Open mike 15/09/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 15th, 2020 - 141 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

141 comments on “Open mike 15/09/2020 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ad 1
    15 September 2020 at 7:12 am

    Jamie-Lee Ross has given up on getting Botany and goes on the list alone.

    Must've had some internal polls.

    Very sad – his party is the only interesting thing in this entire election.

  2. ScottGN 2
    15 September 2020 at 7:35 am

    Charter Schools will be back if the Nats get elected apparently. Vast amounts of taxpayers money funnelled to a few dodgy private education providers with little or no oversight. Sure to be a vote winner right?

    • tc 2.1
      15 September 2020 at 7:54 am

      Gosh they're not even trying to win flogging that horse again however the campaign contributions are always welcome.

      • Sabine 2.1.1
        15 September 2020 at 8:03 am

        i hear private schools receiving funding is ok, just ask Shane Jones to put it on a 'shovel ready list' and the male co-leader of a support/supply confidence party to sign it off. 🙂 And besides Charter schools were always on the books for National and ACT. They at the very least have been very honest about who is gonna get money from them.

        What is good for the geese is good for the gander and thus if National does it is now OK. No more high horses here for Lefties.

        • Incognito 2.1.1.1
          15 September 2020 at 8:54 am

          Analysis: The visceral response to James Shaw’s $11.7m cheque for the Green School shows New Zealand has strong feelings about private school education. Laura Walters looks at whether NZ is ready to give up private schools and whether we can afford to

          https://www.newsroom.co.nz/govt-cant-afford-to-stop-funding-private-schools-yet

          • Sabine 2.1.1.1.1
            15 September 2020 at 9:00 am

            Well, the of course the government must keep continuing funding the projects of their 'peers' 🙂

            Its the funding of those that have no money that the government must not keep up, you know, the beneficiaries, the unemployed, soon to be unemployed, falling of the covid unemployment and such. They can just go get fucked, find a ditch to live in and learn the value of 'work'. Cause That is government. No difference between the lot of them.

            • Incognito 2.1.1.1.1.1
              15 September 2020 at 9:02 am

              Are you a speed-reader?

            • Adrian Thornton 2.1.1.1.1.2
              15 September 2020 at 9:24 am

              @ Sabine …. "Cause That is government. No difference between the lot of them" unfortunately that is exactly right, both Labour and National are free market liberal political parties, the only difference is in their delivery of this short sighted selfish ideology…one is driving straight toward the cliff, while the other is taking the scenic route.

              • Incognito …
                15 September 2020 at 9:57 am

                Yup, they’re all as bad as each other except they’re not.

                https://www.greens.org.nz/education_policy

                • Bearded Git …
                  15 September 2020 at 10:37 am

                  Thank you incog for some sanity….if people actually read the Green Party policies instead of listening to the gotcha hits from the Herald and Tova O'Brien they just might see who has progressive policies and vote accordingly.

                • Adrian Thornton …
                  15 September 2020 at 10:46 am

                  @Incognito, Look Shaw is a free market liberal, that is just a fact….and he was voted in by Green Party members…so of course by default their political ideology is tied directly to his leadership, and belief system, is it not?

                  "James Peter Edward Shaw (born 6 May 1973) is a New Zealand politician and a leader of the … Shaw believes that the market can be reformed to incorporate sustainability within its normal operations."

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Shaw_(New_Zealand_politician)

                  The problem with the NZ Greens is that while of course they are with out doubt better than the other two main parties, while they follow a Liberal free market ideology, they can only ever win some battles, but will without question lose the war..in other words under Shaws leadership and ideological direction they are on the same path as Labour/National, heading toward the same cliff..just in slow motion…but moving toward it none the less.

                  • solkta …
                    15 September 2020 at 10:58 am

                    So you don't think that word "free" actually means anything?

                    • Adrian Thornton …
                      15 September 2020 at 11:00 am

                      What do mean?

                    • solkta …
                      15 September 2020 at 11:02 am

                      When the word "free" is put in front of the word "market", do you think that actually means anything?

                    • gsays []
                      15 September 2020 at 12:25 pm

                      In the same way folk dismiss a sky fairy, it matters not what adjective you use to describe a 'market', in this use of the word, it is still an abstract fiction.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      15 September 2020 at 12:39 pm

                      A good point. The word free as its used in the term free-market means without rules or regulations.

                      And thus we see dangerous drugs, marketed as legal highs, enter the market.

                  • Incognito …
                    15 September 2020 at 11:04 am

                    Don’t you find it ironic that instead of focussing on the Education Policy of the Green Party you focus one on single individual? You also seem to know that individual very well and attributing certain powers (e.g. power of persuasion?) to this single person. How much influence do you ascribe to this person in setting out Policies of the Green Party? Why do you think this person apologised publically and profoundly to the Party and its members? Should we nominate this person for Oscar for best acting?

                  • aom …
                    15 September 2020 at 11:16 am

                    Adrian: Is it salient or just semantics to query the lack of the words 'Liberal' and 'free market' in your quote, "Shaw believes that the market can be reformed to incorporate sustainability within its normal operations."? It would not seem out of place for the Co-Leader of the Green Party to accept that there has to be some sort of market or means of exchange that incorporates 'green' controls. After all, the 'free' market is already riddled with controls that cater for the financial interests of 'the investors'.

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    15 September 2020 at 12:36 pm

                    Shaw believes that the market can be reformed to incorporate sustainability within its normal operations.

                    Amazingly enough, so do I.

                    I just don't think that capitalism can be. Need to get rid of the ownership paradigm that allows the few to bludge off of the rest of us.

                    • Adrian Thornton …
                      15 September 2020 at 1:07 pm

                      Maybe you are both right, however I have a strong suspicion you are following a fools errand with that one, I believe that when 95% of humans are allowed to open the pandora box that is the 'greed' motive deeply imbedded into the psyche they will act only for short term gain, which is of course exactly what we don't want….as Alan Greenspan actually had to admit himself…

                      And as free markets are and will always be chained to the unrelenting commodification of all resources for profit motive I fail to see how the end result I have described above could possibly be avoided?

                    • Incognito …
                      15 September 2020 at 1:08 pm

                      Well, in that case, you could vote for the Green Party 😉

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      15 September 2020 at 1:15 pm

                      I should clarify:

                      I think a market could be made to work with all encompassing regulations.

                      I don't think a free-market could be as there's simply no control.

                    • greywarshark …
                      15 September 2020 at 1:26 pm

                      I agree. If someone is a wealthy bludger, they should at least acknowledge it instead of just trotting round looking askance at anyone who isn't a high rater in the materialism and consumerism stakes which is all they seem to think about.

                      So if you see some ordinary folks on your lawn, give them some leeway; 'Don't be so quick to 'eave 'alf a brick, It's the missis, meself and the boys.' ex Pam Ayres

                      http://hummingblonde.blogspot.com/2015/01/poem-4-starlings.html

                    • woodart …
                      15 September 2020 at 5:09 pm

                      a free market is just a pyramid scheme that hasnt collapsed yet.

                • Sabine …
                  15 September 2020 at 11:13 am

                  lol.

                  yeah, retrain all the dears that lost their jobs over the last few month, pay them next to nothing (same as National btw) to do so while they live in their ditch, so as to learn the value of 'work'.

                  Yeah, same bull, just with sprinkles, pink glittery kinder gentler sprinkles.

                • greywarshark …
                  15 September 2020 at 11:13 am

                  Thanks incognito for your daily buoyancy and sense.

                  John Clarke has some great points about politics. Are we the same as Australians.

                  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5m5B_C2VB0

              • halfcrown …
                15 September 2020 at 11:44 am

                I like it 200%

            • Robert Guyton 2.1.1.1.1.3
              15 September 2020 at 11:52 am

              Sabine – you'll be delighted and encouraged by this news! It elevates the status of James Shaw.

              "Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz​ congratulated New Zealand on introducing the scheme.

              “Once again, New Zealand is leading the world,” Stiglitz said, in a video included with the press statement from Shaw.

              In a statement, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia welcomed the announcement.

              “This marks a significant step forward and demonstrates New Zealand’s exemplary leadership on the global issue of climate change and the sustainability of New Zealand’s financial system and economy,” RIAA chief Simon O’Connor said."

              https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/300107158/election-2020-financial-sector-will-have-to-report-on-climate-change-risk-in-worldfirst-move

          • RedLogix 2.1.1.1.2
            15 September 2020 at 9:44 am

            Here is the crucial point that that I made a week or so back; private schools essentially subsidise the state system, not the other way around has everyone assumes:

            The Government gives independent schools funding on a per student basis. This subsidy comes from a government allocation, which was set at $47.8m in 2020. The allocation is capped, regardless of roll growth, and the per-student subsidy is set by dividing it by the number of students.

            This year, private schools will receive an average of $1556.32 per student from the government.

            The pot of money allocated has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade, since a modest hike in 2010.

            Meanwhile, funding of state and state-integrated schools in 2019 was an average of $8475 per student. This includes property and operational funding as well as teachers’ salaries.

            In 2019, private school per-student subsidies, operational and salary costs were funded at 19 percent of the equivalent funding for state and state-integrated schools.

            Essentially, the Government saves money by keeping private schools open.

            Willing parents pay the majority of the cost of the schooling, while also supporting the public education sector through their taxes.

            (From Incog’s link above.)

            • RedBaronCV 2.1.1.1.2.1
              15 September 2020 at 11:09 am

              Well so far our private schools have not become profit seeking entities as far as I know. If I understand it correctly in the UK private profit making businesses are being handed state schools to run under an education trust type models -often with the parents having little or no say in the decisions.

              With the charter school model how long before something similar is tried here.

              I would have a real problem with a model that collected taxes from the general public then handed those dollars over to private organisations who generated profits and large salaries and used the left overs to actually fund an education.

              I'd expect even funds now handed out to private schools to come with some strict tags around maximum salaries etc. The government could start with the universities, tagging public funds to ensure excessive salaries advertising etc are not soaking up that money or the money the students pay.

              • RedLogix …
                15 September 2020 at 11:16 am

                That seems like a reasonable boundary. Although it has to be said the vast majority of independent schools in NZ are run by people who are doing it for a philosophical or religious reason, eg the Montessori, Steiner and Catholic schools.

                By and large making a profit is a relatively low consideration for them and I'd guess that the salaries being paid are nothing startling as a rule.

                • Macro …
                  15 September 2020 at 2:01 pm

                  By and large making a profit is a relatively low consideration for them and I'd guess that the salaries being paid are nothing startling as a rule.

                  Agreed. I have had the fortunate position having taught in State, Independent and Private schools and tertiary institutions over a 40 year career in education. My last teaching position was in a private Steiner school and I have to say that it was the most productive and amazing learning experience I ever had in the classroom. I was paid a fraction of the full salary I would have received in a State School. Contrary to popular belief none of the students at the school came from wealthy homes. Of the students in my class, one graduated at the top of her class in med school and is now working in mental health, another is a regional co-convenor of the Green Party and an elected member on a local community board. Another had been constantly absent from his local state school, and in desperation his mother asked if I could accept him into my class. He is now an engineering graduate.

                  On the other hand, the worst school I ever experienced was an elite private school on the North Shore. One of the words it has in its motto is "Aroha" – a quality distinctly lacking in the school's culture at that time. It was an extremely abusive climate, and my health still suffers. If I had not left when I did after 3 years, I know I would be dead by now. While I was there, one teacher who was under extreme pressure, committed suicide. The comments from the parents were "How could she do that to the children!"

                  Of the State schools, they also varied from extremely good to hopeless. The climate there was totally dependent on the senior staff and staff turn-over reflected that. In the worst State school I was only there on secondment for the last term of the year, having been "lent" from my permanent position so I could be with my parents in Wellington in the final days of their life. Almost half the staff at that school left on the final day of the school year, and my 3 months was one of the longest periods of service at that time in the school.

                  I have not previously participated in this ongoing debate on the Green's Education policy despite being a paid up Green member and personally knowing Catherine Delahunty, the Education Spokesperson for the Greens during her time as an MP and the person most responsible for the current Education policy. I do think there has been a lot of ill informed commentary on this matter and take my hat off to weka et al who have valiantly tried to keep the facts of the matter front and centre. There are many parts of the Greens Education policy that are progressive and would make a huge difference to our schools nation wide, but I am not so sure wrt the matter of private schools. As you note Red, they do have their place.

                  As a social worker in the late '60's one of my client families involved a young lad who was extremely able, but his whanau through circumstance, were no longer able to care for him. After working with them for some time it became apparent that they would love to see him being given the opportunity to attend Te Aute College. It was a great solution, they were able to enrol him and he enjoyed the school, and did well. He brought mana to an otherwise desperate whanau, and such an opportunity was not available in the State system.

                  • RedLogix …
                    15 September 2020 at 2:39 pm

                    Both my parents were teachers and their experiences align very much with what you are saying here. The classroom experience was usually fine, the staffroom experience varied a lot more. So much depends on the character and quality of the head teacher and staff.

                    But otherwise thank you for an informed view on this story.

                  • greywarshark …
                    15 September 2020 at 6:01 pm

                    Macro Is Te Aute still going?

                    And what reports have you heard about the InZone school program started in Auckland by the USA guy.

                    https://inzoneeducation.org.nz/

                    • RedBaronCV …
                      15 September 2020 at 9:00 pm

                      Does this actually work? It showed Auckland Grammer & Epsom as the schools but I thought it went on parent address – not a private hostel that fees are paid to? Also is it Maori & Pasifika or the ones who can pay a big fee?

                      These state schools are apparently pretty good at sifting out the parent who rents a short term flat etc too get their kids in or has some other fiddle going.

                    • Macro …
                      15 September 2020 at 9:41 pm

                      @ RedBaron – as far as I know yes the programme begun by the guy from the States still works. If you visit the website linked to by greyrawshark you will see there recent news items featuring past and present students who have benefited from the scheme. He has returned to his home town and has begun a similar programme there, although he keeps in touch with those the Auckland venture. There was a documentary about him and the programme a few years back. Both of the schools here were very supportive of the scheme, as were the parents.

                      @greyrawshark – Yes Te Aute is still going. It became an integrated school under the Kirk Government in the 1970's

                      In 1973, the college was again hit by financial difficulties, but a direct appeal for assistance to the Prime Minister, Norman Kirk, secured Te Aute's future. In 1977 an agreement between Te Aute Trust Board and the Government resulted in Te Aute becoming a State Integrated School.

                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Aute_College

                    • Macro …
                      15 September 2020 at 10:04 pm

                      @RedBaron

                      Here is a documentary recorded last year in which the founder and current director talk about the project

                  • greywarshark …
                    15 September 2020 at 7:20 pm

                    edit
                    From Macro 2.01pm

                    While I was there, one teacher who was under extreme pressure, committed suicide. The comments from the parents were "How could she do that to the children!"

                    I have teachers in the family. There used to be something called collegiality so that teachers worked together to share and learn from each other. But it wasn't noticeable at the primary school where my sister taught. The principal was at the behest of the school board, and could be unreasonable and played favourites with the teachers, certainly did not have a good working and supportive relationship with them all. My sister used to be given the kids that others couldn't control but in the end rebelled with one or two, and sent them to the Principal to deal with. She'd work till 11 pm most weeknights.

                    My brother retired early from his tech training classes as he found the boys too hard to control and – they could be quite confronting and undisciplined. He now builds guitars which he enjoys.

                    • Macro …
                      15 September 2020 at 9:57 pm

                      There used to be something called collegiality so that teachers worked together to share and learn from each other.

                      Yes very much a major factor in many schools. This was a matter that was earnestly protected back in the 90's with the desire by the Nat govt to move to bulk funding and performance pay. This was strenuously resisted by the PPTA and the teaching profession as such changes in renumeration practice would have lead to competitive practices and the loss of collegiality; and a subsequent decline in pedagogy. I remember that teachers at the time were willing to forgo an increase in salary, simply to retain the then current pay scheme and avoid bulk funding.

                • Incognito …
                  15 September 2020 at 3:07 pm

                  Teachers at integrated schools (a large chunk of these are Catholic schools) are paid by MoE (cue: Novopay).

                  • RedBaronCV …
                    15 September 2020 at 3:43 pm

                    Interesting replies above. I think integrated schools are generally a good thing in that they provide some diversity without I believe being allowed to charge massive fees (are they capped?) and the money goes to the schools not any profit related overheads, unlike the UK experience.

                    AFAIK theses schools also have to take (within reason) all comers so to speak and adhere to national curriculums. In other words non catholic can attend catholic schools.

                    I would have real trouble funding the likes of say Gloriavale because by design these are schools that exclude any who are not attached to the main "sect" for want of a better word.

                    • Incognito …
                      15 September 2020 at 5:26 pm

                      Education in state integrated schools is also funded by the government, but they usually charge compulsory fees — also known as ‘attendance dues’ — to help maintain their facilities. The amount is typically around NZ$1,500 a year.

                      https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/living-in-nz/education/school-system

                      Catholic schools accept about 5% ‘all comers’ (I think the term is “non-preference student”). If they accept more than their maximum roll, they will not get extra/additional funding for those students from MoE. In Auckland, there is a lot of pressure on (these) schools to accept students.

                    • greywarshark …
                      15 September 2020 at 5:55 pm

                      Knowing what your children are being taught is important. Is the curriculum balanced or indoctrinating? Some primary schools have quite disturbing religious instruction from people who are not teachers, and they may be taught the opposite to what parents believe and think appropriate.

            • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1.2.2
              15 September 2020 at 12:21 pm

              Willing parents pay the majority of the cost of the schooling, while also supporting the public education sector through their taxes.

              Economic crime costs up to $9.4bn

              By far the biggest component of that $6.1 to $9.4 billion was an estimated $2 billion a year in tax fraud – benefit fraud by comparison was thought to be about $80 million.

              Something tells me that, if they weren't stealing so much from us in the first place, we wouldn't have any trouble properly funding education up to, and including, all the private schools.

              And that was in 2014 – it would have gotten worse since.

          • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1.3
            15 September 2020 at 12:08 pm

            Of course we can afford to stop funding private schools. Where else do you think the money that funds comes from? The rich? The rich don't pay for anything as if they did they wouldn't remain rich.

    • Sabine 2.2
      15 September 2020 at 7:56 am

      but are they charter schools with double glazing and cyrstal gardens? If so its ok.

      Or is it only not ok when National does it, but when others do it they take one leader to sing mea culpa (befitting the old adage of ‘its easier to say sorry then to ask permission) and the other leader to stand there and add gravitas. (Stand by your man….lalalalala)

        • Robert Guyton 2.2.1.1
          15 September 2020 at 8:32 am

          What happened to the video I posted? It played successfully for a while, then disappeared!?
          Ha! Then reappeared!

        • gsays 2.2.1.2
          15 September 2020 at 8:41 am

          What a ticking time bomb the ' Land of the free, home of the brave' has become.

          I thought the thinking behind bearing arms, was to protect yrself from the state, not from yr fellow townsfolk.

          Cue some misguided comment about Trumps America. This has been building for years, while he has done nothing to calm the waters, this suits the presidency to the ground. Keep the people distracted while the corprotocracy rolls on.

        • Adrian Thornton 2.2.1.3
          15 September 2020 at 10:39 am

          This shit is nothing new….Obama changed nothing, in fact most statistics for African Americans went down under that useless free market, wall st lovin', drone lovin' smooth talking Obama….and then we all ended up with Trump…Obama's actual legacy….the forever downward spiral of free market capitalism literally punches us in the face with Trump, yet for some unknown reason most people still only see this governance and ideology as viable…so get get ready to get punched and kicked some more, till we are all on our knees begging for mercy.

          How Obama Destroyed Black Wealth https://jacobinmag.com/2017/12/obama-foreclosure-crisis-wealth-inequality

          America just spent 8 years with a black president. For many African Americans, it meant one big thing: freedom to ‘dream’ https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-obama-african-americans/

        • Grafton Gully 2.2.1.4
          15 September 2020 at 11:26 am

          Militias, police, lawyers, charismatic leaders, tribalism, race, exile. Mangatawhiri to Mohaka 1863 – 1872.

      • Bearded Git 2.2.2
        15 September 2020 at 10:41 am

        You seem to be obsessed with one small issue Sabine….surely policies related to bigger issues such as climate change and alleviating poverty should be taking centre stage so close to the election. Or are you a closet ACT voter trying to destroy the Greens?

    • Gabby 2.3
      15 September 2020 at 11:33 am

      Taxpayers Union will be right onto that, for sure.

  3. Tricledrown 3
    15 September 2020 at 7:42 am

    National candidate makes false claims about his work / business acumen.

    Collins moans about lockdown staying at 2.5 and 2 in the South Island saying South Islanders are fed up yeah fed up with National undermining our efforts.

    Seymour chimes in what an idiot.

    Looking around the World those countries that are following the National ACT business before people's lives are not only allowing people to die unnecessarily their businesses and economies are in much worse shape.

    Con woman Collins and slimy Seymour making idiots out of themselves for cheap desperate political gain.

    • tc 3.1
      15 September 2020 at 7:59 am

      Media anywhere on the nth harbour Nat MP ? Granny has the full size National party pop up ad you have to remove to read the banner and insert nat party ads alongside the page also.

      Our owned media.

    • Treetop 3.2
      15 September 2020 at 9:36 pm

      Political gain is ahead of the health of the nation. I have always had the view that good health is better than having money.

  4. ScottGN 4
    15 September 2020 at 8:25 am

    @tc 3.1

    Those are just paid National Party ads on Stuff and the Herald. I doubt they have much to do with the editorial line of the papers themselves. The pop up banner ad on the Herald sure is annoying though.

    What is interesting is that National must spending loads on these ads and Labour doesn’t seem to be spending anything much at all so far?

    Saw a post on Twitter that claimed the Nats are in trouble in Rotorua, a seat they won comfortably in 2017. Tukituki has also been talked up as a possible Labour gain.

    • Dawn Trenberth 4.1
      15 September 2020 at 9:04 am

      I think the research shows direct voter contact is what makes an actual difference. No one changes their vote or gets out to vote because of an advertisement. Talking to people, listening to their concerns and explaining things such as how you can get enrolled to vote or where their nearest polling booth is can make a difference.

    • Bearded Git 4.2
      15 September 2020 at 10:43 am

      The picture of Jacinda with a netball team on the front page of the ODT today is all the advertising Labour needs.

  5. PsyclingLeft.Always 5
    15 September 2020 at 8:25 am

    JLR…aka Simon Bridges bagman.. ex nat party whip and otherwise scumbag. Has found somewhere..

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/426050/election-2020-jami-lee-ross-not-contesting-botany-seat

    • Peter chch 5.1
      15 September 2020 at 9:17 am

      Someone please tell me the claims in this article by JLR are bs re the chances of Advance NZ gaining any seats, lists or otherwise.

      I have ignored these nutters until now as I thought they were just a sad joke. Maybe not (still a sad joke, just now also a dangerous sad joke).

      • Matiri 5.1.1
        15 September 2020 at 10:38 am

        We have quite a few 'supporters' in our small rural top of the south island community – pro Qanon, anti-1080 -vaccination – fluoride -5G anti you name it! They are very vocal on Facebook but not one of them turned up to the Advance NZ candidate meeting or cafe meet up here this week I hear. Are they enrolled to vote and will they actually bother to vote?

        The candidate has not signed up to contest the electorate yet, but there are still 3 days to go and a small matter of $300 to pay.

        • Peter ChCh 5.1.1.1
          15 September 2020 at 11:30 am

          North of Nelson by any chance? Takaka?

          • Matiri 5.1.1.1.1
            15 September 2020 at 12:55 pm

            No Peter ChCh, south of Nelson halfway to the West Coast surprisingly.

            • woodart 5.1.1.1.1.1
              15 September 2020 at 5:14 pm

              tell them the election is just a hoax designed to get them into a booth and take their dna , that will enrage and please them equally(thats a whole other conspiracy)

        • greywarshark 5.1.1.2
          15 September 2020 at 11:45 am

          It might pay to be informed about anti 5G instead of just dismissing a group protesting about something new. It took a time to get people to take Covid-19 seriously, thank goodness we did. Every new bit of technology can't be good. Perhaps we need to get vaccinations each year against the new influx of technology.

          The latest is that our Polytech in our smart city is talking about developing pilotless planes. Our polytechnics were where people went to get skills for jobs. Now they are about to develop systems that will replace people's jobs. That's progress folks.

          And it probably means that we will become a small centre for developing armed force systems and munitions; there is money in those, probably the biggest manufacturer and systems development in the world. And then there is space equipment to spend money on.

          Meanwhile the people's skills and the communities of the living on Planet Earth try to continue with our humanity and our civilisation – until the land is commandeered for some august purpose or growing palm oil trees for profit.

          • Peter ChCh 5.1.1.2.1
            15 September 2020 at 12:20 pm

            The problem is that Polytechs went from largely trades based ('skills for jobs') to believing that they are universities. They are not! Their degrees are mostly regurgitation, rather than critical thinking.

            The pilotless planes research is the stuff that BE students do, usually as part of their Masters or Phd. It really has no place in a Polytech.

            And as for those useless BAdmin etc that many Polys churn out as a way to scam overseas students, dont get me started!

            • greywarshark 5.1.1.2.1.1
              15 September 2020 at 12:25 pm

              That was my impression about Polytechs, under neolib influence though. You seem to have some definite knowledge.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.2.1.2
              15 September 2020 at 12:55 pm

              The pilotless planes research is the stuff that BE students do, usually as part of their Masters or Phd.

              Or you can, like, download it off the internet. And then play with it in your own time and learn that way.

              Learning isn't restricted to schools and universities. IMO, its a life long endeavour which our society hasn't really taken into account yet.

              • McFlock …
                15 September 2020 at 2:12 pm

                To steal a bit from Plato, self-learning is walking around in a dark cave. You'll probably be okay feeling around slowly, but you might get overconfident and walk off a ledge into a chasm (think people who watch too much youtube theories).

                You get a teacher who knows the field and has a structured plan (doesn't have to be university or whatever, but some sort of a tutor or master.apprentice), and they're shining a torch at items of interest in the cave. Pretty soon you have a good idea of where everything is and the shape of that cave – and where the pitfalls are.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  15 September 2020 at 2:53 pm

                  When I was at polytech getting my degree a couple of years back it was, essentially, directed self-learning with deadlines. IMO, this works quite well but we need to find a way so as to get everyone involved in it.

                  So we do have teachers and structured plans and degrees showing progress but it's not limited to only those who go to the school/polytech/university.

                  As I say, the government, and society in general, hasn't really twigged to the fact that learning is a life long endeavour and that we need to encourage it and recognise the milestones that people achieve even if they haven't gone to school to achieve it.

                  • McFlock …
                    15 September 2020 at 3:05 pm

                    "Directed".

                    And polytech ain't university, traditionally. For a phd you specifically need to somehow increase the sum of all human knowledge. To qualify as a swiss watchmaker they give you a sheet of steel and you make a watch using the knowledge they taught you.

                    I don't disagree that "self-taught" can be a thing. Most people who claim it have big gaps in their knowledge. And might not have thought it through.

              • woodart …
                15 September 2020 at 5:22 pm

                self learning has no profit in it. big $$$ in teaching you how to learn (sorry, selling you a qualification). bloody utube has cost forprofit education a fortune…..righto, off to have a go at dentistry

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.2.2
            15 September 2020 at 12:52 pm

            Now they are about to develop systems that will replace people's jobs. That's progress folks.

            Yes, it is. Requiring less people to do stuff means that the nation can actually do more stuff. That's actually how a nation become richer both culturally and economically.

            • Peter chch 5.1.1.2.2.1
              15 September 2020 at 1:13 pm

              Agree Draco, but sadly the strategy under both Labour and National for decades has been to replace jobs by new more efficient technology (good), then leave many deskilled and in low paid jobs (bad), then introduce even cheaper labour via backpackers and other non resident imports that will work more for even less (ultra bad).

              Just seems like the underpants theives on South Park. Successive governments just seem like they only understand the first step. No overall strategy.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                15 September 2020 at 2:46 pm

                The government see a profit off of an action and decide to do more of that action and look for export markets resulting in stagnation and even destruction (see our waterways).

                What needs to happen is that, once the local market is met, that resources get shifted to something else and thus we get diversification and development.

            • greywarshark 5.1.1.2.2.2
              15 September 2020 at 3:05 pm

              But we don't want to become richer as a nation. That's in the past. That's going round countries robbing them of their resources, that is always wanting growth. That is separating off into income stratas and spending time always wanting, not being grateful and happy and enjoying what we have.

              You are stuck in the 20th century DTB and it's no good being there because it led us to here and it is not good being in the world at this time watching it be destroyed. And the worst is, finding that when people get better off in the western world, they get meaner. So it doesn't help society to be happier and enjoy their lives. And then it is a ratrace to get more and change the car for a better one, and the curtains and the lounge. Wasteful use of resources is the result.

              So your idea above is bollocks.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                15 September 2020 at 3:23 pm

                But we don't want to become richer as a nation.

                Yes, we do. We really don't want to return to the past.

                Higher productivity doesn't necessitate growth but it does allow people to live better lives.

                You are stuck in the 20th century DTB

                Yeah, no.

                What have I said on here over the last 10 years that makes you think that I think that the present system is good?

                Even the comment that you responded to was, in its way, pointing out the failure of the present system which seeks only to do more of the same stuff rather than doing different stuff and developing the economy and society.

                • greywarshark …
                  15 September 2020 at 4:09 pm

                  You are sincere DTB but stuck in the premises of the mind of the 20th century. After WW2 we had the rest of the century to compose ourselves and get on with using our intelligence to make a sustainable and happy society. So yes you may not agree with what happened then, but it is too late to start again. We had one chance and we blued? it.

                  And in line with my startling discovery (to me) of what was very plain but I hadn't processed it, we are incapable of living just better lives and also ensuring that all others around us have their needs attended to as well (so all have satisfactory lives). That leads to limiting our lives against excess, which would mean closing bars down at reasonable hours so limiting alcoholism by the vulnerable etc. You won't agree with that probably. Alcohol is a big drain on the nation's purse, and saps individual's vigour and their families are impacted too.

                  Higher productivity doesn't necessitate growth but it does allow people to live better lives.

                  Which people? The few producing? What about the others once employed perhaps doing the dirty jobs? They might have liked the camaraderie, the physical activity that went along with that, and would stick at it provided they got paid decently.

                  The reason that your idea has got big holes in it, is the fact that people like to work. That's most of the time. They will go on working for nothing if there is a crisis, and they think it is important to carry on. Our surnames tend to be formed from the trades that people carried out; miller, smith. There is satisfaction in a skill and it has always been part of the esteem felt by others. Women usually don't get differentiated in old family histories because they did everything and didn't earn their living from it, though in 15th/16th centuries there were Wif,Wife,Husewif surnames.

                  Jobs, earning, are important to self-esteem and to the sort of recognition you get from society. No-one respects the unemployed, and women being disrespected caused the feminist push in the 1970s, If there are fewer jobs, with higher productivity, will the unemployed be enabled to find their own gifts, pursue them, and be paid adequately for their own contribution to the life and outputs of their home town? They aren't now, and in the next few months it will be interesting to see how government treat those not able to get any or enough employment to keep themselves plus families in secure, warm housing.

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    15 September 2020 at 4:31 pm

                    That leads to limiting our lives against excess, which would mean closing bars down at reasonable hours so limiting alcoholism by the vulnerable etc. You won't agree with that probably.

                    Pretty sure you'll find that I've suggested doing just that.

                    Which people? The few producing? What about the others once employed perhaps doing the dirty jobs?

                    • I'm against capitalism and keep saying that we need to get rid of it.
                    • Its the many the produce, not the few. The capitalists are the ones stealing from everyone else. This needs to end (see the bit about capitalism).
                    • Probably happier now that they don't have to do them (Yes, I've done those jobs).

                    The reason that your idea has got big holes in it, is the fact that people like to work.

                    There's a difference between liking to work and being challenged and doing the chores. We get rid of the chores and develop better challenges.

                    If there are fewer jobs, with higher productivity, will the unemployed be enabled to find their own gifts, pursue them, and be paid adequately for their own contribution to the life and outputs of their home town?

                    Yes and yes.

                    They aren't now

                    Of course not as our economic system only rewards the rich by allowing them to steal from everybody else but where have I said that we need to keep the failed system that we have now?

                    And, after all that, none of you diatribe addresses the fact that better productivity does allow better living.

                    • Low productivity gives you no porcelain toilets nor the pipes that take away the sewage nor the treatment plants.
                    • There won't be electric ovens nor fridges in every house.
                    • No gibboard or pink batts providing better insulation to keep people warm.

                    The list is long in the ways that higher productivity leads to better living. The fact the present system of capitalism abuses it doesn't make it wrong – just shows that we need to get rid of capitalism.

          • Stuart Munro 5.1.1.2.3
            15 September 2020 at 3:37 pm

            If they can build pilotless planes, hydrogen based lighter than air freight should become realistic – one way to expand airfreight volume in spite of decreased passenger traffic.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.2.3.1
              15 September 2020 at 4:44 pm

              They've had pilotless planes for awhile. All that's needed is a simple auto-pilot once its off the ground and even landings are now automated.

              Standard aircraft, as far as I know, still don't have an automated take-off but something tells me that the same difficulties don't really apply to lighter-than-air craft.

              Hydrogen would be the major problem, IMO, in what you suggest as if that goes up in flames there'd be several tonnes of freight possibly falling over inhabited land. It's not just the pilots and passengers that are a concern.

              • greywarshark …
                15 September 2020 at 5:07 pm

                Could happen that an area could be wiped out by fire from a hydrogen fuelled aircraft and we could have the California happenings as a result. It wouldn't be wise to risk using hydrogen.

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_fuel

                Hydrogen fuel is hazardous because of the low ignition energy and high combustion energy of hydrogen, and because it tends to leak easily from tanks. Explosions at hydrogen filling stations have been reported.

                Hydrogen fuelling stations generally receive deliveries of hydrogen by truck from hydrogen suppliers. An interruption at a hydrogen supply facility can shut down multiple hydrogen fuelling stations.

      • Uncle Scrim 5.1.2
        15 September 2020 at 10:44 am

        The Public Party/Advance NZ (and others like the Tamaki's Vision and the ONE Party) didn't register at all in the last major (CM, NRR) polls, like not even 0.1%. Of course that might change in the next polls.

      • RedBaronCV 5.1.3
        15 September 2020 at 11:15 am

        I sometimes wonder if we need more unions back. Apart from the obvious wages and conditions stuff, they were a path to leadership and gave some sort of a voice and solidarity to various groups of people who often don't have a lot. Is some of this quite normal "need to belong" transfering to organised religion or organised conspiracy theories?

        • Peter ChCh 5.1.3.1
          15 September 2020 at 11:27 am

          Very good suggestion Red. The old FOL did indeed provide a positive structure and framework that is now missing. Seems that sector (employees representation) is now a fractured shell of what it once was.

      • Matiri 5.1.4
        15 September 2020 at 11:27 am

        David Farrier on RNZ looks at how this political lunacy has developed so quickly here in NZ.

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018763932/david-farrier-on-red-pilling-and-covid-19-conspiracies

      • Peter 5.1.5
        15 September 2020 at 2:55 pm

        The chances of their party winning Te Tai Tokerau are as great as there are that my mum, a polio hobbler, will be picked at halfback and captain for the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup games. She died 11 tears ago.

    • Treetop 5.2
      15 September 2020 at 9:41 pm

      The election result for JLR is going to be painful.

  6. PsyclingLeft.Always 6
    15 September 2020 at 8:30 am

    Am I surprised by the nats newfound Interest in Rail? AND the Environment.Gotta laugh : )

    Bishop says a train route to Mosgiel makes sense.

    "If you work here in the Dunedin CBD and you live in Mosgiel, rather than getting into your car you will have a, you know, potentially you will have a transport option of getting on the train in the morning and going home again in the evening.

    "That's not only great for the environment but it's also great for congestion on that route.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/425991/national-south-island-transport-plan-focuses-on-safety-cycling-rail-and-bridges

    • Peter chch 6.1
      15 September 2020 at 9:13 am

      Makes good sense though. The geography and urban pockets of Dunedin are much like Wellington, and lend themselves well to suburban rail.

      We can actually play the idea as good or bad, rather than solely focusing on who said it.

    • Stuart Munro 6.2
      15 September 2020 at 9:14 am

      Crikey – that took them long enough to work out. Used to get the railcar out to Mosgiel to pick fruit back in the day – growers'd pick you up there – worked well for all concerned. Must’ve been forty years ago – plus ca change.

    • McFlock 6.3
      15 September 2020 at 2:16 pm

      Of course it's a good idea.

      The problem is schedulling a decent commuter system around the freight trains. That's what got in the way of a DCC trial happening this year.

      Fucking nats turn up a day late, a dollar short, and always promise delivery for tomorrow.

  7. PsyclingLeft.Always 7
    15 September 2020 at 9:19 am

    Hmmm, of course its a Good Idea…and has already been previously promulgated.

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/interest-rail-needs-testing-mayor

    nats taking heed of Union : )

    “The Rail and Maritime Transport Union, representing about 50 workers at Dunedin Railways, submitted a proposal on Thursday as part of a consultation process with management.

    Options in the proposal included a commuter service to local destinations such as Mosgiel and Port Chalmers, or establishing a long-distance passenger service between Dunedin and other cities on the main south line.”

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/railway-workers-respond

    Apart…from that.. the point of my comment is the Irony of the nats newfound..etc etc But you knew that right : )?

    • Peter ChCh 7.1
      15 September 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Yes of course I did. But seriously, the time for rail revival for commute has arrived. Its amazing to look back at Auckland rail system 20 years ago and compare it to today. And the year on year growth says it all. And thats before the City Rail Link opens. After that, another massive leap I would expect.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.1.1
        15 September 2020 at 12:39 pm

        Hi sorry if got that wrong. Just wondering if your user name is based Christchurch?

        You probably know this?

        'However, the Public Transport Users' Association Christchurch spokesperson Tane Apanui said he was disappointed there was no commitment to a commuter rail service.

        "We've had no assurances whatsoever from local council, regional council or central government – in fact it seems to have dropped off their radar completely.

        "It appears that all the councils and the government pay lip service to our concerns but when it comes to the crunch they never follow through."

        Mr Apanui is proposing a rail service that joins the North Canterbury townships of Amberley, Waipara, Rangiora, and Rolleston and Darfield, with the city.'

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/381059/govt-lip-service-to-concerns-about-chch-commuter-rail

        https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/24-11-2018/a-new-plan-for-christchurch-rail/

        Rail.Just makes Sense.

        • Peter chch 7.1.1.1
          15 September 2020 at 1:05 pm

          I think one of the problems in ChCh re commuter rail is the north rail line wanders somewhat after it leaves the Amberley area, diverting inland to Rangiora. Makes for a long slow journey.

          Plus the area has straight motorway with excellent connections and relatively light traffic. Also, since the quake, ChCh lacks a meaningful CBD (more decentralised now).

          The South line is maybe a goer, from Rolleston and through the industrial areas of Hornby and Blenheim Rd.

          ChCh sprawls, and it just getting worse. The council just seems to have let ChCh become endless to the west. No real pockets of population like Wellington or Dunedin.

          • greywarshark 7.1.1.1.1
            15 September 2020 at 1:43 pm

            A little gift for train watchers – City of New Orleans. It’s like watching the passing of the idea that was the United States of America. Modern and effective and happy and good living. Now it’s :

            And all the towns and people seem
            To fade into a bad dream
            And the steel rails still ain’t heard the news
            The conductor sings his song again
            The passengers will please refrain
            This train’s got the disappearing railroad blues

          • woodart 7.1.1.1.2
            15 September 2020 at 5:28 pm

            yes chch must be biggest city in sq k now

  9. Dennis Frank 9
    15 September 2020 at 9:44 am

    Breaking news: https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/300107158/election-2020-financial-sector-will-have-to-report-on-climate-change-risk-in-worldfirst-move

    “New Zealand finance companies will be made to report on climate change risk, Climate Change Minister James Shaw has announced. The policy will force about 200 large financial organisations in New Zealand to disclose how exposed their business and investments are to climate-change related risk. Any bank, credit union, building society, investment scheme, insurer, or Crown Financial Institution with more than $1b in assets will be required to either disclose this risk or explain why it has not.”

    “These 200 or so institutions will cover 90 per cent of the assets controlled in New Zealand, and includes large crown investors such as ACC and the NZ Super Fund.”

    “While other countries are working on similar schemes, New Zealand is the first to introduce one – although entities will not be required to report on climate risk until 2023 at the earliest. ”

    “Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has congratulated New Zealand on introducing the scheme. “Once again, New Zealand is leading the world,” Stiglitz said, in a video included with the press statement from Shaw.”

    • Dennis Frank 9.1
      15 September 2020 at 9:52 am

      The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has welcomed the New Zealand Government’s announcement today that it will require the business and finance sector to report on climate risks. “This marks a significant step forward and demonstrates New Zealand’s exemplary leadership on the global issue of climate change and the sustainability of New Zealand’s financial system and economy” said RIAA CEO Simon O’Connor.

      “This requirement makes a pivotal contribution to New Zealand’s comprehensive engagement on climate change and help New Zealand to deliver upon its commitment to the Paris agreement. Once implemented, investors will be better able to price and value companies within the portfolios they manage, as well as realign portfolios to contribute to a lower carbon world.” https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300107180/live-government-announces-worldfirst-climate-change-rules-for-financial-reporting

  10. joe90 10
    15 September 2020 at 10:16 am

    The most pro-life pres ever…

    /

    Ms. Wooten also expressed concern regarding the high numbers of detained immigrant women at ICDC receiving hysterectomies. She stated that while some women have heavy menstruation or other severe issues that would require hysterectomy, “everybody’s uterus cannot be that bad.” Ms. Wooten explained:

    Everybody he sees has a hysterectomy—just about everybody. He’s even taken out the wrong ovaryon a young lady [detained immigrant woman]. She was supposed to get her left ovary removed because it had a cyst on the left ovary;he took out the right one. She was upset. She had to go back to take out the left and she wound up with a total hysterectomy. She still wanted children—so she has to go back home now and tell her husband that she can’t bearkids… she said she was not all the way out under anesthesia and heard him [doctor] tell the nurse that he took the wrong ovary.

    Ms. Wooten also stated that detained women expressed to her that they didn’t fully understand why theyhadto get a hysterectomy. She said:“I’ve had several inmates tell me that they’ve been to seethe doctorand they’ve had hysterectomies and they don’t know why they went or why they’re going.” And if the immigrants do understand what they’re getting done, “some of them a lot of times won’t even go, they say they’ll wait to get back to their country to go to the doctor.” The rate at which the hysterectomies have occurred have beena red flag for Ms. Wooten and other nurses at ICDC. Ms. Wooten explained:

    We’ve questioned among ourselves like goodness he’s taking everybody’s stuff out…That’s his specialty, he’s the uterus collector. I know that’s ugly…is he collecting these things or something…Everybody he sees, he’s taking all their uteruses out or he’s taken their tubes out. What in the world

    https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OIG-ICDC-Complaint-1.pdf

    https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/like-an-experimental-concentration-camp-whistleblower-complaint-alleges-mass-hysterectomies-at-ice-detention-center/

    • McFlock 10.1
      15 September 2020 at 2:54 pm

      4 more years will take the USA to Wannsee 1942.

      • greywarshark 10.1.1
        15 September 2020 at 4:51 pm

        Legalized discrimination against Jews in Germany began immediately after the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933. Violence and economic pressure were used by the Nazi regime to encourage Jews to voluntarily leave the country.

        The ideology of Nazism brought together elements of antisemitism, racial hygiene, and eugenics and combined them with pan-Germanism and territorial expansionism with the goal of obtaining more Lebensraum (living space) for the Germanic people. Nazi Germany attempted to obtain this new territory by attacking Poland and the Soviet Union, intending to deport or exterminate the Jews and Slavs living there, who were viewed as being inferior to the Aryan master race.

        Beware of one's own unpleasant tendencies I think. It is important to not let the genie out of the bottle in politicians, who are close to that potent fuel, the mixture of power and hubris:

        Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely!

        Another – Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.

        from – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton

  11. joe90 11
    15 September 2020 at 10:43 am

    Barking.

    Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.

    – Charles Mackay

    https://twitter.com/Jared_Carrabis/status/1305521504365535232

    • Andre 11.1
      15 September 2020 at 11:42 am

      It's all good. That southwest corner of Utah is kinda high on my list of places with lots of fun things to go and do in the outdoors. So if a bunch of the stupider inhabitants self-cull before my next chance to go there spend time having fun, all the better.

    • greywarshark 12.1
      15 September 2020 at 4:28 pm

      Our leaders will attempt to examine the possibility of life in some distant star by hook or by crook even if it kills us. It's the finding out that counts.

  13. greywarshark 13
    15 September 2020 at 1:09 pm

    Warning long rant.

    Bloody bikes. And mountain bikes have become as invading and pernicious as motor bikes. Men and machines – what is it? Get out in the open air on your two legs, enjoy the world instead of trying to jump off it into space for a short time. Do things for yourself, by yourself, you don't need a machine all the time. And people are beginning to hate you, see you as vandals and savages. In Nelson an area was set aside for a mountain bike track, but that wasn't enough for the m-bikers, some of them chopped down other trees so they could go where they want.

    And machines instead of walking. Those scooters – in a few years there will be weakened right legs with muscular left after doing all the work. Then the motorised ones that swish past as fast as cars but on the footpaths. And of course the bikes ridden by adults and children at speed and disconcerting everyone’s peaceful existence. Bicycles will have to have registration plates I think, where they can be seen as you lie on the footpath and they go swiftly out of sight.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426071/hawke-s-bay-community-says-mountain-bike-park-plan-disastrously-bad-idea
    About 900 people in Eskdale have signed a petition to stop the development, and accuse the Hastings District Council of keeping the conversation behind closed doors.
    But the council says it is very early days.
    Eskdale Park is north of Napier, where many from the region come to relax and unwind by enjoying a picnic or swimming in the river.

    (And the behind closed doors sounds familiar. The males are not known for their retiring ways, if they want something they advocate strongly, and there are many middle class males with time and money and expensive machines who have taken up this sport, and they get on Councils and places where their say is It. And who can deny them their rights to have what they want, being healthy and fit in the outdoors – Godzone.)

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1
      15 September 2020 at 2:42 pm

      What's with all the bloody sexism? I know just as many women who bicycle as men.

      BTW, bicycling is better exercise than walking as it targets more muscle groups and does less damage to the body.

      And if the sign says cycle track then don't walk on it as its a bloody road.

      • greywarshark 13.1.1
        15 September 2020 at 2:53 pm

        edit
        Ho, it's mainly males who are into mountain biking; the females are the obsessive sports mad ones.

        And I don't care about whether cycling is better for your health or not it isn't good for the health of people walking to have machines riding round and past them, with cyclists imposing themselves into what used to be a peaceful and enjoyable exercise.

        And if it says cycle track then only people who can't read would expect there not to be cyclists on it. But when it's a footpath that doesn't work in the other direction does it.

        • Draco T Bastard 13.1.1.1
          15 September 2020 at 3:14 pm

          Ho, it's mainly men who are into mountain biking.

          [citation needed]

          Really, all the women cyclists I know also go mountain biking.

          And then, of course, it doesn’t matter who is mostly doing the riding same as it doesn’t matter who is doing the typewriting.

          And if it says cycle track then only people who can't read would expect there not to be cyclists on it.

          Councils have an irritating habit of making them both and its stupid. And when I go out riding I always find people walking on the cycle paths. Both happen, largely I think, because many people mistakenly believe that bicycles, unlike cars, are safe.

          And all the cyclists I know will stay off footpaths.

          • greywarshark 13.1.1.1.1
            15 September 2020 at 3:37 pm

            You're a saint DTB and always right.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 13.1.1.1.2
            15 September 2020 at 7:19 pm

            Aye. I joined CAN

            https://can.org.nz/

            to support Cyclists. There are sadly "some" Cyclists who are boneheads…vastly outnumbered by bonehead vehicle steerers.

            The casualty/death statistic of Cyclists in NZ caused by vehicles…is appalling.

            I've talked to overseas Cyclists (Dutch, German, Scandinavian…but all Countries) and they have never struck the slack driver attitudes…some bordering on hate (purposely steering at/going as close as possible : ( of NZed.

            Re dual use tracks. I fitted a bell on all my Bikes (yes i have a few : ) Doesnt work on the earbud/ph txting doofus. Or the Dog…that is running free ahead of the owner…on tracks that specifically say "Dogs on leads.Under control"

            Anyway… On your Bike : )

      • Grafton Gully 13.1.2
        15 September 2020 at 6:21 pm

        "targets more muscle groups" Needle in the V – gentle now.

    • Grafton Gully 13.2
      15 September 2020 at 6:18 pm

      Secret places where the bikes don't go.

  14. Dennis Frank 14
    15 September 2020 at 3:54 pm

    Back when everyone knew politics was sure-fire death by boredom, the yippies proved it could be fun, so I got a way to game the system. Just provide an angle nobody else has thought of, then watch it catch on as everyone realised they too could escape boredom via an unconventional way forward. https://www.history.com/news/yippies-1968-dnc-convention

    So to Abbie Hoffman's definition of free speech, thoughtfully recycled by Matt Taibbi recently: Free speech is the right to shout theatre in a crowded fire.

    https://taibbi.substack.com/p/dont-steal-this-book

    Steal This Book was trite. I recall my copy being on my bookcase for at least a year before someone stole it. Didn't notice the vanishing until at least three decades later when I went looking for it, so no problem. His FBI file "was 13,262 pages long" according to Wikipedia.

    By the late 1960s, Hoffman and Rubin had come to believe that American politics and culture had devolved into a state of abject absurdity.

    Deja vu all over again again.

    During an anti-war march in 1967 in Washington, DC, Hoffman, Rubin and the poet Allen Ginsberg organized a public exorcism of the Pentagon. Dressed in wild costumes and aided by Mayan healers, the crowd attempted to cast out the demons of war and even to levitate the massive five-sided home of the U.S. Department of Defense.

    You can imagine the young Donald Trump watching, going "Hmmm, these wackos are actually onto something. I need to think more like that!"

    “The image was the message,” says Jonah Raskin, an emeritus professor of communication studies at Sonoma State University who was friends with Hoffman and wrote the 1992 biography For the Hell of It: The Life and Times of Abbie Hoffman. Raskin describes Hoffman and Rubin’s colorful protest methods as “guerilla theater” tailor-made for TV cameras.

    Hoffman and Rubin’s ragtag crew didn’t officially become the Yippies until January 1968 when the group got high in a New York apartment and dreamed up the best way to protest the upcoming convention in Chicago. The Democratic party, in their eyes, had become the “National Death Party” for its staunch support of the Vietnam War.

    Unfair to target the leftists: the death cult of mainstreamers has always been stauchly bipartisan, as Richard Nixon would shortly prove. Taibbi links to now:

    In Defense of Looting is supposed to be the woke generation’s answer to Steal This Book, another anarchist instructional published in an epic period of unrest… So this is a 288-page book written by a Very Online Person in support of the idea that other people should loot, riot, and burn things in the real world. Style-wise, In Defense of Looting continues the impressive streak of the woke movement having yet to produce a single readable piece of literature.

    Showing his age. Youngsters who spend their lives on the phone can't reasonably be expected to produce literature.

  15. RedBaronCV 15
    15 September 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Another case of " moan moan moan, me me me " again. If you can't sell your private language course without a work visa then you are selling the visa not the course. Another of our super bright business sectors shows how dumb they really are. And no mention of the locals who need to compete for those jobs and the cost of the welfare to support them.

    This sector needs to see the changes as an opportunity and upskill or reskill and not depend on the government for help. That's what the unemployed get told isn't it?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426078/bid-to-retain-work-visa-option-for-students-stuck-overseas

    • Stuart Munro 15.1
      15 September 2020 at 5:50 pm

      Well thank God for that – the immigration traders hollowed out the industry for the actual ESL teachers and their genuine clientele – who were a small but fairly select group usually doing it as prep for higher education.

    • Treetop 15.2
      15 September 2020 at 9:51 pm

      Coming to any country is a privilege and not a right. When there is growing unemployment people need to ask who is the priority an overseas student with a work visa or a person seeking work who is on unemployment.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Infrastructure & home building slumping on Govt funding freeze
    New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 hour ago

  • Brainwashed People Think Everyone Else is Brainwashed
    Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 hours ago

  • Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen Clark
    Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 hours ago

  • NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
    Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    13 hours ago

  • Your mandate is imaginary
    This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    18 hours ago

  • 14,000 unemployed under National
    The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    20 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political mood
    Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    20 hours ago

  • Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
    National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    21 hours ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    22 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-01T22:07:29+00:00