This “trust” business is but an advised bullshit narrative to abuse Hone Harawira and ensure that Maori are not militated sufficiently to disturb a bunch of scabs.
Aye! It also shows a degree of arrogance and where exactly they see the people they purport to represent on the ‘pleb scale’.
It matters not the huge sense of betrayal those plebs are feeling just as long as the ‘entitled’ can remain in the tent pissing out. … Not limited to the MP either!
Simon Bridges on the Nation discussing NZ Oil and Gas:
Rachel Smally: we (NZ) collect taxes and royalties of 42 %, the OECD AVERAGE is 65%
Simon Bridges: “I think we are around the middle of the pack…”
What does average mean?????????????
And the in the next sentence he states that we earn $4b in Revenue from Oil and Gas and the Govt gets $800m in Tax and Royalties, I think that is actually 20%…???
New Zealand has one of the lowest royalty schemes in the world. Bridges is simply being dishonest when he claims “we are around the middle of the pack.”
Bridges is not good at this lying caper yet smalley is paid to give him his soapbox and not make him look like the shonkey clone he is. These so called polotical in depth shows are a joke hosted by muppetts for sheeple to be feed their staple diet of BS.
Yes, I wonder if any other interviewer would have picked up the 20% gaff? Kim Hill probably would have, Scarey Mary might have, maybe John Campbell…an opportunity wasted.
Or as usual an opportunity ignored. It was TV3 you know, and Smalley is just another ass kissing NAT loving Journo, in a long line of ass kissing TV3 Journo’s.
That is strange…I read in one of our local newspapers that NZ only got something like 2% royalties – well below the global average which “attracts” the buggers. So they can screw our nation. Wonder where the reporter got their figures and if they were wrong?
As if all this fracking business wasn’t bad enough.
It would be good if Simon Bridges was asked where he gets his figures/numbers from . The actual references. Because its very difficult to find the actual figures on Ministry websites. And often, when you do find some details, they’re either mixed up with other industries (eg agriculture) or they’re estimates.
I found the following on MBIE’s website – a paper called Economic Contribution and Potential of NZ”s
oil and gas industry – but in fact there appears to be very little about the actual economic contribution, and most of the paper is based on assumptions and estimates and hedged around with “ifs and buts”.
If anyone can provide other more factual info please put the links. Thanks.
eg
“As a result of the success of the petroleum and agricultural industries in Taranaki, the region has the highest average labour productivity (Figure 2) and the highest level of output per capita (Figure 3) in New Zealand. 5
5 This statement is based on regional estimates provided by BERL. Note that these estimates are less reliable for small regions such as Taranaki ”
Thanks Draco. And what Bridges doesn’t mention is the cost of remediating closed down mines because they’re dangerous – Tui cost $22.5 million, another one in the Coromandel was about $27m, and there have been some others as well. So by the time these costs are deducted, what is the real net profit from mining ? And is it worth it, because of the environmental damage ?
“The prime minister of Luxembourg announced his intent to resign on Thursday, after a parliamentary investigation revealed scores of illegal operations conducted by the country’s intelligence service. ”
A young woman was refused the birth control pill because she had not yet done her “reproductive job”.
Melissa Pont, 23, said her family practitioner, Dr Joseph Lee, would not renew her pill prescription, instead lecturing her on a baby’s right to live and on using the rhythm method, an unreliable family planning technique that involves having sex only at certain times of the month.
The Women’s Health Action Trust said it has a “simmering issue” with GPs who will not prescribe contraceptives.
“Contraception is a basic health right for women,” said senior policy analyst George Parker. “That should take precedence over a doctor’s personal beliefs.”
The NZ Medical Association said doctors can refuse treatment in non-emergency situations if their beliefs prohibit it – but they are required to refer the patient to another doctor.
Lee was initially reluctant to do that, Pont said, and she was concerned other women in her situation might not have had the confidence to argue back.
“I felt like my decision to not have children yet was being judged. That’s a decision me and my fiance made,” she said.
“We’re young and we just bought a house and who is he to say whether we should have children or not?”
Lee, a doctor at Wairau Community Clinic in Blenheim, stood by his views and actions. “I don’t want to interfere with the process of producing life,” the Catholic father-of-two told the Herald on Sunday.
Lee also does not prescribe condoms, and encourages patients as young as 16 to use the rhythm method.
Teen pregnancy might be a girl’s “destiny”, he said, and it was certainly not as bad as same- sex marriage.
The only circumstances in which he would prescribe the contraceptive pill would be if a woman wanted space between pregnancies, or had at least four children.
“I think they’ve already done their reproductive job”.
He acknowledged natural birth control was “not very reliable”.
“That’s the best thing about it. You can’t choose it, you just have to be committed to it.”
Family Planning national nursing adviser Rose Stewart said doctors should remember they were gatekeepers for a service, she said, and a woman’s conscience was as important as theirs.
Medical Council guidelines say personal beliefs should not affect the advice or treatment offered, and should not be expressed in a way that exploits a patient’s vulnerability or is likely to cause them distress.
Wairau Community Clinic lead GP Scott Cameron said a pamphlet at reception warned that some doctors did not prescribe birth control, and staff tried to screen patients. He would consider installing a sign.
The clinic is run by the Marlborough Public Health Organisation. Chief executive Beth Pester said Lee’s choice not to prescribe was “his ethical choice”, but she was concerned he discussed natural birth control with patients as young as 16, and would talk to him about that.
I wonder what Paula Bennett or Lindsay Mitchell et al have to say about the economic and social effects of having doctors with the ability to hold this type of power over reproductive needs of a patient?
Why the hell is our government prepared to continue to fund this type of “treatment”??
Is our country sooooo desperate for rural GP’s that anyone will do?
Given this GP’s attitude to what must be a sizeable chunk of the population (ie women who have NOT done their reproductive “duty”…and gays/bisexuals..and anyone like me who doesn’t fall into the previous groups but wouldn’t want to be alone in the room with him holding a speculum) is it appropriate that he continues in this role?
Yes, the response from the GP’s employers – Wairau Community Clinic and the Malborough Public Health Organisation was pathetic to the point of obscenity.
The reality is – this doctor has assumed for himself a paternalistic, authoritative role that is not part of his clinical service. Of course, the place he chooses to do so is a community clinic where it is more unlikely that his patients are going to respond assertively. (Can you imagine the howls from moneyed areas of Auckland where a GP refused contraception along these lines?)
Employment contracts need to spell out clearly that this type of value judgement and coercion is unacceptable practice. Then he should be dealt with accordingly.
(Also interesting that he is not against contraception per se: as he will prescribe it to someone that has performed her reproductive duty. So any references to belief systems is failing in consistency too)
Women’s reproductive choices: going backwards while wearing seven-league boots.
The Medical Council or the Health and Disability Commissioner need to look into the service this doctor provided and the service he needed to provide. Having a baby is life changing and expensive.
Is the GP prepared to fund the raising of the child and look after it when the childcare centre is closed?
The good doctor is entitled to whatever personal beliefs he feels like having. He is not entitled to inflict these beliefs on his patients. He should get another job until he can understand the distinction. Maybe he could work as a vet so as to not entirely waste his medical training?
I know physicists who believe the universe is 6000 years old. Somehow they still manage to do research within their own areas of specialisation. Their beliefs, while weird, are essentially harmless until they try to teach them in an astrophysics or cosmology lecture. I would hope that they would rapidly be shown the error of their ways. I hope the same happens with this Catholic doctor.
People like this don’t matter so much in a large city because their effects are diluted by the numbers of other practitioners. Choice is usually possible. In a small town like Blenheim, the situation is different. A young woman who wanted the pill might have to travel to Nelson, for example. If she were single and did decide to use the rhythm method, no doubt this good doctor would also be one of those who think benefits for single parents just encourage sin and a breakdown of morality. I wonder what his views are on the contraceptive methods commonly used before marriage as Catholic virgins in the 3rd world? These would be oral and anal sex, which also don’t contribute to the fulfilment of the reproductive job.
Dr. Lee, you make me sick. Wairau Community Clinic, get rid of this embarrassment.
Shades of yesteryear ! This used to happen regularly in the 1970s …. when the pill first came in, and Broadsheet (now defunct, feminist mag) had a good dr, bad dr column (forgotten what it was called) so women knew which doctors NOT to go to. Maybe such a column (nowadays a blogsite, I suppose) could be started up again !
Maybe those Catholic doctors need their own version of Green prescriptions – here have an abstinence prescription, don’t take twice daily until you are married.
Maybe behind the scenes this is one of the reasons behind the scenes the contraception for beneficiaries was done via welfare rather than health.
Here is someone who now for the FOURTH time is going to be jailed, although he has NEVER ‘broken any law’.
When ‘judicial discretion’, is not itself based upon the RULE OF LAW – then what sort of ‘democracy’ are we living in here in New Zealand?
In case you missed it?
MEDIA ALERT! Vince Siemer will present himself for 6 weeks imprisonment TODAY Sunday 14 July 2013. 12 noon, at the home of Justice Helen Winkelmann:
14 July 2013
PROTEST!: Sunday 14 July 2013, from 12 noon – 1pm, outside the home of Judge Helen Winkelmann, 20 Audrey Street, Takapuna, where Vince Siemer will ‘surrender’ himself for 6 weeks imprisonment at Mt Eden.
Vince Siemer is believed to be the first person in the free world to be sentenced to prison for reporting a criminal court judgment.
In New Zealand – ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’?
What a sick joke.
This ongoing persecution of Vince Siemer, in my opinion, NZ’s foremost ‘whistleblower’ against judicial corruption, makes me ashamed to be a New Zealander.
STATEMENT BY VINCE SIEMER:
______________________________________________________________________________
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
13 July 2013
First they came for the trade unionists…
I, Vince Siemer, am going to prison tomorrow after the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal ruling which in turn upheld two judges of the High Court decreeing I am in contempt of the Courts. I consider I can show no better respect for the rule of law than contempt for judges who pervert it. My “crime” is publishing the secret December 2010 judgment of Justice Helen Winkelmann which denied the Urewera 18 defendants their statutory right to trial by jury on the basis a jury “would likely use improper reasoning processes”. The Chief Justice strongly dissented, recognising I disobeyed an unlawful order yet was denied the lawful right to challenge it in order to preserve my liberty.
I am believed to be the first person in the free world to be sentenced to prison for reporting a criminal court judgment. (Who says New Zealand does not lead the world?!) One reason I am the first is secret criminal court judgments are unlawful. In my case, the Courts roundly protected the unlawfulness of Winkelmann?s order by asserting they need not determine the lawfulness on the ground even unlawful orders need to be obeyed until overturned – the Crown claiming a message needed to be sent to the larger community of this. Interestingly, I invited the Attorney General to make submissions in the public interest regarding the lawfulness of Winkelmann’s orders and he responded that, if he made submissions at all, he would seek an increased order of costs against me.
Where Winkelmann’s order gave no reasons for the secrecy, the High Court Judges tripped over each other to retrofit the reason that justice required the secrecy. The Crown conceded at my trial no prejudice or harm was alleged as a result of my publication, but they still wanted me imprisoned. In a page out of a George Orwell novel, the Court of Appeal censored Winkelmann’s reason for negating the statutory right of appeal when upholding my conviction out of fear the public would not take kindly to being called stupid in a secret judgment.
First they steal the words; stealing the meanings only when required.
New Zealand judges are out of control. We no longer have the instilling discipline of the Privy Council in England. The NZ Court of Appeal judges trounced by the Privy Council as law-breakers in Taito v R now comprise the Supreme Court which replaced the Privy Council.
Do you see any mainstream media reporting any of this?
We get what we deserve with our judges. The incestuous nature of judicial appointments being what it is, every judge in New Zealand signed on to submissions to Parliament opposing the passage of the pecuniary interest of judges bill currently before Parliament. Really? Not one judge in the whole of New Zealand not actively opposed to this bill which requires them to register their financial and business interests? While it seems impossible at times to get more than two Members of Parliament to completely agree, our 205 judges are in lock step with their independent view. It is evident “independent judge” is an oxymoron in New Zealand.
We have forfeited much with the loss of the independent Privy Council. This should come as no surprise. Former Attorney General Margaret Wilson was undeterred when 82 percent of Auckland law practitioners voted against her new Supreme Court. When everyone’s back was turned it still happened. We built a $100 million palace for five elevated judges, most of whom were known to engage in breaches of due process. And, like sheep, this 82% fell into the fold even as this new court made mince out of established principles on judicial bias and essential legal rights, rolling over established legislation with all the finesse of a blitzkrieg. It is the law today that the “New Zealand independent and informed observer” is an endangered species and, where it does exist, does not consider a judge has a conflict of interest where he/she is business adversary or sibling to those who appear before him/her. You now have to be rich to get to a hearing in the courts – the Supreme Court ruling the requirement that plaintiffs pay the defendants’ anticipated legal costs into the Court as a condition to obtaining a hearing is “well-settled law” in New Zealand. Two years ago, in Atty General v Chapman, the Supreme Court ruled judges are exempt from the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 on the ground this statute that expressly bound them threatens their “independence” we all know so well.
Maybe the diminishing numbers allowed to be heard in the courtrooms no longer care. But we could possibly survive without the legal necessity of independent judges if these judges had any respect for the rule of law and the courts they serve. But they have no respect for laws where their mates and critics are concerned, and the most powerful sheep lawyers in New Zealand, while silent about it publicly, make no secret about it privately. As retired Judge Sir Edward Thomas said in a 2007 email to the president of the New Zealand Bar, “I am not a keeper of the court’s conscience and am of the view that my primary obligation is to Alan, not just as a matter of professional obligation but by virtue of my deep friendship for him. There is a limit to how far I will go to uphold the integrity of the court if the judges themselves won’t.”
Where is the “independent bar” on this? Flocking behind the independent judges, either cowering in fear or cloaked in protective partisanship. This silent flock is hoping the perverse court judgments in my cases do not generally denigrate the rule of law in New Zealand. History finds this the safest place for lawyers to be. Look at Fiji.
Those who see little comparison with Fiji fail to realise that Fijians do not feel oppressed. That is the insidious thing with erosion of the rule of law. It is frighteningly uneventful until the tipping point. In the Earthquake Commission contempt the Solicitor General filed against Marc Krieger this week, it was not the Bill of Rights or due process legislation which even featured in the SG’s application. The SG largely relies upon three of my court decisions to eventually bankrupt this poor citizen who had the audacity to expose the EQC’s attempt to write off $100 million which evaporated from the public coffers.
Anyone who doesn’t believe a “deep friendship for Alan” is a more valuable commodity in a New Zealand Court than truth and law chooses to ignore the reality. For whistleblowers, one obvious problem is they do not have deep friendships with the perpetrators whose power and influence is the currency of the New Zealand courts. Partisanship and secrecy is endemic, and it is laying ruin to the rule of law in black robe and white collar New Zealand. It would be better if it was blood in the streets, if only to wake people up to the huge corruption occuring behind closed court doors. No one should need to go to prison to protect the rule of law but the sad reality is sitting in prison is often the best way to stand up for legal rights. While it is unfortunate this price must be paid, I consider my imprisonment a demonstration of my highest respect for the law.
Translation: would apply reason in accord with common law rather than apply the usual political prejudice.
The NZ judiciary can not observe the rule of law because of the nature of their employment under a civil body politic. In order to get around this problem the body politic attempts to redefine the meaning of the term “rule of law”, just as it attempts to redefine the meaning of the term “common law”. These terms are closely related, and the redefinition supports atheism despite the theistic nature of the judicial and political oath.
Bad day for Crosby Textor as PM is told to cut his links with the firm following exposure of their spruiking for the tobacco industry. Ok, not our PM, sadly.
Awww, poor little tory doesn’t like the spotlight anymore.
And none of his thoughts, when they were just rattling unconnected around his mostly empty head, seemed so… fasc1st! But boy, when you link a few of them together in public, eh?
Just watched the latest Panorama – Alex Salmond versus Donald Trump (you know that was always going to go bad ffs!)
This morning, some poor bastard on Stuff (that seems to have now disappeared from easy access) who has been ripped a second time – now at retirement age – investment gone … kaput!
Bruce Tichbon (who I once worked with, and interacted with DAILY) – lost a million, and who I can only feel an emotionally driven sympathy for: Second time round; join up to this “once in a lifetime investment; word of mouth only clientele – the exclusive. JESUS H CHRIST Bruce – what were you thinking. It’s not as though you hadn’t been thru’ it ALL before ffs!
Lay down with dogs – get up with fleas.
PUSH RESET! (There Is No Alternative)
If it’s too hard, there’ll be a power failure coming along shortly to force that cold reboot
It’s difficult to have sympathy with those who chase the high return high risk investments that don’t work out.
Most people I know will take 30+ years to earn a million dollars let alone save it.
A million dollars at 4% will earn $40,000 per annum which is as much as / more than the income of many New Zealanders.
I remember at the height of Blue Chip’s fame in 2006 my father in law asking me to see what I could find out about the people running it.
Took only 15 minutes of research to find out about the dodgy stuff some of the owners did in the 1987 crash and a brokerage firm in Aussie warning investors not to touch them and explains that some of their investments were a house of cards.
I’ve never quite got why people who had worked hard all their lives and paid their mortgages off decided to mortgage their homes again and chase the big dollars.
I assumes it’s all the fear mongering done by the industry about the govt won’t pay your super in the future.
People would get a much more likely positive result from paying more tax towards super costs – trouble is that’s not in the interest of all those making the commissions and ripping people off.
It’s that type of fear environment that allows the financial predators out. At least a door to door salesman doesn’t pretend to be anything but – these people hide behind their suits and a veneer of respectability.
One of the interesting side comments Steven Keen made when he lectured here recently was that he did not believe that ordinary people should be investing in stocks and financials for their retirement.
“That’s a game for professional brokers and entrepreneurs.”
The fact is that NZ Super is a pittance. The gap between it and an normal middle class income is huge. The fact is that most two-income, middle class families have in income somewhere in the $70-120k range … and you don’t work hard at that for 40yrs and then happily choose to retire at 65 and potentially face another 2 or 3 decades of life living off $20k pa.
In that scenario of course you are looking for ways to generate a secure income after you retire. But crucially once you retire you have no way to recover from an investment that loses your capital. That is the fatal flaw.
Ordinary people should not ever be put in a position where they are induced to gamble their life savings.
Well done to the protestors for protesting peacefully, and well done for
people being allowed to protest wrong decisions, and fuck you to the
jury. Can you imagine if this had of been reversed, if Zimmerman had
of been black and the kid had of been white.
The Miami Herald got it right. When they wrote.
1. The man thought the teen looked suspicious.
2. The man called the police to report his suspicions about the teen.
3. The man was told by the police not to chase and pursue the teen.
4. The man decided to chase and pursue the teen anyway.
5 . The man was carrying a loaded gun.
6. The teen was not carrying a gun.
7. The teen was not carrying any weapon.
8. The teen was carrying candy.
9. The teen was not committing any crime.
10. The teen was not trespassing, as he was walking toward his father’s condo.
11. The man and the teen met in a physical confrontation.
12. The man and the teen fought, wrestled to the ground, and punches were exchanged.
13. The man shot the teen with his gun.
14. The man shot the teen while both were on the ground.
15. The shot from the man’s gun killed the teen.
16. There is no evidence that the teen was committing a crime or about to commit any crime.
17. But for the man chasing and pursuing the teen, there would have been no physical confrontation.
18. But for the physical confrontation, there would have been no fight.
19. But for the fight, the man would not have shot the teen.
Just like when that douche Bruce Emery murde… oops sorry, not allowed to say murdered… slaughtered 15 year old Pihema Cameron.
All the circumstances you describe fit exactly, except that Emery didn’t bother calling the police, and instead of a gun Emery used a foot-long knife to assassinate his victim.
Oh but that’s right, Cameron might or might not have been about to tag Emery’s fence, so I guess it’s totes different.
He was charged with murder and found not guilty. Oddly, in my opinion, as he definitely killed the kid, and repeatedly stabbing someone with a foot-long knife doesn’t seem like an accidental killing, especially when they were running away and you had to chase them for 300 metres to do it.
But then I wasn’t in the courtroom so I don’t have access to crucial information like the class and ethnicity of the killer and the victim.
Brett D
A very clear provision of the salient points. I presume you vouch that each point is correct?
It seems to match with what I have heard in short media reports.
But the numbers appear to disordered. I have rearranged the statements so they read in a better progression of the facts. Do you agree?
After 10. The teen was not trespassing, as he was walking toward his father’s condo.
then –
16. There is no evidence that the teen was committing a crime or about to commit any crime.
11. The man and the teen met in a physical confrontation.
17. But for the man chasing and pursuing the teen, there would have been no physical confrontation.
18. But for the physical confrontation, there would have been no fight.
12. The man and the teen fought, wrestled to the ground, and punches were exchanged.
13. The man shot the teen with his gun.
14. The man shot the teen while both were on the ground.
19. But for the fight, the man would not have shot the teen.
15. The shot from the man’s gun killed the teen.
Brett D
I haven’t heard that. It would be chilling, and I don’t think that I need to hear that to be aware of the disgraceful series of events and malfunction of justice that has resulted in this exoneration.
There was an announced survey result comparing NZ’s happiness with those of Europeans. Seems we are reasonably happy but isolated from community somewhat. And depression got mentioned. A spokesperson on managing depression talked about concentrating on the ‘now’, not getting caught up in the past or the future. So perhaps I should do that. Then I don’t have to be worried, or feel upset about anything.
It apparently would be bad for me to hear Trayvon. According to current self-management proposals, Timothy Leary’s “Turn on, tune in, drop out” has shrunk to merely ‘drop out’, all that the human psyche can stand!
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“Members of Parliament don’t work for us, they represent us, an entirely different thing. As with so much that has turned out badly, the re-organising of MPs’ responsibilities began with the Fourth Labour Government. That’s when they began to be treated like employees – public servants – whose diaries had ...
It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a third medical school in New Zealand, ...
Time To Choose: Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into AUKUS’s “Pillar 2” – or they are going to China.HAD ZHENG HE’S FLEET sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks ...
Henry Ergas writes – When in Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, a college president is accused of being a hypocrite, the novel’s narrator retorts that the description is grossly unfair. After all, the man is still far from the stage of moral development at which the charge ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ reports: The Education Review Office says too many new teachers feel poorly prepared for their jobs. In a report published on Monday, the review office said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready. ...
New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision Michael Reddell writes – When I wrote yesterday morning’s post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government – and it isn’t the buffoon from Botany – then this week’s announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gaye Taylor As widespread drought raises expectations for a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season, response teams across Canada are grappling with the rapidly changing face of fire in a warming climate. No longer quenched by winter, nor quelled by the ...
Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
Muriel Newman writes – Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports: Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports – It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the BeehiveTolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
Arawata Shane Arawata Shane had wandered long In the wild tangled hills of the West Coast. He came to a stop on the mighty range And looked down at the wide river flats. He breathed in the clean air, And he took in the shadows playing across The face of ...
SPECIAL REPORT:Islands Business in Suva Today is the 24th anniversary of renegade and failed businessman George Speight’s coup in 2000 Fiji. The elected coalition government headed by Mahendra Chaudhry, the first and only Indo-Fijian prime minister of Fiji, was held hostage at gunpoint for 56 days in the country’s ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist and Kelvin Anthony, RNZ Pacific digital journalist Police have used tear gas and stun grenades on rioters at an airport near Nouméa as the chaos in New Caledonia stretched into its sixth day. Five people, including two police officers, have died and hundreds of ...
Asia Pacific ReportThe global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on France to not “misuse” a crackdown in the ongoing unrest in the non-self-governing French Pacific territory of Kanaky New Caledonia in the wake of a controversial vote by the French Parliament to adopt a bill changing the territory’s ...
A major provider of school lunches fears the government's new $3 limit for most students will see them eating more pre-packaged and processed food. ...
The star of Dark City: The Cleaner takes us through his life in TV, including the VHS revolution and the John Campbell impression that started it all. Best known for his comedic roles, Cohen Holloway says he struggled at times to maintain the stone cold facade of serial killer on ...
David Hill remembers an old friend, who you’ve probably never heard of. My friend Doug never travelled; he had little interest in the world beyond his own tiny rural town. I’ve rarely known anyone who radiated such contentment. Doug (I’ll call him that) died in March. You won’t know him. ...
Some of the earliest photos of life in Aotearoa are on display at Auckland Museum right now – but the identities of some of the people in them are a mystery.What was it like to be one of the first people in New Zealand to have their photo taken? ...
Since its founding almost a decade ago, Featherston Booktown has grown into one of the country’s most interesting and idiosyncratic literary events. Erin Banks reports from the audience. “Come in, have you had lunch? I’m about to make a cheese toastie.” Mary Biggs, operations manager of Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival, ...
After 33 years abroad, Loveni Enari recently returned to Aotearoa and Samoa in what a friend joked was an “existential crisis”. He learnt and re-learnt so much about his family, friends and both countries. Almost as an afterthought, he got a Samoan tatau. This is his story. (Accompanying it are ...
Nearly 30 years ago, two people told me they’d killed a woman they knew. I thought the truth would come out, that others would tell it. In the end, I had to. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Fact: in 1995, Angela Blackmoore ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at the week and shines a light on some increasingly rare longform journalism. Mōrena and welcome to The Weekend where there will sadly be no aurora to see. After a busy week last week of short, sharp pieces, this week we swung the other way, ...
ANALYSIS:By David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a revered Kanak visionary, was inspirational to indigenous Pacific political activists across Oceania, just like Tongan anthropologist and writer Epeli Hao’ofa was to cultural advocates. Tragically, he was assassinated in 1989 by an opponent within the independence movement during ...
Forget thin is in, apparently now bigger is better … or is it? After over a decade of body positivity, girls, teens and women are even more confused about what body positivity actually is. The movement began with women confronting unrealistic expectations of how their bodies should look. But sub-strands ...
Grace always sat at the bar at the back of The Cambridge, where she could watch who came in. A huge mirror ran the length of the pub, so you could sometimes watch people without them knowing. The mirror made the place seem a lot bigger than it really was. ...
MONDAY Sheriff Mark Mitchell rose at dawn. He had a long day’s ride ahead of him. He was headed for Waikeria. Waikeria! Even the name itself stirred his blood, and set root in his imagination. There was nothing and no one in Waikeria. But he would bend it to his ...
The first phase of the inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones finished this week, turning up plenty of revelations and few answers. But through all the confusion, heartbreak and antipathy on display, the simple fact at the heart of this case remains: if little Lachie’s body had ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roger Benjamin, Professor in Art History, University of Sydney “She’s no oil painting”. Those were the unkind words of a colleague commenting on the subject of Vincent Namatjira’s acrylic painting, Gina. Every one of the prominent Australians and cultural heroes in Namatjira’s ...
Government plans to require local councils hold a referendum on whether to have Māori wards breaches the Treaty of Waitangi, a Waitangi Tribunal report has found. ...
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Malalai Joya interview with CNN: US Get OUT of Afghanistan
Malalai Joya speaks against US occupation of Afghanistan in her interview with CNN International on October 28, 2009.
RNZ News 0800 Sunday:
TT says there’s a significant issue of TRUST with Hone (re suggestions the MP and Mana should merge)
Pot calls kettle black!
This “trust” business is but an advised bullshit narrative to abuse Hone Harawira and ensure that Maori are not militated sufficiently to disturb a bunch of scabs.
Aye! It also shows a degree of arrogance and where exactly they see the people they purport to represent on the ‘pleb scale’.
It matters not the huge sense of betrayal those plebs are feeling just as long as the ‘entitled’ can remain in the tent pissing out. … Not limited to the MP either!
Not limited to the MPs, no. Why ? Because wherever there are scabs there are baby scabs.
Scab 101: all scabs must bash the non-scab by use of the narrative “Oooh……untrustworthy !”
Simon Bridges on the Nation discussing NZ Oil and Gas:
Rachel Smally: we (NZ) collect taxes and royalties of 42 %, the OECD AVERAGE is 65%
Simon Bridges: “I think we are around the middle of the pack…”
What does average mean?????????????
And the in the next sentence he states that we earn $4b in Revenue from Oil and Gas and the Govt gets $800m in Tax and Royalties, I think that is actually 20%…???
Something really screwey about his figures.
“What does average mean?”
Maybe he’s talking about the median (which is the mid point or middle of the pack).
Yes he probably is Weka, its weasling out of the the more meaningful measure which is “average”, he is a classical National weasel.
New Zealand has one of the lowest royalty schemes in the world. Bridges is simply being dishonest when he claims “we are around the middle of the pack.”
Bridges is not good at this lying caper yet smalley is paid to give him his soapbox and not make him look like the shonkey clone he is. These so called polotical in depth shows are a joke hosted by muppetts for sheeple to be feed their staple diet of BS.
Yes, I wonder if any other interviewer would have picked up the 20% gaff? Kim Hill probably would have, Scarey Mary might have, maybe John Campbell…an opportunity wasted.
Or as usual an opportunity ignored. It was TV3 you know, and Smalley is just another ass kissing NAT loving Journo, in a long line of ass kissing TV3 Journo’s.
That is strange…I read in one of our local newspapers that NZ only got something like 2% royalties – well below the global average which “attracts” the buggers. So they can screw our nation. Wonder where the reporter got their figures and if they were wrong?
As if all this fracking business wasn’t bad enough.
It would be good if Simon Bridges was asked where he gets his figures/numbers from . The actual references. Because its very difficult to find the actual figures on Ministry websites. And often, when you do find some details, they’re either mixed up with other industries (eg agriculture) or they’re estimates.
I found the following on MBIE’s website – a paper called Economic Contribution and Potential of NZ”s
oil and gas industry – but in fact there appears to be very little about the actual economic contribution, and most of the paper is based on assumptions and estimates and hedged around with “ifs and buts”.
If anyone can provide other more factual info please put the links. Thanks.
eg
“As a result of the success of the petroleum and agricultural industries in Taranaki, the region has the highest average labour productivity (Figure 2) and the highest level of output per capita (Figure 3) in New Zealand. 5
5 This statement is based on regional estimates provided by BERL. Note that these estimates are less reliable for small regions such as Taranaki ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3502112/6-5m-royalties-from-mining-the-cherry-on-the-top
The royalties for oil are much higher than for minerals.
The royalty rate for the oil sector is 5 per cent of net revenues from petroleum sales or 20 per cent of the accounting profit.
Mining companies pay a royalty of 2 per cent of revenues or 5 per cent of profit, whichever is the greater, as well as corporate tax.
Thanks Draco. And what Bridges doesn’t mention is the cost of remediating closed down mines because they’re dangerous – Tui cost $22.5 million, another one in the Coromandel was about $27m, and there have been some others as well. So by the time these costs are deducted, what is the real net profit from mining ? And is it worth it, because of the environmental damage ?
That wasn’t me but Descendant Of Sssmith.
Assuming they pay much/any corporate tax-unlikely.
“The prime minister of Luxembourg announced his intent to resign on Thursday, after a parliamentary investigation revealed scores of illegal operations conducted by the country’s intelligence service. ”
http://intelnews.org/2013/07/11/01-1297/
While the Prime Minister of New Zealand…..
Workers allegedly exploited:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8916261/Dark-side-of-cheap-takeaways
OHMYGOD – someone should take away this doctor’s practice certificate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10897927
A young woman was refused the birth control pill because she had not yet done her “reproductive job”.
Melissa Pont, 23, said her family practitioner, Dr Joseph Lee, would not renew her pill prescription, instead lecturing her on a baby’s right to live and on using the rhythm method, an unreliable family planning technique that involves having sex only at certain times of the month.
The Women’s Health Action Trust said it has a “simmering issue” with GPs who will not prescribe contraceptives.
“Contraception is a basic health right for women,” said senior policy analyst George Parker. “That should take precedence over a doctor’s personal beliefs.”
The NZ Medical Association said doctors can refuse treatment in non-emergency situations if their beliefs prohibit it – but they are required to refer the patient to another doctor.
Lee was initially reluctant to do that, Pont said, and she was concerned other women in her situation might not have had the confidence to argue back.
“I felt like my decision to not have children yet was being judged. That’s a decision me and my fiance made,” she said.
“We’re young and we just bought a house and who is he to say whether we should have children or not?”
Lee, a doctor at Wairau Community Clinic in Blenheim, stood by his views and actions. “I don’t want to interfere with the process of producing life,” the Catholic father-of-two told the Herald on Sunday.
Lee also does not prescribe condoms, and encourages patients as young as 16 to use the rhythm method.
Teen pregnancy might be a girl’s “destiny”, he said, and it was certainly not as bad as same- sex marriage.
The only circumstances in which he would prescribe the contraceptive pill would be if a woman wanted space between pregnancies, or had at least four children.
“I think they’ve already done their reproductive job”.
He acknowledged natural birth control was “not very reliable”.
“That’s the best thing about it. You can’t choose it, you just have to be committed to it.”
Family Planning national nursing adviser Rose Stewart said doctors should remember they were gatekeepers for a service, she said, and a woman’s conscience was as important as theirs.
Medical Council guidelines say personal beliefs should not affect the advice or treatment offered, and should not be expressed in a way that exploits a patient’s vulnerability or is likely to cause them distress.
Wairau Community Clinic lead GP Scott Cameron said a pamphlet at reception warned that some doctors did not prescribe birth control, and staff tried to screen patients. He would consider installing a sign.
The clinic is run by the Marlborough Public Health Organisation. Chief executive Beth Pester said Lee’s choice not to prescribe was “his ethical choice”, but she was concerned he discussed natural birth control with patients as young as 16, and would talk to him about that.
I wonder what Paula Bennett or Lindsay Mitchell et al have to say about the economic and social effects of having doctors with the ability to hold this type of power over reproductive needs of a patient?
Why the hell is our government prepared to continue to fund this type of “treatment”??
Is our country sooooo desperate for rural GP’s that anyone will do?
Given this GP’s attitude to what must be a sizeable chunk of the population (ie women who have NOT done their reproductive “duty”…and gays/bisexuals..and anyone like me who doesn’t fall into the previous groups but wouldn’t want to be alone in the room with him holding a speculum) is it appropriate that he continues in this role?
No, it’s not.
+1 He should be told in no uncertain terms to fuck off.
Yes, the response from the GP’s employers – Wairau Community Clinic and the Malborough Public Health Organisation was pathetic to the point of obscenity.
The reality is – this doctor has assumed for himself a paternalistic, authoritative role that is not part of his clinical service. Of course, the place he chooses to do so is a community clinic where it is more unlikely that his patients are going to respond assertively. (Can you imagine the howls from moneyed areas of Auckland where a GP refused contraception along these lines?)
Employment contracts need to spell out clearly that this type of value judgement and coercion is unacceptable practice. Then he should be dealt with accordingly.
(Also interesting that he is not against contraception per se: as he will prescribe it to someone that has performed her reproductive duty. So any references to belief systems is failing in consistency too)
Women’s reproductive choices: going backwards while wearing seven-league boots.
The Medical Council or the Health and Disability Commissioner need to look into the service this doctor provided and the service he needed to provide. Having a baby is life changing and expensive.
Is the GP prepared to fund the raising of the child and look after it when the childcare centre is closed?
The good doctor is entitled to whatever personal beliefs he feels like having. He is not entitled to inflict these beliefs on his patients. He should get another job until he can understand the distinction. Maybe he could work as a vet so as to not entirely waste his medical training?
I know physicists who believe the universe is 6000 years old. Somehow they still manage to do research within their own areas of specialisation. Their beliefs, while weird, are essentially harmless until they try to teach them in an astrophysics or cosmology lecture. I would hope that they would rapidly be shown the error of their ways. I hope the same happens with this Catholic doctor.
People like this don’t matter so much in a large city because their effects are diluted by the numbers of other practitioners. Choice is usually possible. In a small town like Blenheim, the situation is different. A young woman who wanted the pill might have to travel to Nelson, for example. If she were single and did decide to use the rhythm method, no doubt this good doctor would also be one of those who think benefits for single parents just encourage sin and a breakdown of morality. I wonder what his views are on the contraceptive methods commonly used before marriage as Catholic virgins in the 3rd world? These would be oral and anal sex, which also don’t contribute to the fulfilment of the reproductive job.
Dr. Lee, you make me sick. Wairau Community Clinic, get rid of this embarrassment.
Shades of yesteryear ! This used to happen regularly in the 1970s …. when the pill first came in, and Broadsheet (now defunct, feminist mag) had a good dr, bad dr column (forgotten what it was called) so women knew which doctors NOT to go to. Maybe such a column (nowadays a blogsite, I suppose) could be started up again !
Maybe those Catholic doctors need their own version of Green prescriptions – here have an abstinence prescription, don’t take twice daily until you are married.
Maybe behind the scenes this is one of the reasons behind the scenes the contraception for beneficiaries was done via welfare rather than health.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10804206
There’s some obvious known links between this government and religous groups.
This is a VERY big deal people!
Here is someone who now for the FOURTH time is going to be jailed, although he has NEVER ‘broken any law’.
When ‘judicial discretion’, is not itself based upon the RULE OF LAW – then what sort of ‘democracy’ are we living in here in New Zealand?
In case you missed it?
MEDIA ALERT! Vince Siemer will present himself for 6 weeks imprisonment TODAY Sunday 14 July 2013. 12 noon, at the home of Justice Helen Winkelmann:
14 July 2013
PROTEST!: Sunday 14 July 2013, from 12 noon – 1pm, outside the home of Judge Helen Winkelmann, 20 Audrey Street, Takapuna, where Vince Siemer will ‘surrender’ himself for 6 weeks imprisonment at Mt Eden.
https://maps.google.co.nz/maps?q=Map+20+Audrey+St+Takapuna&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6d0d375fc7190a51:0x1be04919b4257c68,20+Audrey+Rd,+Takapuna,+Auckland+0620&gl=nz&ei=xyrhUaeANoboiAedx4CQCA&ved=0CCsQ8gEwAA
This is a DISGRACE – when NZ Judges do not follow the RULE OF LAW – but just ‘make it up’?
Vince Siemer is believed to be the first person in the free world to be sentenced to prison for reporting a criminal court judgment.
In New Zealand – ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’?
What a sick joke.
This ongoing persecution of Vince Siemer, in my opinion, NZ’s foremost ‘whistleblower’ against judicial corruption, makes me ashamed to be a New Zealander.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
______________________________________________________________________________
Don’t jail Siemer, says dissenting Chief Justice
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/dont-jail-siemer-says-chief-justice-gb-p-142808
(Includes links to Supreme Court Judgment)
______________________________________________________________________________
STATEMENT BY VINCE SIEMER:
______________________________________________________________________________
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
13 July 2013
First they came for the trade unionists…
I, Vince Siemer, am going to prison tomorrow after the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal ruling which in turn upheld two judges of the High Court decreeing I am in contempt of the Courts. I consider I can show no better respect for the rule of law than contempt for judges who pervert it. My “crime” is publishing the secret December 2010 judgment of Justice Helen Winkelmann which denied the Urewera 18 defendants their statutory right to trial by jury on the basis a jury “would likely use improper reasoning processes”. The Chief Justice strongly dissented, recognising I disobeyed an unlawful order yet was denied the lawful right to challenge it in order to preserve my liberty.
I am believed to be the first person in the free world to be sentenced to prison for reporting a criminal court judgment. (Who says New Zealand does not lead the world?!) One reason I am the first is secret criminal court judgments are unlawful. In my case, the Courts roundly protected the unlawfulness of Winkelmann?s order by asserting they need not determine the lawfulness on the ground even unlawful orders need to be obeyed until overturned – the Crown claiming a message needed to be sent to the larger community of this. Interestingly, I invited the Attorney General to make submissions in the public interest regarding the lawfulness of Winkelmann’s orders and he responded that, if he made submissions at all, he would seek an increased order of costs against me.
Where Winkelmann’s order gave no reasons for the secrecy, the High Court Judges tripped over each other to retrofit the reason that justice required the secrecy. The Crown conceded at my trial no prejudice or harm was alleged as a result of my publication, but they still wanted me imprisoned. In a page out of a George Orwell novel, the Court of Appeal censored Winkelmann’s reason for negating the statutory right of appeal when upholding my conviction out of fear the public would not take kindly to being called stupid in a secret judgment.
First they steal the words; stealing the meanings only when required.
New Zealand judges are out of control. We no longer have the instilling discipline of the Privy Council in England. The NZ Court of Appeal judges trounced by the Privy Council as law-breakers in Taito v R now comprise the Supreme Court which replaced the Privy Council.
Do you see any mainstream media reporting any of this?
We get what we deserve with our judges. The incestuous nature of judicial appointments being what it is, every judge in New Zealand signed on to submissions to Parliament opposing the passage of the pecuniary interest of judges bill currently before Parliament. Really? Not one judge in the whole of New Zealand not actively opposed to this bill which requires them to register their financial and business interests? While it seems impossible at times to get more than two Members of Parliament to completely agree, our 205 judges are in lock step with their independent view. It is evident “independent judge” is an oxymoron in New Zealand.
We have forfeited much with the loss of the independent Privy Council. This should come as no surprise. Former Attorney General Margaret Wilson was undeterred when 82 percent of Auckland law practitioners voted against her new Supreme Court. When everyone’s back was turned it still happened. We built a $100 million palace for five elevated judges, most of whom were known to engage in breaches of due process. And, like sheep, this 82% fell into the fold even as this new court made mince out of established principles on judicial bias and essential legal rights, rolling over established legislation with all the finesse of a blitzkrieg. It is the law today that the “New Zealand independent and informed observer” is an endangered species and, where it does exist, does not consider a judge has a conflict of interest where he/she is business adversary or sibling to those who appear before him/her. You now have to be rich to get to a hearing in the courts – the Supreme Court ruling the requirement that plaintiffs pay the defendants’ anticipated legal costs into the Court as a condition to obtaining a hearing is “well-settled law” in New Zealand. Two years ago, in Atty General v Chapman, the Supreme Court ruled judges are exempt from the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 on the ground this statute that expressly bound them threatens their “independence” we all know so well.
Maybe the diminishing numbers allowed to be heard in the courtrooms no longer care. But we could possibly survive without the legal necessity of independent judges if these judges had any respect for the rule of law and the courts they serve. But they have no respect for laws where their mates and critics are concerned, and the most powerful sheep lawyers in New Zealand, while silent about it publicly, make no secret about it privately. As retired Judge Sir Edward Thomas said in a 2007 email to the president of the New Zealand Bar, “I am not a keeper of the court’s conscience and am of the view that my primary obligation is to Alan, not just as a matter of professional obligation but by virtue of my deep friendship for him. There is a limit to how far I will go to uphold the integrity of the court if the judges themselves won’t.”
Where is the “independent bar” on this? Flocking behind the independent judges, either cowering in fear or cloaked in protective partisanship. This silent flock is hoping the perverse court judgments in my cases do not generally denigrate the rule of law in New Zealand. History finds this the safest place for lawyers to be. Look at Fiji.
Those who see little comparison with Fiji fail to realise that Fijians do not feel oppressed. That is the insidious thing with erosion of the rule of law. It is frighteningly uneventful until the tipping point. In the Earthquake Commission contempt the Solicitor General filed against Marc Krieger this week, it was not the Bill of Rights or due process legislation which even featured in the SG’s application. The SG largely relies upon three of my court decisions to eventually bankrupt this poor citizen who had the audacity to expose the EQC’s attempt to write off $100 million which evaporated from the public coffers.
Anyone who doesn’t believe a “deep friendship for Alan” is a more valuable commodity in a New Zealand Court than truth and law chooses to ignore the reality. For whistleblowers, one obvious problem is they do not have deep friendships with the perpetrators whose power and influence is the currency of the New Zealand courts. Partisanship and secrecy is endemic, and it is laying ruin to the rule of law in black robe and white collar New Zealand. It would be better if it was blood in the streets, if only to wake people up to the huge corruption occuring behind closed court doors. No one should need to go to prison to protect the rule of law but the sad reality is sitting in prison is often the best way to stand up for legal rights. While it is unfortunate this price must be paid, I consider my imprisonment a demonstration of my highest respect for the law.
______________________________________________________________________________
Vince Siemer
Editor
Spartan News Limited
on-line NZ news: http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz
Translation: would apply reason in accord with common law rather than apply the usual political prejudice.
The NZ judiciary can not observe the rule of law because of the nature of their employment under a civil body politic. In order to get around this problem the body politic attempts to redefine the meaning of the term “rule of law”, just as it attempts to redefine the meaning of the term “common law”. These terms are closely related, and the redefinition supports atheism despite the theistic nature of the judicial and political oath.
Bad day for Crosby Textor as PM is told to cut his links with the firm following exposure of their spruiking for the tobacco industry. Ok, not our PM, sadly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jul/13/david-cameron-lynton-crosby-tobacco
The founder of the Pissed Pakeha Party on worker’s rights:
http://runningreds.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/pakeha-party-tosser-abuses-mana-member.html
Awww, poor little tory doesn’t like the spotlight anymore.
And none of his thoughts, when they were just rattling unconnected around his mostly empty head, seemed so… fasc1st! But boy, when you link a few of them together in public, eh?
Diddums.
Yep, nice to see the weasel exposed for the fool he is. Classy ride, too!
Just watched the latest Panorama – Alex Salmond versus Donald Trump (you know that was always going to go bad ffs!)
This morning, some poor bastard on Stuff (that seems to have now disappeared from easy access) who has been ripped a second time – now at retirement age – investment gone … kaput!
Bruce Tichbon (who I once worked with, and interacted with DAILY) – lost a million, and who I can only feel an emotionally driven sympathy for: Second time round; join up to this “once in a lifetime investment; word of mouth only clientele – the exclusive. JESUS H CHRIST Bruce – what were you thinking. It’s not as though you hadn’t been thru’ it ALL before ffs!
Lay down with dogs – get up with fleas.
PUSH RESET! (There Is No Alternative)
If it’s too hard, there’ll be a power failure coming along shortly to force that cold reboot
….. must learn to cite …… must learn to cite ……. must learn to cite:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8916301/Couples-2-8m-double-disaster
It’s difficult to have sympathy with those who chase the high return high risk investments that don’t work out.
Most people I know will take 30+ years to earn a million dollars let alone save it.
A million dollars at 4% will earn $40,000 per annum which is as much as / more than the income of many New Zealanders.
I remember at the height of Blue Chip’s fame in 2006 my father in law asking me to see what I could find out about the people running it.
Took only 15 minutes of research to find out about the dodgy stuff some of the owners did in the 1987 crash and a brokerage firm in Aussie warning investors not to touch them and explains that some of their investments were a house of cards.
I’ve never quite got why people who had worked hard all their lives and paid their mortgages off decided to mortgage their homes again and chase the big dollars.
I assumes it’s all the fear mongering done by the industry about the govt won’t pay your super in the future.
People would get a much more likely positive result from paying more tax towards super costs – trouble is that’s not in the interest of all those making the commissions and ripping people off.
It’s that type of fear environment that allows the financial predators out. At least a door to door salesman doesn’t pretend to be anything but – these people hide behind their suits and a veneer of respectability.
One of the interesting side comments Steven Keen made when he lectured here recently was that he did not believe that ordinary people should be investing in stocks and financials for their retirement.
“That’s a game for professional brokers and entrepreneurs.”
The fact is that NZ Super is a pittance. The gap between it and an normal middle class income is huge. The fact is that most two-income, middle class families have in income somewhere in the $70-120k range … and you don’t work hard at that for 40yrs and then happily choose to retire at 65 and potentially face another 2 or 3 decades of life living off $20k pa.
In that scenario of course you are looking for ways to generate a secure income after you retire. But crucially once you retire you have no way to recover from an investment that loses your capital. That is the fatal flaw.
Ordinary people should not ever be put in a position where they are induced to gamble their life savings.
It’s similar advice in Rich Dad Poor Dad that most people seem to miss.
No risk was taken until his safe investment income equalled his salary.
You can easily apply the same principle to investing for retirement. Take no risk until your investment income equals the rate of NZS.
What is above that is what you can then can in theory afford to lose.
Meanwhile I’ll carry on paying off my mortgage and won’t ever be upsizing my house.
Imani ABL @AngryBlackLady 17m
Not guilty. Now we know where we stand, Black America. #WELP
https://twitter.com/AngryBlackLady/status/356231709441802240
Zimmerman lights up the US
http://rt.com/usa/zimmerman-acquittal-nationwide-protests-071/
Well done to the protestors for protesting peacefully, and well done for
people being allowed to protest wrong decisions, and fuck you to the
jury. Can you imagine if this had of been reversed, if Zimmerman had
of been black and the kid had of been white.
The Miami Herald got it right. When they wrote.
1. The man thought the teen looked suspicious.
2. The man called the police to report his suspicions about the teen.
3. The man was told by the police not to chase and pursue the teen.
4. The man decided to chase and pursue the teen anyway.
5 . The man was carrying a loaded gun.
6. The teen was not carrying a gun.
7. The teen was not carrying any weapon.
8. The teen was carrying candy.
9. The teen was not committing any crime.
10. The teen was not trespassing, as he was walking toward his father’s condo.
11. The man and the teen met in a physical confrontation.
12. The man and the teen fought, wrestled to the ground, and punches were exchanged.
13. The man shot the teen with his gun.
14. The man shot the teen while both were on the ground.
15. The shot from the man’s gun killed the teen.
16. There is no evidence that the teen was committing a crime or about to commit any crime.
17. But for the man chasing and pursuing the teen, there would have been no physical confrontation.
18. But for the physical confrontation, there would have been no fight.
19. But for the fight, the man would not have shot the teen.
20. But for the shot, the teen would be alive.
Just like when that douche Bruce Emery murde… oops sorry, not allowed to say murdered… slaughtered 15 year old Pihema Cameron.
All the circumstances you describe fit exactly, except that Emery didn’t bother calling the police, and instead of a gun Emery used a foot-long knife to assassinate his victim.
Oh but that’s right, Cameron might or might not have been about to tag Emery’s fence, so I guess it’s totes different.
Right Brett?
felix, don’t waste your energy. Have you checked who you are trying to reason with?
True. But you never know what’s going to be the straw that finally breaks the camel’s brain 😀
Felix:
Bruce Emery was found guilty.
Nope, he was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
‘cos apparently he chased the kid 300 metres and gutted him with a foot-long knife by accident
He served two years I think. But you know, taggers eh?
Yes felix, he went to jail.
How long do you think killers should spend in jail, Bretty?
Proper killers I mean, ones who kill real people not just taggers.
Felix:
what do you mean nope? I just said he was found guilty.
He was charged with murder and found not guilty. Oddly, in my opinion, as he definitely killed the kid, and repeatedly stabbing someone with a foot-long knife doesn’t seem like an accidental killing, especially when they were running away and you had to chase them for 300 metres to do it.
But then I wasn’t in the courtroom so I don’t have access to crucial information like the class and ethnicity of the killer and the victim.
Brett D
A very clear provision of the salient points. I presume you vouch that each point is correct?
It seems to match with what I have heard in short media reports.
But the numbers appear to disordered. I have rearranged the statements so they read in a better progression of the facts. Do you agree?
After 10. The teen was not trespassing, as he was walking toward his father’s condo.
then –
16. There is no evidence that the teen was committing a crime or about to commit any crime.
11. The man and the teen met in a physical confrontation.
17. But for the man chasing and pursuing the teen, there would have been no physical confrontation.
18. But for the physical confrontation, there would have been no fight.
12. The man and the teen fought, wrestled to the ground, and punches were exchanged.
13. The man shot the teen with his gun.
14. The man shot the teen while both were on the ground.
19. But for the fight, the man would not have shot the teen.
15. The shot from the man’s gun killed the teen.
20. But for the shot, the teen would be alive.
The audio tape they released today is chilling, hearing Trayvon yell out “help me” is awful.
Brett D
I haven’t heard that. It would be chilling, and I don’t think that I need to hear that to be aware of the disgraceful series of events and malfunction of justice that has resulted in this exoneration.
There was an announced survey result comparing NZ’s happiness with those of Europeans. Seems we are reasonably happy but isolated from community somewhat. And depression got mentioned. A spokesperson on managing depression talked about concentrating on the ‘now’, not getting caught up in the past or the future. So perhaps I should do that. Then I don’t have to be worried, or feel upset about anything.
It apparently would be bad for me to hear Trayvon. According to current self-management proposals, Timothy Leary’s “Turn on, tune in, drop out” has shrunk to merely ‘drop out’, all that the human psyche can stand!