. . . Labour Minister Chris Finlayson has trimmed the criteria for the annual minimum wage review from 20 factors, which have been considered since 2008, to just four: the consumer price index, the median wage, effects on jobs and a catch-all category called “other relevant factors”.
A footnote in a paper he took to Cabinet last month says “other relevant factors” means, “For example, the effect on the public sector, particularly on ACC, the Ministries of Health and Education” . . .
. . . sneaky lawyer is sneaky, but John Key speaks with forked tongue.
Yes once Findlayson got Labour off nana Kate it was always going to come to something like this.
Keep and eye on the sneaky ones like him, Ryall, Joyce and also watch housing now it’s in with ‘wouldn’t lie straught in bed’ Smith as Heatley didn’t plunder the stock for mates enough and got the shove.
Well, see, “global action on tax avoidance” = contracting out the collection of taxes to private companies with an international reach. Privisation. But worse: contracting multi-nationals to collect tax from themselves. Good luck with that. Basically, he’s selling the public on the idea of putting the fox in the hen house but, because he’s so stupid, he doesn’t realise it. Alternatively, John Key has just given him a wee media spot so he can feel he’s helping out. You know, keep the Belmont Bouffant busy doing something useful rather than standing around being a dork.
Harry Duynhoven, the mendacious, bullying, cowardly, fascist mayor of New Plymouth, has just orchestrated the silencing of one of the few honest and caring councillors on NPDC via yet another ‘code of conduct’ hearing, the third under his nasty regime and just the fourth in the history of the council.
Harry Dunhoven was Labour MP for the district until booted out. He was known locally as Harry Do-nothing (though he did manage to sign away a slice of our fossil fuel reserves to overseas corporations and orchestrate raised CO2 levels) .Via a massive advertising campaign (paid for by his corporate mates no doubt) and a series of lies he told at the local body elections he managed to win the mayoralty by a very slim majority.
It all goes to show what awful people have constituted the Labour Party in recent decades.
Harry wasn’t booted out as MP, he lost by a mere hundred votes in 2008. He then went on to comfortably win the mayoralty. He’s not a fascist. The councillor concerned was rightly censured for a cowardly attack on a person who could not fight back. Other than those minor points, you’re 100% correct.
Duynhoven was booted out [by the voters]. If he wasn’t we would still be enduring his mendacity as an MP.
Do you really think that the corporation-owned Daily News gives a balanced view? Everything in the Daily News is propaganda, designed to keep ‘proles’ believing in the system that has enslaved them from birth (and keep the advertising revenue flowing). Neuro-linguistic programming and manufacturing consent for corporate looting is the norm for ALL mainstream media.
Having spoken at length with both Duynhoven and George and seen the policies they promote I KNOW who the lying fascist is.
Harry’s most recent push for complete control is to implement a ban on public deputation to the council for anyone who tells the truth… nasty, vicious creep that he is.
The Richard Prosser (or is that Tosser?) saga gets more and more bizarre.
His professed reason for his anti muslim rant was the “confiscation” of a prized pocketknife when he tried to board an Air New Zealand plane. Most people would have the good sense to realise that taking a potential weapon onto a plane was not a good thing to do and it is reasonable for the authorities to have rules about this sort of thing. But apparently not Richard. He obviously does not think that rules should apply to him. The incident happened in December last year and he was an MP at the time.
The weird thing is that Stuff reports this morning that the knife was not confiscated and that Airport staff facilitated the checking in of the knife as baggage.
This is on Scoop NZ news this morning. IMO Harawira is justified in his stance.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 2:55 pm
Press Release: Mana Party
Today I opposed a request from Richard Prosser to make a personal statement to the house. I did so because if he has an apology to make for his offensive remarks to the Muslim community, then he can make his way to the nearest mosque and ask forgiveness there.
I do not accept that he should be able to make such remarks and then simply wash away his venom via an unchallenged explanation in the house.
Fair enough Mr Hone, but what do you make of what will be a big fat rump of the populace slowly shaking their heads at the apparent double and triple and quadruple standards around the big stinking pile of shit that is race relations and bigotry in this country. It is ok to be racist or advocate for racist policies, or to mock other genders and ages and races, in some but not in others.
I am not defending that rump nor wanting to debate the pluses and minuses, I am wondering how you deal with that rump and their relatively simple concern. Because today the views in this arena simply fly all over the place, each missing each other and flying off on their own tangents. No connection. Hence no start at understanding each other.
And meantime the smell gets worse.
I wonder, genuinely, whether this area is something you could speak to.
Keep rolling your eyes and taking the mick mickey mouse. It is all you ever do. If you don’t want to engage on the subject then leave it alone. You have made your point well clear on what you think of me personally. That’s fine. But the ongoing schoolyard mocking is offensive and abusive and a decent person would stop wallowing in it.
mickory mockery
abuse and offence
just make for one big pile of stench
… punch out your next piece mick, but I am off for a few days and wont see it. Your fans will though so go right ahead, knock yourself out, rub that ego …..
What reasonable excuse can there be for a Member of the New Zealand Parliament to be wandering round in public armed with a knifeâŠ
Too many to mention:
– good for keeping the nails clean
– handy for getting a key started on those tight-as key rings
– great for getting staples out
– opening envelopes
– slicing box tape
– flicks those SIM cards out of the back of cell phones easy-peasy
– sharpening pencils
– taking bottle caps off
– all manner of emergency uses
. . . I’ve always carried a pocket knife, inherited my ole man’s one a while back, and its a beauty. The one time I got nabbed with it at the Airport it was too late for me, a mere voter, to be “expedited” through to checked-in baggage. Instead, the nice lady there said if I gave her $5 and my address she’s stick in a courier bag. She said it was a personal favour and not policy. (Love ya, Tui).
I get that you’re probably making a joke, but I shall defend forever the right for anyone to carry a pen knife. I don’t think its unusual or bad or sufficient evidence of anything. Perhaps its a bit old fashioned, something of an affectation, and, maybe, a bit blokey. Believe me, I do understand how a person might feel if a such treasured item were to taken from them at an airport, especially when a cigarette lighter is a far more lethal weapon aboard an aircraft.
I think Prosser’s act of terror was not in being “armed” but that he used a lie to generate hate.
Yes many of us carry a pocket knife, should the plods find you with one tho i believe you would still likely to be charged and convicted for carrying an offensive weapon in a public place as all your list of reasons are easily accomplished with other tools,
Prosser adding whine to His cheese makes a mockery of Himself by raving at being held up at an airport security checkpoint specifically set up to detect passengers attempting to board domestic flights carrying just what He was, a concealed weapon for which i would suggest that He had no reasonable excuse to be carrying in a public place let alone an airport security check-in…
Not that I’ve had much to do with them, the plods seem okay about it. The fact that a multitude of other tools can be entirely replaced with a single penknife strikes me as being a perfectly reasonable excuse to carry one. Plods tend to agree, most of the time . . . once the knife was sitting on the front passenger’s seat and that, apparently, was sufficient cause for an otherwise arbitary search. South Auckland wankers.
And, yeah: the airport staff did their job and caught an idiot, probably, half a dozen other passengers were held up while the matter was sorted out . . . and Prosser is pissed off?? Odd MP is odd.
My understanding is that it’s a bit of a balance – the front passenger seat issue would be that it’s too readily accessible (as opposed to fishing it out of your pocket while seated), and they might have had a wee op on for proactive policing. “Fishing”, in other words.
Basically it’s a balance of “reasonable”. No prescribed criteria: tradies with multitools would be cool, some guy with a history of violence and a fucking great scimitar on a friday night … not so much. Holding for self defence = very uncool, taking it to and from self defence practise = probably cool, especially if it’s wrapped up or in the bottom of your gym bag.
Because you were carrying it in the apparent commission of a crime.
For the same reason that you can carry a screwdriver every day, but if you were breaking into a house it would suddenly become “carrying a tool for burglary”.
But then, if you were carrying a little swiss army knife, cooperated with the officer, advised them of its presence and volunteered it willingly, had not threatened them or anyone else with it, and had no history of violence, then any weapons charge could well just be a “contempt of cop” issue. You’d be amazed at how charges can disappear if you don’t make life difficult.
And if it’s a particularly small knife and all the other charges fell through, it could still be realistically challenged in court.
Of course, if you said you carried it “for protection”, you’re fucked.
Lolz, yes a perfectly reasonable excuse for carrying a knife, and if Garth says its ok then who is a mere peasant like me to argue with such a great um, (expletive deleted)…
I consider this strange as I have never met you and harbour no ill will toward you. I am certain that if I walked past you on the street your suspicions would not be raised. If you were a customer in my shop I am certain you would not suspect that I pose your family any risk. For you see, I am Muslim, I am 30, and I am also white. Throw in the fact that I am an American expatriate – accent and all – and I possess quite the subterfuge. After all, I could sit next to you on a flight, our arms negotiating the armrest for space, and you would think nothing of it. And yet if between us the subject of religion arose, my reply would disable you with fear.
Or so your column would lead me to believe.
I am writing an open letter to you out of sympathy, respect, and the desire for understanding. I do not write this so publicly in order to give your opinions greater status than they deserve. Instead, I hope to circumvent your vitriol from tainting the views of other people who, through lack of personal experience with the Muslim community, may be susceptible to your very limited and ignorant view of our religion and families.
Or were you pointing people to the speech in the hope that they might read/view their way past the lies and spin, while trying to interpret what he might, actually be telling the world!
Tragic situation where 5 people have lost their lives in the US and MSM media show their ineffectiveness yet again…
I have been following the Christoper Dorner saga in the US with great interest. Whilst not a fan at all of his methods, I am interested in anything that outs racism and corruption.
Yesterday Police had him surrounded and cornered in a cabin. The Cabin then catches fire.
At this point There are 3 possibilities
1. Dorner set fire to the cabin himself – Unlikely in my view as he was inside
2. The police set fire to it either accidently or on purpose.
3. it caught fire for some other reason. perhaps a freak lightening strike, an electrical fault, or perhaps he was cooking himself something to eat whilst trying to figure out a way out of this mess and left the oven on. – I’m pretty sure we can rule this one out too.
This then begs the question why none of the mainstream media are asking the question of how did the cabin actually catch fire. Some non MSM media are asking this very question. What makes it even more chilling is reports and recordings puported to be from police via a local radio station KCal 9 where police can be heard saying.
âburn this F#$*erâ
Someone is heard to shout: âBurn that smoke grenade out. Burn that F$%*ing house down!â
Moments later another voice says: âGet it going right now! F%^&ing burn this F$%&er!â
Another video, posted to YouTube, purports to be a recording of police radio conversations during the raid.
Posters on some sites have already started likening this to Waco Texas (obviously less people but same tactics),
The course of action Dorner took was clearly wrong but should he not be caught if possible and brought before the Justice system? Or were police exacting their own justice as revenge for fellow officers and family members killed by Dorner.
Given two earlier incidents involving trucks where police opened fire without warning that involved members of the public (two hispanic women in one and a white male in another) that were not Dorner, and now with how this appears to have ended. Were police hell bent on ensuring he didn’t have his day in court especially as he was alleging ongoing racism and corruption within the LAPD…. Conspiratorial??
But again MSM show their ineffectiveness and bias by not asking the questions that need to be asked.
Remember that that next link in the sequence of events to *destroy America*, is to create situations, where people and the police turn on eachother – These events have been predicted, and appear to be playing themselves out through the media, what a surprise /sarc!
I try to be more subtle in my approach đ but understand where you are coming from. Do you have any links I think they may be useful to help wake some people up or at least start them thinking in this instance…..
Kathryn Ryan this morning interviewed Denise Arnold, a Tauranga lawyer who runs the Cambodia Charitable Trust. This is by all accounts an excellent organization, and Denise Arnold is a hard working and articulate advocate for it.
However, it is surely incumbent on someone like Denise Arnold to speak plainly and honestly about all aspects of her work, and about the political and historical reality of the country in which she is doing so much good work. Sadly, however, she has chosen to rigorously censor her public utterances. So when Kathryn Ryan said, only half-accurately, that Cambodia “was devastated after the Khmer Rouge years”, Denise Arnold restrained herself from pointing out that Cambodia had already been devastated by the United States, and that the horrors of the Khmer Rouge were made possible largely because of that.
Sadly, she simply reiterated Ryan’s anodyne and dishonest approach. “Cambodia lost,” Arnold said, “one quarter of its population due to Pol Pot’s genocide.”
Of course, the rise to power of Pol Pot was only possible because of the genocidal attack on Cambodia by the United States. This history was studiously ignored by both Kathryn Ryan and Denise Arnold. No one benefits from such cleansed public discourse—except the people who colluded with the Pol Pot regime, both at the height of its atrocities and for years afterwards.
As Ms. Arnold would know perfectly well, one of the governments that obediently followed the U.S. directive to support the Khmer Rouge was our own. Read more HERE… http://brothernumberone.co.nz/nzcambodianrelations
[lprent – the information in the comment history vs the ban list is inconsistent, I can’t work out if Morrissey has served his time or not. Can we let him out of purgatory? r0b]
Kathryn Ryan – like morning TV except on radio, lightweight and trying hard not to be challenging to whatever line’s being pushed.
A publicly funded soapbox most of the time oh goody.
tc
Don’t moan at Kathryn Ryan and NinetoNoon – it’s meant to be current news that tells it like it is but doesn’t push the barrow. If you want a drop of the hard stuff go to Mary Wilson at night. But Kathryn seems okay, asks good questions. But then I used to think Maggie Barry was good. I was a bit younger then and perhaps less cynical.
Much preferred Kim Hill, She has the ability to put people completely at their ease and then ask them a hardie right out of left field which deflates their egos big time…
Let’s hope KH is still around when we eventually get PSB TV back. And by that I mean true PSB.
That doesn’t mean pseudo PSBTV like FACE or KIDZONE or HEARTLAND designed to give a monopoly interest a veneer of “corporate responsibility and concern” and only available to the “UN”digitally-divided.
I fear though, she’s getting to the stage of weighing up whether pushing shit uphill is worth the effort.
Still – she likes gardening and feeding the soil with seaweed, sheep and cowshit, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a bit of poli-shit could be worth an experiment.
I’m sure there’s some sort of ‘smart-think-recycling-politician-anal or verbal crap’ possibility there, whereby a fascist Key-NAct-brand type kaka could be fed into fertilising a crop of something useful. And if it all fails, we’ll just put it all down to a venture that was ‘mis-sold’ and appoint Steven Joyce to investigate it’s failure (on minimum wage)
Kathryn Ryan asks good questions, initially, but doesn’t take the time to listen to the answers so misses the opportunities for killer follow up questions. Kim Hill is brilliant at that.
hee hee, from through the Square Window
RNZ-there is a slip to the lowest common denominator when it comes to the training and experience of people caring for the impaied in this country (and this is current info from friends employed in the sector)
61/2 % Current Acount Deficit, heading towards 8% (not so good I read); Parker “2nd worse in the developed world”
the fishing industries are slaughtering marine mammals and comparing the collateral to “road kill kiwis” (yep!)
Nathan Guy “well, I’ll read the briefings , talk to the officials, then get some advice.” :), talk about drivel!
Shearer, NEATs now 90,000.
ha ha! on 3 “have the US negotiate MORE with N.K”, when previously their leader is on record referring to “sworn enemy” and Major Tom (North Korean astronaut) dreams of a US city being annihilated by nuclear attack!
Robertson-describes Regional Equivalent GDP akin to economic apartheid, with mainly the extractive, polluting provinces proceeding…and outside promary industries, foreign investment contracting (never fear, English Budget nearly here). Did you see how primary produce is exported overseas and then flown back to restock cruise ships???
Winston appears to be an ongoing nemesis for Carter. then there is the price of groceries in NZ compared to OZ (where food used to be more expensive). Now, Campbell Live, the comparitive total was $24 less in OZ, incl. a lamb roast that was $8 cheaper.
Bertram-“no NZ govt in the last three decades has been prepared to tackle economic problems like the food-supply duopoly”.
New Zealand Post-owned print and mailing house Datam has today informed unions it intends to make 100 redundancies in Wellington and Auckland.
The proposed job cuts come as a result of a restructuring exercise and will lead to the closure of the Petone plant at a cost of 75 jobs and a reduction of 28 roles in Auckland.
This announcement follows recent mass redundancies at Summit Wool Spinners, Mainzeal and Contact Energy.
EPMU postal sector organiser Joe Gallagher says the job cuts are a blow for communities already struggling with high unemployment.
âThese redundancies have come as a shock to workers and it will take a while for everyone to digest what it means. New Zealand Post has committed to a fair consultation and timeframe but the reality is redundancy is never easy for anyone.
âWhile we accept the restructuring is a result of new machinery being installed, we have serious concerns about the state of the job market our members will be facing and we believe this shows the need for a Government strategy to tackle the jobs crisis.â
The PSA says unions will be working with the company to look at future options for workers.
âItâs always disappointing to see good jobs being lost and given the lack of employment opportunities in the market, itâs important that Datam look at retraining and redeployment possibilities for affected staff within the organisation. Weâll be working hard to make sure that happens,â says PSA Assistant Secretary Jeff Osborne.
The unions understand the company intends to create 30 new positions in Christchurch as part of the restructure.
re Corrections Amendment Bill; govt wants to dilate all the inmates orifices for inspection, while even the Dept. says this is inflammatory; Goff made a good summary of the contrast between private and state prison provision, and Chauvel articulated some real concerns Human Rights; Serco have come in for a lot of criticism remember, for scandals and abuse in the UK NHS and Prison Service; even NZF supports state provision of corrections.
Dom-a “Laziness Pandemic” is active in our population, burdening the purse to 1.3B in 2010. (sometimes i wonder what happened to the outdoorsy, sports mad, country I grew up in); The Lancet-“50% of population insufficiently active.”
meanwhile, back at the batsh*t cave; “NZ exchange rate effectively a pawn in the currency wars between larger economies”.
“We are effectively destroying ourselves by violence masquerading as love.” R.D Laing
a lament or two for that ‘Dick”; you know who.
Surah 43:83
So leave them to babble
And play (with vanities)
Until they meet that Day
Of theirs, which they
Have been promised (perhaps retribution)
Surah 3:10
Those who reject Faith-
Neither their possessions
Nor their numerous progeny
Will avail them aught
Against Allah; they are themselves
But fuel for the fire. (Liked that one Alot)
Surah 2:171
The parable of those
Who reject faith is
As if one were to shout
Like a goat-herd to things
That listen to nothing
But calls a nd cries:
Deaf, dumb and blind,
They are void of wisdom. (cannot distinguish intelligently between shades of meaning or subtle differences in values)
now, for some comedy I’m going to watch par-ley-ment. đ
Wages produce dependence. This governments attack upon the welfare system is a means to ram that dependence home. As a society we need to break that dependence and that means breaking the capitalist ownership model that brings it about.
I look after two children once a week and normally they do not have their TV on One, which I do not watch.EVER!!! While I was trying to turn Breakfast off (up high,couldn’t find remote) and I heard the cute giggly Toni? and the pom waaing on about valentines and I THINK ! I heard that the honourable (“we would love to see wages DROP”) tedious little mankey had been voted DRUM ROLL!! sexiest something or other for the fourth year in a row.
Question. Did I hear this or was it just an extremely hilarious dream.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 20
A millionaire businessman is among 19 people arrested after a covert investigation targeting a criminal syndicate allegedly making and selling thousands of Ecstasy pills every week.
Or perhaps we shouldn’t trust businessmen either?
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 20.1.1
My point is the exact opposite. I admire their industry. Goes to show that sickness is no impediment to supporting yourself through running a business.
They were running at least a retail operation. That requires a procurement, business plan, systems, marketing, cash handling procedures, a policy for dealing with returns and dissatisfied customers and a plan for dealing with emergencies.
If they were running a wholesale operation, they would need manufacturing and distribution.
I admire and support the small businessperson. To do all that while you are sick as well shows real grit.
But you said “Goes to show that sickness is no impediment to supporting yourself through running a business.”
Perhaps you’d like to rephrase that so it relates to those particular peoples’ particular sickness and their particular business. Cos as it stands your statement says anyone with any sickness could be running a business, which is pretty much saying anyone on a sickness benefit or invalids benefit is a bludger for not running one.
And I can’t figure out how you get that from a story about a small business that failed so spectacularly.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
Well, was the failure to plan for the events which led to the demise of the business caused by the sickness the business owners were suffering under, or something else?
hey, when you were deep-sea trawling, did you come across any of the wall posters I seem to have mislaid over the years; had a really excellent on with The Rolling Stones as Tolkien-esque characters, oh those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end…
“Derivatives have been described by the US investment guru Warren Buffett as âfinancial weapons of mass destructionâ. NZ Prime Minister John Key was the former Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch, when he was also a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve. In whose interests is NZ Prime Minister John Key working? ‘Once a Wall St bank$ter – always a Wall St bank$ter’?
For folk in Dunedin who have a bit of spare time this coming Monday (18th Feb).
Gordon Holmes was underpaid by WINZ and was awarded $17 000 damages by the Human Rights Commission. And, of course, WINZ are appealing. His court case is on Monday (not to be confused with the Wednesday stated in the linked article)
He has asked for public support. And so if you are of a mind to gather with others at 9:40 a.m. on the grass outside the court in Lower Stuart Street I’m sure he would greatly appreciate the show of solidarity.
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 Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-rightâs plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of Historyâs clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.ITâS A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Actâs and NZ Firstâs extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country heâs described as âfragileâ, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of MÄori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz  from the Beehive The governmentâs official website â which Point of Order monitors daily â not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winterâs night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfatherâs house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of MÄori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary â including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal â that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealandâs media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been Nationalâs media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but heâs not ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Keyâs flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMPâs five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as âits largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliffâ. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. Itâs important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the countryâs leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that âcorruptâ the nationâs ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealandâs 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 doesnât know or care about the frontline cuts sheâs 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. Â ...
Todayâs 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 itâs 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. âThis 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. âThe government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicineâ, said Ayesha Verrall âThis is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoonâs interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour childrenâs spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te PÄti MÄori 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 veteransâ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veteransâ affairs spokesperson Greg OâConnor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxonâs management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonightâs court decision to overturn the summons of the Childrenâs Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about MÄori without evidence, says Te PÄti MÄori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. âThe 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 yearâs 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, Labourâs 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 countryâs 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 Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ 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 PÄti MÄori Justice Spokesperson, TÄkuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, MÄori 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 Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. âThis act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.â Said Te PÄti MÄori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mĆ TÄmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with MÄori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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 Councilâs 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. âThese reforms are long overdue. New Zealandâs 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. âThree 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. âBeing 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 Canadaâs 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 ânext moveâ ...
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 Childrenâs Commissioner. âThe 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.    âThe 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. âOur Governmentâs thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening â  Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealandâs foreign policy, weâd 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. âCreating 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 Northlandâs 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. âThis 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 countryâs 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. âThe beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ć-RÄkau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mĆ Ć-RÄkau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ć-RÄkau 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 Governmentâs plan to supercharge New Zealandâs EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four â and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Governmentâs plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âI 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 â 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 ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Governmentâs plan to restore law and order. âSpeaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). âNew Zealandâs goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. âIâm putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure âone stop shopâ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. âThe NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
WhÄnau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. âGiving these whÄnau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Governmentâs goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave OâSullivan (OBE). âOur sympathies are with the OâSullivan family with the sad news of Dave OâSullivanâs recent passing,â Mr Peters says. âHis contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmacâs largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.  âAccess to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwisâ lives. Weâve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,â says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. âWe know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,â Dr Reti says. âEvery day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikoheâs new $14.7 million sports complex. âThe completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,â Mr Jones says. âThis facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Petersâ engagements in TĂŒrkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.  âReturning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,â Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen â good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood â a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - Â It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Â Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Â Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. âOur Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if thereâs something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatuâs former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down â just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABCâs Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
Whatâs to blame for the coalitionâs choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Actâs Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the governmentâs proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
Whatâs more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A âratâ was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by menâs violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this yearâs federal budget. Thatâs the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions â and air pollution â from transport. Is this view correct? Yes â but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, ârentvestingâ is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
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.
Hmmm . . .
Yes once Findlayson got Labour off nana Kate it was always going to come to something like this.
Keep and eye on the sneaky ones like him, Ryall, Joyce and also watch housing now it’s in with ‘wouldn’t lie straught in bed’ Smith as Heatley didn’t plunder the stock for mates enough and got the shove.
Peter Dunne wants multi-nationals to pay their fair share:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/128020/minister-backs-global-action-on-tax-avoidance
Why is this creep pushing this policy? Trying to stay relevant for the next election?
.
Well, see, “global action on tax avoidance” = contracting out the collection of taxes to private companies with an international reach. Privisation. But worse: contracting multi-nationals to collect tax from themselves. Good luck with that. Basically, he’s selling the public on the idea of putting the fox in the hen house but, because he’s so stupid, he doesn’t realise it. Alternatively, John Key has just given him a wee media spot so he can feel he’s helping out. You know, keep the Belmont Bouffant busy doing something useful rather than standing around being a dork.
Correct, Dunne is actually showing his support for global governance in the open, this is no surprise!
Harry Duynhoven, the mendacious, bullying, cowardly, fascist mayor of New Plymouth, has just orchestrated the silencing of one of the few honest and caring councillors on NPDC via yet another ‘code of conduct’ hearing, the third under his nasty regime and just the fourth in the history of the council.
Harry Dunhoven was Labour MP for the district until booted out. He was known locally as Harry Do-nothing (though he did manage to sign away a slice of our fossil fuel reserves to overseas corporations and orchestrate raised CO2 levels) .Via a massive advertising campaign (paid for by his corporate mates no doubt) and a series of lies he told at the local body elections he managed to win the mayoralty by a very slim majority.
It all goes to show what awful people have constituted the Labour Party in recent decades.
Harry wasn’t booted out as MP, he lost by a mere hundred votes in 2008. He then went on to comfortably win the mayoralty. He’s not a fascist. The councillor concerned was rightly censured for a cowardly attack on a person who could not fight back. Other than those minor points, you’re 100% correct.
A more balanced account of what happened can be found here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8300708/Conduct-vote-against-George
btw, Sherrill George is an unrepentant racist; her last censuring was for trying to destroy the business of a Waitara couple for being too Cambodian.
Duynhoven was booted out [by the voters]. If he wasn’t we would still be enduring his mendacity as an MP.
Do you really think that the corporation-owned Daily News gives a balanced view? Everything in the Daily News is propaganda, designed to keep ‘proles’ believing in the system that has enslaved them from birth (and keep the advertising revenue flowing). Neuro-linguistic programming and manufacturing consent for corporate looting is the norm for ALL mainstream media.
Having spoken at length with both Duynhoven and George and seen the policies they promote I KNOW who the lying fascist is.
Harry’s most recent push for complete control is to implement a ban on public deputation to the council for anyone who tells the truth… nasty, vicious creep that he is.
However, he has been very successful as a conman.
Cr George tried to organise a racist boycott. That sounds pretty fascist to me, to be honest.
The Richard Prosser (or is that Tosser?) saga gets more and more bizarre.
His professed reason for his anti muslim rant was the “confiscation” of a prized pocketknife when he tried to board an Air New Zealand plane. Most people would have the good sense to realise that taking a potential weapon onto a plane was not a good thing to do and it is reasonable for the authorities to have rules about this sort of thing. But apparently not Richard. He obviously does not think that rules should apply to him. The incident happened in December last year and he was an MP at the time.
The weird thing is that Stuff reports this morning that the knife was not confiscated and that Airport staff facilitated the checking in of the knife as baggage.
He is one unusual individual …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8295162/Wogistan-MP-should-resign-Islamic-leader
This is on Scoop NZ news this morning. IMO Harawira is justified in his stance.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 2:55 pm
Press Release: Mana Party
Today I opposed a request from Richard Prosser to make a personal statement to the house. I did so because if he has an apology to make for his offensive remarks to the Muslim community, then he can make his way to the nearest mosque and ask forgiveness there.
I do not accept that he should be able to make such remarks and then simply wash away his venom via an unchallenged explanation in the house.
Hone Harawira
MANA leader and MP for Tai Tokerau
Well done Hone.
Fair enough Mr Hone, but what do you make of what will be a big fat rump of the populace slowly shaking their heads at the apparent double and triple and quadruple standards around the big stinking pile of shit that is race relations and bigotry in this country. It is ok to be racist or advocate for racist policies, or to mock other genders and ages and races, in some but not in others.
I am not defending that rump nor wanting to debate the pluses and minuses, I am wondering how you deal with that rump and their relatively simple concern. Because today the views in this arena simply fly all over the place, each missing each other and flying off on their own tangents. No connection. Hence no start at understanding each other.
And meantime the smell gets worse.
I wonder, genuinely, whether this area is something you could speak to.
Over.
đ
Keep rolling your eyes and taking the mick mickey mouse. It is all you ever do. If you don’t want to engage on the subject then leave it alone. You have made your point well clear on what you think of me personally. That’s fine. But the ongoing schoolyard mocking is offensive and abusive and a decent person would stop wallowing in it.
mickory mockery
abuse and offence
just make for one big pile of stench
… punch out your next piece mick, but I am off for a few days and wont see it. Your fans will though so go right ahead, knock yourself out, rub that ego …..
Well done Hone.
Tosser/Prosser should be booted out by 2 faced Peters,, but he won’t be as it fits right in with Peters racist rants.
Good job Hone – thanks for doing that because I agree we let these race baiters off too easy.
+1000 Hone.
Maybe it’s time he went back to winemaking.
Yes it is usually the province of the Terrorist to be attempting to board airplanes armed with knives,
It is also border-line illegal as it is illegal to possess a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse,
What reasonable excuse can there be for a Member of the New Zealand Parliament to be wandering round in public armed with a knife…
.
Too many to mention:
– good for keeping the nails clean
– handy for getting a key started on those tight-as key rings
– great for getting staples out
– opening envelopes
– slicing box tape
– flicks those SIM cards out of the back of cell phones easy-peasy
– sharpening pencils
– taking bottle caps off
– all manner of emergency uses
. . . I’ve always carried a pocket knife, inherited my ole man’s one a while back, and its a beauty. The one time I got nabbed with it at the Airport it was too late for me, a mere voter, to be “expedited” through to checked-in baggage. Instead, the nice lady there said if I gave her $5 and my address she’s stick in a courier bag. She said it was a personal favour and not policy. (Love ya, Tui).
I get that you’re probably making a joke, but I shall defend forever the right for anyone to carry a pen knife. I don’t think its unusual or bad or sufficient evidence of anything. Perhaps its a bit old fashioned, something of an affectation, and, maybe, a bit blokey. Believe me, I do understand how a person might feel if a such treasured item were to taken from them at an airport, especially when a cigarette lighter is a far more lethal weapon aboard an aircraft.
I think Prosser’s act of terror was not in being “armed” but that he used a lie to generate hate.
you can take my Zippo from my cold, dead fingers!
But I make sure I don’t carry it onto a plane.
Yes many of us carry a pocket knife, should the plods find you with one tho i believe you would still likely to be charged and convicted for carrying an offensive weapon in a public place as all your list of reasons are easily accomplished with other tools,
Prosser adding whine to His cheese makes a mockery of Himself by raving at being held up at an airport security checkpoint specifically set up to detect passengers attempting to board domestic flights carrying just what He was, a concealed weapon for which i would suggest that He had no reasonable excuse to be carrying in a public place let alone an airport security check-in…
.
Not that I’ve had much to do with them, the plods seem okay about it. The fact that a multitude of other tools can be entirely replaced with a single penknife strikes me as being a perfectly reasonable excuse to carry one. Plods tend to agree, most of the time . . . once the knife was sitting on the front passenger’s seat and that, apparently, was sufficient cause for an otherwise arbitary search. South Auckland wankers.
And, yeah: the airport staff did their job and caught an idiot, probably, half a dozen other passengers were held up while the matter was sorted out . . . and Prosser is pissed off?? Odd MP is odd.
My understanding is that it’s a bit of a balance – the front passenger seat issue would be that it’s too readily accessible (as opposed to fishing it out of your pocket while seated), and they might have had a wee op on for proactive policing. “Fishing”, in other words.
Basically it’s a balance of “reasonable”. No prescribed criteria: tradies with multitools would be cool, some guy with a history of violence and a fucking great scimitar on a friday night … not so much. Holding for self defence = very uncool, taking it to and from self defence practise = probably cool, especially if it’s wrapped up or in the bottom of your gym bag.
Get arrested for anything and be found with a knife in your pocket and you can bet the charge sheet includes a charge of carrying an offensive weapon…
Most likely, yes.
Because you were carrying it in the apparent commission of a crime.
For the same reason that you can carry a screwdriver every day, but if you were breaking into a house it would suddenly become “carrying a tool for burglary”.
But then, if you were carrying a little swiss army knife, cooperated with the officer, advised them of its presence and volunteered it willingly, had not threatened them or anyone else with it, and had no history of violence, then any weapons charge could well just be a “contempt of cop” issue. You’d be amazed at how charges can disappear if you don’t make life difficult.
And if it’s a particularly small knife and all the other charges fell through, it could still be realistically challenged in court.
Of course, if you said you carried it “for protection”, you’re fucked.
“What reasonable excuse can there be for a Member of the New Zealand Parliament to be wandering round in public armed with a knife⊔
Very handy if you come across someone who looks like they might tag your fence and you have to chase them 300 metres and stab them to death.
I go by Garth McVicar’s judgement on matter such as these and he said it was OK.
Be fair, CV, he said it was fair because the guy was really frustrated. He’s not advocating total anarchy.
Lolz, yes a perfectly reasonable excuse for carrying a knife, and if Garth says its ok then who is a mere peasant like me to argue with such a great um, (expletive deleted)…
Prosser gets told what is what; someone make this writer an MP
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10865255
Very good letter. Extremely generous to invite Prosser to dinner.
A good State of the Union speech from Obama. He has signalled a legacy building last term in office.
He promises to pull out of Afghanistan in the next year, but unfortunately I suspect Gitmo will still be open and operating strong.
A video from Greenpeace 3.
Sub-Antarctic islands. Beautiful. Must be protected.
Full transcript.
CV did you leave the sarc tag off?
Or were you pointing people to the speech in the hope that they might read/view their way past the lies and spin, while trying to interpret what he might, actually be telling the world!
Oh you cynic đ
It’d be nice if he promised to ground the drones. They don’t need boots on the ground as much as they used to.
Tragic situation where 5 people have lost their lives in the US and MSM media show their ineffectiveness yet again…
I have been following the Christoper Dorner saga in the US with great interest. Whilst not a fan at all of his methods, I am interested in anything that outs racism and corruption.
Yesterday Police had him surrounded and cornered in a cabin. The Cabin then catches fire.
At this point There are 3 possibilities
1. Dorner set fire to the cabin himself – Unlikely in my view as he was inside
2. The police set fire to it either accidently or on purpose.
3. it caught fire for some other reason. perhaps a freak lightening strike, an electrical fault, or perhaps he was cooking himself something to eat whilst trying to figure out a way out of this mess and left the oven on. – I’m pretty sure we can rule this one out too.
This then begs the question why none of the mainstream media are asking the question of how did the cabin actually catch fire. Some non MSM media are asking this very question. What makes it even more chilling is reports and recordings puported to be from police via a local radio station KCal 9 where police can be heard saying.
âburn this F#$*erâ
Someone is heard to shout: âBurn that smoke grenade out. Burn that F$%*ing house down!â
Moments later another voice says: âGet it going right now! F%^&ing burn this F$%&er!â
Another video, posted to YouTube, purports to be a recording of police radio conversations during the raid.
Posters on some sites have already started likening this to Waco Texas (obviously less people but same tactics),
The course of action Dorner took was clearly wrong but should he not be caught if possible and brought before the Justice system? Or were police exacting their own justice as revenge for fellow officers and family members killed by Dorner.
Given two earlier incidents involving trucks where police opened fire without warning that involved members of the public (two hispanic women in one and a white male in another) that were not Dorner, and now with how this appears to have ended. Were police hell bent on ensuring he didn’t have his day in court especially as he was alleging ongoing racism and corruption within the LAPD…. Conspiratorial??
But again MSM show their ineffectiveness and bias by not asking the questions that need to be asked.
It seems if you’ve gone deliberately hunting for US cops, killing them, this is the usual favour that they return to you.
But yes, the MSM are unquestioning and ineffective at bringing important points to light.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/dorner-manhunt-highly-incendiary-hot-gas-used-on-cabin.html
This too.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/13/audio-catches-cops-shouting-burn-this-motherfcker-during-dorner-siege/
Remember that that next link in the sequence of events to *destroy America*, is to create situations, where people and the police turn on eachother – These events have been predicted, and appear to be playing themselves out through the media, what a surprise /sarc!
I try to be more subtle in my approach đ but understand where you are coming from. Do you have any links I think they may be useful to help wake some people up or at least start them thinking in this instance…..
The Mystery of the Urinal Deuce.
Conveniently “forgetting” who supported Pol Pot
National Radio, Nine to Noon, Thursday 14 February 2013
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Kathryn Ryan this morning interviewed Denise Arnold, a Tauranga lawyer who runs the Cambodia Charitable Trust. This is by all accounts an excellent organization, and Denise Arnold is a hard working and articulate advocate for it.
http://www.cambodiatrust.org.nz/
However, it is surely incumbent on someone like Denise Arnold to speak plainly and honestly about all aspects of her work, and about the political and historical reality of the country in which she is doing so much good work. Sadly, however, she has chosen to rigorously censor her public utterances. So when Kathryn Ryan said, only half-accurately, that Cambodia “was devastated after the Khmer Rouge years”, Denise Arnold restrained herself from pointing out that Cambodia had already been devastated by the United States, and that the horrors of the Khmer Rouge were made possible largely because of that.
Sadly, she simply reiterated Ryan’s anodyne and dishonest approach. “Cambodia lost,” Arnold said, “one quarter of its population due to Pol Pot’s genocide.”
Of course, the rise to power of Pol Pot was only possible because of the genocidal attack on Cambodia by the United States. This history was studiously ignored by both Kathryn Ryan and Denise Arnold. No one benefits from such cleansed public discourse—except the people who colluded with the Pol Pot regime, both at the height of its atrocities and for years afterwards.
As Ms. Arnold would know perfectly well, one of the governments that obediently followed the U.S. directive to support the Khmer Rouge was our own. Read more HERE…
http://brothernumberone.co.nz/nzcambodianrelations
[lprent – the information in the comment history vs the ban list is inconsistent, I can’t work out if Morrissey has served his time or not. Can we let him out of purgatory? r0b]
Kathryn Ryan – like morning TV except on radio, lightweight and trying hard not to be challenging to whatever line’s being pushed.
A publicly funded soapbox most of the time oh goody.
tc
Don’t moan at Kathryn Ryan and NinetoNoon – it’s meant to be current news that tells it like it is but doesn’t push the barrow. If you want a drop of the hard stuff go to Mary Wilson at night. But Kathryn seems okay, asks good questions. But then I used to think Maggie Barry was good. I was a bit younger then and perhaps less cynical.
Much preferred Kim Hill, She has the ability to put people completely at their ease and then ask them a hardie right out of left field which deflates their egos big time…
Let’s hope KH is still around when we eventually get PSB TV back. And by that I mean true PSB.
That doesn’t mean pseudo PSBTV like FACE or KIDZONE or HEARTLAND designed to give a monopoly interest a veneer of “corporate responsibility and concern” and only available to the “UN”digitally-divided.
I fear though, she’s getting to the stage of weighing up whether pushing shit uphill is worth the effort.
Still – she likes gardening and feeding the soil with seaweed, sheep and cowshit, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a bit of poli-shit could be worth an experiment.
I’m sure there’s some sort of ‘smart-think-recycling-politician-anal or verbal crap’ possibility there, whereby a fascist Key-NAct-brand type kaka could be fed into fertilising a crop of something useful. And if it all fails, we’ll just put it all down to a venture that was ‘mis-sold’ and appoint Steven Joyce to investigate it’s failure (on minimum wage)
Kathryn Ryan asks good questions, initially, but doesn’t take the time to listen to the answers so misses the opportunities for killer follow up questions. Kim Hill is brilliant at that.
Okay, okay, r0b, I’ll come back in March.
[See you then – r0b]
[deleted – sorry you picked up a one week ban. r0b]
hee hee, from through the Square Window
RNZ-there is a slip to the lowest common denominator when it comes to the training and experience of people caring for the impaied in this country (and this is current info from friends employed in the sector)
61/2 % Current Acount Deficit, heading towards 8% (not so good I read); Parker “2nd worse in the developed world”
the fishing industries are slaughtering marine mammals and comparing the collateral to “road kill kiwis” (yep!)
Nathan Guy “well, I’ll read the briefings , talk to the officials, then get some advice.” :), talk about drivel!
Shearer, NEATs now 90,000.
ha ha! on 3 “have the US negotiate MORE with N.K”, when previously their leader is on record referring to “sworn enemy” and Major Tom (North Korean astronaut) dreams of a US city being annihilated by nuclear attack!
Robertson-describes Regional Equivalent GDP akin to economic apartheid, with mainly the extractive, polluting provinces proceeding…and outside promary industries, foreign investment contracting (never fear, English Budget nearly here). Did you see how primary produce is exported overseas and then flown back to restock cruise ships???
Winston appears to be an ongoing nemesis for Carter. then there is the price of groceries in NZ compared to OZ (where food used to be more expensive). Now, Campbell Live, the comparitive total was $24 less in OZ, incl. a lamb roast that was $8 cheaper.
Bertram-“no NZ govt in the last three decades has been prepared to tackle economic problems like the food-supply duopoly”.
Brighter Future Update:
Joint Media Release
PSA?EPMU
100 jobs cut at Datam
New Zealand Post-owned print and mailing house Datam has today informed unions it intends to make 100 redundancies in Wellington and Auckland.
The proposed job cuts come as a result of a restructuring exercise and will lead to the closure of the Petone plant at a cost of 75 jobs and a reduction of 28 roles in Auckland.
This announcement follows recent mass redundancies at Summit Wool Spinners, Mainzeal and Contact Energy.
EPMU postal sector organiser Joe Gallagher says the job cuts are a blow for communities already struggling with high unemployment.
âThese redundancies have come as a shock to workers and it will take a while for everyone to digest what it means. New Zealand Post has committed to a fair consultation and timeframe but the reality is redundancy is never easy for anyone.
âWhile we accept the restructuring is a result of new machinery being installed, we have serious concerns about the state of the job market our members will be facing and we believe this shows the need for a Government strategy to tackle the jobs crisis.â
The PSA says unions will be working with the company to look at future options for workers.
âItâs always disappointing to see good jobs being lost and given the lack of employment opportunities in the market, itâs important that Datam look at retraining and redeployment possibilities for affected staff within the organisation. Weâll be working hard to make sure that happens,â says PSA Assistant Secretary Jeff Osborne.
The unions understand the company intends to create 30 new positions in Christchurch as part of the restructure.
re Corrections Amendment Bill; govt wants to dilate all the inmates orifices for inspection, while even the Dept. says this is inflammatory; Goff made a good summary of the contrast between private and state prison provision, and Chauvel articulated some real concerns Human Rights; Serco have come in for a lot of criticism remember, for scandals and abuse in the UK NHS and Prison Service; even NZF supports state provision of corrections.
Dom-a “Laziness Pandemic” is active in our population, burdening the purse to 1.3B in 2010. (sometimes i wonder what happened to the outdoorsy, sports mad, country I grew up in); The Lancet-“50% of population insufficiently active.”
meanwhile, back at the batsh*t cave; “NZ exchange rate effectively a pawn in the currency wars between larger economies”.
“We are effectively destroying ourselves by violence masquerading as love.” R.D Laing
a lament or two for that ‘Dick”; you know who.
Surah 43:83
So leave them to babble
And play (with vanities)
Until they meet that Day
Of theirs, which they
Have been promised (perhaps retribution)
Surah 3:10
Those who reject Faith-
Neither their possessions
Nor their numerous progeny
Will avail them aught
Against Allah; they are themselves
But fuel for the fire. (Liked that one Alot)
Surah 2:171
The parable of those
Who reject faith is
As if one were to shout
Like a goat-herd to things
That listen to nothing
But calls a nd cries:
Deaf, dumb and blind,
They are void of wisdom. (cannot distinguish intelligently between shades of meaning or subtle differences in values)
now, for some comedy I’m going to watch par-ley-ment. đ
More like Par LIAR ment.
The beginning of the collapse of an entire marine resource?. Probably.
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21571386-global-warming-may-make-northernmost-ocean-less-productive-not-more
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/climatesnapshot/arctic-death-spiral-leaves-climate-scientists-shocked-and-worried
David Cunliffe on free markets …
Wages produce dependence. This governments attack upon the welfare system is a means to ram that dependence home. As a society we need to break that dependence and that means breaking the capitalist ownership model that brings it about.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10865297
Claire Trevitt: Shearer’s reshuffle comes out of the shadows.
Worth a giggle.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8304869/Salisbury-School-consultation-a-sham
This shows up the shonky dealings that have enveloped this Key led Nact govt,just disgraceful
I look after two children once a week and normally they do not have their TV on One, which I do not watch.EVER!!! While I was trying to turn Breakfast off (up high,couldn’t find remote) and I heard the cute giggly Toni? and the pom waaing on about valentines and I THINK ! I heard that the honourable (“we would love to see wages DROP”) tedious little mankey had been voted DRUM ROLL!! sexiest something or other for the fourth year in a row.
Question. Did I hear this or was it just an extremely hilarious dream.
If only they’d been painting the roof:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10865417
The point you seem to miss is that them being on the sickness benefit has nothing to do with the drug bust.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10766619
Or perhaps we shouldn’t trust businessmen either?
My point is the exact opposite. I admire their industry. Goes to show that sickness is no impediment to supporting yourself through running a business.
Can you explain how it shows that?
They were running at least a retail operation. That requires a procurement, business plan, systems, marketing, cash handling procedures, a policy for dealing with returns and dissatisfied customers and a plan for dealing with emergencies.
If they were running a wholesale operation, they would need manufacturing and distribution.
I admire and support the small businessperson. To do all that while you are sick as well shows real grit.
But you said “Goes to show that sickness is no impediment to supporting yourself through running a business.”
Perhaps you’d like to rephrase that so it relates to those particular peoples’ particular sickness and their particular business. Cos as it stands your statement says anyone with any sickness could be running a business, which is pretty much saying anyone on a sickness benefit or invalids benefit is a bludger for not running one.
And I can’t figure out how you get that from a story about a small business that failed so spectacularly.
Well, it seems it only failed because the sale of the product was illegal. That was a hole in the plan.
Many illegal businesses operate successfully for decades, lifetimes, even across generations.
This failed because a) it wasn’t run well enough to avoid detection and b) plans weren’t in place to cope with such a predictable event.
But anyway, what about your ‘anyone on a sickness bene can run a business’ schtick?
Well, was the failure to plan for the events which led to the demise of the business caused by the sickness the business owners were suffering under, or something else?
hey, when you were deep-sea trawling, did you come across any of the wall posters I seem to have mislaid over the years; had a really excellent on with The Rolling Stones as Tolkien-esque characters, oh those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end…
Happy Valentine’s Day folks!
đ
“Derivatives have been described by the US investment guru Warren Buffett as âfinancial weapons of mass destructionâ. NZ Prime Minister John Key was the former Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch, when he was also a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve. In whose interests is NZ Prime Minister John Key working? ‘Once a Wall St bank$ter – always a Wall St bank$ter’?
http://theconversation.edu.au/uk-banking-reform-bill-wont-curb-reckless-risk-taking-12087
Cheers!
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
For folk in Dunedin who have a bit of spare time this coming Monday (18th Feb).
Gordon Holmes was underpaid by WINZ and was awarded $17 000 damages by the Human Rights Commission. And, of course, WINZ are appealing. His court case is on Monday (not to be confused with the Wednesday stated in the linked article)
He has asked for public support. And so if you are of a mind to gather with others at 9:40 a.m. on the grass outside the court in Lower Stuart Street I’m sure he would greatly appreciate the show of solidarity.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7779571/Jobless-battler-takes-on-Winz-for-a-3-cause