Brian Gaynor summarises by quoting from a recently published United States book, Why Nations Fail by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James A. Robinson, which he says looks at the issues that could explain New Zealand’s poor economic performance. According to the authors:
“Inclusive economic institutions that enforce property rights, create a level playing field, and encourage investment in new technologies and skills are more conductive to economic growth than extractive economic institutions that are structured to extract resources from the many by the few.”
He then goes on to say “New Zealand’s original privatisation programme, in which a few individuals became extraordinarily wealthy, and our failure to regulate the 1980s sharemarket boom and recent finance company debacles are examples of political and institutional failures, particularly by the defunct Securities Commission.
These failures have enabled a few to become extremely wealthy at the expense of the many.”
We need to stop attaching all our self worth to how we compare with the Australian dollar. They are very different economies in terms of markets and major exports. Australia is in the middle of a minerals boom, the same and Canada and a huge reason why both currencies are so strong against the greenback. We may have lower wages but we need to look at the other things that make this country worth living, GDP growth is not the be all and end all.
Access to beautiful beaches, the ability to catch a fish for free, a mild climate, lots of hiking and wilderness areas and relatively low crime rates are all things we should be extremely proud of and happy about yet many NZers take this for granted.
Richard Heinberg on creating a new economy and moving away from GDP as the be all and end all measure of “progress”:
\
“Bhutan has already done impressive work along these lines, beginning in the early 1970s, developing a “Gross National Happiness” indicator and continuing to refine methods of measuring personal, social, and environmental well-being. This tiny Himalayan, mostly Buddhist, kingdom of 800,000 still has a low per capita GDP, but its citizens are among the happiest in the world. The current King and Prime Minister are evidently unwilling to rest on these accomplishments; they have set their sights on global happiness.
The conference featured opening statements from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the President of the UN General Assembly, the President of Costa Rica, and official representatives of France, Australia, the UK, Israel, Morocco, and Thailand. Renowned economists Jeffrey Sachs and Joseph Stiglitz spoke of the limitations and perversity of GDP and of recent efforts to develop alternatives. All the speakers seemed delighted to endorse the notion that happiness is a desirable societal goal.
Fittingly, the boldest and most eloquent statement of the day came from Lyonchhen Jigmi Thinley, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, who observed that GDP growth is killing the planet, destroying our future, and making humanity less equitable and, on the whole, more miserable. This framing of the situation placed him on one side of a subtle (and in fact never clearly articulated) divide that persisted throughout the conference—a schism between those who see GDP growth as fine and necessary, especially for poor nations, though needing supplementation with growth in other dimensions; and those who see further GDP expansion as unattainable or undesirable.”
Cool. I read a related piece where Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley was quoted as saying:
“We need to rethink our entire growth-based economy so that we can thrive more effectively on our own resources in harmony with nature. We do not need to accept as inevitable a world of impending climate chaos and financial collapse,”
and more:
“Economic growth is mistakenly seen as synonymous with wellbeing. The faster we cut down forests and haul in fish stocks to extinction, the more GDP grows. Even crime, war, sickness, and natural disasters make GDP grow, simply because these ills cause money to be spent,”
“Within days of the bill being drawn from the members’ ballot, Finance Minister Bill English said National would use its veto rights to scupper it even if it enjoyed majority support. That approach is as unsound as it is precipitate.”
“But, even more pertinently, a select committee would also consider a proposal advanced last year by the Children’s Commissioner. Dr John Angus suggesting restructuring the mix of parental leave entitlements and subsidised childcare, so they best met the needs of young children.”
“This is not an issue in which National and Act will find themselves lined up only against their normal opponents, Labour, the Greens and the Mana Party. There is substantial support in Parliament for an initiative that would underline the importance of caring for babies at home.
National should be prepared to allow the legislation to go through a select committee. It could then gauge public sentiment. It might also find that trade-offs and compromises produced a bill that was affordable. And it would be spared the embarrassment that would come from exercising its powers in a dubious manner to ignore the will of Parliament.”
For amendments to legislation, not entire bills.
This will be the first time a government has shown so much conceit coupled with so little control over the House.
Did Labour ever exercise the veto when it even appeared possible that they would not have a majority of MPs who could have voted the amendment down in any case?
And here we have the “global freemarket” at work, finding ways to cheat, steal, or by-pass NZ’s (and other’s) tax laws. In the process they make a mockery of Blinglish’s plan to “balance the government books” by raising GST and lowering taxes for the rich.
Trade Me has struck a deal with a United States online middleman that will help foreign brands sell goods to Kiwi consumers through Trade Me free of GST.
[…]
The association estimated a “loophole” under which people can import goods up to a threshold of between $240 and $400 without paying GST or duty was costing government coffers $100million in foregone taxes. It is lobbying for the threshold to be removed.
“We are having discussions with a number of government agencies and politicians. It is a question of fairness and equity,” Albertson said. “Why should the government subsidise overseas retailers? This is not just a New Zealand issue. This is becoming a global issue in countries where there is a significant tax-free threshold.”
And my guess is that the goods bought through this tax rort, will be the “nice to haves” not the “need to haves”. So those on low incomes will still need to buy the neccessities for survival while paying the current GST on them.
The obvious answer is to drop GST altogether as that would allow local businesses here to compete with offshore businesses that don’t have to charge GST.
An upcoming military exercise between New Zealand and the United States – the first of its kind in more than 25 years – is being seen as a further signal of America’s renewed interest in the Asia-Pacific.
And is this related to the intensified struggle over the Pacific?
Just in case anyone is interested (cause I find it fun), you can change the headline on a stuff link and as long as the number before the headline stays the same the link will still work. For example:
Is it just me, or are councils around the country slashing and burning their way through hall, parks, playgrounds, social housing, libraries, toilets and other community own assets?
Public sector assets are the natural prey of the private sector as and as councils steadily go broke, and indeed become bankrupt, more and more will be “let go”.
Assets paid for and maintained my our taxes hocked off and given away….
There’s no way they can ever fund the borrowing they’re taking on. Anyone who imagines that in some future rates are going to stop increasing, or start decreasing, while the council can pay back existing borrowing, is dreaming.
Yeah its crazy the thing I hear from people – ‘You know those warfies all earning 91K , we cant afford it, our rates will keep going up” , “Lens tran set, we just cant afford that, becuase the rates bill keep going up” etc….very simple thinking from people..
Auckland Council assets sales where kept off the table as a funding option, but they are going to go for sure, its just a question of time…and when it does, listen to the people cheering who think their rates are going to go down following any sales….NEVER HAPPENING!
In his sports column in the ODT Brent Edwards talks about “faceless critics and social media making life hell for rugby coaches” in relation to the disgraceful abuse of Pat Lam this week.
It’s a form of cowardice. How can you judge the merit, or otherwise, of someone’s opinion if you don’t know the person or their background?
But the personal and rascist abuse directed at Lam, and his family and players, has nothing to do with rugby and everything to do with people sniping away under cover of anonymity.
It’s an issue which should concern all New Zealanders. It’s time for the faceless critics to shut up or be held to account.
This isn’t about anonymity, even though it does aid some cretins. What is important is for the majority of decent people commenting online to stand up against it. Anonymous people can play as much a part in this as well as identifable people.
Speak up against abuse, personal attacks and online cowardice and it will be less of a problem.
Lam did not have the courage to name the source of the most vile abuse. Because he lacks the courage to speak out honestly, his tears are worthless, and he deserves little sympathy.
I haven’t heard anything, but refer to my comment on the Asset Sale post. I’d like clarification but as reported it is potentially contrary to the confidence and supply agreement.
Stop pretending, Pete. The worst and most consistent racial abuse directed at Polynesian footballers in this country is not from “faceless critics”. You know, and Brian Edwards know, who the perpetrators of this foulness are.
Murray Deaker, Paul Holmes, Leighton Smith, and Tony Veitch. Every single one of them has been the subject of serious complaints about racist statements made on NewstalkZB. And every one of them has been found guilty.
Stop pretending that the abuse is from “faceless critics”.
The Economist projects NZ economy is on crash course to doom if big changes aren’t made soon. Don’t be surprised if National doesn’t get us in the black when it said it would…
“New analysis confirms what most of us already fear – the New Zealand economy is on a crash course with doom if big changes aren’t made soon.
Projections by The Economist show that by 2050 New Zealand would have the second highest debt as a percentage of our GDP.
If changes aren’t made soon then the country’s economy would be in a crisis and government funding would be heavily restricted.
Japan would have the highest debt, but countries which are currently in a dire economic state – such as Spain, Greece and Portugal, would fare better than New Zealand, the United States and Britain, according to The Economist.
The data analysed what countries are doing to adjust spending and revenue with the aim of bringing public debt down to safe levels by 2050.”
Yet another bloke who sit on his arse in an office all day calling for those at the bottom to make do with less so he can have more…
He wont have anything to worry about when he retires, no doubt that he has a gold plated pension with lucrative consultancies on the side to look forward to in his golden years.
Depends what you mean by social cuts…actually if we just cut out corporate welfare that would be a great start…Why do people keep repeating such drivel about social welfare.
Its social security!
And perhaps lets look at how we are funding any boroowing, rergardless of what its being used for!
Spain got into the mess it is in now due in large part to unaffordable social programmes, ie pensions, retiring age etc.
The mess we are in now is largely National’s fault for cutting taxes in the first place, but that still doesn’t make things like increasing paid parental leave more affordable. Obviously if we were in charge we would remove corporate welfare yadda yadda yadda but at the moment we’re not so we need to support policies that are economically responsible.
Depends upon what you mean by realistic. The present socio-economic system we slave under is unrealistic, in fact it’s completely delusional. We really do have enough resources to keep everybody in a reasonable living standard but the socio-economic system is designed to give control (ownership) of those resources to a few rich people which is what causes the poverty that we see around us.
Draco, I totally agree. Unfortunately our delusional economic system is what we currently have to work with and so we have to make realistic decisions under that system until we can implement something better ie as much as I think increasing paid parental leave is a fantastic idea it doesn’t make it any more affordable and if we are going to be fiscally responsible that really should be the be all and end all. It’s all very well to give National shit for it’s ‘neutral tax cuts’ but in my opinion it’s just as treasonous to implement social programmes that are paid for by borrowing money from overseas, ala Spain for the last 10-15 years.
IMO, there’s three things we need to do under current circumstances:-
1.) Make realistic decisions within the financial system we use
2.) Make it clear that the financial system is the problem and
3.) Make suggestions on what to replace the present system
but in my opinion it’s just as treasonous to implement social programmes that are paid for by borrowing money from overseas,
I’ve been saying for sometime that the government never needs to borrow and, in fact, should never do so. It can print the money that it needs and then reclaim that money from the system via taxes. It’s the same way the present system works but it’s no longer the private banks that are printing the money and then charging for privilege (interest).
The trouble with governments printing money is that past a certain threshold it is highly inflationary. Plenty of countries have done it in the past but with mixed results. The reason the US Fed was largely successful with it’s money printing scheme after the Housing Bubble is because it is still the dollar standard and in high demand, a luxury that New Zealand does not enjoy.
The trouble with governments printing money is that past a certain threshold it is highly inflationary.
If it’s not controlled properly then, yes, it can be. The interesting point though is that the banks printing of money, which produces around 50% to 80% (I would supply the link to the research I read but it was some time ago and I can’t remember where) of the inflation that we see is never mentioned. As I said it’s the same system that is presently used but controlled by the government, not by the private banks and doesn’t have interest on it forcing unsustainable growth.
The reason the US Fed was largely successful with it’s money printing scheme after the Housing Bubble is because it is still the dollar standard and in high demand…
That was part of the reason and the other, more important, part was that they only gave it to the banks.
The Fed didn’t run the stimulus package, Treasury did. It was funded through debt. you could argue that the debt was raised through T-bills bought by people who got the money via Fed Reserve money printing I suppose, but even if that’s true, it doesn’t contradict what was said…
SL, hate to break it to you but the US Federal Reserve is a private bank. The US has borrowed every cent of its economy since 1911 when the Federal Reserve Act was passed. It is why the US Income Tax was introduced, to pay the interest, the loan itself just sits there unpaid and growing into the bloated tumor that it is.
It’s a public/private conglomerate with the large majority of profit being paid to U.S. treasury. It pays a statutory 6% dividend to the member banks and the rest goes to Treasury.
yeah, ok .. .
and parliamentary democracy is a system of governance where the will of the majority is dutifully carried out by elected representatives of the people,
see how easy it is for something to look like one thing yet be something else
No, actually the Fed is totally privately owned according to this court case and here is some of it’s history and it’s origins: The creature of Jekyll Island.
SL – After WWII – In an effort to free international trade and fund postwar reconstruction, the member states agreed to fix their exchange rates by tying their currencies to the U.S. dollar. American politicians, meanwhile, assured the rest of the world that its currency was dependable by linking the U.S. dollar to gold; $1 equaled 35 oz. of bullion. Nations also agreed to buy and sell U.S. dollars to keep their currencies within 1% of the fixed rate. And thus the golden age of the U.S. dollar began. (extract). This was the Brenton Woods system, established 1944.
The Bretton Woods system itself collapsed in 1971, when President Richard Nixon severed the link between the dollar and gold — a decision made to prevent a run on Fort Knox, which contained only a third of the gold bullion necessary to cover the amount of dollars in foreign hands.
From the Web:
SUMMARY OF QUICK FACTS
1a. The Federal Reserve (FED) is a PRIVATELY OWNED, organization. Unbelievable? Check the ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA.
b. Below is the list of the owners of the 12 Central Banks:
– Rothschild Bank of London
– Rothschild Bank of Berlin
– Lazard Brothers of Paris
– Israel Moses Seif Banks of Italy
– Warburg Bank of Amsterdam
– Warburg Bank of Hamburg
– Lehman Brothers of New York
– Kuhn Loeb Bank of New York
– Goldman, Schs of New York
– Chase Manhattan Bank of New York
Most of the literature around Bretton Woods ascribes the agreement as one designed to prevent the conditions that they believed lead to depression and war. Reading the list of interested parties above you might now conclude that it was more likely a “wash-up” of international financial affairs too carry on the old imperial system under the umbrella of the new global imperial power (USA) and its vassal European states. And it leaves very little doubt who was in charge: the bankers.
Yes, this is the case. The extremely sad part is that we finance directly and indirectly all the wars which are costing an enormous amount. 1.6 trillion (TRILLION) dollars and rising. The military expenditure has risen 50% since 2001. It comprised about 2.6% of Worldwide GDP. One can only imagine what could be done with half of it.
Apologies if this Bill has been discussed on The Standard. I stumbled on this Herald piece while looking for something else (these days, I avoid reading the hard copy or online) but this Editorial is worth reading. Quite unbelievable. Did the Editorial desk get hijacked during the long holiday weekend & on Tuesday by truthseekers?
I know some of you here support Labour, but you need to understand that many of the past and present Labour party, and others including the Greens, have made these voyages, and spend time inside the gulags of the USA.
There is nothing of value for Kiwis to have our money spent to send groups over, only to return as the next generation mouth piece for the corrupted systems which are exported around the world just like this – Or with bombs!
Time people realised that their “teamsters” are little more than brainwashed, rinsed out groupies!
I often wonder why the mainstream media interview old blubberguts all the time. He is so discredited as a commentator and therefore not a credible witness…
What has happened to fair and balanced media reporting in NZ?
Relatively young and ignorant journalists, reporters, producers and editorial staff who have been captured by intellectually backward right-wing a——-s such as Slater. Oh and you can throw in a few older hands too like Paul Holmes and co.
I am in complete agreement SL, unfortunately we are dealing with a company that appears to be actively trying to put itself out of business.
Because basic maintenance in this line has been neglected, we now have the situation that KiwiRail wanted all along. The opportunity to shut the line down. Their inability to do such basic maintenance, like keep culverts clear of debris, has resulted in the washouts on the line.
A lot of work from interested parties, not including KiwiRail, has seen freight movements increase massively in the last six months.
With the amount of forestry coming on line at the moment, road-based freight will not be able to keep up. KiwiRail has stalled repeatedly on setting up an inland port at Gisborne which will result in three rail movements a day direct to the port so loading can be done direct from the wagons, instead of two to three hundred truck movements through to Gisborne’s port involving double handling.
If $30 million can be found to build a viaduct to save two minutes off the traveling time from Gisborne to Napier, and $15 million and counting to repair the Manawatu gorge, why can’t we find $4.3 million to repair this vital piece oh Hawkes Bay infrastructure?
Naturally, Chris Tremain and Craig Foss will be noticeable by their absence on this one.
A short list of Israel’s past unwelcome guestsGunter Grass is not the first prominent figure to be declared unwelcome in Israel, over the years several other famous visitors have been granted similar treatment.
April 2012. On Sunday, Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared the German author Gunter Grasspersona non grata in Israel,after he published a poem claiming that Israel is a threat to world peace.
“Gunter’s poems are an attempt to fan the flames of hatred against the State of Israel and the Israeli people, and thus to advance the ideas to which he was publicly partner in the past, when he wore the uniform of the SS,” Yishai said, adding, “If Gunter wants to continue publicizing his distorted and false works, I suggest he do it from Iran, where he’ll find a supportive audience.”
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the decision was made in accordance with the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, and that Grass wore an SS uniform in the past.
May 2010.</b? American linguist Noam Chomsky was denied entry into the West Bank and Israel when he arrived from Amman to the Allenby border crossing,along with his daughter and two American citizens, an Arab-American mathematics professor and a professor of international relations. At the crossing, Chomsky was questioned about his identification as an anarchist and was prevented for entering the West Bank, where he was scheduled to give a lecture at Bir Zeit University.
The Interior Ministry later insisted the decision to bar Chomsky’s entry was the result of a technical error, as responsibility for coordinating the entrance of foreign citizens into the West Bank lies with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories at the Defense Ministry.
“Denying me entry into the West Bank is a minor event, but it is significant because it shows how irrational Israel’s actions are,” said Chomsky of the event.
May 2010. Ivan Prado, Spain’s most famous clown, was accused of ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations in the West Bank and refused entry into Israel, after being interrogated at the airport for six hours by Shin Bet and Interior Ministry officials. Israel’s Foreign Ministry later said the episode caused serious damage to Israel’s image in Spain.
May 2008. Israel bars entry to American-Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein, at the Shin Bet’s orders. Finkelstein, a prominent critic of Israel’s occupation, was arrested at the airport after arriving from Amsterdam. He was interrogated for several hours, held in a detention facility at the airport and then put on a flight back to Amsterdam. He later said he was forbidden to return to Israel for a period of ten years.
June 2004. Interior Minister Avraham Poraz prevents the entry of British journalist Peter Hounam. Poraz said that according to information provided by the Shin Bet, Hounam exchanged letters with and sought to interview Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician imprisoned by Israel for years for revealing details of Israel’s nuclear program to the British media.
Hounam later said Israel should be ashamed for arresting him, adding that he had been held in a “dungeon with excrement on the walls.”
I am afraid that all these facts will not change anything whether here or the US. This is about keeping the relationships alive between the west and Israel as they are a militarized zone on the edge of the far east. Such is the price we have to pay for a peace that is based on war. And I want to add to this that I am disgusted with the latest news about Gunter Grass as it should by now be very clear that the policies regarding freedom and rights of people do not feature in Israel. There was another article recently published under the guise of official information but was disappearing fast from the news. Namely that Israel is now occupying land that holds the water wells of the Palestinians. Already almost half of the 70 odd wells have been taken to supply the ever growing occupied lands. This is another disaster in the making as unrest is sure to follow. I am certain that the excuse will be that Israel has to defend themselves.
You often wonder why the USA has been the principle sponsor of the Zionist state, closely followed by European states. Have a look at the names of the banks who own the Fed you have posted above….one wonders. I am not sure it is safe to even mention for fear of being branded anti semitic.
Well Bored, I don’t think one needs to worry about such charges along those lines being dished out, because those at the top are following a rulebook which is little to do with their perceived religion or ethnicity!
Radio Sport/NewstalkZB, Saturday 14 April 2012
About 1:40 p.m. ….
“Hideous! I tell you some of the stuff is ab-so-luuuutely hideous!”
So speaks one TONY “Boot Boy” VEITCH, solemnly denouncing the “anonymous” posters of racist filth aimed at Auckland Blues coach Pat “Lachrymose” Lam.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think that Veitch really was incensed, and that the posters really were “unknown” to good decent folk like, errr, Tony Veitch. In fact of course, he is perfectly aware of the origin of these “hideous” comments. They have been a disturbing feature on NewstalkZB for at least a generation, and on its sister station Radio Sport since it began broadcasting in April 1998. The worst (though not the only) perpetrators of this endless diet of racial taunts are: Murray Deaker, Paul Holmes, Leighton Smith, and …. (wait for it)…Tony “Boot Boy” Veitch.
This afternoon, playing along with Veitch in this grotesque charade are Christchurch-based commentator Brian Ashby and Prime TV’s Eric Young. Ashby, speaking in the most serious tone he can muster, says that “this racism is not just an Auckland thing.” He’s right in one way—Deaker’s sonorous declamations about Pacific Island “boofheads”, their “lack of intelligence” and their “inability to concentrate” have disgusted the citizens of Christchurch and Dunedin just as much as they have shocked and appalled Aucklanders. As have Veitch’s racist slurs against black American athletes.
But Ashby, just like Pat Lam himself, still pretends that “we don’t know” who this “tiny minority” of racists are.
And so does Eric Young. Young says he was initially indignant that South African journalist Mark Keohane had made comments about the anti-Polynesian comments he had heard in Auckland last year during the RWC. But then, after “reflecting”, Young “had to acknowledge” that Keohane had a point: there are racists out there.
It does sort of leave you wondering if the people who pay for the adverts that pay for the shockjocks know something about the nature of those who purchase the goods and services advertised…….
PS As Lomu did for rigby terminology (to be Lomued) Veitch has done for domestic abuse.
This looks to me like a good move on Labour’s part, since we do have a historical pile-up of questionable convictions. I have always been most uneasy about the conviction of Scott Watson, for instance. What is more, there is something truly vile about insisting on being tough on crime, while being casual about wrongful conviction.
Yes, it is sad that one comes to more-or-less expect that kind of mean-spirited, off-hand response from Collins and her ilk. In fact it would be startling if she said something thoughtful or considered.
Thank goodness the government has the courage to veto the nonsense around extended paid parental leave. If passed it would end up as the third leg of Labour’s stool (in both senses) along with no-interest student loans and the extension of working for families in comprising a huge political and economic liability that cannot readily be wound back.
While in its nine years Labour did some good things, it is also clear that the first two of these policies have done much to blight our present government’s ability to balance its books. I for one would much rather see a cessation of the current cuts to the public service in exchange for a couple of percent applied to student loans. But politically it’s not practicable because people have structured their lives around these policies, which is why so much more care should have been taken around their introduction than Labour ever bothered to give.
No reason to not raise the top tax rate to 45c for everything NZ$180,000 over, then.
It’s the shit wages that we have a problem with, and those are the result of stronger union in Aus than NZ and a decades-long neglect in NZ of actually making stuff, developing new research and educating our young. Why have we neglected these things? Because the argument was that we didn’t have the money to pay for them. And that is apparently because rich people care more about a few percent tax than they do the country that raised them.
Interest-free student loans are actually one of the few steps in the right direction.
Do you see what McFlock did there, Old Tony? I wonder where you came by your false beliefs. Does your complete ignorance concern you, or do you cling to it like a security blankie?
Considering the ignorance that you display I’d say that you’re the one incapable of debate.
The government could easily afford all the policies that you mentioned – just need to readjust the taxes. Of course, this government won’t do that as it much prefers to reward rich people for being rich and punish poor people for being poor.
Old Tony, I asked you direct questions. Are you concerned that you are repeating falsehoods? Where did you come by these untrue notions? Have you been lied to or are you a more active participant?
A few weeks ago an invitation dropped into my email inbox to attend a joint Treasury/Motu seminar on recent, rather major, changes that had apparently been made to the discount rates used by The Treasury to evaluate proposals from government agencies. It was all news to me, but when ...
All your life is Time magazineI read it tooWhat does it mean?PressureI'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationaleBut here you are with your faithAnd your Peter Pan adviceYou have no scars on your faceAnd you cannot handle pressureSongwriter: Billy Joel.Christopher Luxon is under pressure from all sides. The reviews are ...
After seeing yet-more-months of political debate and policy decisions to ‘go for growth’ by pulling the same old cheap migration and cheap tourism levers without nearly-enough infrastructure, or any attempt to address the same old lack of globally conventional tax incentives for investment, I thought it would be worth issuing ...
The plans for the buildings that will replace the downtown carpark have been publicly notified giving us the first detailed glance at what is proposed for one of the biggest and best development sites in the city centre. The council agreed to sell the site to Precinct Properties for $122 ...
With the Reserve Bank expected today to return the Official Cash Rate to where it was in mid-2022 comes a measure of how much of a psychological impact the rate has. Federated Farmers has published its latest six-monthly farm confidence survey, which shows that profit expectations have fallen and risen ...
Kiwis Disallowed From Waiting Lists Based on Arbitrary MeasuresWellington hospital are now rejecting patients from specialist waiting lists due to BMI (body mass index).This article from Rachel Thomas for The Post says it all (emphasis mine):A group of Porirua GPs are sounding alarm bells after patients with body mass indexes ...
The Prime Minister says he's really comfortable with us not knowing the reoffending rate for his boot camp programme.They asked him for it at yesterday’s press conference, and he said, nah, not telling, have to respect people's privacy.Okay I'll bite. Let's say they release this information to us:The rate of ...
Warning 1: There is a Nazi theme at the end of this article related to the disabled community. Warning 2: This article could be boring!One day, last year, I excitedly opened up a Substack post that was about how to fight back, and the answer at the end was disappointing ...
This may be rhetorical but here goes: did any of you invest in the $Libra memecoin endorsed and backed by Argentine president and darling of the global Right Javier Milei (who admitted to being paid a fee for his promotion of the token)? You know, the one that soared above ...
Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler “But what about when the sun doesn't shine?!” Ah yes, the energy debate’s equivalent of “The Earth is flat!” Every time someone mentions solar or wind power, some self-proclaimed energy expert emerges from the woodwork to drop this supposedly devastating truth bomb: ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
"This is a crisis of the Government’s own making and the unit is another sign of desperation," said PSA acting national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesca Perugia, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Australia’s housing crisis has created a push for fast-tracked construction. Federal, state and territory governments have set a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years. Increasing housing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ash Watson, Scientia Fellow and Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock When we’re uncomfortable we say the “vibe is off”. When we’re having a good time we’re “vibing”. To assess the mood we do a “vibe check”. And when the atmosphere in ...
What’s up with the man from Epsom? The leader of the Act Party has been in plenty of headlines in the last two weeks, ranging from a controversial letter to police on behalf of constituent Philip Polkinghorne (written before David Seymour was a minister) to an attempt to drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Newly published research has found clear evidence that openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer+ (LGBTIQ+) Australian politicians were disproportionately targeted with personal abuse on social media at the ...
Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek, even The Vampire Diaries – they’re all set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. So what is it like to actually know your neighbours? My favourite television shows are set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. Characters attend town meetings where they debate local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yanyan Hong, PhD Candidate in Communication and Media Studies, University of Adelaide IMDB On the surface, Ne Zha 2: The Sea’s Fury (2025), the sequel to the 2019 Chinese blockbuster Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, is a high-octane, action-packed and ...
Wellington travellers say their buses are so hot they’re often forced to get off early and walk. Shanti Mathias explores the impact of non-functioning air conditioning on public transport. When Bella, a young professional living in Wellington, thinks about taking the bus, her first thought is “Ugh”. The bus might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Kroen, Research Fellow Planning and Transport, RMIT University The cleanup is underway in northern Queensland following the latest flooding catastrophe to hit the state. More than 7,000 insurance claims have already been lodged, most of them for inundated homes and other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Subha Parida, Lecturer in Property, University of South Australia Carl Oberg/Shutterstock Houses and fire do not mix. The firestorm which hit Los Angeles in January destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate. The 2019–20 Australian megafires destroyed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight. Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This includes the Tarkine rainforest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
Manurewa Marae acknowledges should have done better at handling completed census forms, following an inquiry into steps government agencies took to protect data. ...
Police failed to protect people from protesters at a high-profile rally and made unlawful arrests at another, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says. ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
Two long-awaited reports into alleged personal data misuse, centred on census collection and Covid-19 vaccination efforts at Manurewa Marae, were released yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.“Very sobering reading” was how public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche described his organisation’s long-awaited report into the alleged misuse of census ...
Backbench MPs reached new levels of patsy questions in an extraordinarily dull question time on Tuesday. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. “MPs ask questions to explore key issues ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 19 February appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The New Zealand Government says the Cook Islands must share more information about the deals it has signed with China, following the release of an ‘action plan’ in the face of protests in the Pacific nation’s capital.The Cook Islands government has also revealed plans to spend $3 million on a ...
Comment: The recent attack by Destiny Church front groups on a Drag science show at Te Atatū library crossed a line. This wasn’t the first time that Brian Tamaki, the multimillionaire self-appointed ‘apostle’, has ordered acts of aggression against the queer community. Last year, Drag Story Time events were targeted, ...
Martina Salmon is well versed in the fast-paced action on a netball court, but even she was caught by surprise with the speed at which her career changed tack last year.Staying in the fast lane is only part of her drive this season.Fresh off a nine-day camp in Sydney with ...
Last night I may as well have been in Taihape. Or, closer to home, for me at least, somewhere in the Wairarapa. Or Tūrangi, even – which is near where we used to spend the summer when I was a child. For there was that same gorgeous small town feeling ...
Having Auckland’s food scraps dumped onto your rural backyard sounds scandalous, but in the North Island town of Reporoa there’s no fuss about the thousands of tonnes carted here every week.From the same site as one truck drops the waste, another truck picks up fertiliser to spread on local sheep ...
Very interesting read. Brian Gaynor’s article Why the kiwi can’t catch the kangaroo
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10798650
Brian Gaynor summarises by quoting from a recently published United States book, Why Nations Fail by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James A. Robinson, which he says looks at the issues that could explain New Zealand’s poor economic performance. According to the authors:
“Inclusive economic institutions that enforce property rights, create a level playing field, and encourage investment in new technologies and skills are more conductive to economic growth than extractive economic institutions that are structured to extract resources from the many by the few.”
He then goes on to say “New Zealand’s original privatisation programme, in which a few individuals became extraordinarily wealthy, and our failure to regulate the 1980s sharemarket boom and recent finance company debacles are examples of political and institutional failures, particularly by the defunct Securities Commission.
These failures have enabled a few to become extremely wealthy at the expense of the many.”
We need to stop attaching all our self worth to how we compare with the Australian dollar. They are very different economies in terms of markets and major exports. Australia is in the middle of a minerals boom, the same and Canada and a huge reason why both currencies are so strong against the greenback. We may have lower wages but we need to look at the other things that make this country worth living, GDP growth is not the be all and end all.
Access to beautiful beaches, the ability to catch a fish for free, a mild climate, lots of hiking and wilderness areas and relatively low crime rates are all things we should be extremely proud of and happy about yet many NZers take this for granted.
Richard Heinberg on creating a new economy and moving away from GDP as the be all and end all measure of “progress”:
\
“Bhutan has already done impressive work along these lines, beginning in the early 1970s, developing a “Gross National Happiness” indicator and continuing to refine methods of measuring personal, social, and environmental well-being. This tiny Himalayan, mostly Buddhist, kingdom of 800,000 still has a low per capita GDP, but its citizens are among the happiest in the world. The current King and Prime Minister are evidently unwilling to rest on these accomplishments; they have set their sights on global happiness.
The conference featured opening statements from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the President of the UN General Assembly, the President of Costa Rica, and official representatives of France, Australia, the UK, Israel, Morocco, and Thailand. Renowned economists Jeffrey Sachs and Joseph Stiglitz spoke of the limitations and perversity of GDP and of recent efforts to develop alternatives. All the speakers seemed delighted to endorse the notion that happiness is a desirable societal goal.
Fittingly, the boldest and most eloquent statement of the day came from Lyonchhen Jigmi Thinley, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, who observed that GDP growth is killing the planet, destroying our future, and making humanity less equitable and, on the whole, more miserable. This framing of the situation placed him on one side of a subtle (and in fact never clearly articulated) divide that persisted throughout the conference—a schism between those who see GDP growth as fine and necessary, especially for poor nations, though needing supplementation with growth in other dimensions; and those who see further GDP expansion as unattainable or undesirable.”
http://richardheinberg.com/museletter-239-talking-happiness
Cool. I read a related piece where Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley was quoted as saying:
“We need to rethink our entire growth-based economy so that we can thrive more effectively on our own resources in harmony with nature. We do not need to accept as inevitable a world of impending climate chaos and financial collapse,”
and more:
“Economic growth is mistakenly seen as synonymous with wellbeing. The faster we cut down forests and haul in fish stocks to extinction, the more GDP grows. Even crime, war, sickness, and natural disasters make GDP grow, simply because these ills cause money to be spent,”
at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/02/bhutan-world-suicidal-path
Also encouraging to read the Herald’s editorial – Parental leave bill deserves a fair hearing-
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10798703
“Within days of the bill being drawn from the members’ ballot, Finance Minister Bill English said National would use its veto rights to scupper it even if it enjoyed majority support. That approach is as unsound as it is precipitate.”
“But, even more pertinently, a select committee would also consider a proposal advanced last year by the Children’s Commissioner. Dr John Angus suggesting restructuring the mix of parental leave entitlements and subsidised childcare, so they best met the needs of young children.”
“This is not an issue in which National and Act will find themselves lined up only against their normal opponents, Labour, the Greens and the Mana Party. There is substantial support in Parliament for an initiative that would underline the importance of caring for babies at home.
National should be prepared to allow the legislation to go through a select committee. It could then gauge public sentiment. It might also find that trade-offs and compromises produced a bill that was affordable. And it would be spared the embarrassment that would come from exercising its powers in a dubious manner to ignore the will of Parliament.”
Under Helen Clark Labour used the veto 31 times.
For amendments to legislation, not entire bills.
This will be the first time a government has shown so much conceit coupled with so little control over the House.
How many times did they veto a whole bill? Announcing that they would before the bill had even been introduced?
You are an idiot lying with numbers.
Did Labour ever exercise the veto when it even appeared possible that they would not have a majority of MPs who could have voted the amendment down in any case?
And here we have the “global freemarket” at work, finding ways to cheat, steal, or by-pass NZ’s (and other’s) tax laws. In the process they make a mockery of Blinglish’s plan to “balance the government books” by raising GST and lowering taxes for the rich.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6741475/Trade-Me-global-deal-skips-GST
And my guess is that the goods bought through this tax rort, will be the “nice to haves” not the “need to haves”. So those on low incomes will still need to buy the neccessities for survival while paying the current GST on them.
The obvious answer is to drop GST altogether as that would allow local businesses here to compete with offshore businesses that don’t have to charge GST.
And it looks like the battle for the Pacific is hotting up, involving a complex interweaving of various elements of the military-industrial complex.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/103081/joint-exercise-signals-us-interest-in-asia-pacific
And is this related to the intensified struggle over the Pacific?
http://news.msn.co.nz/nationalnews/8450874/fourth-ranked-chinese-leader-to-visit
Hmmmm, it seems Key doesn’t fall over himself to visit China and meet Chinese top officials as he does with the US, Obama et al.
The headline says it all:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6741946/No-Christchurch-rental-crisis-Pontius-Brownlee
Though it should be acknowledge that the Pontius quote is from Lianne Dalziel. I’m waiting for someone to do the photoshop mashup.
Just in case anyone is interested (cause I find it fun), you can change the headline on a stuff link and as long as the number before the headline stays the same the link will still work. For example:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6741946/John-Key-resigns-claims-Mana-was-right-after-all
Just thought of that cause I thought the link from Carol was an example of that even though it turns out it wasn’t.
Is it just me, or are councils around the country slashing and burning their way through hall, parks, playgrounds, social housing, libraries, toilets and other community own assets?
Why isn’t someone jumping up and down about this?
Public sector assets are the natural prey of the private sector as and as councils steadily go broke, and indeed become bankrupt, more and more will be “let go”.
Assets paid for and maintained my our taxes hocked off and given away….
Councils are already bankrupt.
There’s no way they can ever fund the borrowing they’re taking on. Anyone who imagines that in some future rates are going to stop increasing, or start decreasing, while the council can pay back existing borrowing, is dreaming.
Yeah its crazy the thing I hear from people – ‘You know those warfies all earning 91K , we cant afford it, our rates will keep going up” , “Lens tran set, we just cant afford that, becuase the rates bill keep going up” etc….very simple thinking from people..
Auckland Council assets sales where kept off the table as a funding option, but they are going to go for sure, its just a question of time…and when it does, listen to the people cheering who think their rates are going to go down following any sales….NEVER HAPPENING!
Dreaming, spot on Lanth!
The problem is that cost inflation,including rates, is outstripping incomes.
And the means of keeping wages in line with costs, Unions, no longer have any power due to anti-worker legislation.
In his sports column in the ODT Brent Edwards talks about “faceless critics and social media making life hell for rugby coaches” in relation to the disgraceful abuse of Pat Lam this week.
This isn’t about anonymity, even though it does aid some cretins. What is important is for the majority of decent people commenting online to stand up against it. Anonymous people can play as much a part in this as well as identifable people.
Speak up against abuse, personal attacks and online cowardice and it will be less of a problem.
Faceless critics and social media…
I think I’ll leave the rugby people to dig their own holes. There’s no helping them.
Yes pretty distasteful and cowardly there’s no need to bring race or other non rugby matters into it.
His record speaks for itself, an average coach that’s one of the akl boys who has been found out without on field leaders doing his job for him.
Lam did not have the courage to name the source of the most vile abuse. Because he lacks the courage to speak out honestly, his tears are worthless, and he deserves little sympathy.
ps while you’re here Pete, what’s the Hair Pete position on selling more than 49% of the assets?
Yay or nay?
I haven’t heard anything, but refer to my comment on the Asset Sale post. I’d like clarification but as reported it is potentially contrary to the confidence and supply agreement.
Interesting, thanks.
From their use of facts and logic to back up their arguments to which the background of the person makes no difference.
“Faceless critics and social media”?
Stop pretending, Pete. The worst and most consistent racial abuse directed at Polynesian footballers in this country is not from “faceless critics”. You know, and Brian Edwards know, who the perpetrators of this foulness are.
Murray Deaker, Paul Holmes, Leighton Smith, and Tony Veitch. Every single one of them has been the subject of serious complaints about racist statements made on NewstalkZB. And every one of them has been found guilty.
Stop pretending that the abuse is from “faceless critics”.
The Economist projects NZ economy is on crash course to doom if big changes aren’t made soon. Don’t be surprised if National doesn’t get us in the black when it said it would…
“New analysis confirms what most of us already fear – the New Zealand economy is on a crash course with doom if big changes aren’t made soon.
Projections by The Economist show that by 2050 New Zealand would have the second highest debt as a percentage of our GDP.
If changes aren’t made soon then the country’s economy would be in a crisis and government funding would be heavily restricted.
Japan would have the highest debt, but countries which are currently in a dire economic state – such as Spain, Greece and Portugal, would fare better than New Zealand, the United States and Britain, according to The Economist.
The data analysed what countries are doing to adjust spending and revenue with the aim of bringing public debt down to safe levels by 2050.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6739607/Crash-course-to-debt-doom
Yet another bloke who sit on his arse in an office all day calling for those at the bottom to make do with less so he can have more…
He wont have anything to worry about when he retires, no doubt that he has a gold plated pension with lucrative consultancies on the side to look forward to in his golden years.
As much as I am ideologically opposed to social cuts we need to be realistic unless we want to end up like Spain.
Depends what you mean by social cuts…actually if we just cut out corporate welfare that would be a great start…Why do people keep repeating such drivel about social welfare.
Its social security!
And perhaps lets look at how we are funding any boroowing, rergardless of what its being used for!
RBNZ Audit anyone?
I’m a big fan of raising taxes.
Spain got into the mess it is in now due in large part to unaffordable social programmes, ie pensions, retiring age etc.
The mess we are in now is largely National’s fault for cutting taxes in the first place, but that still doesn’t make things like increasing paid parental leave more affordable. Obviously if we were in charge we would remove corporate welfare yadda yadda yadda but at the moment we’re not so we need to support policies that are economically responsible.
Depends upon what you mean by realistic. The present socio-economic system we slave under is unrealistic, in fact it’s completely delusional. We really do have enough resources to keep everybody in a reasonable living standard but the socio-economic system is designed to give control (ownership) of those resources to a few rich people which is what causes the poverty that we see around us.
Draco, I totally agree. Unfortunately our delusional economic system is what we currently have to work with and so we have to make realistic decisions under that system until we can implement something better ie as much as I think increasing paid parental leave is a fantastic idea it doesn’t make it any more affordable and if we are going to be fiscally responsible that really should be the be all and end all. It’s all very well to give National shit for it’s ‘neutral tax cuts’ but in my opinion it’s just as treasonous to implement social programmes that are paid for by borrowing money from overseas, ala Spain for the last 10-15 years.
Too right.
We should be funding ourselves, like we did in the 30’s, and increasing revenue by charging the wealthy what they really cost us.
The cause of the problem is Government undercharging for the services provided.
Those who benefit most from the system are getting a free ride. We now have one of the worlds most regressive overall tax policies.
IMO, there’s three things we need to do under current circumstances:-
1.) Make realistic decisions within the financial system we use
2.) Make it clear that the financial system is the problem and
3.) Make suggestions on what to replace the present system
I’ve been saying for sometime that the government never needs to borrow and, in fact, should never do so. It can print the money that it needs and then reclaim that money from the system via taxes. It’s the same way the present system works but it’s no longer the private banks that are printing the money and then charging for privilege (interest).
Definitely agree with the first three points.
The trouble with governments printing money is that past a certain threshold it is highly inflationary. Plenty of countries have done it in the past but with mixed results. The reason the US Fed was largely successful with it’s money printing scheme after the Housing Bubble is because it is still the dollar standard and in high demand, a luxury that New Zealand does not enjoy.
If it’s not controlled properly then, yes, it can be. The interesting point though is that the banks printing of money, which produces around 50% to 80% (I would supply the link to the research I read but it was some time ago and I can’t remember where) of the inflation that we see is never mentioned. As I said it’s the same system that is presently used but controlled by the government, not by the private banks and doesn’t have interest on it forcing unsustainable growth.
That was part of the reason and the other, more important, part was that they only gave it to the banks.
“That was part of the reason and the other, more important, part was that they only gave it to the banks.”
That’s simply not true. You can see here the various groups the stimulus money was given to including tax rebates to every citizens well as the “cash for clunkers” program. http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/
Are you confusing TARP and the ARRA?
The Fed didn’t run the stimulus package, Treasury did. It was funded through debt. you could argue that the debt was raised through T-bills bought by people who got the money via Fed Reserve money printing I suppose, but even if that’s true, it doesn’t contradict what was said…
Ahhh yup whoops. Thanks for the correction Pascal.
SL, hate to break it to you but the US Federal Reserve is a private bank. The US has borrowed every cent of its economy since 1911 when the Federal Reserve Act was passed. It is why the US Income Tax was introduced, to pay the interest, the loan itself just sits there unpaid and growing into the bloated tumor that it is.
It’s a public/private conglomerate with the large majority of profit being paid to U.S. treasury. It pays a statutory 6% dividend to the member banks and the rest goes to Treasury.
yeah, ok .. .
and parliamentary democracy is a system of governance where the will of the majority is dutifully carried out by elected representatives of the people,
see how easy it is for something to look like one thing yet be something else
No, actually the Fed is totally privately owned according to this court case and here is some of it’s history and it’s origins: The creature of Jekyll Island.
SL – After WWII – In an effort to free international trade and fund postwar reconstruction, the member states agreed to fix their exchange rates by tying their currencies to the U.S. dollar. American politicians, meanwhile, assured the rest of the world that its currency was dependable by linking the U.S. dollar to gold; $1 equaled 35 oz. of bullion. Nations also agreed to buy and sell U.S. dollars to keep their currencies within 1% of the fixed rate. And thus the golden age of the U.S. dollar began. (extract). This was the Brenton Woods system, established 1944.
The Bretton Woods system itself collapsed in 1971, when President Richard Nixon severed the link between the dollar and gold — a decision made to prevent a run on Fort Knox, which contained only a third of the gold bullion necessary to cover the amount of dollars in foreign hands.
From the Web:
SUMMARY OF QUICK FACTS
1a. The Federal Reserve (FED) is a PRIVATELY OWNED, organization. Unbelievable? Check the ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA.
b. Below is the list of the owners of the 12 Central Banks:
– Rothschild Bank of London
– Rothschild Bank of Berlin
– Lazard Brothers of Paris
– Israel Moses Seif Banks of Italy
– Warburg Bank of Amsterdam
– Warburg Bank of Hamburg
– Lehman Brothers of New York
– Kuhn Loeb Bank of New York
– Goldman, Schs of New York
– Chase Manhattan Bank of New York
Most of the literature around Bretton Woods ascribes the agreement as one designed to prevent the conditions that they believed lead to depression and war. Reading the list of interested parties above you might now conclude that it was more likely a “wash-up” of international financial affairs too carry on the old imperial system under the umbrella of the new global imperial power (USA) and its vassal European states. And it leaves very little doubt who was in charge: the bankers.
Yes, this is the case. The extremely sad part is that we finance directly and indirectly all the wars which are costing an enormous amount. 1.6 trillion (TRILLION) dollars and rising. The military expenditure has risen 50% since 2001. It comprised about 2.6% of Worldwide GDP. One can only imagine what could be done with half of it.
Which is the course that this government actually wants as it gives them an excuse to flog off the family silver (state assets).
A while ago I might of thought this was pushing a bit close to conspiracy theory trollop but you are 100% correct. Hello “strategic deficit.” http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0508/S00023.htm
Lobbying Disclosure Bill – good initiative by the Greens, thanks to Wednesday’s Editorial in the Herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/international-politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503226&objectid=10797937
Apologies if this Bill has been discussed on The Standard. I stumbled on this Herald piece while looking for something else (these days, I avoid reading the hard copy or online) but this Editorial is worth reading. Quite unbelievable. Did the Editorial desk get hijacked during the long holiday weekend & on Tuesday by truthseekers?
The next batch of brainwashed, indoctrinated Parliamentarians for Global Order from NZ!
I know some of you here support Labour, but you need to understand that many of the past and present Labour party, and others including the Greens, have made these voyages, and spend time inside the gulags of the USA.
There is nothing of value for Kiwis to have our money spent to send groups over, only to return as the next generation mouth piece for the corrupted systems which are exported around the world just like this – Or with bombs!
Time people realised that their “teamsters” are little more than brainwashed, rinsed out groupies!
+1
Blobbying
I often wonder why the mainstream media interview old blubberguts all the time. He is so discredited as a commentator and therefore not a credible witness…
I’m with you on this, as the mainstream media interview a right wing blogger and some how hope to write a fair and balanced article.
What has happened to fair and balanced media reporting in NZ?
What has happened to fair and balanced media reporting in NZ?
Relatively young and ignorant journalists, reporters, producers and editorial staff who have been captured by intellectually backward right-wing a——-s such as Slater. Oh and you can throw in a few older hands too like Paul Holmes and co.
We must do everything we can to keep our rail infrastructure intact.
“Gisborne residents have turned out in force, demanding that KiwiRail sink up to $4.3 million into repairing their railway line.
Mayor Meng Foon estimated “at least 2000” people took part in a march through the city today in a bid to save the region’s rail link.
The message from the march was “fix our rail” and was directed at KiwiRail and the Government, Foon said.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6743910/Gisborne-residents-march-to-save-line
I am in complete agreement SL, unfortunately we are dealing with a company that appears to be actively trying to put itself out of business.
Because basic maintenance in this line has been neglected, we now have the situation that KiwiRail wanted all along. The opportunity to shut the line down. Their inability to do such basic maintenance, like keep culverts clear of debris, has resulted in the washouts on the line.
A lot of work from interested parties, not including KiwiRail, has seen freight movements increase massively in the last six months.
With the amount of forestry coming on line at the moment, road-based freight will not be able to keep up. KiwiRail has stalled repeatedly on setting up an inland port at Gisborne which will result in three rail movements a day direct to the port so loading can be done direct from the wagons, instead of two to three hundred truck movements through to Gisborne’s port involving double handling.
If $30 million can be found to build a viaduct to save two minutes off the traveling time from Gisborne to Napier, and $15 million and counting to repair the Manawatu gorge, why can’t we find $4.3 million to repair this vital piece oh Hawkes Bay infrastructure?
Naturally, Chris Tremain and Craig Foss will be noticeable by their absence on this one.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/honor-roll/
HONOR ROLL
A short list of Israel’s past unwelcome guestsGunter Grass is not the first prominent figure to be declared unwelcome in Israel, over the years several other famous visitors have been granted similar treatment.
April 2012. On Sunday, Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared the German author Gunter Grass persona non grata in Israel,after he published a poem claiming that Israel is a threat to world peace.
“Gunter’s poems are an attempt to fan the flames of hatred against the State of Israel and the Israeli people, and thus to advance the ideas to which he was publicly partner in the past, when he wore the uniform of the SS,” Yishai said, adding, “If Gunter wants to continue publicizing his distorted and false works, I suggest he do it from Iran, where he’ll find a supportive audience.”
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the decision was made in accordance with the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, and that Grass wore an SS uniform in the past.
May 2010.</b? American linguist Noam Chomsky was denied entry into the West Bank and Israel when he arrived from Amman to the Allenby border crossing,along with his daughter and two American citizens, an Arab-American mathematics professor and a professor of international relations. At the crossing, Chomsky was questioned about his identification as an anarchist and was prevented for entering the West Bank, where he was scheduled to give a lecture at Bir Zeit University.
The Interior Ministry later insisted the decision to bar Chomsky’s entry was the result of a technical error, as responsibility for coordinating the entrance of foreign citizens into the West Bank lies with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories at the Defense Ministry.
“Denying me entry into the West Bank is a minor event, but it is significant because it shows how irrational Israel’s actions are,” said Chomsky of the event.
May 2010. Ivan Prado, Spain’s most famous clown, was accused of ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations in the West Bank and refused entry into Israel, after being interrogated at the airport for six hours by Shin Bet and Interior Ministry officials. Israel’s Foreign Ministry later said the episode caused serious damage to Israel’s image in Spain.
May 2008. Israel bars entry to American-Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein, at the Shin Bet’s orders. Finkelstein, a prominent critic of Israel’s occupation, was arrested at the airport after arriving from Amsterdam. He was interrogated for several hours, held in a detention facility at the airport and then put on a flight back to Amsterdam. He later said he was forbidden to return to Israel for a period of ten years.
June 2004. Interior Minister Avraham Poraz prevents the entry of British journalist Peter Hounam. Poraz said that according to information provided by the Shin Bet, Hounam exchanged letters with and sought to interview Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician imprisoned by Israel for years for revealing details of Israel’s nuclear program to the British media.
Hounam later said Israel should be ashamed for arresting him, adding that he had been held in a “dungeon with excrement on the walls.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/a-short-list-of-israel-s-past-unwelcome-guests-1.423384
I am afraid that all these facts will not change anything whether here or the US. This is about keeping the relationships alive between the west and Israel as they are a militarized zone on the edge of the far east. Such is the price we have to pay for a peace that is based on war. And I want to add to this that I am disgusted with the latest news about Gunter Grass as it should by now be very clear that the policies regarding freedom and rights of people do not feature in Israel. There was another article recently published under the guise of official information but was disappearing fast from the news. Namely that Israel is now occupying land that holds the water wells of the Palestinians. Already almost half of the 70 odd wells have been taken to supply the ever growing occupied lands. This is another disaster in the making as unrest is sure to follow. I am certain that the excuse will be that Israel has to defend themselves.
You often wonder why the USA has been the principle sponsor of the Zionist state, closely followed by European states. Have a look at the names of the banks who own the Fed you have posted above….one wonders. I am not sure it is safe to even mention for fear of being branded anti semitic.
Well Bored, I don’t think one needs to worry about such charges along those lines being dished out, because those at the top are following a rulebook which is little to do with their perceived religion or ethnicity!
Thanks again, Morrissey! 🙂
If only we knew who these racists were…
Radio Sport/NewstalkZB, Saturday 14 April 2012
About 1:40 p.m. ….
“Hideous! I tell you some of the stuff is ab-so-luuuutely hideous!”
So speaks one TONY “Boot Boy” VEITCH, solemnly denouncing the “anonymous” posters of racist filth aimed at Auckland Blues coach Pat “Lachrymose” Lam.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think that Veitch really was incensed, and that the posters really were “unknown” to good decent folk like, errr, Tony Veitch. In fact of course, he is perfectly aware of the origin of these “hideous” comments. They have been a disturbing feature on NewstalkZB for at least a generation, and on its sister station Radio Sport since it began broadcasting in April 1998. The worst (though not the only) perpetrators of this endless diet of racial taunts are: Murray Deaker, Paul Holmes, Leighton Smith, and …. (wait for it)…Tony “Boot Boy” Veitch.
This afternoon, playing along with Veitch in this grotesque charade are Christchurch-based commentator Brian Ashby and Prime TV’s Eric Young. Ashby, speaking in the most serious tone he can muster, says that “this racism is not just an Auckland thing.” He’s right in one way—Deaker’s sonorous declamations about Pacific Island “boofheads”, their “lack of intelligence” and their “inability to concentrate” have disgusted the citizens of Christchurch and Dunedin just as much as they have shocked and appalled Aucklanders. As have Veitch’s racist slurs against black American athletes.
But Ashby, just like Pat Lam himself, still pretends that “we don’t know” who this “tiny minority” of racists are.
And so does Eric Young. Young says he was initially indignant that South African journalist Mark Keohane had made comments about the anti-Polynesian comments he had heard in Auckland last year during the RWC. But then, after “reflecting”, Young “had to acknowledge” that Keohane had a point: there are racists out there.
Now if only we could find out who they are!
It does sort of leave you wondering if the people who pay for the adverts that pay for the shockjocks know something about the nature of those who purchase the goods and services advertised…….
PS As Lomu did for rigby terminology (to be Lomued) Veitch has done for domestic abuse.
This looks to me like a good move on Labour’s part, since we do have a historical pile-up of questionable convictions. I have always been most uneasy about the conviction of Scott Watson, for instance. What is more, there is something truly vile about insisting on being tough on crime, while being casual about wrongful conviction.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10798717
Yes, I saw that article Olwyn and was very pleased. That is, until I read the piece at the end :
Justice Minister Judith Collins said there was no need for a review because New Zealand had one of the best performing justice systems in the world.
What a pathetic response from a pathetic minister.
Yes, it is sad that one comes to more-or-less expect that kind of mean-spirited, off-hand response from Collins and her ilk. In fact it would be startling if she said something thoughtful or considered.
Thank goodness the government has the courage to veto the nonsense around extended paid parental leave. If passed it would end up as the third leg of Labour’s stool (in both senses) along with no-interest student loans and the extension of working for families in comprising a huge political and economic liability that cannot readily be wound back.
While in its nine years Labour did some good things, it is also clear that the first two of these policies have done much to blight our present government’s ability to balance its books. I for one would much rather see a cessation of the current cuts to the public service in exchange for a couple of percent applied to student loans. But politically it’s not practicable because people have structured their lives around these policies, which is why so much more care should have been taken around their introduction than Labour ever bothered to give.
of course, taxing those who have reaped most of the benefit from living in NZ hasn’t occurred to you.
Of course the problems associated with making it even more attractive to leave for Australia for better wages and lower taxes haven’t occurred to you.
Lower taxes? Really?
No reason to not raise the top tax rate to 45c for everything NZ$180,000 over, then.
It’s the shit wages that we have a problem with, and those are the result of stronger union in Aus than NZ and a decades-long neglect in NZ of actually making stuff, developing new research and educating our young. Why have we neglected these things? Because the argument was that we didn’t have the money to pay for them. And that is apparently because rich people care more about a few percent tax than they do the country that raised them.
Interest-free student loans are actually one of the few steps in the right direction.
Do you see what McFlock did there, Old Tony? I wonder where you came by your false beliefs. Does your complete ignorance concern you, or do you cling to it like a security blankie?
Yes I did see what he did there. He debated with me; all power to him. Something you are clearly incapable of.
Considering the ignorance that you display I’d say that you’re the one incapable of debate.
The government could easily afford all the policies that you mentioned – just need to readjust the taxes. Of course, this government won’t do that as it much prefers to reward rich people for being rich and punish poor people for being poor.
Old Tony, I asked you direct questions. Are you concerned that you are repeating falsehoods? Where did you come by these untrue notions? Have you been lied to or are you a more active participant?
Were those questions too hard?
I don’t like the new batch of troll handles much. They’re all faux-politeness and sleaze.
Boring, guys.
+ 1, very Bored by it.