Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
SBS (special broadcasting services) is a public broadcaster with a migrant focused mandate not allowed to promote or advertise within the program boundaries so really have to question Ackroyd’s advisers here.
The presenter would be in hot water allowing anyone a blatant promo so Dan’s issue is with his people here, Fanning’s just doing her job.
Yes, but look at the publicity it has brought to the vodka — I suspect the whole walkout thing was very cynically planned by Akroyd’s PR advisers; they knew for sure SBS would not do advertorial. So in effect, very successful for them — how else would we have it here on our Monday morning pages ??? (Arts of the dark world !!)
Orsman’s analysis is about right. Walker and Watson are interesting in that they are solid progressives but were able to get elected in a conservative area. I would pick Penny Hulse will be deputy Mayor again and she is very important at coralling support. I would expect Linda Cooper to find things really difficult as Penny’s influence on her is strong.
Brewer on Nine to Noon this morning was awful and he sounded rather petulant. You just have to look at the list to see that Len has given support to a number of people who are not lefties.
She could struggle getting the resources together. In fact after Len the left will find it very difficult. A successful candidate needs a minimum of $300 to $400 k in a campaign fund and I do not know who on the left could do that.
Thanks Karol. I have now updated this post to makes some corrections about the election of Ross Clow and non-election of Noelene Raffills! This was my mistake – I had uploaded the wrong version of the guest blog post that Simon wrote yesterday!
Yes – I’ve been wondering why John Walker is on Orsman’s list for the Brown side.
Any clues, anyone ? I would have thought he’d be really conservative and rightwing – not at all a Brown acolite. (How do you spell acolite ?)
Thus, the difference in fluoride exposure was attributed to the amount in the drinking water. Mean urinary fluoride1 concentrations were found to be 3.47 ± 1.95 mg/L in Wamiao and 1.11 ± 0.39 mg/L in Xinhuai. Using the combined Ravenâs Test for Rural China, the average intelligence quotient (IQ) of the children in Wamiao was found to be significantly lower (92.2 ± 13.00; range, 54-126) than that in Xinhuai (100.41 ± 13.21; range, 60-128).
The IQ scores in both males and females declined with increasing fluoride exposure. The distribution of IQ scores from the females in the two villages is shown in Figure 7-1. A comparable illustration of the IQ scores of males is shown in Figure 7-2. The number of children in Wamiao with scores in the higher IQ ranges was less than that in Xinhuai. There were corresponding increases in the number of children in the lower IQ range. Modal scores of the IQ distributions in the two villages were approximately the same. A follow-up study to determine whether the lower IQ scores of the children in Wamiao might be related to differences in lead exposure disclosed no significant difference.
NB the high fluoride area had 2.47mg/L of fluoride, roughly 3x the level added to NZ water supplies.
Another good quote. This time a suggestion that long term ingestion of water with fluoride levels double of what is added to NZ community water supplies may be a problem.
Modifications of the effectiveness of the acetylcholinergic systems of the nervous system could account for the fact that, even though native intelligence per se may not be altered by chronic ingestion of water with fluoride ranging from 1.2 to 3 mg/L, reaction times and visuospatial abilities can be impaired. These changes would act to reduce the tested IQ scores. Such noncognitive impairments in children were reported in a meeting abstract (Calderon et al. 2000), but a full publication has not been issued. Extended reaction times have been associated with impaired function of the prefrontal lobes, a behavioral change not directly tied to alterations in IQ (Winterer and Goldman 2003). Because almost all IQ tests are âtime-restricted,â slow reaction times would impair measured performance.
A whole lot of parents will be very interested that fluoride levels just 2x to 3x higher than what you are advocating for is potentially neurotoxic, and may lead to cognitive impairment of children including reduced intelligence.
You can explain the irrelevancy of that information to them, if you like.
The Green Partyâs cardboard casino in Aucklandâs Aotea Square reveals how the Governmentâs pokies-for-convention centre deal is the equivalent of erecting an entire new casino in Auckland, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.
Aotea Square is this morning filled with cardboard versions of the 230 pokie machines, 240 automated player stations and 40 additional gambling tables gifted to SkyCity in their deal with the Government.
âThe display makes a mockery of John Keyâs argument that the concessions to SkyCity donât matter because community pokie numbers are reducing anyway,â Ms Turei said.
Yeap, usually end up hard cycling the damn thing at least one a month. On the other hand, they’re cheap and usually given away by the ISP’s and better ones cost around $200 đ
Yeah – and children’s teeth from then on apparently became so much better, that it was thought okay to let go of dental clinics in primary schools, and dental nurses’ training – they didn’t forsee the advent of fizzy drinks, junk food as a main diet, illegal drugs and all the other nasties which ruin teeth – let alone the lack of fluoride in NZ naturally.
How can RNZ keep inviting the raving P-freakish lunatic Hooton to their show when he not only talks over the host but borders on defaming people and companies. Today he had a go at The Warehouse for planning to implement a living-wage and said they “import junk” and that people “shouldn’t shop there”. Hope their legal team take a close look at his wording.
He also said Cunliffe was using “weasel words” by stating he would act in a fiscally responsible manner when considering new policy implementation, rather rich coming from this well known weasel.
There should be a vacancy for a new right-wing extremist who can at least pretend to be rational as Hooton sounds like he’s under the influence of more than just a de-bunked ideology.
karol
What radio station in NZ gives better coverage of news than RNZ?
Most are commercial and I have to put up with endless sales pitches and radio jerks and jerkesses with their oh so merry chat and quik witt. I’d rather listen to Pop Musik. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEfFOd8TDZA
+1…Hooton Possum is getting more and more excited!
….I quite enjoy listening to him…(smirk)….he starts off rational ( hence his ‘credible’ analysis) ….but then it gets increasingly skewed…and lately it is almost getting shrill….( smile……..Cunliffe, Cunliffe , Cunliffe……is on his mind)
Ryan and Williams try and act like handlers with something inherently unstable….Keep him on I say!
Ah Hooten, fast becoming a non-entity on the political landscape, road-kill to be avoided lest the smell stick to your tires,
Lolz even the small bakery down the hill in Miramar has taken to paying it’s worker the ‘living wage’, suck it up wee Matty, it’s a long long way to November 2014 and your riding the loser all the way…
Talking about a living wage – middle income people in IT at one place, part of government services, have been offered a .07% wage rise. Hardly enough for celery much less a salary.
Cunliffe’s well oiled machine in New Lynn repeated its usual General Election efforts.
They also had a great Council candidate in Ross Clow. He ran for Labour in Matamata many years ago. He is well known in the area for his leadership role in Bay Olympics and other sports organisations. As leader of the Trusts he has shown his governance metal.
This is the first time Labour ran here with full RED colours. The voters were given a clear option.
All six Labour candidates got in. They were well balanced in ages, gender and race. Zhu, Farmer, Manukia-Schaumkel, Matafai. Chand and Clow.
Besides dumping the C&R Raffills they took five of the seven board seats. They have cleared out a fairly unpretty bunch.
This is great news for Labour.
This shows that Cunliffe’s leadership talent and magic envigourates the membership and the voters alike.
Hopefully, Clow’s win holds, Bill. Is his lead officially the final count yet?
I don’t know anything about the kind of “well oiled” machine that you speak of. I did find it helpful to have candidates who strongly signalled their positions by claiming the Labour banner. I despair of these smokescreen tickets, that use words like “coummunity” and “independent.”
However, while Clow may have strong links with various organisations in the Whau area, for many of us non-aligned people, we didn’t see visible signs of any/many of the candidates in person locally. Quite a few people talk about how Derek Battersby has been an on-going visible and approachable presence – eg walking frequently around LynnMall and talking with people, being open to answering questions from individuals, etc.
A good article by a great man – John Minto and the Mana team thank you for your efforts in the elections and I agree with John it bodes well for the national elections. The momentum will build with us all putting our shoulders into it.
For Mana our real success was in Mangere where our candidate team performed really well gaining three to four thousand votes each against the local Labour candidates who typically gained 12 to 15 thousand. Translating that into a national election could mean many Mana MPs in parliament next year.
I am not sure that brown was forced left tho – I agree with Tin in the comments that he will say whatever to whoever just to get in. I know that some Mana supporters didn’t want to split the vote and gave brown their support – I am hoping that no one will have to do that down the track at the big election.
Yeah i alluded to that in my earlier comment about John’s chances of winning the Aux Mayoralty, hopefully the campaign has seen the Mana Party profile lifted across Auckland,
2014 i would like to see Annette take Waiariki and enough of a party vote for one more to keep Hone company in the Parliament, a big ask i know, but still do-able…
My fucking GOD!!!!
Check out nine-to-noon with the regular gal whose work-life balance (let’s not get into her leave entitlements), “””” ‘ ” ” ‘ moderates ‘ ” ‘ ” ‘ a ‘from the LEFT (oik Williams) and a from the RIGHT (Matthew Hooten).
In and of itself – that’s tantamount to false advertising surely.
Btw… give it about umm 10 days maybe… perhaps a little more … Lynne Freeman will be sitting in again whilst Rinnie needs a break. I’m expecting a revelation/exclusive some time soon in something like Women’s Day – doing the trials and tribulations of Rinnie the regular Gal – battling some dreaded disease or traumatic life-changing event that none of us could be expected to understand). It’ll be a monster. I’ll have to feel suitably contrite – almost enough to send a sympathy card to Box 123.
Anyway, at about 22 mins in – remember and register Mattiboy’s (Matti Bois – the moderate, but aging metro-sexual, and expert in all things worth of consideration, the fair and balanced, the man of ultimate experience in the political WORLD, not given to prejudice; outright lying; without an agenda; praised by both the RIGHT AND “the left [read the comfortably work-life-balanced Oik]) commentary that encompasses the Where?Whare (sometimes known as “The Warehousr” – where everyone gets a bargain).
Remember it.
Fuck a rooster and go wild!. Go adopt a poor starving, under-privved from a dysfunctional family little brown boi or gal even!.
That oik Williams had so many opportunities to pull a spin-meister apart it wasn’t even bloody funny.
I detected a point – somewhere before the 22 min point where an Oik could have asked whether a Hoot was suggesting LYING was at play. Of course he couldn’t possibly do that – even if mortgage paid, it might have impacted on sufficient earnings to cover the next Fijian holiday – or even a third row from the bottom New World selection of ‘woines’.
There goes a piece of sloth (the oik) waiting for a second serving of a trans-fat laden bacon burger to be put before him – pretending that the withering piece of GMO modified green leave hanging out the side is good for him – AND all the while with a Hooten convincing him he’s doing well.
Gawd Strewth!. Public Service Broadcasting – devoid of challenge/protest/risking the status quo it ain’t.
I’d go have a listen to the earlier (than 22 mins in) but for the fact I have a greater respect for my health.
Jesus H Christ!
I’ll make fukn sure in future my RNZ learnings and listensings are restricted to ‘off peak’.
Does anyone know by the way whether Kathryn still goes to confession?
The new Pope could have a field day with her
We have a responsibility to listen to people of marginalized cultures, understand as much as possible the blatant and subtle ways in which their cultures have been appropriated and exploited, and educate ourselves enough to make informed choices when it comes to engaging with people of other cultures.
So if youâre reading this and youâre tired of people giving white women wearing bindis crap for appropriating because âfreedom of speech,â recognize that pointing out cultural appropriation is not personal.
This isnât a matter of telling people what to wear. Itâs a matter of telling people that they donât wear things in a vacuum and there are many social and historical implications to treating marginalized cultures like costumes.
Itâs also not a matter of ignoring ârealâ issues in favor of criticizing the missteps of a few hipsters, fashion magazines, or baseball teams.
Cultural appropriation is itself a real issue because it demonstrates the imbalance of power that still remains between cultures that have been colonized and the ex-colonizers.
Far from stifling innovation and being a drag on the economic system, it has fostered innovation and dynamism in many important modern industries, with the private sector often taking a back seat. Ironically the State has often done so in the US, which in policy circles is often discussed as following a more âmarketâ-oriented (liberal) model than Europe. This has not been the case where innovation is concerned.
Mazzucato, Mariana (2013-05-15). The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Myths in Risk and Innovation (Kindle Locations 1912-1915). Anthem Press. Kindle Edition.
So, what is the role of the private sector?
My answer: The simple services: Dog walking, hair cuts and running dairies.
Rogue
But I wanted to see or hear Kath read something from her books. That would have been nice.
She might have said – ‘Lil I seen the little lamp’ or something. Don’t cut down our tall poppy, or water lily.
James McNeish – I hae to read his one on Paddy Costello. Seems an interesting and enigmatic man. Also I first heard about Danilo Dolci from him.
I think water meters should be installed on every house, business and farm. Not for charging but for all the other reasons:
1.) Helps detect leaks in the network
2.) Fresh, potable water is a scarce resource, scarcer than gold in fact. As such we really do need to take care of it
3.) Know where it’s actually being used so that we can plan
Generally, I don’t think much of people who think that we shouldn’t measure use of our resources. It indicates that they have NFI WTF they’re talking about.
And it’s really handy for when the Tories want to privatise the rest of the water networks.
They can say to the corporates: isn’t it cool that the public purse paid for these water meters to be installed, and they let you start charging households for water straight away!
Seriously DTB, you need to start thinking a couple of steps ahead of the next National Government, not doing their work for them.
Generally, I donât think much of people who think that we shouldnât measure use of our resources. It indicates that they have NFI WTF theyâre talking about.
Oh I agree.
Once you measure it, you can charge for it. And once you have measurements and charges, you can set up a market.
And once you have a market for the underlying, you can introduce derivatives and other financial products.
And if you don’t measure it you have NFI if your society is sustainable which means to say that it won’t be an thus crash and burn. The only option is to make derivatives and profiteering illegal.
Legislation is the option you suggest? How many weeks will it take for a Tory government to make derivatives trading legal, once back in power – twelve or fifteen?
Hey CV
Measuring water use is making sensible moves to increasing sustainability. If it happens that it is easier to sell if off to private interests, I don’t see that being a reason for not trying to measure and curb its use.
The information gained will help in fighting off the so far stealthy rustling of our country’s resources by farmers who have picked up the idea for self-enrichment from the USA and other places where the water bandits have dried up once mighty rivers that supplied people for hundreds of miles.
Extraordinary is hardly the word. Have we EVER seen anything like this before? As a company PR spokesman, Bridges would rate as a disaster. But this is a Minister of the Crown!
He has criminalized protest against this company. What else do they want? The sort of laws Putin is using?
Trained in the Chicago School of politics, for sure.
This might be interesting. On Bryan Crump on Radionz about 7.25 or so he has some Brit guy talking about some political shenanigans he was involved in there. He worked a crowd spreading lies for some advantage. He seems very frank about it on the trailer I heard.
Later there is something about Leibnitz the guy that Newton had a quite caustic approach to.
Keep Bridges on! He tells it as it is….the way the Nactoids think. We should indoctrinate the whole community as to their thought processes: deny responsibility for errors; promise a cargo cult from profits only; ignore the locals; fall on their their knees before the gods of big business; use ad hominem arguments; yell down any opposition!
The guy is a whizz! Parata and he are electoral gold!
Excrutiating. Like watching a powdered sparrow trying to brow-beat a pit-bull. The Hooten Boiz-to-Bullies academy is certainly struggling for sound graduates of late…..the internal polling must be cutting to the bone. Noice, Soi, truly heartwarming dear.
If Soimun Brudjizz is the answer to new Zill’s future – given his CampbellLive performance just passed, GOD help the future of my Murry grandson!!!
Damn near 10 years working at TPK, it’s only now I truly understand the meaning of ‘Uncle Tom’.
The saddest thing is that Soimun Brudjizz is introducing a new phenomenon – Cousin Tom!.
It’s confirmation that the neolib agenda, and the most base of human desire holds sway.
Thank Christ local body elections may just have sent a message.
It may well be time to just up stakes – I’ve held out long enuough – 25-30 years i fact.
… Northern India … Madagascar maybe. It sure as hell isn’t going to be NZ if the likes of that little neoNazi ever hold te bellence o peer
Just watching Simon Bridges on ‘Campbell Live’. Wow what a simpleton..but noisy.Persisted in saying “the fact of the matter is….”.followed by shouting (about 12-14 times I think).
Wouldn’t answer any straight questions with a straight answer.
He must be losing a lot of votes for National.
John Campbell’s eyebrow raising and sighs of frustration at Bridges evasive schoolboy yelling says it all.
Don’t know when, but I foresee a face to face interview and stroppy TV walkout in Simple Simon’s political end game. An archive classic in waiting.
Don’t know who will cause it, but if it’s to be JC, he’ll need to up his game considerably, because this prick was ripe for the taking with that performance and Campbell blew it, just like he’s done previously on a couple of occasions with the pm when he should of had him bang to rights.
lol; obviously, no MSM to be fraternised with there. However, you are welcome to invite yourself (if you have not already). The more, the merrier. đ
I don’t have facebook, but I’ve got a twatter feed on my website. So far I’ve made four twats to zero followers – Like a double episode of Jono and Ben at ten.
Like always, if you have to ask to get in, it’s best to be outside keeping your dignity company.
In the nature of such interviews it is “he won/he lost.” But really who is training Key/Bridges to adopt this disastrous style of a tirade overtalking the interviewer? No doubt the rightist journalist will have it the Campbell “lost” again. But I think that it might be a mistake to use that style. It is in the book of Things To Not Do When you are Being Interviewed.
Awful chap that Bridges. No intention to build any.
This one man committed fraud that dwarfs the entire yearly fraud committed by beneficiaries. Do you think that maybe, just maybe, this government and the MSM will actually start to look to where the real financial crime is happening?
Here’s something for those looking for direction and process and method etc for NZ. How can we change our style to an adult one and stop living on milk.
Radio nz tonight. This woman is a fine speaker, and a lucid one, and sounds really on to it.
Monday 14 October: The Entrepreneurial State – Book to read!
Where innovation comes from is a question that has been asked for decades. Many think it is the animal spirits of bold entrepreneurs which spark the drive to discover.
However, economist and professor Mariana Mazzucato argues that the state has a huge part to play in bringing new goods and services to market.
Peter Day discusses her thought-provoking thesis with her. Her latest book is The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking public vs. private sector myths. She tweets on @MazzucatoM
In the Auckland High Court, set down for 7 days – started today, Monday 14 October 2013….
“A 7-day trial in the Auckland High Court began Monday, 14 October, against 14 men in blue concerning the dawn 2008 raid on the offices of Spartan News Limited and home of Vince and Jane Siemer. A fifteenth defendant is the deputy registrar of the District Court who signed the undated police search warrant.
No one was charged as a result of the raid, which was postulated on Vince Siemer publishing the suppressed police affidavit used to hold, without bail, 18 New Zealand citizens in the infamous October 2007 Tuhoe raids (4 of the 18 were eventually convicted of various weapons charges; charges were dropped on the other 14). …..”
(The timing of this High Court case unfortunately clashes with Graham McCready’s private prosecution of the ‘Not-so-Honorable’ DEFENDANT John Banks, for alleged electoral fraud, which was supposed to start today, but was adjourned because of the wild windy Wellington weather, which caused the airport to be closed.
Should be all on tomorrow in the Auckland District Court – provided Graham’s plane can leave Wellington and arrive in Auckland!)
A 7-day trial in the Auckland High Court began Monday, 14 October, against 14 men in blue concerning the dawn 2008 raid on the offices of Spartan News Limited and home of Vince and Jane Siemer. A fifteenth defendant is the deputy registrar of the District Court who signed the undated police search warrant.
No one was charged as a result of the raid, which was postulated on Vince Siemer publishing the suppressed police affidavit used to hold, without bail, 18 New Zealand citizens in the infamous October 2007 Tuhoe raids (4 of the 18 were eventually convicted of various weapons charges; charges were dropped on the other 14).
Kim Dotcom has an extremely similar case against Police scheduled for trial in February 2014.
Defence Counsel Austin Powell, of the “Constitutional and Human Rights Team” within Crown Law, will first cross-examine Vince Siemer Tuesday on the events of 21 February 2008 before the 14 police defendants tell their work stories. Two weeks ago that was expected to concern the twelve pages of items Police seized but never accounted for on the day. However, the week before trial, the police conceded they have been withholding evidence of examination reports on the 5 cell phones they seized, had taken 183 photos inside the home not previously accounted for and cannot find the data the police cloned from three computers they seized.
Crown counsel Powell could only reply in a 7 October email, “I am not able to give priority to any more questions about discovery of documents. We are now a week out from the fixture and there is a great deal of preparation to do. I will attend to this and any other requests if time permits.”
Then-Solicitor General David Collins approved the raids on Tuhoe in 2007 and against the Siemers in 2008 but the Court of Appeal ruled in 2011 he could not be sued by Siemers and Spartan News. Mr Collins was appointed a High Court judge in 2012.
In addition to all phones and computers, the police seized tax and business accounts, cameras and even printers. The police claim their active investigation ceased three years ago but admit to still holding unspecified property. The biggest return of items to date was more than 4 years after the raid, on 21 September 2012.
The public are encouraged to attend to catch a rare glimpse of the work stories behind the badges. ”
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes –Â New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern â and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her governmentâs ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As weâve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesnât act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesiaâs army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealandâs Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The countryâs largest trade union â The Public Service Association â says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership sheâs hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article â Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? â looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pickânâmix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If youâre at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, donât panic: The Spinoffâs got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but letâs be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time â but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who havenât accessed support to come forward and engage with the councilâs recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “Itâs official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “weâre in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliamentâs forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the âdisappearanceâ of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people âsequesteredâ in this weekâs raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
It’s good to see some journalists and producers resisting the temptation to pander
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11139756
SBS (special broadcasting services) is a public broadcaster with a migrant focused mandate not allowed to promote or advertise within the program boundaries so really have to question Ackroyd’s advisers here.
The presenter would be in hot water allowing anyone a blatant promo so Dan’s issue is with his people here, Fanning’s just doing her job.
It ought to be standard practice.
Yes, but look at the publicity it has brought to the vodka — I suspect the whole walkout thing was very cynically planned by Akroyd’s PR advisers; they knew for sure SBS would not do advertorial. So in effect, very successful for them — how else would we have it here on our Monday morning pages ??? (Arts of the dark world !!)
good point indeed
Tracey .. I do wish it wasn’t though !! đ
NZ Herald’s Bernard Orsman is now more up to date with the Auckland Council election results. Looks like Ross Clow (Labour) Whau Board candidate is holding a slim lead – waiting on specials (and possible recount?).
Orsman has 11 councillors supporting Len Brown’s policies – not sure what that says about Brown’s policies?
Orsman’s analysis is about right. Walker and Watson are interesting in that they are solid progressives but were able to get elected in a conservative area. I would pick Penny Hulse will be deputy Mayor again and she is very important at coralling support. I would expect Linda Cooper to find things really difficult as Penny’s influence on her is strong.
Brewer on Nine to Noon this morning was awful and he sounded rather petulant. You just have to look at the list to see that Len has given support to a number of people who are not lefties.
on what basis was brewer on the radio? Will all councillors be interviewed?
That’s right, Tracey. Because it is so hard to find left wing views ever on Natrad.
Thanks, micky. Good to get your assessment of this analysis. Menawhile, I keep my fingers crossed for Clow to hold his lead.
Penny Hulse always comes across well, eg on Citizen A. I wonder if she has the potential to be a future mayor?
She could struggle getting the resources together. In fact after Len the left will find it very difficult. A successful candidate needs a minimum of $300 to $400 k in a campaign fund and I do not know who on the left could do that.
The bill boards had walker/penrose as a double bill yet glancing at this mornings fish wrap I see Orsman has penrose and walker on opposite sides.’?’
Yes Brewer is Banks Jnr, shrill, full of slogans and a devious little monkey. Len should go for broke this term.
IMO Palino will be further groomed to front the fletcher/brewer wedge and they will be encouraged the smile and wave approach seemed to work.
will brewer turn up in next year’s national elections?
Such is Auckland local body politics. It is an interesting beast …
Quite a good analysis by Simon Wilson on Liberation.typepad. But he has Raffils as winner in Whau.
Thanks Karol. I have now updated this post to makes some corrections about the election of Ross Clow and non-election of Noelene Raffills! This was my mistake – I had uploaded the wrong version of the guest blog post that Simon wrote yesterday!
Thanks, Bryce. Of course, whether or not Clow’s lead holds is still to be seen.
Yes – I’ve been wondering why John Walker is on Orsman’s list for the Brown side.
Any clues, anyone ? I would have thought he’d be really conservative and rightwing – not at all a Brown acolite. (How do you spell acolite ?)
Acolyte
Neurotoxic effects of fluoride in water
Published by the US National Academies Press.
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571&page=205
Lots of good material, this is an example:
NB the high fluoride area had 2.47mg/L of fluoride, roughly 3x the level added to NZ water supplies.
So the region at roughly NZ F levels had an expected population average? Good to know that fluoridated water in NZ is safe.
đ sure mate, sure.
well you sure haven’t presented evidence of any hazard, let alone harm.
No problem then.
Hey weren’t most IQ tests designed in the 1950’s and 1960’s in the fluoridated USA? lolz
The “Raven’s Test for Rural China” one of those?
Nope.
lol I bet you it is. Or at least the fundamental methodology is. Stolen (ahem, copied) from the USA by the Chinese, that is. LOL
Are the lols supposed to indicate that you are intentionally distracting with bullshit, or simply that you honestly believe the crap you’re making up?
clever, then that is the NA, APA style. đ
Hey mate đ
http://www.3news.co.nz/Eight-stand-trial-over-alleged-voter-scam/tabid/423/articleID/317059/Default.aspx
– Well better late then never, got to clear the back log sometime…
Another good quote. This time a suggestion that long term ingestion of water with fluoride levels double of what is added to NZ community water supplies may be a problem.
Oh God …my Mother fed us all flouride tablets when we were young….could explain a lot!….we had good teeth though
ha! đ
soooo close, but still not relevant to NZ levels.
Only about half as much again, but keep at it. One day you’ll say something relevant.
Hey McFlock.
A whole lot of parents will be very interested that fluoride levels just 2x to 3x higher than what you are advocating for is potentially neurotoxic, and may lead to cognitive impairment of children including reduced intelligence.
You can explain the irrelevancy of that information to them, if you like.
So you yell “boo” and it’s my job to explain why you’re just being an idiot?
Sucks eh. Or would you just prefer to censor the facts.
I’d prefer it if you actually knew what you were talking about.
Life is full of little disappointments.
Not so little, and repeated.
we live and learn
Interesting bit of Green Party action today in Aotea Square, Auckland, against SkyCity’s cronyists pokie deal.
Twitpics here
and here.
http://www.devttys0.com/2013/10/reverse-engineering-a-d-link-backdoor/
Oh brilliant…
Well, D-Links are a pile of shit. So go figure.
Yeap, usually end up hard cycling the damn thing at least one a month. On the other hand, they’re cheap and usually given away by the ISP’s and better ones cost around $200 đ
I had a small pile of unused DLink routers at one stage. They used to have some strange failure modes, every one unique.
when was fluoride introduced to water supplis in nz?
The use of water fluoridation first began in New Zealand in Hastings in 1954.
http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/fluoridation/water-fluoridation/fluoridation-history
leading the Bay
Yeah – and children’s teeth from then on apparently became so much better, that it was thought okay to let go of dental clinics in primary schools, and dental nurses’ training – they didn’t forsee the advent of fizzy drinks, junk food as a main diet, illegal drugs and all the other nasties which ruin teeth – let alone the lack of fluoride in NZ naturally.
tell ’em
One of the best stories yet by The Civilian: http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/low-turnout-results-in-lawnmower-winning-auckland-mayoralty/
How can RNZ keep inviting the raving P-freakish lunatic Hooton to their show when he not only talks over the host but borders on defaming people and companies. Today he had a go at The Warehouse for planning to implement a living-wage and said they “import junk” and that people “shouldn’t shop there”. Hope their legal team take a close look at his wording.
He also said Cunliffe was using “weasel words” by stating he would act in a fiscally responsible manner when considering new policy implementation, rather rich coming from this well known weasel.
There should be a vacancy for a new right-wing extremist who can at least pretend to be rational as Hooton sounds like he’s under the influence of more than just a de-bunked ideology.
Don’t know, fender, but I’m still boycotting RNZ.
Wise move, especially after the 11a.m. news on a Monday morning!
karol
What radio station in NZ gives better coverage of news than RNZ?
Most are commercial and I have to put up with endless sales pitches and radio jerks and jerkesses with their oh so merry chat and quik witt. I’d rather listen to Pop Musik.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEfFOd8TDZA
greyw, no radio station gives good coverage. But there is the Internet, and, til December, Face TV on analogue.
or engage in a bit of Trainspotting
+1…Hooton Possum is getting more and more excited!
….I quite enjoy listening to him…(smirk)….he starts off rational ( hence his ‘credible’ analysis) ….but then it gets increasingly skewed…and lately it is almost getting shrill….( smile……..Cunliffe, Cunliffe , Cunliffe……is on his mind)
Ryan and Williams try and act like handlers with something inherently unstable….Keep him on I say!
“….inherently unstable” đ
“…keep him on I say”
Yes he’s doing more damage than good for the right. đ
Ah Hooten, fast becoming a non-entity on the political landscape, road-kill to be avoided lest the smell stick to your tires,
Lolz even the small bakery down the hill in Miramar has taken to paying it’s worker the ‘living wage’, suck it up wee Matty, it’s a long long way to November 2014 and your riding the loser all the way…
Talking about a living wage – middle income people in IT at one place, part of government services, have been offered a .07% wage rise. Hardly enough for celery much less a salary.
And if they accept the boss will probably receive a 10-15% rise, gold celery is costly.
Labour’s 100% win in Whau is quite noteable.
Cunliffe’s well oiled machine in New Lynn repeated its usual General Election efforts.
They also had a great Council candidate in Ross Clow. He ran for Labour in Matamata many years ago. He is well known in the area for his leadership role in Bay Olympics and other sports organisations. As leader of the Trusts he has shown his governance metal.
This is the first time Labour ran here with full RED colours. The voters were given a clear option.
All six Labour candidates got in. They were well balanced in ages, gender and race. Zhu, Farmer, Manukia-Schaumkel, Matafai. Chand and Clow.
Besides dumping the C&R Raffills they took five of the seven board seats. They have cleared out a fairly unpretty bunch.
This is great news for Labour.
This shows that Cunliffe’s leadership talent and magic envigourates the membership and the voters alike.
Hopefully, Clow’s win holds, Bill. Is his lead officially the final count yet?
I don’t know anything about the kind of “well oiled” machine that you speak of. I did find it helpful to have candidates who strongly signalled their positions by claiming the Labour banner. I despair of these smokescreen tickets, that use words like “coummunity” and “independent.”
However, while Clow may have strong links with various organisations in the Whau area, for many of us non-aligned people, we didn’t see visible signs of any/many of the candidates in person locally. Quite a few people talk about how Derek Battersby has been an on-going visible and approachable presence – eg walking frequently around LynnMall and talking with people, being open to answering questions from individuals, etc.
Another week, another round of beneficiary bashing by the NActs.
Their use of the ‘war against benefit fraud’ phrase is just sickening.
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/19376774/govt-winning-war-against-benefit-fraud/
I’m sick and tired of those fuckers, cannot wait till the next election.
they seem to be winning the war against dunedin, and the war against the poor, too. But there’s always 2014
In my experience the two overlap significantly.
What a croc!
Take on Tax Fraud, then you will get some reall criminals!
A good article by a great man – John Minto and the Mana team thank you for your efforts in the elections and I agree with John it bodes well for the national elections. The momentum will build with us all putting our shoulders into it.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/10/13/minto-for-mayor-and-the-mana-local-body-election-campaign/
I am not sure that brown was forced left tho – I agree with Tin in the comments that he will say whatever to whoever just to get in. I know that some Mana supporters didn’t want to split the vote and gave brown their support – I am hoping that no one will have to do that down the track at the big election.
Yeah i alluded to that in my earlier comment about John’s chances of winning the Aux Mayoralty, hopefully the campaign has seen the Mana Party profile lifted across Auckland,
2014 i would like to see Annette take Waiariki and enough of a party vote for one more to keep Hone company in the Parliament, a big ask i know, but still do-able…
bad, I like your style – kia kaha!
My fucking GOD!!!!
Check out nine-to-noon with the regular gal whose work-life balance (let’s not get into her leave entitlements), “””” ‘ ” ” ‘ moderates ‘ ” ‘ ” ‘ a ‘from the LEFT (oik Williams) and a from the RIGHT (Matthew Hooten).
In and of itself – that’s tantamount to false advertising surely.
Btw… give it about umm 10 days maybe… perhaps a little more … Lynne Freeman will be sitting in again whilst Rinnie needs a break. I’m expecting a revelation/exclusive some time soon in something like Women’s Day – doing the trials and tribulations of Rinnie the regular Gal – battling some dreaded disease or traumatic life-changing event that none of us could be expected to understand). It’ll be a monster. I’ll have to feel suitably contrite – almost enough to send a sympathy card to Box 123.
Anyway, at about 22 mins in – remember and register Mattiboy’s (Matti Bois – the moderate, but aging metro-sexual, and expert in all things worth of consideration, the fair and balanced, the man of ultimate experience in the political WORLD, not given to prejudice; outright lying; without an agenda; praised by both the RIGHT AND “the left [read the comfortably work-life-balanced Oik]) commentary that encompasses the Where?Whare (sometimes known as “The Warehousr” – where everyone gets a bargain).
Remember it.
Fuck a rooster and go wild!. Go adopt a poor starving, under-privved from a dysfunctional family little brown boi or gal even!.
That oik Williams had so many opportunities to pull a spin-meister apart it wasn’t even bloody funny.
I detected a point – somewhere before the 22 min point where an Oik could have asked whether a Hoot was suggesting LYING was at play. Of course he couldn’t possibly do that – even if mortgage paid, it might have impacted on sufficient earnings to cover the next Fijian holiday – or even a third row from the bottom New World selection of ‘woines’.
There goes a piece of sloth (the oik) waiting for a second serving of a trans-fat laden bacon burger to be put before him – pretending that the withering piece of GMO modified green leave hanging out the side is good for him – AND all the while with a Hooten convincing him he’s doing well.
Gawd Strewth!. Public Service Broadcasting – devoid of challenge/protest/risking the status quo it ain’t.
I’d go have a listen to the earlier (than 22 mins in) but for the fact I have a greater respect for my health.
Jesus H Christ!
I’ll make fukn sure in future my RNZ learnings and listensings are restricted to ‘off peak’.
Does anyone know by the way whether Kathryn still goes to confession?
The new Pope could have a field day with her
An awesome read
http://unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/whats-the-difference-between-cultural-exchange-and-cultural-appropriation/
Hattip – Kim
So, what is the role of the private sector?
My answer: The simple services: Dog walking, hair cuts and running dairies.
lol
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11139587
– Honeymoon over already?
well, it’s labour.
God knows the media still puts up with keys half-baked ideas most of the time. Labour’s good ideas obviously have a much shorter appeal for tories.
‘cept for the concluding paragraph, just more conjectural cr@p!
It’s Katherine Mansfield’s birthday on Google. I can’t get her to do anything. Is there a moving part on this (very nice) graphic?
Mansfield, like Norris, over-rated; small pond. Now, McNeish … that’s an entirely different kettle of lambs tails.
Rogue
But I wanted to see or hear Kath read something from her books. That would have been nice.
She might have said – ‘Lil I seen the little lamp’ or something. Don’t cut down our tall poppy, or water lily.
James McNeish – I hae to read his one on Paddy Costello. Seems an interesting and enigmatic man. Also I first heard about Danilo Dolci from him.
does josie pagani think that if she doesnt speak the world will end. My god she likes the sound of her own voice.
I suspect it sounds like a cash register from her perspective
Tihei Kahungunu : Dr. Adele Whyte announced as new C.E.
And this is why you lost
“. We took no notice of the petition, it was blunt and ill-informed..”
‘I will stand by that to the day I die. I think I will live long enough to see this region, if not the whole country, water metered,” she said.
< Dreams are free Rowan
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9281326/Ousted-Rowan-stands-by-unpopular-water-meters
Good riddance
I think water meters should be installed on every house, business and farm. Not for charging but for all the other reasons:
1.) Helps detect leaks in the network
2.) Fresh, potable water is a scarce resource, scarcer than gold in fact. As such we really do need to take care of it
3.) Know where it’s actually being used so that we can plan
Generally, I don’t think much of people who think that we shouldn’t measure use of our resources. It indicates that they have NFI WTF they’re talking about.
And it’s really handy for when the Tories want to privatise the rest of the water networks.
They can say to the corporates: isn’t it cool that the public purse paid for these water meters to be installed, and they let you start charging households for water straight away!
Seriously DTB, you need to start thinking a couple of steps ahead of the next National Government, not doing their work for them.
Oh I agree.
Once you measure it, you can charge for it. And once you have measurements and charges, you can set up a market.
And once you have a market for the underlying, you can introduce derivatives and other financial products.
BTW who are you saying has NFI?
And if you don’t measure it you have NFI if your society is sustainable which means to say that it won’t be an thus crash and burn. The only option is to make derivatives and profiteering illegal.
Legislation is the option you suggest? How many weeks will it take for a Tory government to make derivatives trading legal, once back in power – twelve or fifteen?
These are just fragile solutions, Draco.
Hey CV
Measuring water use is making sensible moves to increasing sustainability. If it happens that it is easier to sell if off to private interests, I don’t see that being a reason for not trying to measure and curb its use.
The information gained will help in fighting off the so far stealthy rustling of our country’s resources by farmers who have picked up the idea for self-enrichment from the USA and other places where the water bandits have dried up once mighty rivers that supplied people for hundreds of miles.
So how is metering of residential suburbs going to help the problem of farmers taking water above and beyond their consents?
I do. And if you don’t have a solution to the privatisation of our water resources, then it’s a no go.
Hi GW I’ve just provided some info that you asked for on the 13th. It’s not good for you but very enjoyable.
Simon Bridges has been to the Nats, never answer questions and interrupt and talk over the inverviewer school. Campbell Live.
Hahhahahah. SB” I’m not here to defend them” [Anadarko].
People, you should watch Campbell Live to see Simon bridges being an angry little turd.
Extraordinary is hardly the word. Have we EVER seen anything like this before? As a company PR spokesman, Bridges would rate as a disaster. But this is a Minister of the Crown!
He has criminalized protest against this company. What else do they want? The sort of laws Putin is using?
Trained in the Chicago School of politics, for sure.
Trained in the used car salesman style of hand movements, and talking fast, not allowing real interrogation.
I don’t believe I have ever seen such an appalling performance by an interviewee.
Notice he’s been to the John Key school of elocution.
Bridges is “atchally” ambitious well beyond his abilities but sure is a golden gift to the left.
God he came across terribly.
This might be interesting. On Bryan Crump on Radionz about 7.25 or so he has some Brit guy talking about some political shenanigans he was involved in there. He worked a crowd spreading lies for some advantage. He seems very frank about it on the trailer I heard.
Later there is something about Leibnitz the guy that Newton had a quite caustic approach to.
Leibniz, greywarbler, Leibniz; priority of discovery of calculus.
for goodness sake!
Rogue oiooh sorry , crouches, creeps out quietly.
Liebnitz worked out that, no matter how slowly you creep, you will escape.
Keep Bridges on! He tells it as it is….the way the Nactoids think. We should indoctrinate the whole community as to their thought processes: deny responsibility for errors; promise a cargo cult from profits only; ignore the locals; fall on their their knees before the gods of big business; use ad hominem arguments; yell down any opposition!
The guy is a whizz! Parata and he are electoral gold!
I don’t think it was Soymin’s finest hour.
Excrutiating. Like watching a powdered sparrow trying to brow-beat a pit-bull. The Hooten Boiz-to-Bullies academy is certainly struggling for sound graduates of late…..the internal polling must be cutting to the bone. Noice, Soi, truly heartwarming dear.
If Soimun Brudjizz is the answer to new Zill’s future – given his CampbellLive performance just passed, GOD help the future of my Murry grandson!!!
Damn near 10 years working at TPK, it’s only now I truly understand the meaning of ‘Uncle Tom’.
The saddest thing is that Soimun Brudjizz is introducing a new phenomenon – Cousin Tom!.
It’s confirmation that the neolib agenda, and the most base of human desire holds sway.
Thank Christ local body elections may just have sent a message.
It may well be time to just up stakes – I’ve held out long enuough – 25-30 years i fact.
… Northern India … Madagascar maybe. It sure as hell isn’t going to be NZ if the likes of that little neoNazi ever hold te bellence o peer
a name in vain
Holy smokes that Simon Bridges interview was classic. I thought he was going to cry.
Just watching Simon Bridges on ‘Campbell Live’. Wow what a simpleton..but noisy.Persisted in saying “the fact of the matter is….”.followed by shouting (about 12-14 times I think).
Wouldn’t answer any straight questions with a straight answer.
He must be losing a lot of votes for National.
John Campbell’s eyebrow raising and sighs of frustration at Bridges evasive schoolboy yelling says it all.
Don’t know when, but I foresee a face to face interview and stroppy TV walkout in Simple Simon’s political end game. An archive classic in waiting.
Don’t know who will cause it, but if it’s to be JC, he’ll need to up his game considerably, because this prick was ripe for the taking with that performance and Campbell blew it, just like he’s done previously on a couple of occasions with the pm when he should of had him bang to rights.
he does drop the ball, from time to time
Probably falls on his resting laurel.
I still like and respect him, but each time he rolls his eyes instead of focusing them on the quarry, just a little bit less.
unlike…
On facebook?
lol; obviously, no MSM to be fraternised with there. However, you are welcome to invite yourself (if you have not already). The more, the merrier. đ
I don’t have facebook, but I’ve got a twatter feed on my website. So far I’ve made four twats to zero followers – Like a double episode of Jono and Ben at ten.
Like always, if you have to ask to get in, it’s best to be outside keeping your dignity company.
ae, learnt that in my OMC days; all the better for it.
How bizarre
“standin’ on the outside lookin’ in”
I’m out with the in crowd
echoes of Roxy Music
In the nature of such interviews it is “he won/he lost.” But really who is training Key/Bridges to adopt this disastrous style of a tirade overtalking the interviewer? No doubt the rightist journalist will have it the Campbell “lost” again. But I think that it might be a mistake to use that style. It is in the book of Things To Not Do When you are Being Interviewed.
Awful chap that Bridges. No intention to build any.
“desperate men, do desperate things”.
This one man committed fraud that dwarfs the entire yearly fraud committed by beneficiaries. Do you think that maybe, just maybe, this government and the MSM will actually start to look to where the real financial crime is happening?
Here’s something for those looking for direction and process and method etc for NZ. How can we change our style to an adult one and stop living on milk.
Radio nz tonight. This woman is a fine speaker, and a lucid one, and sounds really on to it.
Monday 14 October: The Entrepreneurial State – Book to read!
Where innovation comes from is a question that has been asked for decades. Many think it is the animal spirits of bold entrepreneurs which spark the drive to discover.
However, economist and professor Mariana Mazzucato argues that the state has a huge part to play in bringing new goods and services to market.
Peter Day discusses her thought-provoking thesis with her. Her latest book is The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking public vs. private sector myths. She tweets on @MazzucatoM
ahhh, the State, if not for it , I would be in it’s care. đ
Tonight’s Native Affairs on Maori TV is getting a lot of posiive comment on Twitter, and also mentioned on the NZ Herald.
Watching it now online.
pebbles
IT’S HIGH TIME FOR SOME SOLIDARITY WITH NZ’S LEADING
ANTI-JUDICIAL CORRUPTION WHISTLE-BLOWER VINCE SIEMER!!!
http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz
In the Auckland High Court, set down for 7 days – started today, Monday 14 October 2013….
“A 7-day trial in the Auckland High Court began Monday, 14 October, against 14 men in blue concerning the dawn 2008 raid on the offices of Spartan News Limited and home of Vince and Jane Siemer. A fifteenth defendant is the deputy registrar of the District Court who signed the undated police search warrant.
No one was charged as a result of the raid, which was postulated on Vince Siemer publishing the suppressed police affidavit used to hold, without bail, 18 New Zealand citizens in the infamous October 2007 Tuhoe raids (4 of the 18 were eventually convicted of various weapons charges; charges were dropped on the other 14). …..”
(The timing of this High Court case unfortunately clashes with Graham McCready’s private prosecution of the ‘Not-so-Honorable’ DEFENDANT John Banks, for alleged electoral fraud, which was supposed to start today, but was adjourned because of the wild windy Wellington weather, which caused the airport to be closed.
Should be all on tomorrow in the Auckland District Court – provided Graham’s plane can leave Wellington and arrive in Auckland!)
___________________________________________________________
“NEED BETTER WORK STORIES?
A 7-day trial in the Auckland High Court began Monday, 14 October, against 14 men in blue concerning the dawn 2008 raid on the offices of Spartan News Limited and home of Vince and Jane Siemer. A fifteenth defendant is the deputy registrar of the District Court who signed the undated police search warrant.
No one was charged as a result of the raid, which was postulated on Vince Siemer publishing the suppressed police affidavit used to hold, without bail, 18 New Zealand citizens in the infamous October 2007 Tuhoe raids (4 of the 18 were eventually convicted of various weapons charges; charges were dropped on the other 14).
Kim Dotcom has an extremely similar case against Police scheduled for trial in February 2014.
Defence Counsel Austin Powell, of the “Constitutional and Human Rights Team” within Crown Law, will first cross-examine Vince Siemer Tuesday on the events of 21 February 2008 before the 14 police defendants tell their work stories. Two weeks ago that was expected to concern the twelve pages of items Police seized but never accounted for on the day. However, the week before trial, the police conceded they have been withholding evidence of examination reports on the 5 cell phones they seized, had taken 183 photos inside the home not previously accounted for and cannot find the data the police cloned from three computers they seized.
Crown counsel Powell could only reply in a 7 October email, “I am not able to give priority to any more questions about discovery of documents. We are now a week out from the fixture and there is a great deal of preparation to do. I will attend to this and any other requests if time permits.”
Then-Solicitor General David Collins approved the raids on Tuhoe in 2007 and against the Siemers in 2008 but the Court of Appeal ruled in 2011 he could not be sued by Siemers and Spartan News. Mr Collins was appointed a High Court judge in 2012.
In addition to all phones and computers, the police seized tax and business accounts, cameras and even printers. The police claim their active investigation ceased three years ago but admit to still holding unspecified property. The biggest return of items to date was more than 4 years after the raid, on 21 September 2012.
The public are encouraged to attend to catch a rare glimpse of the work stories behind the badges. ”
Vince Siemer
___________________________________________________________
Cheers!
‘Her Warship’ đ
interesting
Kiwis know how to spot a BANKSY bargain!!! Ha!
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/banksy-sells-his-art-for-practically-nothing-to-unsuspecting-public-20131014-2viay.html
Rip It Up ; nite brother. Take Care, everyone. God Bless (even you Martyn). đ