Open mike 15/04/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 15th, 2016 - 81 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen 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 …

81 comments on “Open mike 15/04/2016 ”

  1. Jenny 1

    Cynicism or Satire?

    http://www.theonion.com/article/exxonmobil-ceo-relieved-it-finally-too-late-do-any-52732

    As the climate crisis deepens, it is getting harder to tell.

    • pat 1.1

      hmmm….toss a coin

    • weka 1.2

      Satire. Good satire, because it pokes the borax at not only the CEO class but all the ordinary people who would rather the world burned than having to change.

      It’s only too late if you think the only thing worth saving is human civilisation. If you think that life itself, including people, species and ecosystems have inherent worth beyond their use to civilisation, then it’s not too late to do something.

      The ‘it’s too late’ meme is the last refuge of the denialists (where we see that it’s not about their disbelief in AGW, but their fear and greed and belief that they can’t live without fossil fueled society). But the bigger danger is in the people that want to do something but feel powerless or don’t know how to give up what is required. If they buy into the meme, then the momentum of change will stall.

      • pat 1.2.1

        Think that much is obvious….one has to wonder about the thought processes of the likes of Tillerson however….an aging individual of great wealth (40 mil US pa package) , has children…..what drives them to push this line when they and theirs already have more material wealth than they could possibly use in their remaining time?….bloody-mindedness?

    • ianmac 1.3

      Satire but behind the scenes really really true.

  2. maui 2

    Clinton v Sanders political debate from Brooklyn, New York is on at 1pm NZ time today. Broadcast by CNN, there might be a live stream on their website.

  3. saveNZ 3

    The .1 percent are the true villains: What Americans don’t understand about income inequality

    http://www.salon.com/2016/04/14/the_1_percent_are_the_real_villains_what_americans_dont_understand_about_income_inequality_partner/

  4. Problems with Parliament’s Cabinet Manual…

    Circular reasoning, a casual treatment of democracy, and some assertions that are just plain wrong.

    Link

  5. Lucy 5

    Is anyone else really pissed off with Richie being invested in Order of NZ? He has definitely devalued the system of picking 20 great living NZers. He has done one thing in his short life – chased a ball around a field for 80 minutes a week for about 30 weeks a year for which he has been paid millions. What has he done to enrich the lives of people in New Zealand.
    If we were going to give this honour to someone younger then I would have voted for someone like Nano girl who at least has upped NZ girls interest in science! For him to say that it does not come with a title is disingenuous as he just needs to make a call and he can start calling himself Sir.
    This has taken the Order of NZ back to the honours system when you just had to be a mate of the PM’s to get a gong and has totally destroyed the intention to make the O of NZ about 20 people who had truly enriched NZ life and culture.

    • Bearded Git 5.1

      Agreed Lucy. If he had done another 30 years worth of charity work or something meaningful for the community (like Ian Botham, though he got a knighthood too early) then in 2046 when he was 62 or so you could argue the case.

      Just being able to play rugby well and being a mate of the PM’s should not be enough. In fact his craven support for the new flag as a hired hand should have disqualified him on that count alone.

    • ianmac 5.2

      Been wondering about that too Lucy. Its not that I am anti-Richie who has been a great rugby player. But it just seems a bit thin for him to be in such illustrious company. Murray Halberg was a great athlete and he founded the Murray Halberg Trust to help the physically disabled. Has Richie equalled that effort? I think Richie is helping the elderly by investing in shares in Old Folks homes if that counts?
      I was surprised that Key was not by the Governor General’s side at the Investure.

    • maui 5.3

      Absolutely, I agree he’s not worthy of a knighthood, so why should he be given greater recognition by being put in the top 20 honourable kiwis!

      Also anyone who puts their name behind a crap house building company like Versatile and helps create banal suburbia should also get demerit points imo, not honours.

    • Hami Shearlie 5.4

      Totally agree Lucy!

  6. Anne 7

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/301526/helen-clark's-toughest-job-interview

    Check out the images and comments from “Pete” at the end of the article. Is that the Pete from The Sewer? In my view they border on slander and should be swiftly removed by RNZ.

    • Roflcopter 7.1

      Which of those statements posted by Pete is untrue?

    • Bearded Git 7.2

      I loved Clark’s passionate and lucid explanation of how she fought against apartheid.

      Now isn’t there a prominent citizen who can’t even remember his position on this issue…

      • Anne 7.2.2

        BG @ 7.2
        There’s a news clip out there of a young Helen Clark being manhandled by a police officer during an anti apartheid protest around 1978 I think. A group of young men were trying to pull down a barbed wire fence erected to keep them out of Eden Park and Helen Clark happened to be standing only a few metres away from the action. The next thing she was being lunged at by this cop. If he’s still alive I bet he keeps a low profile. 🙂

    • Anne 7.3

      Ooops. Looks like Pete’s gone. 😈

  7. greywarshark 8

    Coming up on Radionz – sound interesting. Bill takes care to watch and learn about Fukushima!

    9:20 am Monday 18 April: Tilman Ruff
    Tilman Ruff
    Global Health Professor, Tillman Ruff from the University of Melbourne says a true picture of the catastrophic health fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is emerging.
    The meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant was triggered by the tsunami that followed a magnitude 9 earthquake which struck off the Pacific Coast of Japan . Tillman Ruff says leaks from the defunct plant are continuing, tens of thousands of people are still displaced, and there is an emerging thyroid cancer epidemic.

    Then,Bill Phillips was one of our bright people that wasn’t able to pass his acuity to the rest of us, leaving us to indulge ourselves in an ancient Egyptian practice as our main pursuit,(soaking ourselves in asses milk).

    11:25 am Wednesday 20 April: Alan Bollard on the life and economics of Bill Phillips
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Phillips_%28economist%29

    He developed a machine that demonstrated the working of an economy.
    (I don’t think it was like ours is.)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC
    Perhaps now he is the ghost in the machine?

    (Sorry if I have confused someone. I have shifted this to Open Mike myself – put in on Twyfords Housing post by mistake.)

  8. joe90 9

    Live stream for today’s CNN Democratic presidential Debate.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMN9q2BGsyE

    • adam 9.1

      We are at half way.

      And I’d say Bernie is winning. Hilary got Booed at one point.

      Hilary’s talking points sound to much like PR spin. And she looks really rattled at times.

      Bernie looked like he was getting beaten on gun control, but he managed a come back. But Hilary won that part of the debate.

      Every other point, especially minimum wage, Bernie wiped the floor of Hilary. She actually lied, and was pulled up by moderation.

      • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1

        Yes dear 🙂

        • miravox 9.1.1.1

          🙂 Sabine has really had an impact on you PR. I’ve seen your ‘yes dear’ popping up all over the place.

          Now you just need to work out the context in which she used that phrase.

  9. Puckish Rogue 10

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/labour-denies-doctoring-hopeless-worker-tape-2016041416#axzz45qMmwGSL

    “It’s really disappointing actually. They’ve doctored the tape recording to take out the bit where he says ‘this is what some in the industry say’, and they’ve doctored the bit which says ‘we need to help these people to make sure they get employment’.

    Mr Lees-Galloway concedes the recording is a partial one and started recording after hearing a question about immigration. He missed the start of the answer, but maintains what was released is accurate.

    No surprise there, Labour indulging in some Dirty Politics to attempt to score a hit

    • joe90 10.1

      darvo
      /

    • Roflcopter 10.2

      It’s almost lying by omission.

      • Puckish Rogue 10.2.1

        Labour can’t even do Dirty Politics properly

        • weka 10.2.1.1

          You really are a nasty little shit PR, of the mindfucking variety, who has no ethics and minimal morals and who has large disregard for the truth as part of your political MO. Your comments here are a complete misrepresentation of what what happened. That’s deliberate IMO. I’m sure you will trot out some oh I didn’t really mean that bullshit when confronted on it, so I’m not even going to bother pointing out where you are lying. Others can go read the article for themselves.

          What I’m getting today is that you simply don’t care about what dirty politics is, how serious it is, and how much damage it does. And that you are pretty happy to misuse that concept to smear your political opponents. I’m sick of your constant astroturfing/trolling and think from now on I will just name it as such.

          Puckish Rogue, liar, shill and troll.

          • Puckish Rogue 10.2.1.1.1

            Oh bugger off you sanctimonious twat

            Lees-Galloway deliberately released the recording knowing without the context provided that it would sound bad, he knew it wasn’t representative of what English was saying but he released to try to get a hit on the government

            It failed because Lees-Galloway was sloppy and now you’re all “waah waah waah” , you’re quick to label whatever the National party does as “Dirty Politics” but whenever Labour is exposed its a different story

            • adam 10.2.1.1.1.1

              yes dear

            • Stuart Munro 10.2.1.1.1.2

              No only rude but wrong – public statements are not dirty politics.

              It sounded bad because it was bad – like everything about this disgustingly corrupt and treacherous government.

              Labour should stand silent while the crooks lie – crooks like you? Fuck off PR – if you can’t pretend to be polite, and you be bothered being truthfull failoil is your natural home.

              • Puckish Rogue

                It sounded bad because it wasn’t what Bill English said, it was what Lees-Galloway recorded, without the context, and what he gleefully published and what the mouth breathers on here lapped up without a second thought

            • weka 10.2.1.1.1.3

              But that’s not what you said. As I predicted you now come back with a different story. Seen you do this so many times. You are a liar, and I’m not going to sit by and let and amoral fuck like you distort a critical political concept like DP for your own ends. My comment isn’t about LG or Labour (go read it again) it’s about disingenuous fuckwits like you who are happy to burn down the house. As someone else said, piss off to WO because I’m sick of the endless lies and deliberate mindfucking with the political culture of NZ, including the debate culture here. You are quite capable of communicating without telling lies, but you choose to lie as a way of trolling here. You are so disrespectful I can’t even be bothered telling you to up your game. Puckish Rogue, liar, shill and troll, time to make that plain and clear.

              • BM

                Do you approve of what Lees-Galloway did?, it’s fairly obvious he’s gone out of his way to misrepresent what Bill English said.

                Feeble amateur hour dirty politics from Labour.

                • weka

                  Pay attention. I haven’t yet expressed an opinion about LG (or Labour). My comment is about PR’s behaviour. But seeing as how everyone keeps replying to me about LG, I’m going to add hypocrite the list of adjectives for PR.

            • miravox 10.2.1.1.1.4

              weka’s not wrong PR and you know it.

          • Nessalt 10.2.1.1.2

            So lees-galloway got caught out using an altered recording that he suckered compliant media into using to attack his political opponent, which apparently is dirty politics methodology 101 according to the trustafarian hager. PR has called it dirty politics, because if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck then….. it must be a duck. or dirty politics in this case.

            you’ve lost it for some reason I can’t quite fathom? is it because whats been said all along, both sides are guilty of using such practices, is true? and your carefully maintained imaginary construct of somehow the left being purer than pure has been shattered?

            • miravox 10.2.1.1.2.1

              Lees Galloway says that the recording was not altered Nessalt.

              Pretending it was and attacking someone for something they didn’t do and feeding it to media mates… Now that’s dirty politics101.

              • BM

                But Lees Galloway heard the comment in it’s entirety

                When you include the ‘this is what some in the industry say’, and the ‘we need to help these people to make sure they get employment’, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what Bill English.

                That fact that Lees -Galloway went to the media with a non accurate version which he knew was misleading and then claims what Bill English said was this appalling outrage is dirty politics 101.

                • It was entirely accurate and Bill English agreed he’d said it. And meant it. ILG 1, Dipton 0.

                  • BM

                    Without the other bits the recording is completely out of context,

                    Anyway, wrong score, should be LG 0, Dipton 3

                    First goal is that that vast majority agreed with the misleading version anyway, some kiwi unemployed are farkin hopeless and do need a kick up the arse.

                    Second goal, is that Labour leapt in on the side of the lazy and useless therefore further cementing it’s position in the voters eye as the bludger party.

                    Third goal is the feeble dirty politics blowing up in Lees -Galloway face.

                • miravox

                  Bald-faced lies about doctoring is one thing, playing a tape of what someone actually said is another.

                  Even if the rest of the answer was recorded (noting here the PMs version of context doesn’t provide any), English still said some young men were hopeless. That was a wrong thing to say. If he wants to plead context he should have stated the situation some young men were in, not the young men, were hopeless.

                  English has had 30-odd years in politics to learn to say correctly what he believes. If he doesn’t believe what he said should apologise and rephrase. Not go on about context that he didn’t use when making the offending remark. If he does believe it, own it – personal responsibility and all that.

                  There is no need for the PM to be planting lies about doctoring recordings. Simple enough.

                  • Nessalt

                    it’s wrong to tell the truth then? some young men ARE hopeless. otherwise how would the qualifier, that something needs to be done to fix this, make any sense?

                    the left bang on about fixing problems, but if you can’t talk about them how can you really fix them?

                    “Something is wrong with my car, I’m sure what, but I can’t tell you what something is. so throw money at it till it’s fixed

                    • weka

                      Miravox – “There is no need for the PM to be planting lies about doctoring recordings.”

                      Nessalt – “it’s wrong to tell the truth then?”

                      lolz, the epitome of what is wrong with the RW shills.

                    • miravox

                      right..

                      BE says young men are hopeless
                      LG records BE saying young men are hopeless
                      LG plays recording
                      Nessalt agrees with BE that young men are hopeless
                      and Nessalt says “It’s not wrong to tell the truth”

                      so… If there is nothing wrong with telling truth (as BE sees it, and Nessalt agrees with) that’s that then.

                      Unless they don’t want to be seen to be telling the ‘truth’.

                • weka

                  When you include the ‘this is what some in the industry say’, and the ‘we need to help these people to make sure they get employment’, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what Bill English.

                  Please link to your source for those quotes.

    • Gabby 10.3

      Did you leave out the bit where he said he agrees with them accidental-like or on purpose, purple knob?

      • ianmac 10.3.1

        There are some people who are unwilling or unable to work reliably. Always have been. Not sure of the causes. Not very bright? Unable to concentrate for long? Uneducated? Feel worthless? No understanding of work ethic?
        There always have been some at the bottom of the employable heap. Maybe society has to accept that they exist and just carry them like others who are handicapped.

        • Draco T Bastard 10.3.1.1

          +1

          Thing is, if we gave them the right support they’d probably turn into fine citizens.

          • greywarshark 10.3.1.1.1

            Probably the ones ianmac is talking about, the wily, sly slippery types that are fun to see on film running rorts on horse races etc., well they would always be there being the tricksters, but they would also do a job and earn if there were jobs, They would be panelbeaters, van drivers, on roadworks gangs, and labouring guys, jacks of all trades and work when they had to.

            But they would just slip away an hour early or something, or pinch the tea money that was saved for the Friday night drinks. Nothing big, just annoying and if their tendencies were known, you would know to keep an eye on them.

    • BM 10.4

      What a weasel Lees-Galloway is.

      It’s a shame, but it’s what you expect from labour these days.

      • Puckish Rogue 10.4.1

        Labours new motto should read: The end justifies the means

        • weka 10.4.1.1

          Puckish Rogue today is being a liar, shill and troll. That latest comment looks like flamebaiting too.

          • Jester 10.4.1.1.1

            You need to chill Weka. You’re sounding abit unhinged.

          • Nessalt 10.4.1.1.2

            Want to prove the he’s telling lies weka? kind of makes you a liar if you are calling someone else a liar when you know they are telling the truth.

            Clucking pretty hard on this aren’t you? thought “gotcha” politics was finally paying off for you?

          • greywarshark 10.4.1.1.3

            It’s time that TS tightened up – circulate the trolls with one month stand downs or something. It is not a great blog with all of the wasps trying to make stinging remarks. Put’s me off the picnic, and letting them do it shows that someone is a sandwich short.

            You can send me off for uttering full frank and transparent opinion but it will be no loss to me. And before some grouch says it, you may think it no loss to you. But I think my little excursions add a different perspective, something to break the repetitive skewed comment-and-put-down reply. Ignore them FGS. And I put links usually so add some detail rather than swop self-righteous sneers. That way no-one’s IQ is raised.

        • locus 10.4.1.2

          @ the sad wee trolls who rush in to derail whenever a national politician has been found wanting or arrogant or a liar:

          your manipulative framing, accusatory remarks and deflections are always transparent, and in my view just add to the overall disgust I have for the dirty politics that have characterised this last national government

          …… English was rightly called out for his cynical and arrogant comments ….. this is not “gotcha politics” this is a Labour politician honestly fed up with the denigration of others

          and the pm’s misleading and twisting to try to muddy the waters won’t get Englih off the hook

    • miravox 10.5

      The thing is, the item you’ve linked to says the PM is complaining that Bill English’s comment was taken out of context. Yet when the paragraph with the apparent context is quoted, the offending phrases are not in it.

      That’s not context or proof of doctoring. That’s spin.

      And yes, the PM is better at spin than Labour. Although frustrated by it, I’m a little bit proud of that.

      • weka 10.5.1

        +1 and me too for the last bit.

        reposting this,

        He knows it’s a lie, but he’s repeating it anyway.

        And that’s what gives away National’s strategy. Both on the flag and on the UBI, their coordinated response is to lie over and over again, and trust enough people will reprint the lies until they become truthy.

        So, how does an opposition respond? Well it can’t stop National telling the lies, because Voltaire. And only the most boring and small-thinking oppositions say so little that there’s no opportunity for malignant mischief from their opponents.

        I think the opposition’s best option is to name the behaviour, over and over again. It works in parenting, and it works with this.

        They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. So when National infects our public conversation with lies and excuses, I’ll be here on Public Address providing a little ray of sun.

        http://publicaddress.net/polity/let-the-big-lies-flow/

    • weka 10.6

      Right, for the people that don’t understand what I am on about I’m back on the laptop now and going to explain.

      PR said,

      http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/labour-denies-doctoring-hopeless-worker-tape-2016041416#axzz45qMmwGSL

      “It’s really disappointing actually. They’ve doctored the tape recording to take out the bit where he says ‘this is what some in the industry say’, and they’ve doctored the bit which says ‘we need to help these people to make sure they get employment’.

      Mr Lees-Galloway concedes the recording is a partial one and started recording after hearing a question about immigration. He missed the start of the answer, but maintains what was released is accurate.

      No surprise there, Labour indulging in some Dirty Politics to attempt to score a hit

      Let’s break this down,


      “It’s really disappointing actually. They’ve doctored the tape recording to take out the bit where he says ‘this is what some in the industry say’, and they’ve doctored the bit which says ‘we need to help these people to make sure they get employment’.

      That’s John Key, known liar and Dirty Politics operative. Key lies so routinely now that it’s very easy to see which things in his statement need checking. The word ‘doctoring’ has a big stonking red flag on it, because (a) even Labour wouldn’t be so stupid and (b) it’s got CT carefully selected term written all over it. A word designed to obliterate the truth and do maximum damage. It’s the same old shit.

      Here’s what LG said in response, most of which PR left out,

      Mr Lees-Galloway concedes the recording is a partial one and started recording after hearing a question about immigration. He missed the start of the answer, but maintains what was released is accurate.

      “Nothing’s been rearranged or added or swapped around so I think he’s a bit desperate if he’s trying to clutch at that,” Mr Lees-Galloway says.

      “What we produced was a recording of what Bill English said. All I can say is those are the words Bill English used. The only one who smeared the National Party is Bill English.”

      The recording was stopped after Mr English had finished answering the question.

      So Key says LG doctored the tape. That means something quite specific. LG says the tape was not doctored or altered and that he was late starting recording English so missed a bit. That on the face of it is plausible. He also says that he believes that the points he made yesterday are still relevant.

      There is nothing to suggest that LG doctored the tape apart from an unsubstantiated assertion from Key and from PR. If the tape was doctored, and there was a deliberate decision to misuse the recording to undercut English/National then we might be getting close to Dirty Politics. But it wasn’t. Do I think LG was wise to handle this in the way he did? Probably not, but I didn’t follow all of the coverage yesterday so I don’t really know.

      Did Bill English call a class of young men looking for work ‘pretty damned hopeless’? Yes. Does putting that in context make it more acceptable? Not really. Leaving out the context doesn’t make this Dirty Politics.

      All PR had to do was be honest about all that. Instead he yet again selectively quoted (oh the irony) to do some Labour bashing and to run a nasty RWNJ meme, that Labour do DP as well. They don’t. No-one really does except for National. This doesn’t mean that all other political parties are squeaky clean, and it doesn’t mean that shitty stuff doesn’t happen. But it’s not DP. Which everyone in this conversation already knows, including PR, BM, and Nessalt.

      So, fuck the lot of you who engage in this shit. I’ve had enough of the thread derailments, the slander, and the false framing. I know that PR and BM are both easily capable of putting up intelligent, coherent, meaningful comment from a RW perspective. I have no problem with that. But this lazy-arse trolling and Labour bashing is the politics of the nasty party and I’m just going to keep naming it for what it is.

      Am I overreacting? No idea. PR is a master of the understated trollbait. And wow do you quantify years of this kind of thing undermining political culture? I think it’s more that I’ve just reached the end of my tether.

      Grey, I didn’t really understand you comment, so all I can say is that ignoring trolls doesn’t work, it just cedes the space to them.

  10. joe90 12

    Thou shalt not criticise.
    /

    Two days after the announcement of her hiring, the Sanders presidential campaign suspended its national Jewish outreach coordinator, Simone Zimmerman, on Thursday after revelations that she had posted vulgarities about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Facebook.

    “She has been suspended while we investigate the matter,” Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Senator Bernie Sanders, wrote in an email.

    Ms. Zimmerman’s suspension comes after a report on Wednesday in The Washington Free Beacon, which found a Facebook post in which she used a vulgarity and described Mr. Netanyahu as “arrogant, deceptive, cynical” and “manipulative.” She then used more aggressive language and continued that he had “sanctioned the murder of over 2,000 people this summer.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/14/bernie-sanders-suspends-jewish-outreach-coordinator-after-reports-of-her-criticisms-of-israel/

  11. Bob 13

    Has David Cunliffe sold his place in Herne Bay? If not, something seems fishy…
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78875326/our-121-mps-have-interests-in-295-properties-between-them

    As Mickeysavage said HERE “They only own the one place and have no other property holdings whatsoever” “Addendum: For the benefit of the National Party Research Unit when I say “own” I mean “have a beneficial interest in””.
    He obviously has no beneficial interest in it any more.

  12. Tautoko Mangō Mata 14

    This is part of an interesting blog discussing :Why Bernie Sanders is LESS protectionist than Hillary Clinton. It deals with the “anti-trade” accusation often levelled at TPP protesters.

    Is opposing trade agreements like NAFTA or TPP anti-free trade?

    In the current election discussions about trade, opponents of post-GATT trade agreements often get tarred with the brush of Donald Trump-like xenophobia. It is worth remembering that these agreements, while admittedly taking further the kind of tariff-cutting begun with the GATT, are not primarily about non-discriminatory free trade. They reflect neo-liberal ideas about optimal economic governance and public policy that have been, rightly challenged, both from the perspective of national sovereignty, but also from a more cosmopolitan point of view (particularly the protection of monopoly rents from intellectual property). Among the clearest explanations of these difference is to be found in Dani Rodrik’s The Globalization Paradox: the “deep integration” to which post-GATT trade agreements seek is not really based in classic free trade theory but a more recent and more questionable (and questioned) economic orthodoxy.

    http://worldtradelaw.typepad.com/u

    If you click on comments, there is this illuminating gem:
    “first, in a couple places, you seem to equate intellectual property rules in trade agreements with neoliberalism. I can’t speak for all neoliberals, but as a card-carrying neoliberal myself, let me just note that in my view, the excessive intellectual property protections in modern trade agreements are the furthest thing from neoliberal. In fact, they are better described as statist interventionism/corporate welfare than neoliberalism.”

    TPP ain’t free trade!

  13. lprent 15

    That was annoying. The outage just after 1500 was caused by an upgrade to WordPress 4.5. One of the plugins that is not in the test system; a plugin tester that was meant to be uninstalled months ago, was still in the real system. Apparently because its admin directory had a live open and unmoveable file.

    It was calling a deprecated wordpress function that was removed in 4.5. That call to deprecated API was actually the reason I removed it in the first place.

    So the upgrade caused the site to fail…. but it’d worked fine when testing. Now to write a better sync between the test system and the real site.

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

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