It gets worse. I hope the Minister is having a lay down.
I was wondering how the Minister commenting on ‘operational matters’ regarding an ‘individual case’ suddenly couldn’t comment on an operational matter’ on this morning’s RNZ’s interview with him.
And now, bugger me daze, he’s probably going to have to comment on how a police car got stolen in Gore where a couple of police issue pistols have gone west.
Might be time to raid JA’s whiskey cabinet. It must be bloody hard having to maintain complete and utter ‘faith’ in ‘officials’. Does it require some sort of religious conversion?
Not sure Gabby. I thought they were supposed to be securely locked in the boot unless special circumstances mean that they're carrying them on their person at all times. Not sure about the car either – maybe it was eventually disabled when it got too far away from the officer in charge of it (unless of course the key was in the ignition).
The Minister will no doubt let us know in the fullness of time going forward after being briefed by his officials and when the appropriate spin meister has vetted a media release.
That's not the only police news this morning. Now there is talk of using facial recognition. Another step towards total control of people and further invasion of our lives if it happens.
"AT has had no recent contact with us," Mr Edwards said in a statement.
When cameras with facial recognition capability and the like were installed "we would expect the privacy impact assessment and response to also be updated".
"We would also expect Auckland Transport to develop clear policies on the retention and use of images collected, who can access them, and in what circumstances.
(It doesn't sound as if we are being protected against the use of facial spying rather just having some rules about it. Pretty weak privacy warrior.)
yep @ Duke. I realise all that. The thing I was pointing out was the selective commenting-or NOT, by elected reps. 'Operational Matters' seem to be very ill-defined and used as a matter of convenience whenever and if ever mere peons or what masquerades as the 4th Estate attempt to hold anybody to account. Local gummint has descended into something worse though.
And now the Commish's deputy dawg has made a media statement over the Gore situation – still leaving questions answered. They'll have to be answered sometime in the fullness of time. You could probably excuse Davis getting well and truly pissed on more than a peg or two
Good one James – don't let the idiot bridges get free hits in – he is destructive and is only interested in his own promotion. Simon is totally unsuited to high office.
Mr Shaw said Mr Bridges' position was "desperate" and "completely irresponsible".
"Stats NZ – their success ratings for the information that they put out on a weekly basis is between 99 percent and 100 percent … and when they do have errors, they correct them, they publish the methodology, they get them third-party reviewed.
"The idea that you can say, 'Oh, they made a mistake over here, therefore, I don't trust anything that they've produced', I think is, frankly, absurd."
The Opposition had a strategy to undermine public confidence in statistics in a bid to retake power "at any cost", Mr Shaw said.
"The lessons of Trump, the lessons of Brexit, and the lessons of the Australian election seem to have gone to Simon Bridges' head and this 'burn-the-house-down' in order to win approach … is a very, very bad turn for New Zealand politics.
"He doesn't really care what the collateral damage is along the way … and I don't know how he expects to govern if he totally destroys public confidence in the basis of evidence-based decision making."
That's the spirit, James, my son. Put the boot in good and proper. Bridges would do it to you in a heartbeat and National don't seem to care about much of anything other than getting their sweaty paws on the levers of power once more. Give that floppy-haired muppet both barrels.
It occurred to me the other day that if our system is designed to have 3.5% unemployment then our system must adequately compensate those required by the system to be unemployed…
mustn't it? This is the first question.
Once answered, the second question might then be, by how much should these people, who are required to be unemployed, be compensated? My 2c says one hell of a lot more than the dole. They should be up there with other employed people.
shouldn't they?
After all – both Labour and National require 3.5% of our working people to not have a job.
Too too radical by far @vto!!! It'd be a slippery slope. We might have to start thinking about the UNDER-employed. Then all those folks OVER-employed in two or three jobs that still don't earn enough to pay the bills. The next thing you know we'd have to seriously worry about all those being exploited. Can't be done! The resources required would be immense unless we could find an app for it all
Too right vto. As an alternative to running an unemployed buffer stock (the reserve army of the unemployed -Marx) the government could run an employed buffer stock by implementing a Job Guarantee policy. This would perform better than the present policy as employed people find it easier to find alternate work, so the Job Guarantee workers would be better at getting non Job Guarantee work. It would also be more fair by setting a floor on the labour market of full time minimum wage work (anybody worse off will always have this as a minimum alternative). This would restrain inflation equally as well as the present policy does.
"Whilst full employment is often an aim for an economy, most economists see it as more beneficial to have some level of unemployment, especially of the frictional sort. In theory, this keeps the labor market flexible, allowing room for new innovations and investment. As in the NAIRU theory, the existence of some unemployment is required to avoid accelerating inflation.
Unlike you, who knows an awful lot about economics but not much about how the real world functions. If everyone was in gainful employment, demand for labour would be high meaning wages would have to be sufficiently generous to tempt workers… and employers have night-terrors about those sorts of scenarios. "Raise wages?! Noooooo! Quickly! Someone prise Kirk Hope out of his sarcophagus so he can bleat about plummeting business confidence again!" Bill English openly stated a low-wage economy was a fabulous thing… obviously not a man in receipt of low wages. As a general rule, the people at the top are largely indifferent to the people at the bottom — sacrifices must be made and all that, and they're fine with it just so long as they're not the ones having to make the sacrifices.
I don't know where you get the impression that our system is designed to have 3.5% unemployed. At any given time there are many people who are unemployed for a variety of reasons – for example some may have left a job because of a fall out with their employer (and yes that can happen even in our fabulous private companies), or a desire to change the type of work they do, or because their family has moved, or becuause an employer has gone out of business and they can't afford to move to where there are more jobs, or or they are looking for their first job and don't have enough experience for most job vacancies, they are a 'return to workforce' person (after having a family, being on a temporary contract in NZ or overseas, had an extended holiday, been studying for jobs in a developing industry . . .). The physically and mentally disabled are I understand not counted as unemployed unless they are looking for work, but there will be people on the margin of that category who will find it difficult to get jobs. I leave it to you to decide which of those are designed in the system, and which are perhaps over-counted in the characterisation of unemployed by some politicians, and whether there are other categories.
Then you may be in a better position to tell us your view on which categories you believe should be paid by government one hell of a lot more than the dole, and whether by "up there with other employed people" you mean something like the average wage (Mean? Median?) or whether you envisage it being a bit like unemployment insurance – linked to previous earnings, or earnings for similar age / education / training / skills as persons employed.
A Labour-led government does of course tend to pay a higher unemployment benefit than a National or National-led government – were you looking for immediate change? – and if so what other spending would you reduce?
Basic Keynesian economics, to which Marx in part agreed. I think it’s to do with being able to fill new jobs with increased growth from a ready made labour pool.
“According to Karl Marx, unemployment is inherent within the unstable capitalist system and periodic crises of mass unemployment are to be expected. He theorized that unemployment was inevitable and even a necessary part of the capitalist system, with recovery and regrowth also part of the process.”
Conversely Ed, we could look at how 'employment' is defined nowadays. It was Keys mob that changed definitions, perhaps this lot could re-redefine employment.
That is certainly a possibility; I don't know the details of changes that may have been made. I do think there is a level of unemployment that relates to flexibility of employment patterns, and the ability of some to pick and choose periods of unemployment. But of course there is unemployment that has been "encouraged" by various governments. Certainly the need for both partners in a marriage to be employed is greater now than over say 20 years ago – and that has had a social cost in children having both parents working. But I suspect even in a system along the ideals of Marx there would be some unemployment, if only to cope with some jobs becoming redundant – in my lifetime typesetters have disappeared for example. However measured, it does appear that a government including Labour is likely to result in higher employment – probably in the region of 1% to 2% – with a largely corresponding lower unemployment figure.
You have an incomplete understanding of unemployment. This frequently arises due to a study of economic theory. There are two major categorisations of unemployment. They are voluntary and invountary unemployment. Voluntary is a super set of most of the categories you described, where people could take a job at the market rate but are looking for something better. Involuntary is when there are not enough jobs going for all those who want them at the going rate. In any market such a situation where the market doesn't clear is called a market failure. In most mainstream economic analysis you assume markets reach equilibrium and therefore clear and this is why involuntary unemployment is assumed not to occur (or be a relevant concern for policy). This is the case for the NAIRU rate of which is a parameter of an economic model which has been projected to its equilibrium point. So this is why a lot of analysis ignores the possibility that there could be insufficient jobs due to a lack of total spending (on wages) and why you don't concieve of it in your comment.
To vto at 3: I think the 'our system' refers to capitalistic theory. Somewhere in my dim and distant past I was taught that capitalistic theory required desirably 8% unemployment in order to keep the serfs to their grindstones and think those figures were around again in the 'Think Big' talk in Muldoon era.
aaaand there you have a couple of replies in the usual vein of what the privileged say when the evil of NAIRU is unveiled (usually the figure given in the 1990s was 6-8% unemployment). "nobody is forced to be unemployed",
The other thing being that "unemployment" is now an obsolete term from the days when most people worked full time or almost zero time. "Underemployment" is those 10-30 hour per week jobs that aren't enough for a decent life but don't count you as "unemployed".
There's always going to be some unemployed under the 20C model – e.g. the last job transition I made had me at home for a week. But slowing down the economy for fear of hurting profits means that some people are deliberately made unemployed. we don't know who, but they exist.
All moot anyway, as automation comes into its own. 70-80% unemployment will be the norm, so we'll have to destigmatise it sooner or later. When the owners of capital become the suppliers of their own labour, nobody will be able to afford their goods. Which leads to an ever decreasing number of employers and exponentially increasing inequality and the associated ills. Much better to tax the producers and redistribute that wealth to the population so they can create their full potential.
aaaand there you have a couple of replies in the usual vein of what the privileged say when the evil of NAIRU is unveiled (usually the figure given in the 1990s was 6-8% unemployment). "nobody is forced to be unemployed",
I don't believe (though it's true I may be wrong for once) that anyone was saying that. I certainly wasn't.
My interpretation from the above is people were giving a view how that our system, against claims otherwise, does currently rely on a level of unemployment, whether is wanted or warranted.
Up to them to set the record straight for themselves, but I don't see an attack on the jobless or bene bashing.
As soon as people started getting jobs, the RB would up the OCR to cool off business investment and new hires.
In the 0ughts the Alliance ISTR had a distinction between endemic unemployment and fluid unemployment (can't remember the exact terms) – the fluid level being 0-3% from simply people taking more than a week to find a new job, but with not real harm to their wellbeing. The endemic level is the unemployment that is artificially created to keep wage pressures down – essentially the NAIRU target.
I took that quoted post as a rebuttal that our system runs with a need for unemployment not "nobody is forced to be unemployed", but I may have interpreted it incorrectly.
I'm not arguing the case for running a keynesian unemployment quota or saying you're incorrect. My point was the capitalist system apparently does, as Marx concurred and stated by others above. I don't see any dolie bashing, in fact, the original post stakes a claim for hefty financial compensation which nobody has argued against.
I didn't have any problem with the original post, no.
But it's a bit like child poverty – to get the issue addressed, we have to overcome the tory denial that there's a systemic problem rather than it just being the fault of the individuals.
Absolutely, pitch fork and burning torch tory denial and right wing agendas 'til we're all angry mobbed out, though in stating the obvious about the system currently enforced upon us, doesn't equate to support of it, well not on my account anyway. As I wrote above, up to them to confirm or deny it.
See my post above. The economy may require a buffer stock approach to employment to resist inflation, that doesn't mean those in that buffer stock must be unemployed for it to work.
With regard to systematic, its still the governments choice to run it this way. They have alternatives. Other than a Job Guarantee they could just improve on the present by deficit spending until all the involuntary unemployment goes away rather than mindlessly trying to run a budget surplus regardless of the economic situation (coupled with holding the delusion that monetary policy can always by itself completely eliminate involuntary unempoyment).
To be fair to the current govt, ISTR the agreement with the Reserve Bank increases the objectives of the bank beyond an inflation target.
I really think we should be moving away from the concept that "employed for money" is the benchmark of expectation. We're soon going to hit the point where automation just produces too much stuff, and jobs from customer service to driving to manufacturing to business decision-making start to genuinely disappear.
Get people creating, occupy their time. The enemy of society isn't unemployment, it's boredom and want.
The changes in the policy targets only bring it in line with other major central banks targets.
I strongly suspect a future with 50% unemployment the norm should be called a distopian future. Fortunately that is not going to happen because of technology. As with other technology developments the nature of work does change but the total quantity needed for maintaining society at a level accepted by society doesn't because expectations increase at the same time.
Not strictly true…its the link (modelled) between inflation and employment . The RBNZ makes assumptions about inflation (or NAIRU) with regard to employment rates however the RBNZs goal is an inflation band not employment per se…post GFC we have seen that model appears invalid in the current environment…hence the willingness to adopt extraordinary policy actions now…..and the fact they cant afford the implications of being out of step with the driving economies.
So in effect it is the projected inflation rate that drives the policy, not employment
If I push you aside because I was running after another goal, or I push you aside because I wanted to push you aside for whatever reason, I'm still choosing to push you aside.
If it's the most efficient path to that objective, the Reserve Bank would.
If you're not in the way, lucky you. If you asre, unfortunate you. But you can't actually know if you're in the way or not – you just get shoved, that's how you find out.
You appear to be missing the point….if the goal is an inflation target and the link between employment and inflation is not operating then there is no need to consider it until such time as the link returns…should it do so.
It is less clearly part of RBNZs methodology now..to the point of lip service I would suggest.
What is causing the questioning of the Philips curve (not just my assertion)?….perhaps the high employment rates and the absence of inflation post GFC.
You mean as in someone like as in what happened at Stats NZ.
It shouldn't be too hard though because rather than the 'someone' being a Master of the Universe, they'd only be a Mistress of the Universe and there'd be no danger of the opposition accusing them of throwing them under the bus – most buses around Wellington are either Not In Service, or they've been cancelled.
no it's reduce hate speech by a white supremacist murderer who has committed the worst mass killing in NZ by targeting Muslim NZers – been on the news I'm surprised you haven't heard about it
It must be a dreary old life seeing everything in black and white with everything either on or off. I don't think anyone is suggesting a prisoner shouldn't be able to communicate with legal reps or family members but at least they should be able to expect a level of competence and discretion from the nations' servants when they come across something that's clearly designed to keep some sick fuk's desire to kill people he doesn't like from spreading
I'm in agreement with all that @ Psycho – i.e. that because someone fucked up, panic sets in so that a blanket no communication edict is applied.
We're really talking about 2 letters. And we're probably talking about complacency and yea/nah attitude or even under-resourcing so that those actually responsible can shift the shit off their plates.
We don't want people writing to their mums! They don't have mums anyway, they're monsters! /sarc
Read them, censor objectionable bits, intercept the ones sent to harrass victims, but allow normal human contact with someone other than the other criminals with whom they're detained.
If the minister has genuinely ruled that no prisoner should be allowed to send letters to friends and family, fuck that guy. If he's making shit up for the media, fuck that guy.
Basically, in this instance, Kelvin Davis is totally wrong.
Well spotted. The blame game is much easier than real journalism, which would have found out whether any laws or administrative laws had been broken before publicising an item on a website few New Zealanders would ever look at were it not publicised . . .
After having to listen to the appalling Peter Williams spend the morning raving on this and at several points crossing the line in his descriptions of people. After being appalled himself he had a listener who had seen the letter email it to him and proceeded to be even more "aghast" and then he had Bridges on the extend the "aghasted-ness" to fever pitch. But something was raised and that was that in the letter the offender had replied his thanks to the recipient, and the one who put the letter on-line, for the stamps "which he would have to hide from guards, officials etc".
Did these stamps become invisible once they went on to an envelope that was then sent? Apparently the first six pages was general rambling but the last ½ page contained threats or similar. Has no one considered that if he had a letter read and then placed it in an envelope that the letter may not have been read in it's entirety and the further possiblity that the did not go through the normal channels and was conveyed out for posting by a "friendly" staff member. The number of untrustworthy people currently means that all options should be looked at as to how this happened.
Peter Williams is the male equivalent of Maggie Barry. Someone who for years lulled you into a false sense of security with their seemingly amiable and easy-going broadcasting temperament, only to then reveal the frothing, swivel-eyed lunacy lurking just beneath the surface.
Say what you like about Hosking and Richardson, at least they don't pretend to be anything other than the revolting specimens they are.
"The daily processing (opening, examining, and reading) of mail at a prison site is the responsibility of dedicated local or site-based staff members appropriately authorised by their respective prison director, most commonly local administration staff whose core responsibilities include the processing of mail."
Suzie Ferguson is such a tiresome presenter. On the radio she is boringly trivial and predictable over demanding to know if the minister of corrections should have been personally censoring the Christchurch terrorist's mail.
FFS. Kelvin Davis should just tell her to not be such an idiot – he has a department for running corrections.
More to the point, the current RNZ tactic of having a couple of stroppy but unintelligent presenters constant hectoring for someone to blame is really, really annoying and utterly incapable of casting any new light on anything.
RNZ have really fallen off the pace recently – trying to be a polite version of Newstalk ZB is a load of old clarts.
Yeah – the questioning is designed to entrap the interviewee and apportion blame at an individual level. It seems she has little idea how big, complex systems operate. It doesn't take too much insight to pick that this is a case where Corrections standard operating procedures and a prisoner's legal rights around communication are not a good fit for this highly unusual inmate. Should someone have realised this earlier and raised concerns to the appropriate level in the hierarchy? Yes of course – but that's not even interesting. What is interesting is how you deal with this without imposing new rules that will end up being used punitively against other, more 'normal' prisoners.
Sanctuary. You forgot to say in your opinion. That’s all your comment is. As is mine. One could say your comment is unintelligent. Swap jobs with Ferguson and see how you would get on. Journalists are like they are because they can’t get a straight answer out of anyone and can’t get anybody to take ownership of anything. It’s not a lot to ask of corrections to make sure a psychopathic mass killer who would want to spread his message, have his mail scrutinised by the top Brass at the prison. There have already been other murders overseas that have been inspired by Christchurch. If the people running our prisons are that dumb they should be replaced and Kelvin Davis needs to make that happen. The likes of Suzy Ferguson and Kathryn Ryan come across as irritatingly persistent because politicians are masters at talking in circles and saying fuck all
And she also repeats questions. Expecting different answers, no doubt. Kelvin was very patient with her. For a while I though Corin Dann transition to radio had made him easier to put up with. After a few weeks, no.
I was just musing with a fellow bus traveller on how the Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same American capitalist coin which only allow change within a capitalist framework, and certainly won’t allow any threat to the capitalist system itself, much like National and Labour in New Zealand (and to be fair pretty much all the political parties presently in Parliament).
I’ve often thought that the indigenous cultures that capitalism encountered while expanding globally were close to wiped out not just because the land they occupied was required for the expansion of the capitalist system, but because they lived successfully using other systems to the capitalist system.
Not that I am claiming one system is innately superior to another, but any system, and in this case the capitalist system, will act to protect its own existence because a section of society that belongs to that system is benefiting from it.
As long as any memory of an alternative system in the form of the previous indigenous system remains, it presents a threat to capitalism.
Because Ihumātao is an indigenous- led movement that threatens the foundation of capitalism which is the rights of private property owners over all other rights, it innately presents a threat to capitalism, and ultimately no compromise is possible.
In this sense, it is part of a long list of small rebellions by Maori and their supporters since the end of the New Zealand Wars.
Without being unkind to those iwi who don’t support the protests (and have every right not to), they are a part of the capitalist system and don’t pose a threat to it. The capitalist system is accommodating to anyone who agrees to play the rules of capitalism. However, the protestors are demanding (whether they know it or not) that the rules are changed.
Which makes their demands revolutionary and unacceptable.
NB I am not saying capitalism is good or evil, just outlining what is being played out at the moment and where it is likely to lead.
Ihumatao is essentially a battle between the up and coming progressive rangitahi against the conservative tribal kaumatua elites who, along with their families, have reaped the lion's share of iwi assets and treaty settlements. The reason why people want this stomped on, is because they don't want rangitahi in Tainui, Ngati Porou, Tuhoe, Ngati Whatua, Ngapuhi, Ngai Rahul making similar claims on tribal wealth.
Another example of 'market forces' trashing something that wasn't broken in the first place. I spent four years working for the old AKTV2 and while we lacked the advanced technology of today, our output – technical and productive – was solid and dependable. News and current affairs programmes were the backbone of the old NZ Broadcasting Corporation and the leading journalists and reporters ran rings around what now passes for journalism these days.
Imo, market forces are responsible for the rapidly falling standards of reporting – especially on our major TV networks. It's no longer about keeping the population informed, but rather manipulating them towards a perspective (commercial or political) that suits the owners of the media company.
Oh dear I could go on and on……
I've been waiting for a Labour government to start "levelling the playing field" but so far nothing of note has happened.
'The $38m a year in additional funding for quality New Zealand programming and journalism will be apportioned by an independent Public Media Funding Commission between RNZ+ and NZ On Air. NZ On Air would be able to consider bids for independent investigative journalism from this fund. This will ensure funding decisions are made at arm’s length from the political interests of the Government of the day."
Did you check the media releases ? Seems you were a journalist or such
Market Forces are responsible for the changes we've seen in our news delivery but I think it has little to do with the whims of rich owners and cuddling our govt broadcasting.
There has been a paradigm shift with that most fundamental ingredient for any service provider – The Customers.
The 6 o'clock news bulletin was a must watch for my Dad, now he clicks a button and gets the latest bulletin whenever it suits him. Every second person on the bus didn't have a phone in their face, it was a newspaper. Remember those headlines 'Two of every 3 NZers watched the final episode of MASH.'
We're currently getting the media we deserve because providers are yet to latch onto an efficient method to tap into our wallets. Google and Facebook have found a way. They place ads for discounted fridges in front of people that searched Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming websites for fridges last night. I think our media generally will walk this path. We become a whole lot more tolerant of fridge ads when we're shopping for one.
I'll be interested to know whether the US DOJ will pursue the extradition of Ghislaine Maxwell with half the enthusiasm they bring to bear on Assange.
Epstein's so far unexplained death in a high security prison , if it had occurred in Russia would by now, have incurred immediate Magnitsky style sanctions
Hey Grey, did you catch the Mark Blyth presentation someone posted a few days back? He covers off a few subjects including Trump, Brexit and CC.
He reckons that Corbyns aim is for Thatcher's conservative party to split in two over Brexit. This, from the guy who predicted Trumps election (and re-election) and the Brexit referendum.
The one I just heard was different but he's very clear on what will happen with Brexit – in this comment he callis an example of the end of democracy because the elites will do what they want despite the public's wish and it is an example of Trumpism.
And from what I have read I can't see that he is wrong.
This is a long address. Just sit in your chair, Mark Blyth will fire words at you and you have to keep trying to hold each point while he lobs his next ones. Quite exhilirating. NZ is mentioned as the place to fuck off to when you have made a successful ‘presentation’ of a large new idea.
I love the bit where he makes fun of the Left for beiang fiscally tight while the Right don’t and all the time the gummint is issuing the money anyway. It is being anally retentive
Note that I have paraphrased him in my comment above – for instance he didn't use the term 'anally retentive' – it just occurred to me as a possible slick phrase for what our Left are.
Listen duration 3′ :48″
Fran O'Sullivan had a good column in yesterday's New Zealand Herald about chief executives in New Zealand, and whether we're starstruck by overseas CEOs.
They should employ the Standard hive-mind. Trouble is nothing would ever get done, I fear or the practical realities would be pushed aside in order to get consensus and feelgood.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead.
Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a succession of friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December.
[…]
Slatten himself told the judge that he was a victim of an “unjust prosecution” and that government lawyers cared more about producing a conviction than uncovering the truth of what happened in Baghdad 12 years ago.
“This is a miscarriage of justice and it will not stand,” he said.
But Judge Lambert, in issuing the life sentence, dismissed much of the family’s claims that Slatten was a scapegoat for international political considerations.
“The jury got it exactly right,” he said. “This was murder.”
After a 35 year recess I think that it is time for a Labour government to start work on making NZ a land fit for the unskilled, ie fit for anyone to live in whether they are of the favoured ones or not.
For all the rhetoric about caring for little vulnerable ones, those in power prefer to publicise the depravity of the lower income below the strugglers level, and snatch their babies in a fit of heightened irritation and condemnation.
That is more dramatic than working to enable each young person to stand tall, knowing that they have support for their learning to manage themselves, whether or not they have effective family homes. Give them advice and practice at skills when at school level, part of their secondary learning would be to build tiny homes, to be sold on. And do some cooking and cleaning in the model home that stays on site. Get a small job, and if they start children soon, have parenting classes for males and females, some together and some apart with lots of discussion. Help them into a home, and by now they will know how to look after it.
But help them into homes, where they need to demonstrate their abilities.
The recent study led by Dr Tristram Ingram found that almost 20 percent of hospital admissions for acute respiratory infections in children under the age of two years could have been prevented through having healthier housing conditions.
Seems there are 101 reasons to implement the WEAG Report recommendations.
This from Kay Brereton
The conclusion we all came to is the system is broken. After 30 years as a political football, the welfare system is no longer coherent, and it is no longer delivering the wellbeing or the economic outcomes it was designed to.
Instead it is full of tacked-on "fixes" that have created other problems, policy driven by political stunts rather than useful outcomes, and perverse incentives. We found endless examples of policy that make it harder for people to return to work or training, that punish them for honesty, and that further marginalise them from the very society that the system was originally set up to help support.
Regardless of what you think of welfare I would hope we allow changes to facilitate returning to work at a bare minimum. We need this to change right away.
Because Australia is exempt from the climate crisis, aye!
"Leaders on Thursday morning went into a retreat to discuss the the final wording of the Funafuti Declaration, which some nations are demanding should include limiting temperatures to 1.5 degrees and more international investment in the United Nation's Green Climate Fund.
But it's understood some nations have softened their demands to have the references included for the sake of a unified statement, with Australia succeeding in its push to not have the term "climate change crisis" in the communique."
Awh sweetie, the bitterness in your “What’s her name” comment is priceless. Some might even say it is “Poission’ess” you’ll fit right in to Paula Bennetts snarky campaign if her performance of the tele this morning is anything to go by.
Were any of those the trip he chose to go and watch his son play Basketball rather than attend a military funeral? meanwhile Simon when not in a limousine driving around the country to introduce himself to the country is flying off to Aus to get instructions from Scott Morrison. Short term memories from the likes of Poisson etc. We can expect a lot more of it.
Consensus – unified – what a false premise that idea. It should be 80/20 with the objectors or detractors comments and facts noted in detail, and the question asked 'What would have to change for you to agree with the proposal before us? And for what reason does the proposal fall short of its intentions? Do you disagree with its intentions? If not this, then what?
Faffing around waiting for some concrete-head to agree – there is not time to wait around, the bus is leaving. There are less and less buses available.
Awesome that most of the next generation get it about climate change and the way te oil barons money works to suppress the fact on Global warming We have had the warmest month on record
Young people taking big steps for the environment
BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF
Thousands of young people around the world have stood up, demanding that their voices be heard.
To celebrate International Youth Day, which this week fell on Monday, the Nelson Environment Centre took a look at young people in the region who are doing big things for the environment.
We have reached the point where action must be taken on the big environmental issues that scientists have been telling us about for decades. The people who will be most affected by the present inaction are those that are only just learning about these issues – our children and grandchildren.
So it is no surprise that students and youth around the world are starting to advocate for change.
Local students are joining this movement and one of the ways they do this is through the Enviroschools Programme. This home-grown, national programme uses an action learning approach designed to support the community to connect with their place, to investigate the issues relevant to them and design solutions together.
We are proud that the majority of the schools in Nelson and Tasman are participating Enviroschools.
Many Nelsonians will remember the student protest for climate action on March 15, when Josephine Ripley and Emma Edwards of the Nelson College for Girls (NCG) Enviro Action Group helped to organise Nelson student's participation in Schools 4 Climate action, the global youth environmental movement begun by Swedish student climate activist Greta Thunberg
Letter to the editor (published today in The Southland Times and titled by them:
Those boring billboards
Message to all candidates for local body elections; billboards are boring!
Hard-working Southlanders, especially those living in Invercargill, have to drive past our uninspiring faces and irritating slogans for weeks on end and are generally too polite to take a black-marker to them to express their annoyance. Let’s all do something different this time around; entertain and amuse those whose votes we are chasing, with creative billboards, fun billboards, the likes of which have never been seen before! I’m happy start the ball rolling; I’ve still got my original billboards that show a younger me with a dark, clipped and tidy beard. Now that I’m 9 years down the councillor track, my beard is full and as white as a summer cloud. I’m going to up-date my billboards by glueing-on a fluffy, lamb’s-wool beard that would make Father Christmas proud! How about the rest of you? Have you any creative bones in your bodies? Let’s do the voting public a favour and make campaigning fun for a change!
These sandflys got nothing better to do than follow Eco Maori around and interfere in every thing I try a buy what car wreckers don't have Toyota parts YEA RIGHT THE Rotorua wrecker are being bullyed by the sandflys
Someone in the correction system is helping these idiots who can get letters sent from prison They are saying that the fool who's at the centre of the Christchurch desaster YEA RIGHT.
Don't stress to much like I have said once everyone figures out that if they are not doing anything to save our mokopuna future environment they will be excluded from the bonanza of the Green Revolution
Eco Maori agrees that the Russian Pilots are heroes for landing that huge passenger plane in a corn paddock with no loss of life Awsome
Ka pai that a MRI Machine for Turangi A Kiwa its great that our Coalition Government is investing more putea for health care in regions with big tangata whenua population . I say changing back to the old ways of non machine harvesting of mussle spat on the 90 mile Beach is the best way way to preserve tuatua and the mussle spat it will also spread the wealth around to more people
Sonia keeping Maori tridional weaving going strong is great our tipuna were quite industrial in the way they did things it was the whole hapu working as one I would like to see that happen again Ma Te Wa.
Ka pai that rangitahi wahine Rugby is going strong that is another goal of mine Equality for our wahine so they can keep the tane on the straight and narrow line Eco Maori got a new Hueawa phone today great deal to try stuffing with this device sandflys
Whanau one of my favourite fish is close to collapseing Tarakihi Eco Maori is not spraying wai into the wind on our FISHERIES topic. The difference between line fishing and trawling is trawling is like rounding up sheep with a bulldozer it WRECKS our fishes habitats fish need places to hide from the bigger fish they need a whare the way we fish now is destroying their Whare no whare no fish.
I wish for all inshore fishing to be caught by line fishing we know that most small fish caught on a hook can be released and they will servive .Even though they have this fancy new codend design it still doesn't stop the trawl gear wrecking the bottom the fishes habitat Whanau in 50 years time OUR mokopuna will have heaps of wealth fisher people paying big bucks to come and fish in our pristine fisheries If we don't charge the way the inshore fishing is to line fishing Tarakihi will become extinct .
When I was younger 35 years ago I got sick of bacon and eggs and beans for breakfast I would get a Tarakihi and cook it with wai and onions reka .
Christchurch fish and chip shop refuses to sell tarakihi until stocks recover
A Christchurch fish and chip shop is urging other businesses to stop selling one of New Zealand's favourite fish over fears for the species' survival.
Fush owner Anton Matthews stopped serving tarakihi this week after hearing stocks of the fish have dropped to worrying levels.
A Fisheries New Zealand assessment estimated the abundance of tarakihi on the East Coast to be 15.9 per cent of what it would be in the absence of all fishing. The fishery was considered to be sustainable at 40 per cent.
Matthews said 16 per cent was something to worry about and he wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem
He called for New Zealanders to demand their fish be caught on lines rather than in nets. Fush sources its fish from West Coast fishing company Westfleet, which catches its fish using lines.
"New Zealanders should be demanding fish is line caught in the same way they demand their eggs are free range
The Government cut the tarakihi quota by 20 per cent last year and was considering reducing the commercial catch by a further 31 per cent
"If you do absolutely nothing does a crisis fix itself? The housing crisis is not going to fix itself, climate change is not going to fix itself. Tarakihi is rebuilding.
Forest and Bird is pushing for a 40 per cent reduction in commercial quota alongside protections for important juvenile nursery grounds
I'd agree, except for flats – the little trawls used for flats don't do much damage, and they stay over sand or mud bottoms because anything else will break them. They're as close to a harmless trawl as you get.
There might be some live capture systems worth looking at too – box nets or pots allow fish to be returned unharmed, and tend to use much less fuel than trawling.
I think it's time we started proper nursery strategies for our key species too, just leaving everything to sort itself out was fine with a smaller population and less stressed fisheries, but that is no longer what we have.
I package food is bad for us and the environment I we need to label the sugar and salt content so we know what we are eating The old saying you are what you eat is TRUE
Flooding in Horowhenua let hope no lives are lost that's part of Global Warming
Dogs going to the movies that's cool a lot of elderly people have dogs that could get them out and about socialising instead of home alone
That is a big mess that car causes in Canada wonder how that happened
Technology is going to make big changes to how we move and communicate and work It will give the wealthy people a unfair advantage to DOMINATE THE 99.9 % of humanity I think laws should be planned NOW to counter that Phenomenon .
Cool all the kapa haka going on in Waikato for the Maori King at Turangawaewae marae.
They had a sports day to in Waikato sports is good for the wairua and te tamariki
Eco Maori agree with Ela Henry mana Wahine
Kereopa Purongo motuhake the whanau had a fire that burned down their whare
Planting native trees is awesome I believe that the tree that have been planted to try and stop erosion are a quick fix poplar and willow grow for 20 years and fall over making a big mess we should plant native trees like manuka that last much longer and prove food for our native wildlife along side the quick growing exotic trees I wish to see heaps more native trees in Aoteoroa.
simon is using the hate card to try and boost his rating YEA RIGHT taking about getting the army to move tangata whenua
Its excellent that you have our Maori youth Mps giving there points of view on subject in Aotearoa I see that there are 3 to 1 wahine.ka pai.
I think the logic solution to Te reo staying strong in Aotearoa is Te reo should be compolsery for tangata whenua students less teachers to train one class a day teaching about the TRUE HISTORY of Aotearoa I have read some books for our students and they are not correct in their FACTS it skewers to make tangata whenua look bad.
I agree racism is ignorince that is one argument for compolsery te reo class for all our tamariki .But I want most tangata whenua to know our historical culture first and for most.
Ignore what the negative people have to say about the feebate system they did nothing but ruin our commitments to be clean and green while in power. This is a must to get the tangata to change to electric cars it will help save our environment for the mokopuna
EV feebate plan winning support says minister, as submissions deadline approaches
JOHN HAWKINS/STUFF
Dutchman Weibe Wakker has completed his three year journey from the Netherlands in his converted electric Volkswagon Golf named the "The Blue Bandit"
A feebate scheme that would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from buyers of higher-emission cars into the pockets of people buying EVs and other more fuel-efficient vehicles has been winning favour with submitters, the Government says.
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said about 80 per cent of the online responses the Transport Ministry had so far received in response to a discussion paper on the feebate scheme and an associated "clean car standard" had supported the policies
"The scheme is designed to be revenue neutral, I can tell you that," the ministry spokesman said. "So the money paid in will be paid out in terms of rebates
The Cabinet paper made it clear fees and rebates could be out of sync in any one year of the scheme, if people didn't buy the mix of cars forecast, but said a $25m float could be set up "to manage the risk of over or under-fee collection from year to year
The ministry expected feebates would value about $200 million during the scheme's first year, which would be in 2021
Tornado use to be a thing that we seen every 5 years now Aotearoa is getting them more often how many now about 10 this year .
The Coalition government investing $54 million dollars to help get the people under a bridge a whare very good stuff having to live on the streets .
That was great the NZ Air force helping get boats in the area to rescue people on a stricken boat that is the mahi that all Aotearoa armed forces should be doing Ka pai to the Christchurch fish shop owner for highlighting the demise of tarakihi and dropping it off his menu to save the species But its not only tarakihi that is in danger of collapseing many other will be in a similar state the catch has gone and dubbled so comparison to 30 years ago won't add up to factual data unless this is taken into account .
Another person falling to their death taking a selfy photo in dangerous situations .?? ??
There are a lot of happy people in Aotearoa after last night game Ka Kite Ano
That's the way go tau toko the tangata at IhumataoTJ. Mana Wahine Taina
I watched most of the game but the sandflys swarmed me on my way back to Napier and while I was in Rotorua I fell asleep my brother was watching the game while I was snoring our TV is solar powered .
Our Vietnam veterans great to see the service today for the veterans I agree with his daughter tho they did not need to be at the Vietnam War I know some whose health suffered because of Agent orange wreaking the health .
Great win for the Black Ferns Mana Wahine
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
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There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
The New Zealand comedy legend takes us through her life in television, including the time she hugged Elton John and the unshakeable legacy of a girl named Lyn. In 1981, Ginette McDonald stood on the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre and directly addressed Queen Elizabeth II. It was a ...
An essay by Lily Duval from the just-released anthology Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child adjacent.I was 22 when my friend Alice gave birth in the living room of our pokey Addington flat. She laboured in the blow-up pool for hours. Garish fish swam along the inflated ...
Ella Borrie on the best books about motherhood she’s come across so far. Over the past few years I’ve been drawn to books about motherhood. I’m fascinated by the joys and horrors of becoming a parent. The question of children also feels more pressing than it used to. It’s like ...
Out of gift ideas for mum? You can’t go wrong with a bottle of toilet cleaner and a new squeegee. Emily Writes is the writer and editor of Emily Writes Weekly. This week marks five years since I published a post on The Spinoff about Mother’s Day marketing titled ‘A ...
My husband is posted overseas for 12 months and I’m armed with an expensive, newfangled vibrator. Will I miss him? The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.A few days after my husband leaves, a new sex toy arrives at the front door. Nestled ...
Jaimie Baird’s new book Here Today Gone Tomorrow is a record of four decades of graffiti and street art in Wellington, told through more than 1,200 photographs. He spoke with Joel MacManus about what inspired the book. How did you first get interested in photographing street art? I remember ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at a busy week where food of all political leanings dominated. Sometimes you’re just going about your week thinking you’ve got a good handle on what might be coming as far as news topics and then someone (usually a politician) says something so ridiculous that ...
In a week of cold rain and frost, the climate in courtroom four upstairs at the Invercargill courthouse was simmering with restrained indignation. At times it felt like the famous Mexican standoff scene from Reservoir Dogs, or, as someone watching the proceedings described it, there was so much throwing of ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
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Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
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The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
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A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
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The politician's rule book might have to be amended – especially when 'interfacing' with the media.
They seem to have been commenting on some 'operational matters' – first around Stats NZ, and now – quelle horreur, on Corrections failures.
And worse still, on an individual case.
It gets worse. I hope the Minister is having a lay down.
I was wondering how the Minister commenting on ‘operational matters’ regarding an ‘individual case’ suddenly couldn’t comment on an operational matter’ on this morning’s RNZ’s interview with him.
And now, bugger me daze, he’s probably going to have to comment on how a police car got stolen in Gore where a couple of police issue pistols have gone west.
Might be time to raid JA’s whiskey cabinet. It must be bloody hard having to maintain complete and utter ‘faith’ in ‘officials’. Does it require some sort of religious conversion?
The police guy doesn't seem to have covered himself in glory. Were the pistols lying on the dashboard or the passenger seat.
Not sure Gabby. I thought they were supposed to be securely locked in the boot unless special circumstances mean that they're carrying them on their person at all times. Not sure about the car either – maybe it was eventually disabled when it got too far away from the officer in charge of it (unless of course the key was in the ignition).
The Minister will no doubt let us know in the fullness of time going forward after being briefed by his officials and when the appropriate spin meister has vetted a media release.
That's not the only police news this morning. Now there is talk of using facial recognition. Another step towards total control of people and further invasion of our lives if it happens.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/396716/police-open-to-using-facial-recognition-from-auckland-transport-cctv-cameras
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/396509/privacy-commissioner-in-dark-over-advanced-cctv-plan-for-auckland
"AT has had no recent contact with us," Mr Edwards said in a statement.
When cameras with facial recognition capability and the like were installed "we would expect the privacy impact assessment and response to also be updated".
"We would also expect Auckland Transport to develop clear policies on the retention and use of images collected, who can access them, and in what circumstances.
(It doesn't sound as if we are being protected against the use of facial spying rather just having some rules about it. Pretty weak privacy warrior.)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/396465/auckland-transport-s-4-point-5m-plan-could-mean-8000-cameras-watching-the-city
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/357293/revealed-supermarkets-in-nz-using-facial-recognition-tech
It's Gore, I'd bet the key is always in the ignition.
is gore still the gay capital of nz..?
Still phill?
they left the keys in the car – in the ignition – feckin' numptys…
"first around Stats NZ, and now – quelle horreur, on Corrections failures."
Yes. Statistics is independent, they had a report on their failures, why cant that be commented on.
Corrections is different, Ministers are allowed to tell them to do specific things.
Generally Ministers will ‘ask’ their departments about publicised failures.
Its no surprise to find Corrections is ‘instructed’ instead.
yep @ Duke. I realise all that. The thing I was pointing out was the selective commenting-or NOT, by elected reps. 'Operational Matters' seem to be very ill-defined and used as a matter of convenience whenever and if ever mere peons or what masquerades as the 4th Estate attempt to hold anybody to account. Local gummint has descended into something worse though.
And now the Commish's deputy dawg has made a media statement over the Gore situation – still leaving questions answered. They'll have to be answered sometime in the fullness of time. You could probably excuse Davis getting well and truly pissed on more than a peg or two
Good one James – don't let the idiot bridges get free hits in – he is destructive and is only interested in his own promotion. Simon is totally unsuited to high office.
Wow, he's not holding back. I like it.
+1.
That's the spirit, James, my son. Put the boot in good and proper. Bridges would do it to you in a heartbeat and National don't seem to care about much of anything other than getting their sweaty paws on the levers of power once more. Give that floppy-haired muppet both barrels.
It occurred to me the other day that if our system is designed to have 3.5% unemployment then our system must adequately compensate those required by the system to be unemployed…
mustn't it? This is the first question.
Once answered, the second question might then be, by how much should these people, who are required to be unemployed, be compensated? My 2c says one hell of a lot more than the dole. They should be up there with other employed people.
shouldn't they?
After all – both Labour and National require 3.5% of our working people to not have a job.
Shameful really, especially for a Labour party.
Too too radical by far @vto!!! It'd be a slippery slope. We might have to start thinking about the UNDER-employed. Then all those folks OVER-employed in two or three jobs that still don't earn enough to pay the bills. The next thing you know we'd have to seriously worry about all those being exploited. Can't be done! The resources required would be immense unless we could find an app for it all
Too right vto. As an alternative to running an unemployed buffer stock (the reserve army of the unemployed -Marx) the government could run an employed buffer stock by implementing a Job Guarantee policy. This would perform better than the present policy as employed people find it easier to find alternate work, so the Job Guarantee workers would be better at getting non Job Guarantee work. It would also be more fair by setting a floor on the labour market of full time minimum wage work (anybody worse off will always have this as a minimum alternative). This would restrain inflation equally as well as the present policy does.
Best comment I have read on here all year.
Definite food for thought.
“Required to be unemployed”
Nice one. Clearly absolutely no understanding of economics or the workings of an economy at all.
Priceless and best laugh I’ve had this week.
"Whilst full employment is often an aim for an economy, most economists see it as more beneficial to have some level of unemployment, especially of the frictional sort. In theory, this keeps the labor market flexible, allowing room for new innovations and investment. As in the NAIRU theory, the existence of some unemployment is required to avoid accelerating inflation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_employment#%22Ideal%22_unemployment
Unlike you, who knows an awful lot about economics but not much about how the real world functions. If everyone was in gainful employment, demand for labour would be high meaning wages would have to be sufficiently generous to tempt workers… and employers have night-terrors about those sorts of scenarios. "Raise wages?! Noooooo! Quickly! Someone prise Kirk Hope out of his sarcophagus so he can bleat about plummeting business confidence again!" Bill English openly stated a low-wage economy was a fabulous thing… obviously not a man in receipt of low wages. As a general rule, the people at the top are largely indifferent to the people at the bottom — sacrifices must be made and all that, and they're fine with it just so long as they're not the ones having to make the sacrifices.
Please explain where the humour lies David.
Unless you are a homeless tory, looking for shelter now that Slaters place is no more….
I don't know where you get the impression that our system is designed to have 3.5% unemployed. At any given time there are many people who are unemployed for a variety of reasons – for example some may have left a job because of a fall out with their employer (and yes that can happen even in our fabulous private companies), or a desire to change the type of work they do, or because their family has moved, or becuause an employer has gone out of business and they can't afford to move to where there are more jobs, or or they are looking for their first job and don't have enough experience for most job vacancies, they are a 'return to workforce' person (after having a family, being on a temporary contract in NZ or overseas, had an extended holiday, been studying for jobs in a developing industry . . .). The physically and mentally disabled are I understand not counted as unemployed unless they are looking for work, but there will be people on the margin of that category who will find it difficult to get jobs. I leave it to you to decide which of those are designed in the system, and which are perhaps over-counted in the characterisation of unemployed by some politicians, and whether there are other categories.
Then you may be in a better position to tell us your view on which categories you believe should be paid by government one hell of a lot more than the dole, and whether by "up there with other employed people" you mean something like the average wage (Mean? Median?) or whether you envisage it being a bit like unemployment insurance – linked to previous earnings, or earnings for similar age / education / training / skills as persons employed.
A Labour-led government does of course tend to pay a higher unemployment benefit than a National or National-led government – were you looking for immediate change? – and if so what other spending would you reduce?
Basic Keynesian economics, to which Marx in part agreed. I think it’s to do with being able to fill new jobs with increased growth from a ready made labour pool.
“According to Karl Marx, unemployment is inherent within the unstable capitalist system and periodic crises of mass unemployment are to be expected. He theorized that unemployment was inevitable and even a necessary part of the capitalist system, with recovery and regrowth also part of the process.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment
Conversely Ed, we could look at how 'employment' is defined nowadays. It was Keys mob that changed definitions, perhaps this lot could re-redefine employment.
That is certainly a possibility; I don't know the details of changes that may have been made. I do think there is a level of unemployment that relates to flexibility of employment patterns, and the ability of some to pick and choose periods of unemployment. But of course there is unemployment that has been "encouraged" by various governments. Certainly the need for both partners in a marriage to be employed is greater now than over say 20 years ago – and that has had a social cost in children having both parents working. But I suspect even in a system along the ideals of Marx there would be some unemployment, if only to cope with some jobs becoming redundant – in my lifetime typesetters have disappeared for example. However measured, it does appear that a government including Labour is likely to result in higher employment – probably in the region of 1% to 2% – with a largely corresponding lower unemployment figure.
You have an incomplete understanding of unemployment. This frequently arises due to a study of economic theory. There are two major categorisations of unemployment. They are voluntary and invountary unemployment. Voluntary is a super set of most of the categories you described, where people could take a job at the market rate but are looking for something better. Involuntary is when there are not enough jobs going for all those who want them at the going rate. In any market such a situation where the market doesn't clear is called a market failure. In most mainstream economic analysis you assume markets reach equilibrium and therefore clear and this is why involuntary unemployment is assumed not to occur (or be a relevant concern for policy). This is the case for the NAIRU rate of which is a parameter of an economic model which has been projected to its equilibrium point. So this is why a lot of analysis ignores the possibility that there could be insufficient jobs due to a lack of total spending (on wages) and why you don't concieve of it in your comment.
To vto at 3: I think the 'our system' refers to capitalistic theory. Somewhere in my dim and distant past I was taught that capitalistic theory required desirably 8% unemployment in order to keep the serfs to their grindstones and think those figures were around again in the 'Think Big' talk in Muldoon era.
aaaand there you have a couple of replies in the usual vein of what the privileged say when the evil of NAIRU is unveiled (usually the figure given in the 1990s was 6-8% unemployment). "nobody is forced to be unemployed",
The other thing being that "unemployment" is now an obsolete term from the days when most people worked full time or almost zero time. "Underemployment" is those 10-30 hour per week jobs that aren't enough for a decent life but don't count you as "unemployed".
There's always going to be some unemployed under the 20C model – e.g. the last job transition I made had me at home for a week. But slowing down the economy for fear of hurting profits means that some people are deliberately made unemployed. we don't know who, but they exist.
All moot anyway, as automation comes into its own. 70-80% unemployment will be the norm, so we'll have to destigmatise it sooner or later. When the owners of capital become the suppliers of their own labour, nobody will be able to afford their goods. Which leads to an ever decreasing number of employers and exponentially increasing inequality and the associated ills. Much better to tax the producers and redistribute that wealth to the population so they can create their full potential.
I don't believe (though it's true I may be wrong for once) that anyone was saying that. I certainly wasn't.
My interpretation from the above is people were giving a view how that our system, against claims otherwise, does currently rely on a level of unemployment, whether is wanted or warranted.
Up to them to set the record straight for themselves, but I don't see an attack on the jobless or bene bashing.
"I don't know where you get the impression that our system is designed to have 3.5% unemployed. "
As soon as people started getting jobs, the RB would up the OCR to cool off business investment and new hires.
In the 0ughts the Alliance ISTR had a distinction between endemic unemployment and fluid unemployment (can't remember the exact terms) – the fluid level being 0-3% from simply people taking more than a week to find a new job, but with not real harm to their wellbeing. The endemic level is the unemployment that is artificially created to keep wage pressures down – essentially the NAIRU target.
I took that quoted post as a rebuttal that our system runs with a need for unemployment not "nobody is forced to be unemployed", but I may have interpreted it incorrectly.
It certainly runs with a decision-maker-perceived required level of unemployment.
But if there's no desired level of unemployment, then unemployment is less likely to be a systemic issue than a personal issue.
I'm not arguing the case for running a keynesian unemployment quota or saying you're incorrect. My point was the capitalist system apparently does, as Marx concurred and stated by others above. I don't see any dolie bashing, in fact, the original post stakes a claim for hefty financial compensation which nobody has argued against.
I didn't have any problem with the original post, no.
But it's a bit like child poverty – to get the issue addressed, we have to overcome the tory denial that there's a systemic problem rather than it just being the fault of the individuals.
Absolutely, pitch fork and burning torch tory denial and right wing agendas 'til we're all angry mobbed out, though in stating the obvious about the system currently enforced upon us, doesn't equate to support of it, well not on my account anyway. As I wrote above, up to them to confirm or deny it.
See my post above. The economy may require a buffer stock approach to employment to resist inflation, that doesn't mean those in that buffer stock must be unemployed for it to work.
With regard to systematic, its still the governments choice to run it this way. They have alternatives. Other than a Job Guarantee they could just improve on the present by deficit spending until all the involuntary unemployment goes away rather than mindlessly trying to run a budget surplus regardless of the economic situation (coupled with holding the delusion that monetary policy can always by itself completely eliminate involuntary unempoyment).
To be fair to the current govt, ISTR the agreement with the Reserve Bank increases the objectives of the bank beyond an inflation target.
I really think we should be moving away from the concept that "employed for money" is the benchmark of expectation. We're soon going to hit the point where automation just produces too much stuff, and jobs from customer service to driving to manufacturing to business decision-making start to genuinely disappear.
Get people creating, occupy their time. The enemy of society isn't unemployment, it's boredom and want.
The changes in the policy targets only bring it in line with other major central banks targets.
I strongly suspect a future with 50% unemployment the norm should be called a distopian future. Fortunately that is not going to happen because of technology. As with other technology developments the nature of work does change but the total quantity needed for maintaining society at a level accepted by society doesn't because expectations increase at the same time.
Not strictly true…its the link (modelled) between inflation and employment . The RBNZ makes assumptions about inflation (or NAIRU) with regard to employment rates however the RBNZs goal is an inflation band not employment per se…post GFC we have seen that model appears invalid in the current environment…hence the willingness to adopt extraordinary policy actions now…..and the fact they cant afford the implications of being out of step with the driving economies.
So in effect it is the projected inflation rate that drives the policy, not employment
If I push you aside because I was running after another goal, or I push you aside because I wanted to push you aside for whatever reason, I'm still choosing to push you aside.
but if you are running after a goal and pushing me aside is unnecessary to achieve that goal would you bother to take the time out to do so?
If it's the most efficient path to that objective, the Reserve Bank would.
If you're not in the way, lucky you. If you asre, unfortunate you. But you can't actually know if you're in the way or not – you just get shoved, that's how you find out.
if its unnecessary it by definition cannot be the most efficient path
Then you get lucky, keep your job, and maybe even become a small business operator and start moaning about bludgers lol.
You appear to be missing the point….if the goal is an inflation target and the link between employment and inflation is not operating then there is no need to consider it until such time as the link returns…should it do so.
What makes you think the assumed link isn't operational? It's clearly still part of RBNZ's methodology.
It is less clearly part of RBNZs methodology now..to the point of lip service I would suggest.
What is causing the questioning of the Philips curve (not just my assertion)?….perhaps the high employment rates and the absence of inflation post GFC.
The explanation lies elsewhere
Seriously?
Someone's got to go. This is tone-deaf bureaucratic incompetence. If JA is going to show her tough side, this is the time to do it.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/08/alleged-christchurch-shooter-sent-seven-letters-from-prison.html
"Seriously?"
Yes unfortunately. "Someone's got to go"
You mean as in someone like as in what happened at Stats NZ.
It shouldn't be too hard though because rather than the 'someone' being a Master of the Universe, they'd only be a Mistress of the Universe and there'd be no danger of the opposition accusing them of throwing them under the bus – most buses around Wellington are either Not In Service, or they've been cancelled.
Yep agreed. Bloody shocking really imo
Someone's got to go, because they've allowed a remand prisoner to receive and send letters? Is this who's-toughest-on-crime week or something?
no it's reduce hate speech by a white supremacist murderer who has committed the worst mass killing in NZ by targeting Muslim NZers – been on the news I'm surprised you haven't heard about it
Tone deaf.
It must be a dreary old life seeing everything in black and white with everything either on or off. I don't think anyone is suggesting a prisoner shouldn't be able to communicate with legal reps or family members but at least they should be able to expect a level of competence and discretion from the nations' servants when they come across something that's clearly designed to keep some sick fuk's desire to kill people he doesn't like from spreading
You think no-one's suggesting remand prisoners shouldn't be allowed to send and receive mail? Newshub's shock/horror intro for the linked article is
The man accused of the Christchurch mosque attack has been able to send seven letters from prison.
The horror! Kelvin Davis is appalled:
He successfully sent two to his mother and five to unknown recipients.
Davis told The AM Show he's disappointed with the mistake and has received an apology from those responsible.
Clearly something must be done about accused murderers being allowed to write letters:
Davis says he's questioning whether New Zealand's laws are fit for purpose and is seeking advice from Corrections on a potential law change.
But he's already onto it:
Inmates in New Zealand prisons are entitled to send and receive mail, a practice the Minister has put on hold while the situation is assessed.
No more letters for you, crims! Looks pretty black and white to me.
I'm in agreement with all that @ Psycho – i.e. that because someone fucked up, panic sets in so that a blanket no communication edict is applied.
We're really talking about 2 letters. And we're probably talking about complacency and yea/nah attitude or even under-resourcing so that those actually responsible can shift the shit off their plates.
We don't want people writing to their mums! They don't have mums anyway, they're monsters! /sarc
Read them, censor objectionable bits, intercept the ones sent to harrass victims, but allow normal human contact with someone other than the other criminals with whom they're detained.
If the minister has genuinely ruled that no prisoner should be allowed to send letters to friends and family, fuck that guy. If he's making shit up for the media, fuck that guy.
Basically, in this instance, Kelvin Davis is totally wrong.
Looks like Standard Operational Bullshit:
1. Some poor sod fails to notice line in prisoner's letter that he should have censored.
2. Journos uncover the mistake and turn it into a "Corrections soft on crims!" story.
3. Minister gets wheeled out to pronounce it a shocking systemic failure that won't be tolerated and processes will be reviewed.
4. Prisoners find their access to mail is revoked for the duration, if not permanently.
"they've allowed a remand prisoner to receive and send letters?"
Are making a point that prisoners cant have mail – thats a breach of human rights.
https://www.hrc.co.nz/enquiries-and-complaints/faqs/prisoners-rights/
In these circumstances other than family members , because he is in breach, no more letters to or from' supporters'
Well spotted. The blame game is much easier than real journalism, which would have found out whether any laws or administrative laws had been broken before publicising an item on a website few New Zealanders would ever look at were it not publicised . . .
After having to listen to the appalling Peter Williams spend the morning raving on this and at several points crossing the line in his descriptions of people. After being appalled himself he had a listener who had seen the letter email it to him and proceeded to be even more "aghast" and then he had Bridges on the extend the "aghasted-ness" to fever pitch. But something was raised and that was that in the letter the offender had replied his thanks to the recipient, and the one who put the letter on-line, for the stamps "which he would have to hide from guards, officials etc".
Did these stamps become invisible once they went on to an envelope that was then sent? Apparently the first six pages was general rambling but the last ½ page contained threats or similar. Has no one considered that if he had a letter read and then placed it in an envelope that the letter may not have been read in it's entirety and the further possiblity that the did not go through the normal channels and was conveyed out for posting by a "friendly" staff member. The number of untrustworthy people currently means that all options should be looked at as to how this happened.
Peter Williams is the male equivalent of Maggie Barry. Someone who for years lulled you into a false sense of security with their seemingly amiable and easy-going broadcasting temperament, only to then reveal the frothing, swivel-eyed lunacy lurking just beneath the surface.
Say what you like about Hosking and Richardson, at least they don't pretend to be anything other than the revolting specimens they are.
Yes . Swivel eyed Loons
Can we just agree on calling them Ann Widdecombes?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Widdecombe
Do prison staff routinely read every letter that is sent to or from a prisoner? Really?
And do they ensure that visitors do not have any device that could record a conversation, and do they monitor telephone calls?
I'm still unaware of what procedure or rule has been ignored by prison staff that would have prevented this prisoner sending the offending letter.
Sometimes facts are useful . . .
.. . . and within the edit time, I discovered this:
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/08/nazis-prisons-and-mail.html
Let us see how long it takes for the “media” to get their facts straight . . .
Ask and you will find
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-Manual/Communication/C-01-Prisoner-mail.html
"The daily processing (opening, examining, and reading) of mail at a prison site is the responsibility of dedicated local or site-based staff members appropriately authorised by their respective prison director, most commonly local administration staff whose core responsibilities include the processing of mail."
Thank you – the power of The Standard!
Why did you 'have' to listen? Someone tie you to the radio?
Such limited range of possibilities and such limited contribution to the discussion thread …
The point is why listen "to the appalling Peter Williams spend the morning…" if it is so painful?
That would indeed be the point if you stopped reading the comment after the twelfth word.
Everything that follows after the 12th word is only there because Rapunsel listened to someone she appears to lathe for an entire morning.
Many thanks for pointing that out. Your contributions to TS, all in good faith, of course, are invaluable in unimaginable ways.
Suzie Ferguson is such a tiresome presenter. On the radio she is boringly trivial and predictable over demanding to know if the minister of corrections should have been personally censoring the Christchurch terrorist's mail.
FFS. Kelvin Davis should just tell her to not be such an idiot – he has a department for running corrections.
More to the point, the current RNZ tactic of having a couple of stroppy but unintelligent presenters constant hectoring for someone to blame is really, really annoying and utterly incapable of casting any new light on anything.
RNZ have really fallen off the pace recently – trying to be a polite version of Newstalk ZB is a load of old clarts.
Yeah – the questioning is designed to entrap the interviewee and apportion blame at an individual level. It seems she has little idea how big, complex systems operate. It doesn't take too much insight to pick that this is a case where Corrections standard operating procedures and a prisoner's legal rights around communication are not a good fit for this highly unusual inmate. Should someone have realised this earlier and raised concerns to the appropriate level in the hierarchy? Yes of course – but that's not even interesting. What is interesting is how you deal with this without imposing new rules that will end up being used punitively against other, more 'normal' prisoners.
Sometimes i think it's not persistence so much as just a touch of thickness. She genuinely seems to miss the point at times.
Sanctuary. You forgot to say in your opinion. That’s all your comment is. As is mine. One could say your comment is unintelligent. Swap jobs with Ferguson and see how you would get on. Journalists are like they are because they can’t get a straight answer out of anyone and can’t get anybody to take ownership of anything. It’s not a lot to ask of corrections to make sure a psychopathic mass killer who would want to spread his message, have his mail scrutinised by the top Brass at the prison. There have already been other murders overseas that have been inspired by Christchurch. If the people running our prisons are that dumb they should be replaced and Kelvin Davis needs to make that happen. The likes of Suzy Ferguson and Kathryn Ryan come across as irritatingly persistent because politicians are masters at talking in circles and saying fuck all
And she also repeats questions. Expecting different answers, no doubt. Kelvin was very patient with her. For a while I though Corin Dann transition to radio had made him easier to put up with. After a few weeks, no.
Why Ihumātao and Capitalism will never agree
I was just musing with a fellow bus traveller on how the Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same American capitalist coin which only allow change within a capitalist framework, and certainly won’t allow any threat to the capitalist system itself, much like National and Labour in New Zealand (and to be fair pretty much all the political parties presently in Parliament).
I’ve often thought that the indigenous cultures that capitalism encountered while expanding globally were close to wiped out not just because the land they occupied was required for the expansion of the capitalist system, but because they lived successfully using other systems to the capitalist system.
Not that I am claiming one system is innately superior to another, but any system, and in this case the capitalist system, will act to protect its own existence because a section of society that belongs to that system is benefiting from it.
As long as any memory of an alternative system in the form of the previous indigenous system remains, it presents a threat to capitalism.
Because Ihumātao is an indigenous- led movement that threatens the foundation of capitalism which is the rights of private property owners over all other rights, it innately presents a threat to capitalism, and ultimately no compromise is possible.
In this sense, it is part of a long list of small rebellions by Maori and their supporters since the end of the New Zealand Wars.
Without being unkind to those iwi who don’t support the protests (and have every right not to), they are a part of the capitalist system and don’t pose a threat to it. The capitalist system is accommodating to anyone who agrees to play the rules of capitalism. However, the protestors are demanding (whether they know it or not) that the rules are changed.
Which makes their demands revolutionary and unacceptable.
NB I am not saying capitalism is good or evil, just outlining what is being played out at the moment and where it is likely to lead.
Iwi already had a deal done on open market with Fletchers. No conflict with capitalism there.
SHAs are not 'open market'.
Ihumatao is essentially a battle between the up and coming progressive rangitahi against the conservative tribal kaumatua elites who, along with their families, have reaped the lion's share of iwi assets and treaty settlements. The reason why people want this stomped on, is because they don't want rangitahi in Tainui, Ngati Porou, Tuhoe, Ngati Whatua, Ngapuhi, Ngai Rahul making similar claims on tribal wealth.
Excellent / depressing read:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/08/opinion-the-problem-with-news-in-new-zealand.html
Thanks for the heads up r0b.
Another example of 'market forces' trashing something that wasn't broken in the first place. I spent four years working for the old AKTV2 and while we lacked the advanced technology of today, our output – technical and productive – was solid and dependable. News and current affairs programmes were the backbone of the old NZ Broadcasting Corporation and the leading journalists and reporters ran rings around what now passes for journalism these days.
Imo, market forces are responsible for the rapidly falling standards of reporting – especially on our major TV networks. It's no longer about keeping the population informed, but rather manipulating them towards a perspective (commercial or political) that suits the owners of the media company.
Oh dear I could go on and on……
I've been waiting for a Labour government to start "levelling the playing field" but so far nothing of note has happened.
Election policy from Labour
'The $38m a year in additional funding for quality New Zealand programming and journalism will be apportioned by an independent Public Media Funding Commission between RNZ+ and NZ On Air. NZ On Air would be able to consider bids for independent investigative journalism from this fund. This will ensure funding decisions are made at arm’s length from the political interests of the Government of the day."
Did you check the media releases ? Seems you were a journalist or such
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/public-media-funding-allocation
Would you be able to look up the 2019 numbers ?
Market Forces are responsible for the changes we've seen in our news delivery but I think it has little to do with the whims of rich owners and cuddling our govt broadcasting.
There has been a paradigm shift with that most fundamental ingredient for any service provider – The Customers.
The 6 o'clock news bulletin was a must watch for my Dad, now he clicks a button and gets the latest bulletin whenever it suits him. Every second person on the bus didn't have a phone in their face, it was a newspaper. Remember those headlines 'Two of every 3 NZers watched the final episode of MASH.'
We're currently getting the media we deserve because providers are yet to latch onto an efficient method to tap into our wallets. Google and Facebook have found a way. They place ads for discounted fridges in front of people that searched Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming websites for fridges last night. I think our media generally will walk this path. We become a whole lot more tolerant of fridge ads when we're shopping for one.
I'll be interested to know whether the US DOJ will pursue the extradition of Ghislaine Maxwell with half the enthusiasm they bring to bear on Assange.
Epstein's so far unexplained death in a high security prison , if it had occurred in Russia would by now, have incurred immediate Magnitsky style sanctions
Probably depends on what she knows and about whom. Maybe they're 'worried' she might be 'suicidal'.
Brexit background:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49101464
Who are Boris Johnson's key advisers?
https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-new-cabinet-whos-in/
Hey Grey, did you catch the Mark Blyth presentation someone posted a few days back? He covers off a few subjects including Trump, Brexit and CC.
He reckons that Corbyns aim is for Thatcher's conservative party to split in two over Brexit. This, from the guy who predicted Trumps election (and re-election) and the Brexit referendum.
gsays
The one I just heard was different but he's very clear on what will happen with Brexit – in this comment he callis an example of the end of democracy because the elites will do what they want despite the public's wish and it is an example of Trumpism.
And from what I have read I can't see that he is wrong.
This is a long address. Just sit in your chair, Mark Blyth will fire words at you and you have to keep trying to hold each point while he lobs his next ones. Quite exhilirating. NZ is mentioned as the place to fuck off to when you have made a successful ‘presentation’ of a large new idea.
I love the bit where he makes fun of the Left for beiang fiscally tight while the Right don’t and all the time the gummint is issuing the money anyway. It is being anally retentive
Note that I have paraphrased him in my comment above – for instance he didn't use the term 'anally retentive' – it just occurred to me as a possible slick phrase for what our Left are.
Interesting that caught my eye:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48844278
The Penny Post revolutionary who transformed how we send letters
(Rowland Hill)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/18/2019-world-beard-moustache-championships-pictures/
business
14 Aug 2019
Are we blinded by the bright lights of overseas CEOs?
From The Panel, 4:51 pm on 14 August 2019
Listen duration 3′ :48″
Fran O'Sullivan had a good column in yesterday's New Zealand Herald about chief executives in New Zealand, and whether we're starstruck by overseas CEOs.
We know the locals are incompetent, we hope the furriners might not be (we're mostly wrong).
They should employ the Standard hive-mind. Trouble is nothing would ever get done, I fear or the practical realities would be pushed aside in order to get consensus and feelgood.
So Swinson, "Centrists" and neo-lib metro remainers what do you want more, to stop Jeremy Corbyn or to stop Brexit? The choice is yours.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/14/jeremy-corbyn-urges-opposition-leaders-and-tory-rebels-to-help-oust-pm
Three trials later.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead.
Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a succession of friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December.
[…]
Slatten himself told the judge that he was a victim of an “unjust prosecution” and that government lawyers cared more about producing a conviction than uncovering the truth of what happened in Baghdad 12 years ago.
“This is a miscarriage of justice and it will not stand,” he said.
But Judge Lambert, in issuing the life sentence, dismissed much of the family’s claims that Slatten was a scapegoat for international political considerations.
“The jury got it exactly right,” he said. “This was murder.”
https://www.courthousenews.com/ex-blackwater-contractor-sentenced-to-life-in-iraq-shootings/
After a 35 year recess I think that it is time for a Labour government to start work on making NZ a land fit for the unskilled, ie fit for anyone to live in whether they are of the favoured ones or not.
For all the rhetoric about caring for little vulnerable ones, those in power prefer to publicise the depravity of the lower income below the strugglers level, and snatch their babies in a fit of heightened irritation and condemnation.
That is more dramatic than working to enable each young person to stand tall, knowing that they have support for their learning to manage themselves, whether or not they have effective family homes. Give them advice and practice at skills when at school level, part of their secondary learning would be to build tiny homes, to be sold on. And do some cooking and cleaning in the model home that stays on site. Get a small job, and if they start children soon, have parenting classes for males and females, some together and some apart with lots of discussion. Help them into a home, and by now they will know how to look after it.
But help them into homes, where they need to demonstrate their abilities.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/08/15/new-research-supports-cpags-call-for-a-housing-wof-and-boosted-incomes/
CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) says that new research from the University of Otago provides a solid foundation for why the Government must not delay instating a comprehensive Warrant of Fitness for tenanted homes in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and boosting family incomes.
The recent study led by Dr Tristram Ingram found that almost 20 percent of hospital admissions for acute respiratory infections in children under the age of two years could have been prevented through having healthier housing conditions.
Seems there are 101 reasons to implement the WEAG Report recommendations.
This from Kay Brereton
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115018412/benefit-rates-need-to-rise-and-now-for-people-and-the-economy
Regardless of what you think of welfare I would hope we allow changes to facilitate returning to work at a bare minimum. We need this to change right away.
34
15 August 2019 at 3:20 pm
Because Australia is exempt from the climate crisis, aye!
"Leaders on Thursday morning went into a retreat to discuss the the final wording of the Funafuti Declaration, which some nations are demanding should include limiting temperatures to 1.5 degrees and more international investment in the United Nation's Green Climate Fund.
But it's understood some nations have softened their demands to have the references included for the sake of a unified statement, with Australia succeeding in its push to not have the term "climate change crisis" in the communique."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/115029193/winston-peters-takes-heat-off-australia-after-pms-climate-challenge
Well Winston is PM when whats her name is clocking up her air miles.
NZ Herald looked into Key at same time after 2008 — guess what his 'air miles' were much the same. Oh and this
'Govt's 100 days of action' includes 28-day holiday
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10551422
Bill English used to have sign things while Key was away, things that Key didnt want his name on if it all blew up. he was careful like that
Awh sweetie, the bitterness in your “What’s her name” comment is priceless. Some might even say it is “Poission’ess” you’ll fit right in to Paula Bennetts snarky campaign if her performance of the tele this morning is anything to go by.
The details about Travel man
JOHN KEY
2008
• Peru, UK (Apec, Bilateral)
2009
• Port Moresby (special PIF)
• Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands (Pacific Mission)
• Cairns (PIF)
• Thailand, Malaysia, Seoul, Japan (bilateral visits)
• Singapore (Apec)
• Trinidad and Tobago (Chogm)
• Copenhagen (COP15)
2010
• Washington DC, Ottawa (Nuclear Security Summit, bilateral)
• Turkey, Kuwaiti, UAE (partially completed)
• Dubai (resumed)
• Korea, China, Vietnam (bilateral visits)
• Port Vila (PIF)
And our ex tourism ministers frequent trips to Hawaii?
Was he a part-time PM or something? Lazy bastard!
Were any of those the trip he chose to go and watch his son play Basketball rather than attend a military funeral? meanwhile Simon when not in a limousine driving around the country to introduce himself to the country is flying off to Aus to get instructions from Scott Morrison. Short term memories from the likes of Poisson etc. We can expect a lot more of it.
He didn't think CC was a crisis,JA does.
Who dat, Possy?
That whole peeing in the shower thing… very kiwi.
Consensus – unified – what a false premise that idea. It should be 80/20 with the objectors or detractors comments and facts noted in detail, and the question asked 'What would have to change for you to agree with the proposal before us? And for what reason does the proposal fall short of its intentions? Do you disagree with its intentions? If not this, then what?
Faffing around waiting for some concrete-head to agree – there is not time to wait around, the bus is leaving. There are less and less buses available.
Gotta say the quality of the rwnj round these parts has gone down since the plug was pulled elsewhere.
Awesome that most of the next generation get it about climate change and the way te oil barons money works to suppress the fact on Global warming We have had the warmest month on record
Young people taking big steps for the environment
BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF
Thousands of young people around the world have stood up, demanding that their voices be heard.
To celebrate International Youth Day, which this week fell on Monday, the Nelson Environment Centre took a look at young people in the region who are doing big things for the environment.
We have reached the point where action must be taken on the big environmental issues that scientists have been telling us about for decades. The people who will be most affected by the present inaction are those that are only just learning about these issues – our children and grandchildren.
So it is no surprise that students and youth around the world are starting to advocate for change.
Local students are joining this movement and one of the ways they do this is through the Enviroschools Programme. This home-grown, national programme uses an action learning approach designed to support the community to connect with their place, to investigate the issues relevant to them and design solutions together.
We are proud that the majority of the schools in Nelson and Tasman are participating Enviroschools.
Many Nelsonians will remember the student protest for climate action on March 15, when Josephine Ripley and Emma Edwards of the Nelson College for Girls (NCG) Enviro Action Group helped to organise Nelson student's participation in Schools 4 Climate action, the global youth environmental movement begun by Swedish student climate activist Greta Thunberg
Ka kite Ano
Letter to the editor (published today in The Southland Times and titled by them:
Those boring billboards
Message to all candidates for local body elections; billboards are boring!
Hard-working Southlanders, especially those living in Invercargill, have to drive past our uninspiring faces and irritating slogans for weeks on end and are generally too polite to take a black-marker to them to express their annoyance. Let’s all do something different this time around; entertain and amuse those whose votes we are chasing, with creative billboards, fun billboards, the likes of which have never been seen before! I’m happy start the ball rolling; I’ve still got my original billboards that show a younger me with a dark, clipped and tidy beard. Now that I’m 9 years down the councillor track, my beard is full and as white as a summer cloud. I’m going to up-date my billboards by glueing-on a fluffy, lamb’s-wool beard that would make Father Christmas proud! How about the rest of you? Have you any creative bones in your bodies? Let’s do the voting public a favour and make campaigning fun for a change!
Robert Guyton
(any feedback from TS readers welcome
These sandflys got nothing better to do than follow Eco Maori around and interfere in every thing I try a buy what car wreckers don't have Toyota parts YEA RIGHT THE Rotorua wrecker are being bullyed by the sandflys
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Someone in the correction system is helping these idiots who can get letters sent from prison They are saying that the fool who's at the centre of the Christchurch desaster YEA RIGHT.
Don't stress to much like I have said once everyone figures out that if they are not doing anything to save our mokopuna future environment they will be excluded from the bonanza of the Green Revolution
Eco Maori agrees that the Russian Pilots are heroes for landing that huge passenger plane in a corn paddock with no loss of life Awsome
Ingrid its cooler were I am at the minute
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News
Ka pai that a MRI Machine for Turangi A Kiwa its great that our Coalition Government is investing more putea for health care in regions with big tangata whenua population . I say changing back to the old ways of non machine harvesting of mussle spat on the 90 mile Beach is the best way way to preserve tuatua and the mussle spat it will also spread the wealth around to more people
Sonia keeping Maori tridional weaving going strong is great our tipuna were quite industrial in the way they did things it was the whole hapu working as one I would like to see that happen again Ma Te Wa.
Ka pai that rangitahi wahine Rugby is going strong that is another goal of mine Equality for our wahine so they can keep the tane on the straight and narrow line Eco Maori got a new Hueawa phone today great deal to try stuffing with this device sandflys
Ka kite Ano
Whanau one of my favourite fish is close to collapseing Tarakihi Eco Maori is not spraying wai into the wind on our FISHERIES topic. The difference between line fishing and trawling is trawling is like rounding up sheep with a bulldozer it WRECKS our fishes habitats fish need places to hide from the bigger fish they need a whare the way we fish now is destroying their Whare no whare no fish.
I wish for all inshore fishing to be caught by line fishing we know that most small fish caught on a hook can be released and they will servive .Even though they have this fancy new codend design it still doesn't stop the trawl gear wrecking the bottom the fishes habitat Whanau in 50 years time OUR mokopuna will have heaps of wealth fisher people paying big bucks to come and fish in our pristine fisheries If we don't charge the way the inshore fishing is to line fishing Tarakihi will become extinct .
When I was younger 35 years ago I got sick of bacon and eggs and beans for breakfast I would get a Tarakihi and cook it with wai and onions reka .
Christchurch fish and chip shop refuses to sell tarakihi until stocks recover
A Christchurch fish and chip shop is urging other businesses to stop selling one of New Zealand's favourite fish over fears for the species' survival.
Fush owner Anton Matthews stopped serving tarakihi this week after hearing stocks of the fish have dropped to worrying levels.
A Fisheries New Zealand assessment estimated the abundance of tarakihi on the East Coast to be 15.9 per cent of what it would be in the absence of all fishing. The fishery was considered to be sustainable at 40 per cent.
Matthews said 16 per cent was something to worry about and he wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem
He called for New Zealanders to demand their fish be caught on lines rather than in nets. Fush sources its fish from West Coast fishing company Westfleet, which catches its fish using lines.
"New Zealanders should be demanding fish is line caught in the same way they demand their eggs are free range
The Government cut the tarakihi quota by 20 per cent last year and was considering reducing the commercial catch by a further 31 per cent
"If you do absolutely nothing does a crisis fix itself? The housing crisis is not going to fix itself, climate change is not going to fix itself. Tarakihi is rebuilding.
Forest and Bird is pushing for a 40 per cent reduction in commercial quota alongside protections for important juvenile nursery grounds
Ka kite Ano link below
https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/114998557/christchurch-fish-and-chip-shop-refuses-to-sell-tarakihi-until-stocks-recover
I'd agree, except for flats – the little trawls used for flats don't do much damage, and they stay over sand or mud bottoms because anything else will break them. They're as close to a harmless trawl as you get.
There might be some live capture systems worth looking at too – box nets or pots allow fish to be returned unharmed, and tend to use much less fuel than trawling.
I think it's time we started proper nursery strategies for our key species too, just leaving everything to sort itself out was fine with a smaller population and less stressed fisheries, but that is no longer what we have.
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute
https://youtu.be/GKSRyLdjsPA
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute .
https://youtu.be/5Yj4j_lZMBo
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute
https://youtu.be/fKopy74weus
Kia Ora Newshub.
I package food is bad for us and the environment I we need to label the sugar and salt content so we know what we are eating The old saying you are what you eat is TRUE
Flooding in Horowhenua let hope no lives are lost that's part of Global Warming
Dogs going to the movies that's cool a lot of elderly people have dogs that could get them out and about socialising instead of home alone
That is a big mess that car causes in Canada wonder how that happened
Technology is going to make big changes to how we move and communicate and work It will give the wealthy people a unfair advantage to DOMINATE THE 99.9 % of humanity I think laws should be planned NOW to counter that Phenomenon .
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News
Cool all the kapa haka going on in Waikato for the Maori King at Turangawaewae marae.
They had a sports day to in Waikato sports is good for the wairua and te tamariki
Eco Maori agree with Ela Henry mana Wahine
Kereopa Purongo motuhake the whanau had a fire that burned down their whare
Planting native trees is awesome I believe that the tree that have been planted to try and stop erosion are a quick fix poplar and willow grow for 20 years and fall over making a big mess we should plant native trees like manuka that last much longer and prove food for our native wildlife along side the quick growing exotic trees I wish to see heaps more native trees in Aoteoroa.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Kia Ora The Hui.
simon is using the hate card to try and boost his rating YEA RIGHT taking about getting the army to move tangata whenua
Its excellent that you have our Maori youth Mps giving there points of view on subject in Aotearoa I see that there are 3 to 1 wahine.ka pai.
I think the logic solution to Te reo staying strong in Aotearoa is Te reo should be compolsery for tangata whenua students less teachers to train one class a day teaching about the TRUE HISTORY of Aotearoa I have read some books for our students and they are not correct in their FACTS it skewers to make tangata whenua look bad.
I agree racism is ignorince that is one argument for compolsery te reo class for all our tamariki .But I want most tangata whenua to know our historical culture first and for most.
Ka kite Ano
Ignore what the negative people have to say about the feebate system they did nothing but ruin our commitments to be clean and green while in power. This is a must to get the tangata to change to electric cars it will help save our environment for the mokopuna
EV feebate plan winning support says minister, as submissions deadline approaches
JOHN HAWKINS/STUFF
Dutchman Weibe Wakker has completed his three year journey from the Netherlands in his converted electric Volkswagon Golf named the "The Blue Bandit"
A feebate scheme that would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from buyers of higher-emission cars into the pockets of people buying EVs and other more fuel-efficient vehicles has been winning favour with submitters, the Government says.
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said about 80 per cent of the online responses the Transport Ministry had so far received in response to a discussion paper on the feebate scheme and an associated "clean car standard" had supported the policies
"The scheme is designed to be revenue neutral, I can tell you that," the ministry spokesman said. "So the money paid in will be paid out in terms of rebates
The Cabinet paper made it clear fees and rebates could be out of sync in any one year of the scheme, if people didn't buy the mix of cars forecast, but said a $25m float could be set up "to manage the risk of over or under-fee collection from year to year
The ministry expected feebates would value about $200 million during the scheme's first year, which would be in 2021
Ka kite Ano link below .
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/115023391/ev-feebate-plan-winning-support-says-minister-as-submissions-deadline-approaches
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute
https://youtu.be/hmu4wR1bTYE
Kia Ora Newshub .
Tornado use to be a thing that we seen every 5 years now Aotearoa is getting them more often how many now about 10 this year .
The Coalition government investing $54 million dollars to help get the people under a bridge a whare very good stuff having to live on the streets .
That was great the NZ Air force helping get boats in the area to rescue people on a stricken boat that is the mahi that all Aotearoa armed forces should be doing Ka pai to the Christchurch fish shop owner for highlighting the demise of tarakihi and dropping it off his menu to save the species But its not only tarakihi that is in danger of collapseing many other will be in a similar state the catch has gone and dubbled so comparison to 30 years ago won't add up to factual data unless this is taken into account .
Another person falling to their death taking a selfy photo in dangerous situations .?? ??
There are a lot of happy people in Aotearoa after last night game Ka Kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News .
That's the way go tau toko the tangata at IhumataoTJ. Mana Wahine Taina
I watched most of the game but the sandflys swarmed me on my way back to Napier and while I was in Rotorua I fell asleep my brother was watching the game while I was snoring our TV is solar powered .
Our Vietnam veterans great to see the service today for the veterans I agree with his daughter tho they did not need to be at the Vietnam War I know some whose health suffered because of Agent orange wreaking the health .
Great win for the Black Ferns Mana Wahine
Ka kite Ano