An anti-vaccination, anti-mandate group which says it wants to make the country “ungovernable” is standing candidates in local body elections to “sway the results (and) throw our weight around”.
Voices For Freedom (VFF) openly campaigned to get supporters into decision-making positions but told candidates to hide their affiliations – prompting a warning to voters to thoroughly research candidates before voting.
Jaspreet Boparai, a Southland dairy farmer who pushes a conspiracy about a UN agenda to enslave humanity through the Covid pandemic, also put her name forward for election.
And right on cue another. Still I've been fed up with the religious pushers getting elected to the boards of trustees for years – in my view this was deliberately intended. Bringing their particular version of brainwashing into what should be secular education.
Was only a matter of time before their right-wing bedmates joined them.
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In 2016, Arps delivered a severed pig's head to Masjid An-Nur (Al-Noor mosque). Recently he has aligned himself with the anti-vaccine mandate movement.
I'm disappointed in the New Zealand 'sports media.' Rank amateurs.
Can't understand why they haven't staked out the house of All Black coach Ian Foster and harassed anyone he lives with him about whether he's off to Argentina with the All Blacks. Surely there must be children or grand children they can hound.
Or got some travel agent insider revealing whether his name's on the flight manifest for the trip.
The carry on after the historic win over the World Cupholders in South Africa has all the signs of an unrequited lynch mob unhappy the coach hasn't been despatched. Elsewhere than to South America.
A mass of rugby people are like King Canute on the shore trying to hold back the inevitable. As time travels, the days of winning the vast majority of matches against top opposition has gone. If arrogance won games the All Blacks would never lose.
Unfortunately for them it's about resources and organising them. As the realities of the impact of money in sport, sorry I mean the sports entertainment business, bite, the rugged pioneer, embedded community spirit genesis is not enough when up against the new Big Boys.
It wasn't that they were losing. It is that they were playing badly and losing.
Secondary to that from my point of view was the playing of players out of position in the starting line up – as opposed to injury. I've never been a big fan of that as it usually doesn't come off. The successes – Tana Umaga to centre for instance – are far far outdone by the failures e.g. Christian Cullen to centre.
The playing badly was well reflected in the silly penalties given away, the poor passes – at times to no one and the poor taking of the high ball. None of those things have anything to do with the strength of the opposition really but about our own execution and skill sets. Our best All Black teams gave away few penalties.
I don't know anyone who minds the All Blacks losing if they play well.
If you’re using a phone to read TS (and you’re not logged in), can you please tell me if you are able to switch between Mobile and Desktop versions? Switching buttons at bottom of each page.
I think that is an issue with the infinite scroll feature. It picks up additional posts too fast. That is more of an issue now because I put a new processor in a couple of weeks ago to replace the one from 2017. It is a lot faster at pushing the infini scroll updates out.
It should be possible to do it in a post with comments because that doesn’t have infinite scroll. It is limited by the number of comment in a post.
Yeah that works.
However the caching is then an issue (at least on firefox). It doesn’t update my page – even when I am logged in and there shouldn’t be caching.
It seems to work correctly on Chrome on my android phone when logged in and when I am logged out.
I'll have a look at putting the option into the menu
I was on a Post page with minimal commenting so I can get to the bottom easily. It didn't work, trying to switch from Mobile to Desktop, kept loading Mobile when I pressed the Desktop button. Once I logged in, the Desktop version loaded.
As mainly a tourist destination, Rotorua has been affected by the fall in Tourism caused by the Pandemic.
I read that item and wondered why the increased amount of building was poorly covered, both Government and Private.
As someone who saw Rotorua after the GFC, it appears far busier now, but we do have people struggling with health issues caused by smoking drinking substance abuse and rising costs.
Rotorua has many things going for it, and is still a beautiful spot.
Wonder if our District Council will declare which Candidates are Against 3 Waters? I won't vote for them.
Even if they're good on other policy? People object to 3 Waters for a range of different reasons. The impact of centralisation on local democracy seems entirely reasonable to me. If we were having a referendum on 3 Waters, I'd probably vote against it, not because I support the status quo but because I think the plan is not well worked through in terms of democracy or bringing people along.
Referendums are never about operational detail. Three Waters is under construction, i.e., a dog that needs grooming (and obedience training), not one that needs to be shot on the spot, which is what some (aka the usual suspects) would want. The more (constructive) debate we have on this, the harder it will be for opponents to kill it off without at least some kind of argument that may vaguely resemble reason and being reasonable. Watch the narrative and framing coming from opponents and how it will have to change as things progress. Similarly, the language from proponents and Government is also evolving – this is only natural.
I'm not suggesting a referendum, I'm saying that if I got a vote on the scheme I'd probably vote against it, for reasons given.
One problem with the debate is that many on the left have taken a position of 'it's good, there's something wrong with you if you object'. I also wonder if support depends on where one lives. In the rural SI I expect the democracy issues (re local bodies) to be more of an issue than for people in Auckland who are looking at the pragmatics of three waters management because its more urgent.
I don't even have a good grasp of what the proposal is, it's complex and already far enough in that it's hard to catch up. I looked at govt websites at one point and my eyes glazed over. So we can add the perception that Labour want to be the boss and we're supposed to trust them and if we don't well it will just happen anyway.
The reasons against are complex. Some people object to the co-governance issues, and imo we should be having an open and very clear debate about this because there's a lot of misinformation mixed in with racism.
This is the sort of stuff that circulates about 3 Waters, as forwarded to me by an acquaintance.
The very subject line is misleading – Brigitte Morton offers a top legal opinion? as usual she offers a political attack – nothing more, nothing less.
Subject: Three minutes worth a listen as top legal opinion and a
Queen's counsel scuttles three waters to Davey Jones locker
Date: 2022-08-14 14:27 So you really have to wonder if this was played to councils NZ wide
would they react accordingly and say stay away to the Govt grab of
their assets — by dubious means at best. Hoodwink was a term I liked the lady principle lawyer used to describe advertising by this regime to trick the people.
"Do you believe that Nanaia Mahuta lied to the NZ public about Three
Waters?" – Tova – Omny.fm
I agree, Three Waters is hugely complex. This is not helped by the fact that this Government appears to be aiming to kill more than one bird with one stone and is proposing some kind of co-governance, for want of a better and clearer term, as part of the implementation of 3Ws. On the one hand, I think this (overly?) complicates 3Ws, but on the other hand it might be the opportune time and even necessary (cf. recent comments by the Auditor-General about accountability issues with 3Ws).
I feel uneasy about the confused (and binary/dualistic) messaging coming from Government re. co-governance and the many questions it has raised. Unfortunately, this apparent information vacuum has allowed opponents to hijack and control the narrative and polarise any debate from the outset.
I think Government (Labour) has bitten off way more than it can chew and it either spits it out or it will choke on it – the people of NZ are just not quite ready for this, not while we’re in the middle of a few national and global ‘crises’ and a pandemic.
How could Labour do this level of reform without taking Maori legal interests in water into consideration? Wouldn't they just end up in court? Even without the legal question i can't see how they could do it morally given their commitment to honouring Te Tiriti.
Given that there is no co-governance over water ATM (when it's managed by local councils), I can't see that there is an overwhelming legal case that there must be co-governance when water is managed in broader regional groupings (cf the 4 bodies to be established under 3 Waters).
Yes, there might be a ToW case taken (there still might), but there are many examples of ToW findings which do not inform government legislation. The tribunal was deliberately (whether wisely or not) set up that way.
'Honouring Te Triti' means very different things to different people. It's really dangerous to assume that your interpretation is necessarily shared by others.
The basic problem is the inequities in local body capital infrastructure and water provision in all three waters.
As a taxpayer and rate payer, I'd personally be happy with just going and providing a mandatory legal requirement for regional councils and local councils to achieve minimum standards.
The requirement would be that if the councils were unable to achieve comparable provision standards across the whole country for water standards, waste water treatment, and storm water handling – then the councils would lose their local representation until they can.
In other words rates, charges, levies get raised under management until they start approaching standards.
Alternatively simply fine councils and their ratepayers until they hit basic standards. Or provide a personal criminal liability for local politicians for planning infractions that cause water deterioration.
That is because almost all councils and regional councils have essentially been screwing up the water job for most of the last century. They haven't invested in it at anything approaching a required level..
What I'm unhappy about with 3 waters is bailing out the self-interested and incompetent councils who have consistently (with a few exceptions) been allowing the water qualities to deteriorate.
I'm not interested in subsidising via direct taxes the same pack of no-hoper self-interested ratepayers voting for councils that have caused the kind of water deterioration.
For the last 30 years, the Auckland region has made a pretty concerted effort to improve water management, despite massive increase in migrant population imposed by the Key government, and the ridiculous governing arrangement imposed on us. This has meant that I've been paying for it for 3 decades.
I'm uninterested in paying more taxes to bail out the incompetent councils in the Waikato (attempting to stop the worsening of the Waikato over the next 90 years), the exploding streets in Wellington, or ridiculous water draw rights in central Otago and Canterbury.
Ratepayers there should have the local government removed or fines levied so that they actually find a reason to clean up their water systems and stop poisoning the land and citizens.
Otherwise the three waters approach seems to me to be the only equitable way to achieve and improvement in fresh water. Which for NZ is a strategic resource at every level from economics to quality of life. It is also increasingly in short supply
That was what I immediately thought of when the MoH required fluoridation of local water supplies in the Far North (Kaitia and Kerikeri, initially, but more will be forthcoming). The mayor, John Carter, said there was no funding in the Council Long Term Plan, and he had no idea where the money could come from.
ianmac, it would be possible to ask the local candidates themselves at public meetings, such as those held by Grey Power…… Apart from the issue of privatisation, Grey Power has no policy on Three Waters, so a question of support or otherwise would need to come from the floor.
But Mac1, the Marlborough Council has declared us to be against 3 Waters. I have written to the Council of my belief that we must act now. Delay, delay delay is too late.
I support three waters and would point out that councils have been not a useful stop to privatisation any more than a National government has particularly in the use of hydo for electricity production.
Where does privatisation lead?
IN 1980, the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet replaced Chile’s constitution with a new charter employing the principles of famed American free-market economist Milton Friedman. Forty years later the dictatorship is gone, but the constitution — and a key provision called the National Water Code that privatized Chile’s vast natural water supply — is still in effect.
I think it's fair to say they wont, most of the time. Take Auckland as an example even though the dams were getting low due to prolonged drought and heavy usage Watercare waited and waited until the point of desperation before bringing in any form of restriction and when they did it was drastic.
Asking what will be a fairly large bureaucracy (that will no doubt be focused on large populations centres and subject to political pressure) to make good informed decisions on a very local level is a stretch. More likely they go with a one size fits all broad brush approach.
I can also see a day where in order to raise funds the laws are changed to allow the new entities to partially sell the infrastructure that delivers the water. Not dissimilar to what happened with the electricity reforms.
How to prevent future privatisation would be top of my concerns.
I don't understand Ak water very well. Was part of the problem a conflict between the need to have water restrictions and Watercare's need for income from usage?
I think it actually came down to incompetence, comments at the time basically said they were sure that we wouldnt have two years of low rainfall in a row.
Auckland water restrictions were not that drastic – you could not hose your garden or use a sprinkler. Nothing stopped you bucketing water from the shower every day as we did, or redirecting your rinse water onto the lawn. I can remember when Auckland City Council neglected the underground infrastructure so badly that people had fountains of turds, tampax and toilet paper in their front yard as the sewers collapsed, and masses of raw sewage ran into the harbour regularly during rain events. It has taken decades and a lot of $$$$$ to separate the WW and SW and to put in the big Central Interceptor to keep the poo out of the harbour. Auckland has the advantage of Watercare and a big ratepayer base. Smaller local Councils will have real problems funding the necessary remediations and should be grateful that the Government is proposing to help with the costs.
" the Government is proposing to help with the costs."
I haven't seen any commitment by the government, either in the legislation or in the discussion document, to assist with the cost of water infrastructure, long-term in any way. The initial payments to councils – seem to be all around financing the switch, rather than a long-term committment to co-fund. These payments are perceived, by those opposed, as bribes.
Those payments actually aren't tied to water infrastructure or to pay down debt – it's just a short-term lolly scramble. As we see from Wellington (which has got major water infrastructure issues), proposing to spend it on supporting council-owned tenants.
The assumption is that the larger regional groupings will be able to leverage their greater borrowing power (that level of financial manoeuvre is way above my financial pay grade, so I don't know if it's likely to be true or not). And there will be cost-benefits associated with operating at a wider level (this one, I'm pretty sure is untrue – the next service amalgamation which results in reduced costs will be the first one I've ever seen)
The element concerning many ratepayers, especially those in areas where water is not currently in crisis, is that they will end up paying for the rest of the regional grouping to reach their current standard, before any further investment is made locally.
I don't see anything in the legislation to prevent this happening. And, it actually seems to be a desired outcome (the Government *wants* the lowest performing infrastructure to be reformed first). Generally that form of investment is paid for out of taxes (rather than rates) or, at least co-funded by the Government (cf national roading infrastructure)
Airy assertions (by our local MP, for example) that 3 waters would immediately fix the sewerage overflow issues after rain (no-swimming beaches in Auckland) are, in the absence of any funding mechanism for this, quite frankly, unbelievable.
It is said that the ulterior motive behind 3 Waters is for the State to by-pass the 30/30 limits which has for decades limited the Councils' borrowing.
And hopefully the anti-privatisation plan will be established.
The local delivery / operations won’t change much, the same people, just different logo on the truck. Big change will be policy decisions will be made outside the local political environment.
Not that much different to local roading. Mostly Waka Kotahi funded and managed
Yes in transport there are plenty of Network Operator Contracts, Alliances and other long term (ie 5 years or more) arrangements that are pretty similar to the proposed water operator environment.
This is a gigantic ideological moment from the only real leftie in the Labour cabinet – Michael Wood. In a gigantic injection of common sense, Wood is driving a stake through one of the the madder things done in the name of Rogernomics and is ending the failed neoliberal experiment of forbidding local councils owning public transport. Richard Prebble’s reaction will be deliciously choleric.
Soon the people who pay for the service, administer the service, provide the service and maintain the service could all be in the same organisation.
Now if only they would allow councils to access accommodation assistance for housing instead of helping everyone else but them – or if not give them an annual stipend for each council house they provide and is inhabited.
I have a far humbler wish (I would like to see Woods take back control of our energy assets too). that is for Minister Little to bring some of the hospital support roles in-house.
Food, security, grounds upkeep and laundry for a start.
Yep, a significant change to the Labour Caucus usual terror of tinkering with any aspect of Roger’n’Ruth’s legacy of monetarist and neo liberal legislation.
This win was assisted by unions whose members took direct action over many years, and pointed out the iniquity of the legislation that was stopping them getting decent pay increases, due to clauses that lowest tenders must be accepted by Local Authorities!
So the worst employers tended to get the routes, and kept a lid on industry rates and conditions.
RBNZ set to continue with ratchet clause in interest rates,as it continues with first out of the block rate curve.
Until there is a significant decrease in non tradeable (core) inflation,the hikes will persist.Here central and local government are substantive drivers with debt driven capital programs.
Since you are such an avid electricity trade watcher, what generator mode switches are you observing between NZ wind, NZ geothermal, and NZ thermal given the rapid rise in the price of coal that is keeping Huntly and hence Auckland alive?
Lots of talk trying to up the ante on future stranded assets (getting thermal off balance sheets) and rent seeking for future capital works (read price hiking)
What is needed is more renewable in upper NI,Nelson and Westcoast to reduce transmission waste.
The over capacity for two peaks requires baseline stability.With good hydro storage at present (little requirement for irrigation) lots of distributed solar installed over winter ( reducing late am demand and early pm demand) and spring winds coming into our peak manufacturing season should reduce risk.
As an aside there is anecdotes of staff returning from working at home to office in OZ and UK as prices increase,be interesting to watch their CBD stats and PT.
Too expensive,and the ROI would make it uneconomic.
By small builds we keep the capital employed to manageable returns (without high ramp up pricing to consumers) the profits are sufficient for good investments,and diversification.
Agree. An average increase of between $50-$60 on each grocery shop, since the beginning of the year. Petrol costs have come down (temporarily) – but still anything but cheap (and no, to the broken records out there, public transport just isn't an option for much of the diving I need to do – where we can use it, we do).
And, while I can (sometimes) buy clothes from the Sallies, you can't really do the same for dental work. Wincing coming out, for more than one reason.
Not optimistic about not having a Tory government either – both at the local and national level – left (or TBH centre-left) government is looking pretty shaky in the forthcoming elections.
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Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
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Geez
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300660552/antivax-group-wanting-to-make-nz-ungovernable-targets-local-body-elections
An anti-vaccination, anti-mandate group which says it wants to make the country “ungovernable” is standing candidates in local body elections to “sway the results (and) throw our weight around”.
Voices For Freedom (VFF) openly campaigned to get supporters into decision-making positions but told candidates to hide their affiliations – prompting a warning to voters to thoroughly research candidates before voting.
Ask them outright at the public meetings.
And publish the reaction (On TS)
Should you be worried, Robert??? /s
And right on cue another. Still I've been fed up with the religious pushers getting elected to the boards of trustees for years – in my view this was deliberately intended. Bringing their particular version of brainwashing into what should be secular education.
Was only a matter of time before their right-wing bedmates joined them.
<
blockquote>
In 2016, Arps delivered a severed pig's head to Masjid An-Nur (Al-Noor mosque). Recently he has aligned himself with the anti-vaccine mandate movement.
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blockquote>
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/129574109/white-supremacist-formerly-jailed-for-sharing-terror-attack-footage-standing-for-board-at-diverse-christchurch-school
I'm disappointed in the New Zealand 'sports media.' Rank amateurs.
Can't understand why they haven't staked out the house of All Black coach Ian Foster and harassed anyone he lives with him about whether he's off to Argentina with the All Blacks. Surely there must be children or grand children they can hound.
Or got some travel agent insider revealing whether his name's on the flight manifest for the trip.
The carry on after the historic win over the World Cupholders in South Africa has all the signs of an unrequited lynch mob unhappy the coach hasn't been despatched. Elsewhere than to South America.
A mass of rugby people are like King Canute on the shore trying to hold back the inevitable. As time travels, the days of winning the vast majority of matches against top opposition has gone. If arrogance won games the All Blacks would never lose.
Unfortunately for them it's about resources and organising them. As the realities of the impact of money in sport, sorry I mean the sports entertainment business, bite, the rugged pioneer, embedded community spirit genesis is not enough when up against the new Big Boys.
How does the AB win at Ellis Park rate as a 'historic' win?
It wasn't that they were losing. It is that they were playing badly and losing.
Secondary to that from my point of view was the playing of players out of position in the starting line up – as opposed to injury. I've never been a big fan of that as it usually doesn't come off. The successes – Tana Umaga to centre for instance – are far far outdone by the failures e.g. Christian Cullen to centre.
The playing badly was well reflected in the silly penalties given away, the poor passes – at times to no one and the poor taking of the high ball. None of those things have anything to do with the strength of the opposition really but about our own execution and skill sets. Our best All Black teams gave away few penalties.
I don't know anyone who minds the All Blacks losing if they play well.
If you’re using a phone to read TS (and you’re not logged in), can you please tell me if you are able to switch between Mobile and Desktop versions? Switching buttons at bottom of each page.
On an Oppo, the option is there but when I hit Desktop it just relaods as a mobile version.
thanks (same for me on iphone). Have you been able to switch in the past?
I think that is an issue with the infinite scroll feature. It picks up additional posts too fast. That is more of an issue now because I put a new processor in a couple of weeks ago to replace the one from 2017. It is a lot faster at pushing the infini scroll updates out.
It should be possible to do it in a post with comments because that doesn’t have infinite scroll. It is limited by the number of comment in a post.
Yeah that works.
However the caching is then an issue (at least on firefox). It doesn’t update my page – even when I am logged in and there shouldn’t be caching.
It seems to work correctly on Chrome on my android phone when logged in and when I am logged out.
I'll have a look at putting the option into the menu
I was on a Post page with minimal commenting so I can get to the bottom easily. It didn't work, trying to switch from Mobile to Desktop, kept loading Mobile when I pressed the Desktop button. Once I logged in, the Desktop version loaded.
The option in the menu would be much easier.
just logged out, and it works both ways now 🤷♀️
Caught in a cache somewhere.
Which browser is it?
Looking at the other comments, I’d say that it is an issue with CloudFlare cache.
it stopped working maybe an hour later. Safari. I'll try other browsers later.
Yes to switching in the past but it may have been a Huawei device then.
Nothing like giving the benefit of my doubt.
Nope, works some days not others. Unable to comment on my mobile when it's stuck in desktop.
how long has it been like that?
It intermittent but for quite a long time
It's a bit like my sheep dogs, asking my ph to switch from mobile todesktop,occasionally it listens but mostly does what it wants
This local government election is shaping as a marked flashing siren for the 2023 General election.
This is unusual.
But here's why: 88,000 public submissions to the Water Services Entities Bill, and 10,000 seeking to be heard at Committee.
That is a scorcher, during the local government election campaign. and a lot of furious people inacivated households
i read the 'pre-election' report on Rotorua yesterday – local government election.
Nothing in it does the government – local or regional – any grace.
11% local unemployment
bottom ranking on about everything else
a fucking shame to be honest.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/f425f024-4679-4e72-a43c-514c60a1c482
As mainly a tourist destination, Rotorua has been affected by the fall in Tourism caused by the Pandemic.
I read that item and wondered why the increased amount of building was poorly covered, both Government and Private.
As someone who saw Rotorua after the GFC, it appears far busier now, but we do have people struggling with health issues caused by smoking drinking substance abuse and rising costs.
Rotorua has many things going for it, and is still a beautiful spot.
Wonder if our District Council will declare which Candidates are Against 3 Waters? I won't vote for them.
Note a farm poster now which says "National Will Cancel 3 Waters and Replace it."
Curious. Not heard of any plan by National re 3 Waters.
They've consistently said that they'll repeal it. Quite a few signs around semi rural Auckland.
Even if they're good on other policy? People object to 3 Waters for a range of different reasons. The impact of centralisation on local democracy seems entirely reasonable to me. If we were having a referendum on 3 Waters, I'd probably vote against it, not because I support the status quo but because I think the plan is not well worked through in terms of democracy or bringing people along.
Referendums are never about operational detail. Three Waters is under construction, i.e., a dog that needs grooming (and obedience training), not one that needs to be shot on the spot, which is what some (aka the usual suspects) would want. The more (constructive) debate we have on this, the harder it will be for opponents to kill it off without at least some kind of argument that may vaguely resemble reason and being reasonable. Watch the narrative and framing coming from opponents and how it will have to change as things progress. Similarly, the language from proponents and Government is also evolving – this is only natural.
I'm not suggesting a referendum, I'm saying that if I got a vote on the scheme I'd probably vote against it, for reasons given.
One problem with the debate is that many on the left have taken a position of 'it's good, there's something wrong with you if you object'. I also wonder if support depends on where one lives. In the rural SI I expect the democracy issues (re local bodies) to be more of an issue than for people in Auckland who are looking at the pragmatics of three waters management because its more urgent.
I don't even have a good grasp of what the proposal is, it's complex and already far enough in that it's hard to catch up. I looked at govt websites at one point and my eyes glazed over. So we can add the perception that Labour want to be the boss and we're supposed to trust them and if we don't well it will just happen anyway.
The reasons against are complex. Some people object to the co-governance issues, and imo we should be having an open and very clear debate about this because there's a lot of misinformation mixed in with racism.
This is the sort of stuff that circulates about 3 Waters, as forwarded to me by an acquaintance.
The very subject line is misleading – Brigitte Morton offers a top legal opinion? as usual she offers a political attack – nothing more, nothing less.
https://omny.fm/shows/today-breakfast/do-you-believe-that-nanaia-mahuta-lied-to-the-nz-p
I agree, Three Waters is hugely complex. This is not helped by the fact that this Government appears to be aiming to kill more than one bird with one stone and is proposing some kind of co-governance, for want of a better and clearer term, as part of the implementation of 3Ws. On the one hand, I think this (overly?) complicates 3Ws, but on the other hand it might be the opportune time and even necessary (cf. recent comments by the Auditor-General about accountability issues with 3Ws).
I feel uneasy about the confused (and binary/dualistic) messaging coming from Government re. co-governance and the many questions it has raised. Unfortunately, this apparent information vacuum has allowed opponents to hijack and control the narrative and polarise any debate from the outset.
I think Government (Labour) has bitten off way more than it can chew and it either spits it out or it will choke on it – the people of NZ are just not quite ready for this, not while we’re in the middle of a few national and global ‘crises’ and a pandemic.
How could Labour do this level of reform without taking Maori legal interests in water into consideration? Wouldn't they just end up in court? Even without the legal question i can't see how they could do it morally given their commitment to honouring Te Tiriti.
Given that there is no co-governance over water ATM (when it's managed by local councils), I can't see that there is an overwhelming legal case that there must be co-governance when water is managed in broader regional groupings (cf the 4 bodies to be established under 3 Waters).
Yes, there might be a ToW case taken (there still might), but there are many examples of ToW findings which do not inform government legislation. The tribunal was deliberately (whether wisely or not) set up that way.
'Honouring Te Triti' means very different things to different people. It's really dangerous to assume that your interpretation is necessarily shared by others.
Constructive approach and well worth a read.
https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Three-waters-reform-programme-2022/$file/Governance-Working-Group-Report.pdf
The basic problem is the inequities in local body capital infrastructure and water provision in all three waters.
As a taxpayer and rate payer, I'd personally be happy with just going and providing a mandatory legal requirement for regional councils and local councils to achieve minimum standards.
The requirement would be that if the councils were unable to achieve comparable provision standards across the whole country for water standards, waste water treatment, and storm water handling – then the councils would lose their local representation until they can.
In other words rates, charges, levies get raised under management until they start approaching standards.
Alternatively simply fine councils and their ratepayers until they hit basic standards. Or provide a personal criminal liability for local politicians for planning infractions that cause water deterioration.
That is because almost all councils and regional councils have essentially been screwing up the water job for most of the last century. They haven't invested in it at anything approaching a required level..
What I'm unhappy about with 3 waters is bailing out the self-interested and incompetent councils who have consistently (with a few exceptions) been allowing the water qualities to deteriorate.
I'm not interested in subsidising via direct taxes the same pack of no-hoper self-interested ratepayers voting for councils that have caused the kind of water deterioration.
For the last 30 years, the Auckland region has made a pretty concerted effort to improve water management, despite massive increase in migrant population imposed by the Key government, and the ridiculous governing arrangement imposed on us. This has meant that I've been paying for it for 3 decades.
I'm uninterested in paying more taxes to bail out the incompetent councils in the Waikato (attempting to stop the worsening of the Waikato over the next 90 years), the exploding streets in Wellington, or ridiculous water draw rights in central Otago and Canterbury.
Ratepayers there should have the local government removed or fines levied so that they actually find a reason to clean up their water systems and stop poisoning the land and citizens.
Otherwise the three waters approach seems to me to be the only equitable way to achieve and improvement in fresh water. Which for NZ is a strategic resource at every level from economics to quality of life. It is also increasingly in short supply
That was what I immediately thought of when the MoH required fluoridation of local water supplies in the Far North (Kaitia and Kerikeri, initially, but more will be forthcoming). The mayor, John Carter, said there was no funding in the Council Long Term Plan, and he had no idea where the money could come from.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/472707/far-north-wants-to-delay-fluoridation-despite-abysmal-tooth-decay-figures
I'm quite sure that it will simply be delayed until 3 waters is in place, and funded regionally…..
BAU (aka status quo) and/or contracting it out to the private sector.
ianmac, it would be possible to ask the local candidates themselves at public meetings, such as those held by Grey Power…… Apart from the issue of privatisation, Grey Power has no policy on Three Waters, so a question of support or otherwise would need to come from the floor.
But Mac1, the Marlborough Council has declared us to be against 3 Waters. I have written to the Council of my belief that we must act now. Delay, delay delay is too late.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/15/england-failing-to-invest-in-water-networks-to-avoid-future-droughts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
A glimpse in to our non Three Waters future.
Ours will look more like Welcome to Westport: 5th flood event in 2 months.
I support three waters and would point out that councils have been not a useful stop to privatisation any more than a National government has particularly in the use of hydo for electricity production.
Where does privatisation lead?
https://theintercept.com/2022/08/12/chile-drought-water-constitution/
A glimpse in to our Three Waters future when water gets centralised and/or privatised.
https://twitter.com/MadwifeBella/status/1558314090963308544
Someone needs to convince me that management bods in Chch can make good decisions about hose bans in Winton or Ranfurly.
I think it's fair to say they wont, most of the time. Take Auckland as an example even though the dams were getting low due to prolonged drought and heavy usage Watercare waited and waited until the point of desperation before bringing in any form of restriction and when they did it was drastic.
Asking what will be a fairly large bureaucracy (that will no doubt be focused on large populations centres and subject to political pressure) to make good informed decisions on a very local level is a stretch. More likely they go with a one size fits all broad brush approach.
I can also see a day where in order to raise funds the laws are changed to allow the new entities to partially sell the infrastructure that delivers the water. Not dissimilar to what happened with the electricity reforms.
How to prevent future privatisation would be top of my concerns.
I don't understand Ak water very well. Was part of the problem a conflict between the need to have water restrictions and Watercare's need for income from usage?
I think it actually came down to incompetence, comments at the time basically said they were sure that we wouldnt have two years of low rainfall in a row.
Auckland water restrictions were not that drastic – you could not hose your garden or use a sprinkler. Nothing stopped you bucketing water from the shower every day as we did, or redirecting your rinse water onto the lawn. I can remember when Auckland City Council neglected the underground infrastructure so badly that people had fountains of turds, tampax and toilet paper in their front yard as the sewers collapsed, and masses of raw sewage ran into the harbour regularly during rain events. It has taken decades and a lot of $$$$$ to separate the WW and SW and to put in the big Central Interceptor to keep the poo out of the harbour. Auckland has the advantage of Watercare and a big ratepayer base. Smaller local Councils will have real problems funding the necessary remediations and should be grateful that the Government is proposing to help with the costs.
" the Government is proposing to help with the costs."
I haven't seen any commitment by the government, either in the legislation or in the discussion document, to assist with the cost of water infrastructure, long-term in any way. The initial payments to councils – seem to be all around financing the switch, rather than a long-term committment to co-fund. These payments are perceived, by those opposed, as bribes.
https://www.dia.govt.nz/three-waters-reform-programme-frequently-asked-questions
Those payments actually aren't tied to water infrastructure or to pay down debt – it's just a short-term lolly scramble. As we see from Wellington (which has got major water infrastructure issues), proposing to spend it on supporting council-owned tenants.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-proposal-to-use-three-waters-fund-to-help-council-tenants-pay-rent/HPIKK6IDPCAUOVNY2YIO6D6WDI/
The assumption is that the larger regional groupings will be able to leverage their greater borrowing power (that level of financial manoeuvre is way above my financial pay grade, so I don't know if it's likely to be true or not). And there will be cost-benefits associated with operating at a wider level (this one, I'm pretty sure is untrue – the next service amalgamation which results in reduced costs will be the first one I've ever seen)
The element concerning many ratepayers, especially those in areas where water is not currently in crisis, is that they will end up paying for the rest of the regional grouping to reach their current standard, before any further investment is made locally.
I don't see anything in the legislation to prevent this happening. And, it actually seems to be a desired outcome (the Government *wants* the lowest performing infrastructure to be reformed first). Generally that form of investment is paid for out of taxes (rather than rates) or, at least co-funded by the Government (cf national roading infrastructure)
Airy assertions (by our local MP, for example) that 3 waters would immediately fix the sewerage overflow issues after rain (no-swimming beaches in Auckland) are, in the absence of any funding mechanism for this, quite frankly, unbelievable.
It is said that the ulterior motive behind 3 Waters is for the State to by-pass the 30/30 limits which has for decades limited the Councils' borrowing.
And hopefully the anti-privatisation plan will be established.
Or the Chatham Islands
heh, indeed.
The local delivery / operations won’t change much, the same people, just different logo on the truck. Big change will be policy decisions will be made outside the local political environment.
Not that much different to local roading. Mostly Waka Kotahi funded and managed
Yes in transport there are plenty of Network Operator Contracts, Alliances and other long term (ie 5 years or more) arrangements that are pretty similar to the proposed water operator environment.
Good point Graeme. Would be like Waka Kotahi only better.
This is a gigantic ideological moment from the only real leftie in the Labour cabinet – Michael Wood. In a gigantic injection of common sense, Wood is driving a stake through one of the the madder things done in the name of Rogernomics and is ending the failed neoliberal experiment of forbidding local councils owning public transport. Richard Prebble’s reaction will be deliciously choleric.
Soon the people who pay for the service, administer the service, provide the service and maintain the service could all be in the same organisation.
Now if only they would allow councils to access accommodation assistance for housing instead of helping everyone else but them – or if not give them an annual stipend for each council house they provide and is inhabited.
Love to see Megan Woods totally nationalise the entire electricity sector.
I have a far humbler wish (I would like to see Woods take back control of our energy assets too). that is for Minister Little to bring some of the hospital support roles in-house.
Food, security, grounds upkeep and laundry for a start.
Agree with all those thoughts/wishes gsays.
Not gouging the staff on carparks would be nice as well.
Can PTOM be unwound and re-aggregated in time for the 2023 election?
The origins of PTOM go back to Shipley gutting ARC and ARTA. National will seek to reverse Wood's move if they can.
This commercial proposal in transport is the opposite of what they are doing to local government in water.
It would help if one could detect an actual regulatory+commercial underlying sense to this government. Pretty hard to defend without one.
Yep, a significant change to the Labour Caucus usual terror of tinkering with any aspect of Roger’n’Ruth’s legacy of monetarist and neo liberal legislation.
This win was assisted by unions whose members took direct action over many years, and pointed out the iniquity of the legislation that was stopping them getting decent pay increases, due to clauses that lowest tenders must be accepted by Local Authorities!
So the worst employers tended to get the routes, and kept a lid on industry rates and conditions.
RBNZ set to continue with ratchet clause in interest rates,as it continues with first out of the block rate curve.
Until there is a significant decrease in non tradeable (core) inflation,the hikes will persist.Here central and local government are substantive drivers with debt driven capital programs.
https://twitter.com/business/status/1558872904376401920?cxt=HHwWgICytbapnaIrAAAA
Since you are such an avid electricity trade watcher, what generator mode switches are you observing between NZ wind, NZ geothermal, and NZ thermal given the rapid rise in the price of coal that is keeping Huntly and hence Auckland alive?
Indonesian coal (thermal low cal) is sub 90 mt,most would still be on forward contract.China has not come back into the market there so much.
Still maintenance season here with Taranaki TCC out for a month,Geothermal stable,wind intermittent,excess hydro (spilling).
The colder frost days have good solar outputs for distributed generation (balancing the decrease in wind) such as 1000 mw offline now due to low wind.
September will be tight as primary manufacturing starts and NI outages.(if wind insufficient)
https://www.transpower.co.nz/sites/default/files/interfaces/can/CAN%20NZGB%20Assessment%20for%20Potential%20Negative%20Generation%204421561112.pdf
Lots of talk trying to up the ante on future stranded assets (getting thermal off balance sheets) and rent seeking for future capital works (read price hiking)
What is needed is more renewable in upper NI,Nelson and Westcoast to reduce transmission waste.
For this season, then, it sounds like the supply pressure is off.
Presumably that means more stable spot prices and a little bit of consumer pressure off as well.
The over capacity for two peaks requires baseline stability.With good hydro storage at present (little requirement for irrigation) lots of distributed solar installed over winter ( reducing late am demand and early pm demand) and spring winds coming into our peak manufacturing season should reduce risk.
As an aside there is anecdotes of staff returning from working at home to office in OZ and UK as prices increase,be interesting to watch their CBD stats and PT.
"What is needed is more renewable in upper NI,Nelson and Westcoast to reduce transmission waste."
Or nuclear. FFS. The lies and fearmongering are something to behold.
https://twitter.com/MadiHilly/status/1557399822600216577?s=20&t=RVaxam8b6MWeA8gRLabdLQ
Too expensive,and the ROI would make it uneconomic.
By small builds we keep the capital employed to manageable returns (without high ramp up pricing to consumers) the profits are sufficient for good investments,and diversification.
3 bags of groceries for $200, and it was just the basics.
rent $500 and it's totally basic.
New cloths when old ones die – nope
Dental work that needs done – nope
Going out for dinner – yeah right
Gotta love this new NZ
Only bright side, at least we don't have a Tory government to take it totally down the shitter for working people.
Agree. An average increase of between $50-$60 on each grocery shop, since the beginning of the year. Petrol costs have come down (temporarily) – but still anything but cheap (and no, to the broken records out there, public transport just isn't an option for much of the diving I need to do – where we can use it, we do).
And, while I can (sometimes) buy clothes from the Sallies, you can't really do the same for dental work. Wincing coming out, for more than one reason.
Not optimistic about not having a Tory government either – both at the local and national level – left (or TBH centre-left) government is looking pretty shaky in the forthcoming elections.