“Because of their inability to claim the dole and an expensive housing market – a bed at an unlicensed boarding house costs $175 to $200 a week and a basic one-bed flat, $300 to $375 – Kiwis are easy targets for black-market employers offering just $75 a day. “That’s the only way they can support themselves,” says Macklin. One worker has heard some job agencies are incentivised by the government to get people off the dole – so have no particular desire to give jobs to Kiwis. “
By popular demand, a monthly homeless services hub in Woolloomooloo offers immigration-specific advice. O’Hallloran says the Welfare Rights Centre also sees a lot of New Zealanders, at least two a week, seeking advice after “falling through the cracks”. They often apply to the state for “active grace”, where claimants are allowed a short spell of claiming benefits in recognition of dire need. “These are routinely rejected, although we make them for extreme cases; we think that’s completely inhumane. We’ve not had a successful one for a New Zealander in three years and that includes some very extreme cases of abuse, homelessness, violence, and some very sorry stories.”
Having reluctantly accepted the law around benefit provision won’t change for most Kiwis, the centre is lobbying for young people who arrived as minors and those facing sudden change beyond their control who couldn’t reasonably be expected to return to New Zealand to access a discretionary payment called “Special Benefit”.
To fight their corner, they’ve amassed some shocking case studies: a teenage boy forced into homelessness through sex abuse and another through family violence, both receiving nothing because they didn’t qualify for youth allowances and couldn’t get family tax benefit as they weren’t at home; a builder’s labourer in Australia to be near his child but couldn’t work as he lost an arm in an accident, yet received no disability benefit; and a 19-year-old who had been in Australia eight years, had no family back in New Zealand and who had been diagnosed with bipolar and couldn’t work. “We write up these case studies,” she says, “it is all we can do, and say ‘at today’s date, they remain homeless’. We hear some very shocking stories and there is often a very good reason why they get ‘stuck’. It becomes abundantly clear that it would be inhumane to leave them without any income support. It is inexcusable.”
Note: “Special Benefit” began being phased out in 2006 and was replaced by TAS (Temporary Additional Support). I think they refer to another type of emergency benefit.
The NZ government is not blameless for this state of affairs, since it has cheerfully used Australia as a safety valve for absorbing our cast-off workers, while at the same time allowing Australian banks here to privilege the so-called property market over manufacturing, thus adding to the numbers of cast-off workers. It could be insisted that from now on kiwis going to Australia must deposit their fare home, so that Australia can send them back if they find themselves out of work, which would not help the ones already there, and which NZ would probably oppose. It could also be agreed that Australia pays for Aussies here, and NZ for kiwis over there, but that would be fiercely opposed by NZ, since the numbers are so stacked against them. Basically, NZ says to the neighbours, “Please babysit our working age population while we go the casino. Don’t ring if anything goes wrong for them, as we are busy waiting for the jackpot.”
I suspect not. There was a very good in depth look at this on RNZ a few months ago, and it was an eye opener for me. I think many kiwis still see Oz as an extension of NZ, that they have more rights to be there than other non-Ozzies, and they don’t see themselves as ‘immigrants’. The RNZ interviews showed that many of the NZers that get into trouble in Oz had not understood the consequences of moving there.
Key went across to sort this out. He returned after having given Queensland access to NZ Police records. With him on our side……….
Kiwis in Oz pay the full tax rates, yet are denied many of the services that these taxes pay for. Even in terms of their beloved user pays philosophy, this is not right. They could at the very least give a tax rebate.
Did you read the article, idiot? One guy had been doing senior IT work, but fell victim to depression. Maybe if he’d started a hate blog instead of helping people, you’d respect and follow him.
The point is that they all would have been working, they all would have been paying taxes, and some still are. Now run along and find something else to get totally wrong.
The NZ in ANZAC has definitely gone missing – it only turns up on ANZAC day for some strutting about at the break of day.
Still – why worry? Wonder Boy is comfortable with it and Joolia sees no need to change things.
Economics and the Powerful: how the elite skew economic and financial policies
An outstanding presentation organised by the INET group. Insights not into economics as such, but how economics has been used by the elite and disseminated to ignore the reality of peoples lives in society and consequently screw the 99%.
“..Hawaii generates more of its power from the sun than any other state.
Here’s what the rest of us can learn from the obstacles that came up along the way –
– and and what’s being done to overcome them..”
(and of course those preferring to avoid my ellipses-scattered/capital letter/traditional-sentence-structure-devoid website..can also find the story at the alternet website..
..alternet is a progressive news-website i rely on/read/link to each day..
..and – as an aside – i would highly recommend alternet to those interested in such matters..)
It’s not really relevant to NZ, covers the problems they had with their grid and we wouldn’t have the same sort of issues here.
It’s a shame NZ isn’t embracing solar while the opportunity is there. With our $NZ being so high and Chinese manufacturers desperate for sales they’re incredibly cheap and may not be that way for long. Buying in bulk it’s possible to land all the hardware for a grid tie system for a depreciated cost of well under 5c Kw/hr. Households are paying 25-30c and wind costs over 10c.
The Nation : The Leader (Atom secrets, secret leaflets, Have the boys found the leak yet the molehill sets the wheel in motion His System of a Downfall picks up Locomotion)
pearls of wisdom from Mai Chen
-“the Kitteridge Report is a damning report”
-“we should not be giving the GCSB anymore powers”
-Colloidal Cruiser ( Hot Stuff, it’s only Rock and Roll but I like like it yes I do)
korea
XIAMING HUAN
-“diplomatic rhetoric is important in trade with China”
Hearn-shaw
-“NK people are just normal people, warm-hearted, friendly, (if a little hungry)”
-“incorrectly portrayed buy Western media”
-“military believe they can extract concessions” (Sky City?)
-“while all-out war may be unlikely, skirmishes are possible”
back to the CC CP freak-show; “party not initially keen to talk about their platforms, what they stand for; a lot of Colin Craig appearances and little of the party board; “too busy” / “not comfortable with the story” (Three times before the atomic rooster crows “What is conservative about Rankin’s dress sense?”) an turn of phrase “he’s not playing politics, he’s deadly serious” lol (but he just has to run up the skirts of his press secretary first) cos’ there is sitting-room only at his party’s brow-beatings due to the Nationalistic message on the manufactured Lindauer pai-pai (sic)
Gavin Elllis, “said, said, said” (what other commentators say) if Key fell down the sh*t-house he would come back up grasping a a gold chain.
Q+A : Jane says… 😉 , on FTA with China / Asia, “quid pro quo, not just talking about trade” Chop Chop
while as Clinton Hillariously reminds us re the TPPA
-“re-militarization” in the region
(Johansen agrees, with Jane) Elephant Boy.
Aus. is forming military alliances with CHINA; yes Fran, NZ is not (like you) the centre of at tension.
ask Kenneth Wells, a very warm and funny man (Korean Historian) “different degree now, verging into a different kind” (at least they are finally interviewing people who DO actually know something about these topics and not the freakin elected troughers)
Aye …. and one that should be considered in relation to a remark Paul Buchanan made (on Firstline from memory – during the week just gone). A good description on how ‘those powers that be’ become captured by those that eventually make decisions.
I well recall a ‘spook’ (1 degree of separation rather than 2 in that it was a ‘spook’ relative relaying his/her frustrations), telling me how during the early 2000’s, it had been made clear that ‘un-PC’ type activity was verboten and that activity was pretty much limited to checking out the suitability of various senior public servants. (Btw … they weren’t listened to all the time either – hence the various bugger’s muddles at various times).
Still – no matter! we’ll outsource to another (such as the GCSB).
Police: same shit different stink with a cheer leader named Greg egging it all on.
What’s the point of having a state broadcaster if you can’t get your message put out there all wrapped around with pasty questions so it looks like the fawning interviewer is ‘satisfied’.
tc – confusion between ‘state broadcaster’ and ‘public broadcaster’. The difference is often used by the neo-libs to justify it’s demise.
It might be publicly owned, but its priority is the commercial/populist imperative.
But before you jump to the ‘what’s the point’ bit – consider that it’s used as a justification for flogging off the asset.
Far better to flog off those that attempt to commercialise (TVNZ management and its disciples), keep the asset, and insist those that follow have an understanding of the nature of Public Service Broadcasting).
Hint: they won’t be the likes of Bill Ralston
Nice idea but I reckon we’ve gone beyond the point of being able to make TVNZ a public broadcaster.
We lack the talent in content production, mostly outsourced and swallowed now by foreign production houses (South pacific being the latest) and political will to fund it.
labour had a limp attempt with the charter but mahreney and others made a pigs ear of that.
I take your point – there is still a bit of talent around, and a few that could well be lured back should there be a commitment to PSB properly funded.
You’re correct about labour’s attempt.
Why flog off any more of our assets though. At the very least – keep the buildings and chattels within or the next thing you know Sky City will be turning them into pokie galleries
A bald person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re bald.
A fat person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re fat.
A tall person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re tall.
It’s obvious as soon as you meet them.
An honest upfront person has to tell everyone they’re honest and upfront. Hmmm.
Maybe he’s not telling the public so much as trying to convince himself – Message to Jonkey – It’s not working! OR as in Little Britain, – “Computer says NO”!!
“Freud is the grandson of Sigmund Freud and has relatives who are married into the Murdoch and Rothschild family. It should not take much imagination to understand which ethnicity they belong to.”
“The idea that everybody should receive a basic income is out there. If you wish to have more than the basic income then you can work. The idea is that no person should starve, freeze or be uneducated.”
The industries that brought us most of our GDP, gone so now we live on a false economy of credit and stock.. High sustained rates of unemployment, powerless workers, evicted from their homes, the three most dramatic and destructive recessions in our history, the banking crises caused by financial dergulation, part time jobs replaced stable jobs, prices for basic necessities hugely inflated annd thousands of pensioners and some young people dying from the freezing cold and all this masked .
Thanks for pointing us to that site Johnm. I think Glenda Jackson makes some classic statements which I am sure will be quoted in the future. Apart from the one “The price of everything, and the value of nothing” I also liked the one “Hogarth would recognise London if he was alive” Hogarth died in the 1700’s Glenda Jackson told those Tory prats in no uncertain terms that Thatcher had turned the clock back at least 200 years and was being continued today by Camoron. But of course that would have gone over their heads.
Tim Bale’s pro-Thatcher apologetics this morning
Radio New Zealand National, Sunday, 14 April 2013
How do you find someone, other than a craven politician, to speak positively about a notorious politician who denigrated Nelson Mandela as a “terrorist”, yet supported Suharto, Pinochet, Begin, Shamir, Saddam and Reagan?
The answer is, of course, you find an amenable academic. Now, there are tractable professors right through this country, from Wyn Hoadley in Auckland, down through crazy Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, Lance Beath at Victoria, right down to Otago’s mealy-mouthed Robert Patman. But Chris Laidlaw’s producers decided to bypass these dependable fellows and go for someone who is actually in the midst of the national celebr—, errr, mourning. He spoke to one Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary College in London, formerly a lecturer at VUW.
Much of what Bale said was too bland and anodyne to bear repeating, but something of his moral character can be gauged by the following exchange which came near the end of the interview….
CHRIS LAIDLAW: The sinking of the General Belgrano. There’s not much said in Britain about that. I regard it as a war crime.
TIM BALE:[irritated tone] Hmmmm. [slowly and pompously] I don’t think you would find many people in Britain who think that. Most people think it was a good idea that she took the Falklands back from what was pretty much a fascist regime. Whatever you think of her, the British people actually LIKE conviction politicians.
CHRIS LAIDLAW:[skeptically] Mmmmmmmm. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary College in London, formerly a lecturer at Victoria University, thank you!
Some sort of panel discussion would have been a little more appropriate me thinks. I suspect someone at RNZ just read ‘Cameron and the Conservatives since 1945′ and thought “ooooo, I know – we’ll get Tim’. The 9 o’clock time pips seemed the most appealing thing for me in that little discussion! (tik tok tik tok as it really does come closer to all turning to shit).
Good on CL though for getting in the war crimes quip – no matter how one feels about the Faulklands
It seems the government has finally become that big ugly thing. It has become self-serving, existing solely to preserve and enhance itself, no matter its original purpose. It has become a large ugly wart that just wants to keep growing and growing, eating up all that wanders near. Yuck.
If you want more coverage, paint it up on a sandwich board and stand in the middle of the street. Take your sense of entitlement somewhere else, get off your lazy entitled bum and just do it.
Case has been going on for quite some time, very little interest from the right wing, then all of a sudden it’s everywhere, even down to little old failoil and his circus of derp.
Has he covered that apparent terrorist attack againts the nurse in Auckland who works at a clinic, per chance/
That story had one report on TV1. I’d say that’s a more under-reported story than this one.
Another under-reported terrorist attack was that bombing attempt on a Martin Luther King parade. Way more developed than any number of failed attacks where the FBI are involved with some muslim dude.
Bombs were made and in place, only failed to go off because someone noticed the bags. Whaleoil cover that?
See fool, this isn’t about abortion, it’s about the greed and crime that flourished in a pro-life state which denied women access to safe, legal abortion services.
chris, you’re being disingenuous. Please explain how this doctor would have been able to practice in a state where abortions were legal, equitably accessible, and managed in the same way as other health care. Of course this is about politics and restriction of women’s reproductive rights by US right wing prolifers.
I get the feeling this guy would have operated the same regardless of the legal situation. To do what he did suggests theres something wrong upstairs. If a baby is born (or however the medical profession consider it) and healthy then I’d imagine the Hippocratic oath comes into play.
I’m just surprised no ones tried to link John Key or Pauls Bennet to it…
Exactly. This isn’t hard to grasp chris. Women needed late term abortions, and were desperate enough to go through a horrendous experience to get one. Why do you think that is?
As for the hippocratic oath, I suggest you read up on the technicalities of late term abortions.
In a more rational state, the women would have had better options. When the crazy make women’s reproductive health care almost impossible, is it at all surprising that crazies will start providing the horrible level of service that we see here?
We used to see med students struck off alcoholic doctors, and worse providing terminations in Aotearoa not that long ago. We had plenty of horror stories right at home. That story is our future if rabid dogs like the Conservatives ever get their way.
“See fool, this isn’t about abortion, it’s about the greed and crime that flourished in a pro-life state which denied women access to safe, legal abortion services.”
The only surprising thing about all of this is that anybody still so much as gives the Welfare Whale the time of day, never mind actually believing a word it says.
by RT: “Russia produces list of US officials now sanctioned for Human Rights Breaches (the war of the lists)”
Breaking The Set : http://www.youtube.com/user/breakingtheset
got stuck-in.moderation
updated from the air-fixed recollection machine,
The Spitfire Grill http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117718/
“and that’s a Cold Shot babe, we’ve let our love go bad!”
Don’t do it! You’ll simply add to the statistics that justify the self-indulgent Cameron’s ‘rasion d’etre’
There is actually NOTHING to see there other than an ideologue all propped up with medication in an attempt to convince us how ‘relevant’ he is.
Give it a miss. (Just like Facebook if you’ve no other reason to earn a crust by means of ‘networking’)
twitter twitter twitter twit …. oooops truncated by an error 404 – or similar). Seriously – give it a fukn miss
Important intellectuals of the era then became principally concerned with the issue of propaganda during peacetime, having witnessed its success in times of war. Propaganda, wrote Lippmann, “has a legitimate and desirable part to play in our democratic system.” A leading political scientist of the era, Harold Lasswell, noted: “Propaganda is surely here to stay.” In his 1925 book, The Phantom Public, Lippmann wrote that the public was a “bewildered herd” of “ignorant and meddlesome outsiders” who should be maintained as “interested spectators of action,” and distinct from the actors themselves, the powerful. Edward Bernays, the ‘father of public relations’ and nephew of Sigmund Freud got his start with Wilson’s CPI during World War I, and had since become a leading voice in the fields of propaganda and public relations. In his 1928 book, Propaganda, Bernays wrote: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” Modern society was dominated by a “relatively small number of persons… who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses,” and this was, in Bernays’ thinking, “a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized.” Bernays referred to this – “borrowing” from Walter Lippmann – as the “engineering of consent.”
ONE : “the working poor being employed does not provide enough income to put food on the table”
-Salvation Army
Ardern- “still 20000 more people on main benefitts than before nats terms.
3 : cut down on carbohydrates 😉
-insulin leads to fat storage 😉
-sat. fat may lead to lipid profile stabilisation
Hulks perspective on Sunday : “Where Ships Go to Die” -Bangladesh (no national iron ore)
-47c per hour
-12 hours a day, 7 days a week (to fulfil their dreams)
-amputations, burns, toxic heavy metals, asbestosis.
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
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I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
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Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
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Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
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In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
Welcome to the dream: Kiwi Park, Sydney’s humanitarian disaster
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/8542785/Homeless-Kiwis-live-under-a-Sydney-bridge
“Because of their inability to claim the dole and an expensive housing market – a bed at an unlicensed boarding house costs $175 to $200 a week and a basic one-bed flat, $300 to $375 – Kiwis are easy targets for black-market employers offering just $75 a day. “That’s the only way they can support themselves,” says Macklin. One worker has heard some job agencies are incentivised by the government to get people off the dole – so have no particular desire to give jobs to Kiwis. “
PLEAS FOR COMPASSION REJECTED
By popular demand, a monthly homeless services hub in Woolloomooloo offers immigration-specific advice. O’Hallloran says the Welfare Rights Centre also sees a lot of New Zealanders, at least two a week, seeking advice after “falling through the cracks”. They often apply to the state for “active grace”, where claimants are allowed a short spell of claiming benefits in recognition of dire need. “These are routinely rejected, although we make them for extreme cases; we think that’s completely inhumane. We’ve not had a successful one for a New Zealander in three years and that includes some very extreme cases of abuse, homelessness, violence, and some very sorry stories.”
Having reluctantly accepted the law around benefit provision won’t change for most Kiwis, the centre is lobbying for young people who arrived as minors and those facing sudden change beyond their control who couldn’t reasonably be expected to return to New Zealand to access a discretionary payment called “Special Benefit”.
To fight their corner, they’ve amassed some shocking case studies: a teenage boy forced into homelessness through sex abuse and another through family violence, both receiving nothing because they didn’t qualify for youth allowances and couldn’t get family tax benefit as they weren’t at home; a builder’s labourer in Australia to be near his child but couldn’t work as he lost an arm in an accident, yet received no disability benefit; and a 19-year-old who had been in Australia eight years, had no family back in New Zealand and who had been diagnosed with bipolar and couldn’t work. “We write up these case studies,” she says, “it is all we can do, and say ‘at today’s date, they remain homeless’. We hear some very shocking stories and there is often a very good reason why they get ‘stuck’. It becomes abundantly clear that it would be inhumane to leave them without any income support. It is inexcusable.”
Note: “Special Benefit” began being phased out in 2006 and was replaced by TAS (Temporary Additional Support). I think they refer to another type of emergency benefit.
The NZ government is not blameless for this state of affairs, since it has cheerfully used Australia as a safety valve for absorbing our cast-off workers, while at the same time allowing Australian banks here to privilege the so-called property market over manufacturing, thus adding to the numbers of cast-off workers. It could be insisted that from now on kiwis going to Australia must deposit their fare home, so that Australia can send them back if they find themselves out of work, which would not help the ones already there, and which NZ would probably oppose. It could also be agreed that Australia pays for Aussies here, and NZ for kiwis over there, but that would be fiercely opposed by NZ, since the numbers are so stacked against them. Basically, NZ says to the neighbours, “Please babysit our working age population while we go the casino. Don’t ring if anything goes wrong for them, as we are busy waiting for the jackpot.”
Well what the hell do they expect?
This shit was widely known.
“This shit was widely known.”
I suspect not. There was a very good in depth look at this on RNZ a few months ago, and it was an eye opener for me. I think many kiwis still see Oz as an extension of NZ, that they have more rights to be there than other non-Ozzies, and they don’t see themselves as ‘immigrants’. The RNZ interviews showed that many of the NZers that get into trouble in Oz had not understood the consequences of moving there.
The bipolar guy who was eleven when his family moved countries should have known better ?
Classy tory.
Key went across to sort this out. He returned after having given Queensland access to NZ Police records. With him on our side……….
Kiwis in Oz pay the full tax rates, yet are denied many of the services that these taxes pay for. Even in terms of their beloved user pays philosophy, this is not right. They could at the very least give a tax rebate.
If they are living under a bridge, they are obviously not paying any tax are they? If they have a job, they are choosing to be there.
Do you believe that all NZers living in Australia are unemployed and living under a bridge? I think that makes you a supreme idiot.
Did you read the article, idiot? One guy had been doing senior IT work, but fell victim to depression. Maybe if he’d started a hate blog instead of helping people, you’d respect and follow him.
The point is that they all would have been working, they all would have been paying taxes, and some still are. Now run along and find something else to get totally wrong.
It disturbs me how many of our right-wing friends appear to believe in a static universe.
The NZ in ANZAC has definitely gone missing – it only turns up on ANZAC day for some strutting about at the break of day.
Still – why worry? Wonder Boy is comfortable with it and Joolia sees no need to change things.
Economics and the Powerful: how the elite skew economic and financial policies
An outstanding presentation organised by the INET group. Insights not into economics as such, but how economics has been used by the elite and disseminated to ignore the reality of peoples lives in society and consequently screw the 99%.
(starts about 3 mins in)
(this is a good-news/how-to/visionary/futurist-story..that i found on my rounds this morn..and that you may not otherwise come across..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/lessons-for-building-a-solar-economy/
(explanation of link..)
“..Hawaii generates more of its power from the sun than any other state.
Here’s what the rest of us can learn from the obstacles that came up along the way –
– and and what’s being done to overcome them..”
(and of course those preferring to avoid my ellipses-scattered/capital letter/traditional-sentence-structure-devoid website..can also find the story at the alternet website..
..alternet is a progressive news-website i rely on/read/link to each day..
..and – as an aside – i would highly recommend alternet to those interested in such matters..)
phillip ure..
…. too irritating, didn’t read ….
..too irritating, didn’t read..
..fify..
..and ditto..
It’s not really relevant to NZ, covers the problems they had with their grid and we wouldn’t have the same sort of issues here.
It’s a shame NZ isn’t embracing solar while the opportunity is there. With our $NZ being so high and Chinese manufacturers desperate for sales they’re incredibly cheap and may not be that way for long. Buying in bulk it’s possible to land all the hardware for a grid tie system for a depreciated cost of well under 5c Kw/hr. Households are paying 25-30c and wind costs over 10c.
Just seen another Tui Advert by Key on the Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the National Party called Q&A
“I am honest and up front” Yeah Right
Add that to the list of John Key’s lies.
The Nation : The Leader (Atom secrets, secret leaflets, Have the boys found the leak yet the molehill sets the wheel in motion His System of a Downfall picks up Locomotion)
pearls of wisdom from Mai Chen
-“the Kitteridge Report is a damning report”
-“we should not be giving the GCSB anymore powers”
-Colloidal Cruiser ( Hot Stuff, it’s only Rock and Roll but I like like it yes I do)
korea
XIAMING HUAN
-“diplomatic rhetoric is important in trade with China”
Hearn-shaw
-“NK people are just normal people, warm-hearted, friendly, (if a little hungry)”
-“incorrectly portrayed buy Western media”
-“military believe they can extract concessions” (Sky City?)
-“while all-out war may be unlikely, skirmishes are possible”
back to the CC CP freak-show; “party not initially keen to talk about their platforms, what they stand for; a lot of Colin Craig appearances and little of the party board; “too busy” / “not comfortable with the story” (Three times before the atomic rooster crows “What is conservative about Rankin’s dress sense?”) an turn of phrase “he’s not playing politics, he’s deadly serious” lol (but he just has to run up the skirts of his press secretary first) cos’ there is sitting-room only at his party’s brow-beatings due to the Nationalistic message on the manufactured Lindauer pai-pai (sic)
Gavin Elllis, “said, said, said” (what other commentators say) if Key fell down the sh*t-house he would come back up grasping a a gold chain.
Q+A : Jane says… 😉 , on FTA with China / Asia, “quid pro quo, not just talking about trade” Chop Chop
while as Clinton Hillariously reminds us re the TPPA
-“re-militarization” in the region
(Johansen agrees, with Jane) Elephant Boy.
Aus. is forming military alliances with CHINA; yes Fran, NZ is not (like you) the centre of at tension.
ask Kenneth Wells, a very warm and funny man (Korean Historian) “different degree now, verging into a different kind” (at least they are finally interviewing people who DO actually know something about these topics and not the freakin elected troughers)
Graphene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene
cook-a-too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galah
AL EX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot)
“the Kitteridge Report – a damning report”
Aye …. and one that should be considered in relation to a remark Paul Buchanan made (on Firstline from memory – during the week just gone). A good description on how ‘those powers that be’ become captured by those that eventually make decisions.
I well recall a ‘spook’ (1 degree of separation rather than 2 in that it was a ‘spook’ relative relaying his/her frustrations), telling me how during the early 2000’s, it had been made clear that ‘un-PC’ type activity was verboten and that activity was pretty much limited to checking out the suitability of various senior public servants. (Btw … they weren’t listened to all the time either – hence the various bugger’s muddles at various times).
Still – no matter! we’ll outsource to another (such as the GCSB).
Police: same shit different stink with a cheer leader named Greg egging it all on.
What’s the point of having a state broadcaster if you can’t get your message put out there all wrapped around with pasty questions so it looks like the fawning interviewer is ‘satisfied’.
tc – confusion between ‘state broadcaster’ and ‘public broadcaster’. The difference is often used by the neo-libs to justify it’s demise.
It might be publicly owned, but its priority is the commercial/populist imperative.
But before you jump to the ‘what’s the point’ bit – consider that it’s used as a justification for flogging off the asset.
Far better to flog off those that attempt to commercialise (TVNZ management and its disciples), keep the asset, and insist those that follow have an understanding of the nature of Public Service Broadcasting).
Hint: they won’t be the likes of Bill Ralston
Nice idea but I reckon we’ve gone beyond the point of being able to make TVNZ a public broadcaster.
We lack the talent in content production, mostly outsourced and swallowed now by foreign production houses (South pacific being the latest) and political will to fund it.
labour had a limp attempt with the charter but mahreney and others made a pigs ear of that.
I take your point – there is still a bit of talent around, and a few that could well be lured back should there be a commitment to PSB properly funded.
You’re correct about labour’s attempt.
Why flog off any more of our assets though. At the very least – keep the buildings and chattels within or the next thing you know Sky City will be turning them into pokie galleries
A bald person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re bald.
A fat person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re fat.
A tall person doesn’t have to tell anyone they’re tall.
It’s obvious as soon as you meet them.
An honest upfront person has to tell everyone they’re honest and upfront. Hmmm.
Maybe he’s not telling the public so much as trying to convince himself – Message to Jonkey – It’s not working! OR as in Little Britain, – “Computer says NO”!!
The Artist Taxi Driver Another U$K Austerity Class War dispatch
Lord Freud Ukuncut Thatcher Obama Drones+Witches; Weekend B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAexf0AIWdE&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=1
Loads of room to talk! Bedroom tax Tory Lord Freud lives in eight-bedroom country mansion
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-tory-lord-freud-1545677
“Freud is the grandson of Sigmund Freud and has relatives who are married into the Murdoch and Rothschild family. It should not take much imagination to understand which ethnicity they belong to.”
“The idea that everybody should receive a basic income is out there. If you wish to have more than the basic income then you can work. The idea is that no person should starve, freeze or be uneducated.”
Glenda Jackson launches tirade against Thatcher in tribute debate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDtClJYJBj8
The industries that brought us most of our GDP, gone so now we live on a false economy of credit and stock.. High sustained rates of unemployment, powerless workers, evicted from their homes, the three most dramatic and destructive recessions in our history, the banking crises caused by financial dergulation, part time jobs replaced stable jobs, prices for basic necessities hugely inflated annd thousands of pensioners and some young people dying from the freezing cold and all this masked .
” Margaret Thatcher the tax snatcher? Mystery of her £6m house with links to THREE tax havens
13 Apr 2013 00:00
Financial experts said it could have been a scheme which would help her estate avoid millions of pounds in inheritance ”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/margaret-thatcher-tax-snatcher-mystery-1828441
Thanks for pointing us to that site Johnm. I think Glenda Jackson makes some classic statements which I am sure will be quoted in the future. Apart from the one “The price of everything, and the value of nothing” I also liked the one “Hogarth would recognise London if he was alive” Hogarth died in the 1700’s Glenda Jackson told those Tory prats in no uncertain terms that Thatcher had turned the clock back at least 200 years and was being continued today by Camoron. But of course that would have gone over their heads.
Glenda was an amazing actress – Remember her Elizabeth the First? She must be a great MP too!! A very clever woman!!
Tim Bale’s pro-Thatcher apologetics this morning
Radio New Zealand National, Sunday, 14 April 2013
How do you find someone, other than a craven politician, to speak positively about a notorious politician who denigrated Nelson Mandela as a “terrorist”, yet supported Suharto, Pinochet, Begin, Shamir, Saddam and Reagan?
The answer is, of course, you find an amenable academic. Now, there are tractable professors right through this country, from Wyn Hoadley in Auckland, down through crazy Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, Lance Beath at Victoria, right down to Otago’s mealy-mouthed Robert Patman. But Chris Laidlaw’s producers decided to bypass these dependable fellows and go for someone who is actually in the midst of the national celebr—, errr, mourning. He spoke to one Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary College in London, formerly a lecturer at VUW.
Much of what Bale said was too bland and anodyne to bear repeating, but something of his moral character can be gauged by the following exchange which came near the end of the interview….
CHRIS LAIDLAW: The sinking of the General Belgrano. There’s not much said in Britain about that. I regard it as a war crime.
TIM BALE: [irritated tone] Hmmmm. [slowly and pompously] I don’t think you would find many people in Britain who think that. Most people think it was a good idea that she took the Falklands back from what was pretty much a fascist regime. Whatever you think of her, the British people actually LIKE conviction politicians.
CHRIS LAIDLAW: [skeptically] Mmmmmmmm. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary College in London, formerly a lecturer at Victoria University, thank you!
Some sort of panel discussion would have been a little more appropriate me thinks. I suspect someone at RNZ just read ‘Cameron and the Conservatives since 1945′ and thought “ooooo, I know – we’ll get Tim’. The 9 o’clock time pips seemed the most appealing thing for me in that little discussion! (tik tok tik tok as it really does come closer to all turning to shit).
Good on CL though for getting in the war crimes quip – no matter how one feels about the Faulklands
I forgot to mention that Thatcher, obediently following the lead of her Washington master, also supported the Khmer Rouge.
Yes, she was a biiigggggg supporter of that vicious old nazi, Pinochet.
Shame about Tim Bale – a former lecturer of mine at Vic. Something of a Blair supporter too, if I remember rightly.
As if we needed another piece of evidence of the way this deceitful and dishonest government works.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8547471/Secrecy-over-milk-DCD-scare-revealed
It seems the government has finally become that big ugly thing. It has become self-serving, existing solely to preserve and enhance itself, no matter its original purpose. It has become a large ugly wart that just wants to keep growing and growing, eating up all that wanders near. Yuck.
I thought Guy comment about the DCD not being at a dangerous level was curious and bizarre.
If it wasnt dangerous why the secrecy?…..
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/04/the-abortion-story-that-the-msm-wont-cover/
This is not a left vs right debate but be warned its a hard read (and not because its a whaleoil story) but an interesting one
Idiot, there’s been extensive coverage both here and in the US.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/4560338/Abortion-doctor-killed-babies-with-scissors
http://www.3news.co.nz/Abortion-doctor-killed-7-babies-with-scissors/tabid/417/articleID/195091/Default.aspx
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10872384
http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/conservatives_should_look_inward_on_gosnell_blackout/
Fuckwit, considering the scope of the case I’d have expected a lot more coverage.
If you want more coverage, paint it up on a sandwich board and stand in the middle of the street. Take your sense of entitlement somewhere else, get off your lazy entitled bum and just do it.
And I’d like wall to wall coverage of the ASP and the NZKB too.
Nice one dipshit
Yeah well, this complaint would have more merit of it wasn’t just an obvious rightwing freak out of the day:
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/41853_Breitbart.com_AWOL_on_Gosnell_for_Past_Two_Years_Suddenly_Dozens_of_Posts
Case has been going on for quite some time, very little interest from the right wing, then all of a sudden it’s everywhere, even down to little old failoil and his circus of derp.
Has he covered that apparent terrorist attack againts the nurse in Auckland who works at a clinic, per chance/
That story had one report on TV1. I’d say that’s a more under-reported story than this one.
Another under-reported terrorist attack was that bombing attempt on a Martin Luther King parade. Way more developed than any number of failed attacks where the FBI are involved with some muslim dude.
Bombs were made and in place, only failed to go off because someone noticed the bags. Whaleoil cover that?
See fool, this isn’t about abortion, it’s about the greed and crime that flourished in a pro-life state which denied women access to safe, legal abortion services.
Piss off wanker, stop seeing shit that ain’t there
chris, you’re being disingenuous. Please explain how this doctor would have been able to practice in a state where abortions were legal, equitably accessible, and managed in the same way as other health care. Of course this is about politics and restriction of women’s reproductive rights by US right wing prolifers.
I get the feeling this guy would have operated the same regardless of the legal situation. To do what he did suggests theres something wrong upstairs. If a baby is born (or however the medical profession consider it) and healthy then I’d imagine the Hippocratic oath comes into play.
I’m just surprised no ones tried to link John Key or Pauls Bennet to it…
I’m just surprised no ones tried to link John Key or Pauls Bennet to it…
So far you’re the only one who has…?
Thats why its surprising
Actually, he wouldn’t have been able to as the women wouldn’t have needed to seek him out.
Exactly. This isn’t hard to grasp chris. Women needed late term abortions, and were desperate enough to go through a horrendous experience to get one. Why do you think that is?
As for the hippocratic oath, I suggest you read up on the technicalities of late term abortions.
In a more rational state, the women would have had better options. When the crazy make women’s reproductive health care almost impossible, is it at all surprising that crazies will start providing the horrible level of service that we see here?
We used to see med students struck off alcoholic doctors, and worse providing terminations in Aotearoa not that long ago. We had plenty of horror stories right at home. That story is our future if rabid dogs like the Conservatives ever get their way.
+1 It wasn’t that long ago in NZ the wealthy could fly to Aussie and all the others had to find another way.
That’s not my conclusion, it’s the grand juries…anyhoo…do tell me how hard you’ve worked.
“See fool, this isn’t about abortion, it’s about the greed and crime that flourished in a pro-life state which denied women access to safe, legal abortion services.”
+1000
Chris you seem obsessed with linking to the sewer every other day, it’s gross.
Have you got up to speed on the latest blunder by the stinky one you adore?
It’s here he’s a fool and you need a new hero.
And your point is?
If I stopped reading a blog everytime someone got something wrong…well I wouldn’t be reading this one for a start
*cue link please*
He doesn’t get things wrong. It’s not a mishap.
He makes up complete bullshit and you swallow it daily.
The only surprising thing about all of this is that anybody still so much as gives the Welfare Whale the time of day, never mind actually believing a word it says.
Those who post links to whaleoil do tend to be the more gullible of our visitors.
Criusing Colloidally,
if the Straijacket Fits She Speeds through Bailterspace Lightfootedly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8jBuAWuaZU
mysky? “Equilibrium” before The Fall to Higher Ground (or Higher Learning)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1562568/ http://www.higherground.org.nz/
( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113305/ )
Empire (from the History Channel) Records “doing good, by force if necessary”
The Fun-Lovin Criminals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHDYfoRYcqQ Cougar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mellencamp Revolution Revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVKLmpALMFc from a Small Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CVLVaBECuc …
Lines of untold history
http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&gs_rn=9&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=9&gs_id=y&xhr=t&q=the+untold+history+of+the+united+states&es_nrs=true&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=the+untol&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45175338,d.aGc&fp=f2b169560604df12&biw=996&bih=499
by RT; Russia produces list of US officials now sanctioned for Human Rights Breaches
Breaking The Set
http://www.youtube.com/user/breakingtheset
” a hard rains gonna fall”
(Super) Nova
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfy7Dxy57aE
…now Normie, if we can just establish who your Friends are, Kirstie (without withdrawel they just wanna possess your bits).
Cruising Cooloidally,
if the Straitjacket Fits She Speeds through Bailterspace lightfootedly
mysky; Equilibrium before The Fall to Higher Ground (or Higher Learning)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1562568/?ref_=sr_1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113305/?ref_=sr_1
http://www.higherground.org.nz/
“Empire” (from the History Channel) records “doing good, by force if necessary.”
The Fun-Lovin Criminals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFSLFBAJdBI Cougar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CVLVaBECuc Revolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mellencamp Revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVKLmpALMFc from a Small Town.
Lines of untold history
http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&gs_rn=9&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=9&gs_id=y&xhr=t&q=the+untold+history+of+the+united+states&es_nrs=true&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=the+untol&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45175338,d.aGc&fp=f2b169560604df12&biw=996&bih=499
by RT: “Russia produces list of US officials now sanctioned for Human Rights Breaches (the war of the lists)”
Breaking The Set : http://www.youtube.com/user/breakingtheset
“a hard rains gonna fall”
Super (Nova) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfy7Dxy57aE
…Normie, if we can just establish who our “Friends” are, Kirsty, (without withdrawel they just wanna possess you b*ts).
got stuck-in.moderation
updated from the air-fixed recollection machine,
The Spitfire Grill
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117718/
“and that’s a Cold Shot babe, we’ve let our love go bad!”
ergh whaleoil… might have to put my wankeroil shirt on
https://politees.printmighty.co.nz/products/wanker-oil-beef-hooked
Don’t do it! You’ll simply add to the statistics that justify the self-indulgent Cameron’s ‘rasion d’etre’
There is actually NOTHING to see there other than an ideologue all propped up with medication in an attempt to convince us how ‘relevant’ he is.
Give it a miss. (Just like Facebook if you’ve no other reason to earn a crust by means of ‘networking’)
twitter twitter twitter twit …. oooops truncated by an error 404 – or similar). Seriously – give it a fukn miss
“Dying Waiting”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/guantanamo-bay–president-obamas-shame-the-forgotten-prisoners-of-americas-own-gulag-8572215.html
U.N forgotten
Charlie DOES surf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21941069
Cheers joe (not sloppy seconds)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cheers-at-sloppy-joes-ernest-hemingways-havana-bar-is-serving-again-8572082.html
AIC
E
Interesting read.
http://www.alternet.org/print/media/propaganda-system-has-helped-create-permanent-overclass-over-century-making
Important intellectuals of the era then became principally concerned with the issue of propaganda during peacetime, having witnessed its success in times of war. Propaganda, wrote Lippmann, “has a legitimate and desirable part to play in our democratic system.” A leading political scientist of the era, Harold Lasswell, noted: “Propaganda is surely here to stay.” In his 1925 book, The Phantom Public, Lippmann wrote that the public was a “bewildered herd” of “ignorant and meddlesome outsiders” who should be maintained as “interested spectators of action,” and distinct from the actors themselves, the powerful. Edward Bernays, the ‘father of public relations’ and nephew of Sigmund Freud got his start with Wilson’s CPI during World War I, and had since become a leading voice in the fields of propaganda and public relations. In his 1928 book, Propaganda, Bernays wrote: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” Modern society was dominated by a “relatively small number of persons… who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses,” and this was, in Bernays’ thinking, “a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized.” Bernays referred to this – “borrowing” from Walter Lippmann – as the “engineering of consent.”
This too … America…the great arms dealer.
http://thepeoplesbookproject.com/category/book-excerpts/
return of the Police Investigation Groups
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10877273
ONE : “the working poor being employed does not provide enough income to put food on the table”
-Salvation Army
Ardern- “still 20000 more people on main benefitts than before nats terms.
3 : cut down on carbohydrates 😉
-insulin leads to fat storage 😉
-sat. fat may lead to lipid profile stabilisation
Hulks perspective on Sunday : “Where Ships Go to Die” -Bangladesh (no national iron ore)
-47c per hour
-12 hours a day, 7 days a week (to fulfil their dreams)
-amputations, burns, toxic heavy metals, asbestosis.
“How can we tolerate this,?” asked The Navigator.
Nice one Labour. Caveat emptor 🙂
Live At Red Rocks! Hit The Electric Co’s . Gloria!!!