“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.”
Glenda Jackson launches tirade against Thatcher in tribute debate
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.
Hipkins is doing the right thing for New Zealanders already living in Australia, but there’s now a growing risk of a fresh surge of net emigration of frustrated young Kiwis across the Tasman. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Employers here in Aotearoa are desperate to keep their best-trained, most-productive ...
This post contains two guest posts from readers, both of which were sent to us after the flooding on Friday 27 January, both of which discuss how we handle our stormwater. This is a guest post from Ed Clayton, who’s written for us before about Auckland’s relationship with freshwater, ...
TLDR: For paying subscribers, here’s the key breaking news, scoops and links I’ve found since 4 am this morning, as of 7 am, including:A 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,200 in Turkey near its border with Syria; ReutersMetService has warned a new cyclone is forming north of Aotearoa that ...
The politics of Waitangi and the Treaty evident over the weekend have moved into a new space. The politics of Waitangi and the Treaty evident over the weekend have moved into a new space. There is a new wave of Maori activism, which sees the Treaty as a living ...
Originally published by The Hill After decades of failure to pass major federal climate legislation, Congress finally broke through last year with the Inflation Reduction Act and its close to $400 billion in clean energy investments. Energy modeling experts estimated that these provisions would help the U.S. cut its carbon pollution ...
Apology Accepted? “I dropped the ball on Friday, I was too slow to be seen …The communications weren’t fast enough – including mine. I’m sorry for that.”–Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.HOW OFTEN do politicians apologise? Sincerely apologise? Not offer voters the weasel words: “If my actions have offended anyone, then I ...
At first blush, Christopher Luxon’s comment at the parliamentary powhiri at Waitangi this year sounded tone deaf. The Leader of the Opposition in talking about the Treaty of Waitangi described New Zealand as “a little experiment”. It seemed to diminish the treaty and the very idea of our nation. Yet ...
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...
A brief postscript to yesterday’s newsletter…Watching the predawn speeches just now, the reverence of those speaking and the respectful nature of those listening under umbrellas in the dark. I felt a great sadness at the words from Christopher Luxon last evening still in my head. The singing in the dark accompanied ...
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global ...
So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...
Look at us here on our beautiful islands in the South Pacific at the start of 2023, we have come so far.Ten days ago we saw a Māori Governor General swearing in our new PM and our first Pasifika Deputy PM, ahead of this year’s parliament where they will be ...
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...
Photo by Anna Demianenko on UnsplashTLDR: Here’s my longer reads and listens for the weekend for sharing with The Kaka’s paying subscribers. I’ve opened this one up for all to give everyone a taste of the sorts of extras you get as a full paying subscriber.Subscribe nowDeeper reads and listens ...
Hello from the middle of a long weekend where I’m letting the last few days unspool, not ready, not yet, to give words to the hardest of what we heard.Instead, today, here are some good words from other people.Mother CourageWhen I wrote last year about Mum and Dad’s move to ...
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
Insurers face claims of over $500 million for cars, homes and property damaged in the floods. They are already putting up premiums and pulling insurance from properties deemed at high risk of flooding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: This week in the podcast of our weekly hoon webinar for paying subscribers, ...
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
Transport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...
Sometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Currently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...
Buzz from the Beehive Before he announced his Cabinet yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he would be flying to Australia next week to meet that country’s Prime Minister. And before Kieran McAnulty had time to say “Three Waters” after his promotion to the Local Government portfolio, he was dishing ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...
Another night of heavy rain, flooding, damage to homes, and people worried about where the hell all this water is going to go as we enter day twenty two of rain this year.Honestly if the government can’t sell Three Waters on the back of what has happened with storm water ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...
Hi,It’s weird to me that in 2023 we still have people falling for multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs for short). There are Netflix documentaries about them, countless articles, and last year we did an Armchaired and Dangerous episode on them.Then you check a ticketing website like EventBrite and see this shit ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
The Government is investing in a suite of initiatives to unlock Māori and Pacific resources, talent and knowledge across the science and research sector, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Two new funds – He tipu ka hua and He aka ka toro – set to ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
The Government is supporting one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant historic sites, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, as it continues to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. “The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a taonga that we should protect and look after. This additional support will mean people can continue to ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
MediaRoom column: On the eve of a Cabinet decision on the fate of the proposed public broadcasting merger, questions emerge over the engagement by the TVNZ chief executive of two former National government aides to change the narrative and push TVNZ's view on the Government's plan Within weeks of taking over ...
Olivia Sisson performs a good old-fashioned cost comparison – and it might change the way you buy your veges.The price of food in New Zealand is shocking. So, how to cope? The recommendations are starting to feel like the avo-toast-flat-white trope. Cut those items out and there it is, ...
An early morning fire at an egg-laying farm in Orini, Waikato yesterday has claimed the lives of at least 50,000 hens. The farm is operated by New Zealand’s largest egg producer Zeagold, the country’s biggest egg producer, whose eggs are sold under ...
The Natural and Built Environment Bill and Spatial Planning Bill will make resource management issues worse and should be withdrawn, Federated Farmers has told the Environment Select Committee. "Farmers agree the costly, slow and unpredictable processes ...
New police minister Stuart Nash has met with new health minister Ayesha Verrall to talk about the issue with the aim of preventing ram raids. Nash wants to speed up the scheduled reduction of dairies that can sell cigarettes. Nash made the comments at a police graduation ceremony in Porirua last ...
It’s Tuesday, February 7 and welcome to a special edition of The Spinoff’s live updates. Stewart Sowman-Lund will be on the ground in Canberra today as PM Chris Hipkins meets with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. What you need to know Chris Hipkins will meet Australian PM ...
Politicking by politicians was less overt but whether there was less politics probably depends on your definition of the word and what lay beneath the optics, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Why is it becoming harder to achieve debt-free status? Money Sweetspot is a new company that uses compassion and incentives to help people pay off their debts. Co-founder Sasha Lockley talks to Simon about using gamification to increase financial literacy, breaking the cycle of poverty, and how she intends to ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins is heading to Australia today for his first face-to-face meeting with an international leader. He’ll be meeting with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese during his single-day visit to Canberra. The Spinoff live updates will be on the ground in Australia as the meeting takes place and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney Pexels/Uriel Mont The question of whether and to what extent face masks work to prevent respiratory infections such as COVID and influenza ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Mackinnon, Professor and Director, Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices, Queensland University of Technology Superconducting cables transmit electicity without lossesShutterstock For most of us, transmitting power is an invisible part of modern life. You flick the switch and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Munro, Professor, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University Shutterstock Many students are returning to school this year face a renewed focus on grammar. Just before Christmas, the NSW curriculum was overhauled to include the “explicit teaching of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debra Dudek, Associate professor, School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University Universal Life is full of surprises – some pleasant and some painful – but there can be no surprises without expectations. We expect the sun to come up ...
News stories have honed in on the fact Wayne Brown and his staff were left off a ‘vital’ email distribution list on the night of the Auckland floods. But internal emails from the mayor’s chief of staff show he was getting regular briefings from officials.Internal council emails obtained by ...
In a reality shaped by climate crisis, how do you think and feel about the changed present – and the changing future – without spiralling into despair?In the midst of a flood there’s not much time to think about the future. But when the water recedes, the reality of ...
06 Feb The news today of the death of 75,000 chickens at an egg farm in Waikato is yet another outrageous and avoidable tragedy. “The fact that so many hens died in this fire in the Waikato is a testament to the systemic neglect and disregard ...
Lawmakers are being urged to bridge the legal and scientific divide over braided rivers. David Williams reports What is a river? More particularly, what is a braided river? An expert group known as The Land The Law Forgot is urging politicians considering the Natural and Built Environment Bill – one ...
As Auckland copes with unprecedented flooding, Mairi Jay points to lessons from extreme weather events in British Columbia that could be vitally important for policy-makers and administrators here “Expect extreme weather events” the climate scientists tell us. But sometimes the extreme is beyond our imagining. On Thursday January 26, New Zealand’s Met Service predicted ...
UK and US deals for NZ novels Three of the best New Zealand novels of recent years are about to be published in the UK and the US. All three books – She's a Killer by Kirsten McDougall, Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly, and The New Animals ...
Confidence from US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell kept markets buoyant. But mortgage payments and job losses could dampen consumer spending in NZ ...
Someone left the Swift out in the rain - insurance agents are overloaded with calls about flood-damaged vehicles It’s been a big week for testing the submarining abilities of the family station wagon. Thousands of cars around the upper North Island have been written off following the devastating floods of ...
The first of the air force's new Poseidon aircraft has landed in New Zealand. But is this the sort of workhorse the military needs? Our old heroes of the Air Force, the P-3 Orions, have retired after 56 years of service - and the first of the flash new Poseidon ...
Chris Hipkins’ first overseas trip as Prime Minister comes on relatively friendly territory. But while there have been marked improvements in the trans-Tasman relationship since a change in Canberra, there is still plenty to discuss, as Sam Sachdeva writes In many ways, it is fitting Chris Hipkins should make Australia the ...
Fiordland National Park is the crowning jewel of our national parks and arguably our greatest tourist magnet. But conservationists warn that marine life has been put at risk because the park’s waters are unprotected. Heidi Bendikson’s investigation shows they are right. Tourists on the 'M.V Sinbad' clamber to the bow to ...
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RNZ News New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described today’s Waitangi Day dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. Hundreds of people gathered before dawn to commemorate 183 years since Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed. Hipkins said the national ...
By Hilaire Bule, RNZ Pacific Vanuatu correspondent in Port Vila Vanuatu’s prime minister has stressed any future employment within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat must be from MSG member countries. Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, who is also chair of the MSG Secretariat, made the statement following the recruitment of ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Yamin Kogoya On Friday 10 February 2023, it will be one month since the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe was “kidnapped” at a local restaurant during his lunch hour by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and security forces. The crisis began in September 2022, when Governor Enembe was ...
By Kālino Lātū, editor of Kaniva News Dr Sitiveni Halapua, former deputy leader of Tonga’s Democratic Movement, has died aged 74. Born on February 13, 1949, he was a respected academic, a pioneer of Tonga’s democratic reforms and pioneer of a conflict resolution system based on traditional practices. Halapua earned ...
COMMENTARY:By Richard Naidu in Suva Five weeks on from Christmas Eve, I think most of us are still a bit stunned at what has happened in Fiji. A new government came to power in dramatic circumstances. It took not one but two Sodelpa management board meetings to change it, ...
By Red Tsounga Another house done, and onto the next . . . Volunteers working in Mount Roskill community over the past few days helping those suffering from Auckland’s flash flood devastation have done us proud. Tremendous work by everybody. Here are some random photos of our volunteer teams on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Mick Tsikas/AAP Senator Lidia Thorpe announced on Monday that she would be leaving the Greens. Thorpe had split with the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis B. Desmond, Lecturer, Cyberintelligence and Cybercrime Investigations, University of the Sunshine Coast The news of a so-called “Chinese spy balloon” being shot down over the US has reignited interest in how nation-states spy on one another. It’s not confirmed that the ...
Today, at a Waitangi ki Waititi concert hosted by Te Whānau o Waipareira at Hoani Waititi Marae, West Auckland; Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp was officially announced as Te Pāti Māori Candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau for the 2023 Election. Hailing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...
Sure, Scotty Morrison’s Māori At Work is a wonderful resource for Aotearoa’s collective te reo Māori journey. But is it judgemental enough for the modern office environment?First published September 12 2019 The growing strength of te reo is palpable across Aotearoa, with record numbers of people participating in Mahuru ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Mills, Professor and Dean La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University Shutterstock It can be tough to access front-line health care outside the cities and suburbs. For the seven million Australians living in rural communities there are significant ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University Chad Fish/AP Was the balloon that suddenly appeared over the US last week undertaking surveillance? Or was it engaging in research, as China has claimed? While the answers to these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The generative AI industry will be worth about A$22 trillion by 2030, according to the CSIRO. These systems – of which ChatGPT is currently the best known – can write ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described this morning's Waitangi dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. ...
Screenwriter Dana Leaming’s debut comedy series Not Even is out now on Prime and Neon. This is the out the gate story of how it got there.Kia ora, Hi, What up? Up to? U up? …I’m Dana. I wrote and co-directed (with Ainsley Gardiner) the TV show Not Even ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Mick Tsikas/AAP A federal Newspoll, conducted February 1-4 from a sample of 1,512, gave Labor a 55-45 lead, unchanged on ...
The Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, last week released two reports on racism and the impact of colonialism in Aotearoa. Among their many insights was the necessity of a wider understanding of how racism manifests itself. I was honoured to accept an invitation by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata ...
Vincent O’Malley reviews a history of the battle of Gate Pā.First published February 5, 2019 Head up Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes, a few kilometres out of the city centre and you drive over one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites. The road, named after ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University Support for embedding an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution has fallen. The polls provide good evidence once you work out how to find it. However, the voters who have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby Rumpff, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne David Crosling/AAP The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australia’s environmental history. They burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly forests in southeast Australia. Many of our most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Grové, Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University Anete Lusina/Pexels School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Revising the generous fuel tax credits given to businesses should be a priority for the Albanese government, because keeping them would conflict with two other pressing priorities: reducing carbon emissions and repairing the ...
For nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why ...
Three decades ago one of the giants of New Zealand thinking and writing, Ranginui Walker, published Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, Struggle Without End. The book, originally released in 1990 and revised in 2004, is a history of Aotearoa from a Māori perspective. It had a profound influence and today remains ...
Labour and National’s leaders came to Waitangi agreed on which areas need more investment in election year. But as political editor Jo Moir writes, the country is going to see a big debate on how Māori should benefit from it Prime Minister Chris Hipkins used his speech at Sunday’s pōwhiri ...
A review for Waitangi weekend The bestselling novel Kāwai: For Such a Time as This by Monty Soutar feels like the story Matua Monty has been working toward telling his entire life. It aims for the loftiest mountain peak in a valiant attempt at the fabled Great New Zealand ...
Unfortunately the great flood of January 27 was not a one-off but a precursor to more emergencies likely to strike the city because of environmental effects of climate change. While the Auckland floods are proving devastating, costly and far-reaching, they have also had the strange effect of revealing Tamaki Makaurau's original landscape. ...
Health inequities between Pākehā and Māori are often framed as complex and difficult to change. But making access to GPs and dentists free will not only save money for whānau using these services, it will also save money for the health system and ensure Māori rights to good governance and equity ...
One of New Zealand's most promising fast bowlers, Molly Penfold, was surprised to get the call-up for the T20 World Cup, but she has a great support team around her, Merryn Anderson reports. She's only played one T20 for the White Ferns, and she's yet to take a wicket, but Molly ...
Securing the right to housing will require us to challenge the very systems and ideologies that are doing such harm to our planet.Opinion: The images of rivers running down our streets, cars floating down the motorway, houses flooded and half-submerged buses ferrying people across the causeway, will stick with ...
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It is hard to separate the politics from Waitangi, but the day party leaders were welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga was largely free of inflammatory rhetoric and political point scoring. ...
Rheive Grey pays tribute to one political party’s unapologetic commitment to markers of Māori identity, from hei tiki to waiata to tikitiki. I’m proud to be Māori. If you’re like me, it’s hard to read that sentence without singing it in your head. That’s either the power of good campaigning, ...
When I was a man my dick was only average size, but learning how to tuck it out of sight is a steep learning curve for a girl on a budget. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations: Sloane Hong The dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s Reserve Bank is set to push up rates once again at its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, according to all but ...
By David Robie When Papuan journalist Victor Mambor visited New Zealand almost nine years ago, he impressed student journalists from the Pacific Media Centre and community activists with his refreshing candour and courage. As the founder of the Jubi news media group, he remained defiant that he would tell the ...
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
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
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
…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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLUj-jh_UyQ
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!!!