NZ the fastest inequality growth in the world. The incompetent technocrats are counting on the 'niceness' of the current government to stave off the richly deserved pitchforks for a while yet.
Annual net migration year ended December 2017 70,000
you are saying it is currently 54,000
that's a significant drop so they are doing what they said they would do
it does need to go down from where it currently is though
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/net-migration-remains-high
Still lower than under National. George is right.
"Migration estimates up to December 2017 are now final. The final net migration for the year ended December 2017 was 52,600."
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/net-migration-remains-high'
“National took net migration to 70k and Labour immediately slashed it by 20k. It hovers around that level today” antihobbs
https://figure.nz/chart/a3PV9tKfbfVBCRwv
I guess Stats NZ must be wrong then
https://tohu.figure.nz/external/what_we_do/#figurenzs-story
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/net-migration-levels-steady
https://twitter.com/antihobbes/status/1194405135432052736
I agree with this analysis
Oh wow. Giuliani's latest talking point to … ummm … defend America's prolapsed rectum is that only a part of his phone call to Ukraine's president was about extorting Ukraine into smearing his political opponent.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-op-ed-wall-street-journal_n_5dcbc31ae4b0d43931cc8308
Like when Ronnie Biggs only spent part of his day robbing that train. Hence jumping the wall and only doing part of his sentence. Trump's 'smart', he's built his own wall to jump over. Not sure he thought about the reception he'll get on the other side though.
If nothing else, he's exposed the utter fraud that is the Republicans feigning any interest in ethics, morals, their country or their constituents. Just more self-obsessed Tory corporate sock puppets from where I'm sitting.
The enemies of the Earth.
The truth does come out sometimes.
I guess 'white male working class with economic anxiety ' sounds so much less threatening and ugly.
Speaking of 'End of life Bill's"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018722169/could-rnz-as-we-know-it-be-a-thing-of-the-past
The investigation into how Budget-sensitive material was accessed at the Treasury has hit a hurdle. Yet, despite that, it is expected to be completed within or near the original budget of $250,000.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/11/14/909069/budget-bungle-continues
Does anybody else find the original time frame (months) and cost of this investigation to be excessive?
The Great French cyclist from the heroic era of cycle racing the eternal second Raymond Poulidor has sadly passed today. Known fondly by his legion of fan over the decades by his nick name Pou-Pou, his career (unfortunately for him) spanned the reigns of two of the greatest cyclist the world has ever known, firstly Jacques Anquetil (5 times winner of the Tour de France) and then 'The Cannibal" Eddy Merckx, regarded as the greatest all round rider in the history of the sport.
Poulidor was adored by the public for his humble demeanor off the bike, but his ferocious fighting spirit on in the saddle, his epic shoulder to shoulder battle with Anquetil during the 1964 Tour de France on the mountains of the Puy de Dome is remembered as one of the classic stages on the history of the TdF.
http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6ai6ynbPk1qaahfxo1_1280.jpg
The story goes that when Poulidor visited Anquetil on his death bed in 1987, Anquetil told his greatest rival the he would now have to finish second yet again.
He will be sadly missed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYksA7loH0o
David Suzuki says:
"I believe that that’s the challenge: to give Nature the chance, not impose human technology, and try to manage our way into the future. Give Nature — which has had 3.8 billion years to evolve — give Nature a chance, and my hope is that she will be far more generous than we deserve."
https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/why-we-cant-lose-hope-dr-david-suzuki-speaks-out/
yeah, nah, not gonna change anything.
seriously this 'give this a chance' is simply just a really cheap cop out to 'get the fuck of your lazy arse and learn how to do the same with less and if you can walk, walk'.
Funny, characterising David Suzuki as someone offering a "cheap cop out". You'll find a reading of the whole article instructive.
well Mr. Suzuki might believe that people get out of their cars and walk, and he might even advocate for this (something i don't dispute) but 'this give nature a chance' is failing because people a. don't give nature a chance – in fact where ever they can they concrete/tar it over so they can park their cars and drive them too, and b. walking? that is for suckers. As the same people that pave everything over to park their cars only ever jog, on a well paved road.
nature? she dying and we are doing a bang of job on killingher.
David Suzuki is arguing for that – to consume less and walk more. And arguing that we cannot rely on technology to save us as it is technology that got us into this mess in the first place. You want less carbon in the atmosphere? – consume less, especially fossil fuels and highly polluting products. Plant trees and allow regeneration of natural environments to take place.
I heard Simon Bridges talking about the news out today about discussions around TVNZ and RNZ.
He is concerned that "Where it took an editorial line – and it inevitably would – that would become the received wisdom … a liberal democracy needs many voices that check each other."
No doubt he is happy when the 'received' wisdom comes from big, reputable, authoritative sources with minor others presenting different voices. NZME with Hosking and co. = good, a big united TVNZ/RNZ = bad.
voiceshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/403255/no-mandate-for-creating-single-public-broadcaster-simon-bridges
No surprises – he is routinely embarrassed on RNZ and is no friend of the platform. And structurally-speaking, it's in the right's interest to have those opinions formed inside corporate media, and sympathetic to establishment economic interests, as the dominant ones the public is exposed to. They'd drown RNZ in a bathtub if they thought they could get away with it.
The Nats success in this endeavour requires that the public has no working concept of private power. The mantra of "sate bad, private good" requires that the state be identified as the locus of oppressive power, whereas the private is characterised as just other people like us. In reality the purpose of the state (including, the state broadcaster) is to free us from domination by private power.
Just a quick review of why the US are now in an Impeachment Inquiry:
Why are Ukraine and Russian forces in conflict? Is the Ukraine attempting to recover Crimea? Is providing more weapons to Ukraine expected to de-escelate or to escelate this situation and the military toll there?
The conflict is the Ukraine is because Pootee is trying recover the glory days of the grand Soviet Empire by incrementally grabbing bits of former Soviet states here and there.
That's so he can truly be a leader on the world, instead of just the head thug of a rundown trailer park with a petrol station that does double-duty as a liquor store. With nukes.
Actually Andre, it sounds as though Volodymyr Zelensky is getting the message that it makes more sense to talk with, or even side with Russia since its NATO sponsor has proved itself ineffectual, other than by giving tacit support to Ukraine's Nazi militias. Of course, being big on democracy, one would have thought that you would have supported the Crimean vote to join with Russia. Those matters sorted, would you care to reflect on which thug is waging war on democratic South American states that refused to be yoked by the IMF, while at the same time, creating endless mayhem in the Middle East – Putin?
If your going to answer then do read the question. Several soldiers were killed this year, where were they (presumably Ukraine/Crimea). Who escellated to the point of that occurring?
Was your question a rhetorical device that you think you already knew the answer to?
The simple fact is in both Crimea and the Donbas, russian military forces (read up about little green men et al) made an uninvited and unwanted appearance in Ukraine territory, and are still there. There are zero Ukrainian military forces in Russian Federation territory.
No matter how much diversionary smoke gets blown, those two simple facts make Russia the aggressor in an act of territorial expansion.
So yes the Ukraine military is trying to recapture Crimea hence the casualties?
Erm, no, the russians are on ukrainian soil outside of the annexed crimea, so more a continued defensive operation rather than an offensive push to recapture lost territory.
Which is, of course, like a decision to ally with nato and the EU, as a sovereign nation, their self determined right.
No. The current hotpots are where Russia is trying to grab part of eastern Ukraine. It's a long way away from Crimea.
Because the Carpathian mountains and the Balkan mountains are to the west of Ukraine and it is all flat country as the southern part of Great European Plain, right to the gates of Moscow. Even today mountain ranges and water barriers are vital for security. If the Ukraine sides more with the west then Western troops would only be hours from Moscow and with a 3000 kms open country approach that makes it very vulnerable.
Russias only friend when invaded is winter which has saved it at least twice, once each from France and Germany.
That is a great point, not to mention that from the Russian point of view (rightly or wrongly) any defense of Russia would hinge on the Russian Black Sea Fleet being fully functional.
Here is a good discussion on the situation of USA/Russia/Ukraine…
Ukrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold War
Interesting (video clip) caption.
Could it have something to do with NATO perhaps?
Using “but” during a telephone conversation usually implies that a condition must be met, or that there is some proviso.
Such as; “We can, but we would want, or insist on.”
If simply including words such as; “we would like you to”, then context can be more widely interpreted.
What an exceedingly wise and knowledgeable man.
"We want to promote democracy, particularly constitutionalism, as opposed to political caprice in the former Soviet territories. That's been official Amercan policy. Why then would you support the overthrow by a street mob..there were plenty of neo-facists among them….[of] a leader who had been by all ratifying monitoring organisations freely and fairly elected.. especially when he'd agreed to move elections up within 9 months..
Why would the United States therefore immediately, this being President Obama, support what was essentially a street coup,
It's a blow to constitutionalism, the cause we claim to be promoting.
That was a turning point, it was a message about what the United State was prepared to send. It was a very important moment and it was very wrong headed…
….Its sets a precedent for American behaviour"
Those who as so pigheadedly Russiaphobic would do well to listen to this video and gain themselves some knowledge.
Actually Brigid, I couldn't agree with you more with regard to Russia phobia and the suggestion of manipulation in relation to interpretation pertaining to constitutional matters.
But global dynamics will always significantly influence interpretation of a myriad of things related to ideals, both domestic and foreign.
Russia does tend to get a hammering, but when observers can overlook a lot of the self fueled media hype, along with much of the fear mongering in relation to Russia generally, viewed in balance, it is evident that both the USA and Russia play a very interesting game of chess.
Axiomatic, although not as economically strong as either the USA or the PRC, Russia does now to have an edge in relation to both global and regional influence which the United States of America seems to have fallen well behind on in many regions. Perhaps, in part, due to the amount of of distrust that has been created again and again, through various administrations in relation to foreign policy and influence.
Quite sad really, when you consider that for many, the USA was once respected as a model of liberty, security and good intentions, correctly or incorrectly as the case may be.
On the telephone wording, my point was that just a word or two out of place, or misinterpreted can change both perspective and dynamic considerably, though nothing at all may have changed in reality, or "on the ground."
And who do you suppose wants to invade Russia?
While Putin has been in power the boot has always been on the other foot.
Funny how a 3000km depth makes Russia "very vulnerable", too.
Nobody tell the Germans or the French, lol
There's some humour in the historical perspective too – the Ukraine isn't so much part of Russia – as Russia is historically part of the Ukraine.
It's width actually and width is very hard to defend as the invader has all the options and the invaded needs to be able react over in this case about 3000kms , The reason why the Normandy landings were effective as they were spread over quite a distance with numerous "feint " attacks.
What a load of bollocks.
@ McFlock , Are you fucking serious..26 million Russians died defending their homeland from a fascist invasion made up of various hostile European nations in World War Two….are you laughing out loud at that are you?, personally I don't find that funny at all.
The only reason countries like NZ didn't lose twice as many men in that conflict is that the Russians had already broken the fascists back on the Eastern Fronts by the time we landed in Normandy….maybe you should show them some respect for that at least.
No, I'm laughing at you two trying to make Putin look like anything other than an aggressor who murders his political opponents.
No that's not what you said..or laughed at
"Funny how a 3000km depth makes Russia "very vulnerable", too.
Nobody tell the Germans or the French, lol"
I said nothing about Putin.
This would be the "defense of Russia" in 1942 that you were talking about?
Any leader of Russia is going to feel exactly the same about the Ukraine as part of their defense strategy, so no I am not talking about Putin, I am talking about any Russian leadership generally, and further, as I made clear, and you even quoted, I said "rightly or wrongly", so was making no defense of Putin, just pointing out a fact…don't you get the difference?
And yes I could have been talking about WW2, or now..that was my point.
Except applying it to WW2 would be factually incorrect.
And I'm not arguing that Russian leaders in the past have not also invaded or occupied the Ukraine. It's a recurring historical conflict.
But saying the equivalent of "his predecessors did it, too" is a minimisation of what Putin is doing now. Which is invading a sovereign nation.
You get pissy when the yanks do it, why aren't you equally outraged when the Russians do it?
Disgusting pricks have gone full George Soros done did it.
https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1194774142790381573
#ImpeachmentHearings
Year of delivery?
Average national house price – highest ever
Immigration – higher than last year
The left are once again discovering Labour are the party we can count on to let us down.
The Chairman is once again confirming he is the commenter we can count on to put Labour down.
Your trolling needs to stop! Alan’s comment had more substance than your lashing out. Get a grip or leave.
I'm not trolling. I'm expressing my genuine opinion on an open forum.
Do you have something against free speech and people expressing their political opinion?
Your comments @ 6, 11.1, and 11.1.2.1, have no substance, are not constructive, and don’t stimulate healthy debate. You have been trolling this site for too long IMO. Start packing your bags with your ‘free speech’ and ‘political opinion’ if you cannot or don’t want to make positive and constructive contributions to the discourse here.
We're just trying to help you lift your game. If we don't point out that you come across as a tory troll who delights in trying to sow alarm and despondency amongst "the left", how can you expected to rectify your inability to deliver constructive criticism instead of incessant moaning?
Your constant failing in this regard is a blight on progressive discourse and serves only to provide comfort to tories. Hopefully our raising of this issue will help you end your track record of disappointment.
We merely provide a public service.
And special thanks to The Chairman for his sterling work revealing all of Labour's failings. Without his constant soulful moaning and his tireless efforts to undermine our confidence in the Labour Party, where would we be?? The Chairman puts the wet in blanket, the stick in mud and the boot into Labour at every opportunity.
Labour via their failings undermine our confidence in them.
Ironic! I have full confidence your repeated attempts to undermine them expose all your failings.
You only speak for yourself here! Stop your trolling!
Absolutely agree.
I have accused Concern Troll Chairman of blowing his own cover so many times that I have given up doing so, because all he does is over-protest about how genuinely 'Left' he is, then try to spread more gloom.
Chairman, please give in to the vast majority here, and cease your bleatings. It must be pretty obvious by now that your influence is zilch, or even the opposite of what you want.
OMG what's that smell?
@The Chairman, True that, except I had no illusions going in…unfortunately.
Don’t worry about these Labour Party sycophants, they are very easily upset, as well they should be, defending the centrist free market ideology of this New Labour Party gets harder and harder for them as it becomes more and more obvious that the project has run it’s course..straight on to the rocks…hence their hysterical out bursts at any dissent.
If you can't tell the difference between people fucked off at someone trashing an online community, and political sycophancy, maybe your political analysis isn't up to scratch either. I can't see anyone in this thread that objects to useful critique of Labour (don't know Alan). Lots of regulars here don't even vote Labour.
I don't quite have my moderator hat on, but you may as well know I'm getting annoyed at the bullshit going on in comments like this. Have a go at the politics. When you start spraying shit around about fellow commenters, you'll get moderator attention.
I happen to agree with lot's of the critique's that The Chairman levels at Labour..that is what a political forum is for…the way The Standard is going you lot are going to be talking to each other in an extremely small box soon (and in case you haven't noticed it's getting pretty close to that now), and the echoes will probably start to hurt even your ears..or maybe not.
When was the last time you came on here and defended me when the piles of shit get sprayed at me…I will tell when..never thats when.
I will say what I believe on The Standard when and how I want, so don't threaten me, unless you are prepared to threaten the commenters who attack me for my political positions the same way.
[you know how this works. So consider this a formal warning. There two moderators who consider TC a liability for the site and it has absolutely nothing to do with his politics. It’s about his pattern of behaviour. It doesn’t matter if you agree with that or not, other than how that affects what you post and whether that gets moderator attention.
You can say and do whatever you like here, but don’t complain when you get moderated for breaking the rules and ignoring what moderators say. If you are getting harrassed, please let me or one of the other mods know. We don’t all read everything on site.
Commenting is at a low point at the moment, in terms of numbers. Maybe in terms of content as well. My long experience both here and elsewhere online is that the one sure thing that will put people off is shit fights instead of debate. Both Incognito and I are putting too much time into fighting stupid fires at the moment. I’d rather be writing posts. Posts will always take precedent over comments, for obvious reasons.
I’m running out of patience for explaining all this to long term commenters who should know better and who still don’t take notice when it’s spelled out for them. Fastest way to get a ban is to waste moderator time. – weka]
There’s a difference between warning and threatening.
Please give a sign to moderators when you feel someone is personally attacking you instead of your political position. I concur that these lines blur all too often but we are not omniscient nor omnipresent.
mod note above.
IMHO the main problem with The Chairman critiquing left-leaning political party policies/MPs is that The Chair is not commenting in good faith.
Until The Chairman increases the ratio of their 'comments critical of right-leaning parties' to 'comments critical left-leaning parties' (in Government or opposition), I'll continue to believe that they are a concern troll bent on promoting National party kleptocrat attack lines.
The ratio of The Chairman's ‘anti-right’ comments to "relentlessly soggy" ‘anti-left’ comments currently stands at about 1 in 1000, so they wouldn't need to do much to bolster their "lefty" "more left than most" credentials. Or they can continue to reap the rewards of being "as transparent as a transparent thing".
So transparent that you could pin some tentacles on him and call him a jellyfish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF7ftI-_fMA
Ta for the calming music – much needed after thinking on The Chair.
I too am 'guilty' of this Thought Crime.
I almost never comment on The Republicans, the Tories or National…simply because they are not the parties, nor do they have philosophies, that I have any interest in as they simply stand for everything I abhor..
In other words, to my mind, it goes without saying that I object to their actions. And complaining about them would be pointless.
I do regularly criticise NZ Labour, NZ Greens, the Centrist arm of UK Labour and the Democrats regularly..simply because they are parties that I feel are best able to deliver change and create equality..and their failure to enact real progres is a daily disappointment.
There are a number of people on this site I would consider 'trolls' on the basis of their abusive tone, The Chairman is not one of them.
And if he is a concern troll, which I very much doubt, then credit where credit is due, his arguments and comments are better thought out and far more considered than many folk around here…
Have my doubts – until The Chair can just once bring themself to refer to "Jacinda" as PM Ardern, we'll have to agree to disagree re their motives.
Indeed, Adrian. Could explain the increase in comments over at the Daily Blog. Although, I suspect Save NZ posting there (were they banned from here?) has also helped in lifting the numbers commenting over there.
On a side note, thanks again for your support. Sorry it got you a warning.
FYI, last time SaveNZ had been banned for 6 months for making deliberate defamatory comments and putting the site at legal risk. TDB can have them and keep them, thanks.
I've been reading some blog sites attacking Ardern. It seems her hopes to do something about mental health services haven't been fulfilled either. Maybe a good election result might do something for the symptoms even if the underlying problems aren't sorted.
Here in Murchison at the top pf the South Island we have had an unusually wet spring with weeks and weeks of rain. The slugs are playing havoc with my vegetable garden.
More concerning than my slug problem, this week has seen the closure of SH6 north of Murchison, for several days due to torrential rain causing a series of slips involving enormous rocks. SH6 reopened at 1pm today, however there has just been another rockfall closing SH6 south of Murchison, which hit a vehicle. Sadly it is reported someone has died.
We are going to more of these weather events causing havoc with the infrastructure that we all take for granted.
Yep agree. We always stop in Murch on the way down the island – good spot.
Controversial opinion but I think there are quite a few places in NZ that need to plan around not having road access at times. A big quake will do that so we should be thinking about this anyway, but I'm not sure how many people have gotten to grips yet with the huge cost of regular big slips from rain. I don't know if this is solvable in the long term by constructing roads in different places, but in the short and medium term it seems like something we may as well get used to and plan for.
Food supply lines shouldn't be too hard, but jobs are going to be a tough one for people that travel a lot. Maybe we should be relocalising economies too, for this and all the good reasons, and moving away from a driving culture.
This global warming matter, and responses to it.
The solution could be as simple as a few mandatory forms filed online, and a direct debit authority.
We entrust our political leaders and government generally to find solutions to daunting problems when there is a crisis or serious issue of some sort. Yes?
So. Just as with tobacco related issues, foreign speculation fueling the rise of housing costs and property market values, and like so many other things that political government especially seems to need to respond to, the following could be the ultimate solution by governments regionally and internationally:
Firstly. Express concerns via the internet and with some street protests and marches.
Secondly. Go back to doing what you ordinarily do.
Thirdly. Sit back and relax.
BECAUSE THEY CAN JUST TAX GLOBAL WARMING OUT OF EXISTENCE
A useful primer on Latin American coups if you've got the time or interest in it. Bananas in 1954, lithium in 2019. Time and technology moves on, but some things are constant. It is after all true what we learnt in Sunday school – that it's the love of money that turns humans into evil, sadistic chimps. (apologies to chimps)
But where would we be without it AB? Money, that is.
Actually, money is one of the best indicators in relation to people's position, disposition, behavior, perception and so many other things.
It really seems to be a reflection of general human behavior in relation to it's acquisition, disposal (what it is spent on), how it is managed or mismanaged, and how well it can be used with which to manipulate.
It is almost a mirror.