The psychological surveillance “dataddiction” of the power elite, spying on media outlets since 2002, how 9/11 was allowed to happen and more
This is a good article covering the basics of how and why a global surveillance state has been put together over many years, with an embedded video describing how US intelligence community turf wars a) allowed 9/11 to happen (senior decision makers for their unknown own reasons repeatedly prevented operational staff from acting) b) covered up afterwards, repeatedly lying to or disinforming elected officials c) then constructed a vicious and false criminal case against against Thomas Drake, decorated USAF and USN officer + former senior NSA executive turned whistleblower on budget waste and anti-constitutional activity in the NSA.
WASHINGTON’S BLOG: Do you think we already have tyranny in the U.S.? Or how close do you think we are?
THOMAS DRAKE: We’re not an actual fascist surveillance state in the traditionally defined sense of the word.
Even the Stasi – who were the dreaded secret police in East Germany, a country upon which I became an expert during my RC-135 crypto-linguist and electronic warfare days, during the latter days of the cold war, even going into the ’70s, when they would use rather harsh techniques on their own population, or dissidents, or those who were considered enemies of the state – they actually went to psychological techniques.
The term they used was “zersetzlich” – the German translation is “to decompose”, really to fragment you, to isolate you. That’s psychological … and that has far greater greater impact.
So what you would do is selectively go after certain people to send the message. So you don’t have to be taking people off the street each and every day. Because that’s an obvious thing, and you’re going to resist it.
Remember, this is ultimately about social control. This is about social tracking. [He’s right.] It goes far beyond any stated purpose of providing for common defense ….
This upends it, because now you’re using the very instruments of power to track and control your own population. And it’s better [from the perspective of those in power] to do it behind the scenes and without the population knowing fully how you’re doing it, as opposed to being on the street with tanks on the corners.
I did not see The Nation yesterday and am about to watch it online. However, I just read Tim Watkin’s post on Pundit on the interview with the Children’s Commissioner from the Feeds here.
Apparently Dr Russeell Wills stated yesterday on The Nation that benefits for children need to be raised by about 50% to bring them back in line with the level available prior to the Mother of all Budgets in the 80s and 90s. He also advocated a universal payment for all children up to the age of 3, according to Watkin.
Wow! But as Watkin says, will the media etc sit up and take note of Dr Wills ?
Here is the link to the article and video of the relevant part of The Nation (there is also a link to the transcript in the actual article)
re boston/wills interview:..and their prescriptions..
..it’s very good/powerful..
..the ‘moment’ to watch for is when owen is told by wills that she will have to stump up to fix child-poverty..
..owen physically squirms in her seat..and is thrown/gets flustered/blushes..
..then she gets petulant..
..then be amazed by how the panel then just totally ignore child-poverty..and spend an inordinate amount of time doing pointless wheel-spins around et-impersonator..colin ‘chem-trails’ craig..
..and i wonder how much longer this saturation-coverage of craig will end..?
..is this a concerted-effort to raise his profile/poll-ratings..by the corporate-controlled media..?
Wow, the interviewer got really upset when Jonathan Boston said that all benefits needed to be raised.
Interesting that she’s always saying that the retired people need to take a hit for the children rather suggesting that we raise taxes. It’s almost as if she’s got tunnel vision.
I thought Lisa Owen (the interviewer) did pretty well – in my view, asking that question was simply about trying to address something that appears to be a deciding factor for voters at present – i.e. how do we afford it. I agree, though, that it didn’t require an either/or framing (retirees vs children), it limits the way people think about ‘affordability, however I think the binary nature of the question might have been addressed by the interviewee (I can’t quite recall for sure if it was).
The either/or manner of thinking came up again re education and Farrar’s suggestion that to get good primary education money needs to be taken off tertiary. What limited thinking. The person from Auckland University Pacific studies centre responded well to that, shame he got cut-off though….
Yes, I am just pondering that, especially because it showed up twice.
Am wondering whether it is about limited ways of thinking (i.e. failure on the part of the interviewer) or limiting peoples’ ideas on how the problem can be solved. (i.e. actively encouraging people to think in a limited way on how affordable addressing this issue is).
It certainly promotes the idea that those on the lower rungs have to squabble amongst themselves for the scraps. Where else will the money come from? From more distributive taxes/approaches? Shock, horror, don’t go there! ( 🙂 )
I kind of love how the vegan cheesecake recipe is … a cheesecake recipe with the words “dairy-free” added a couple of times (and, bizarrely, “paprika for sprinkling”).
Hello! Stephanie, I have a question for you, which I originally posted on Open Mike on Wednesday, 11th June. here ’tis:
“I heard there is a campaign launch for Ohariu Labour on 25th June at the J’ville Community Centre and that David Cunliffe will be attending. I was really keen to attend but have now found out that it is a fundraising dinner and I can’t afford the $50 ticket. I’m also assuming it’s more for members than the general public.
Will there be an opportunity for the public to get along to a meeting with Virginia Anderson (and David Cunliffe?!) and hear about what Labour has to offer prior to the candidates meetings?
Great to see the flyers appearing in the letterbox btw. Big ups to all the hard working volunteers.”
Hi Rosie, the dinner is a fundraiser open to anyone who supports the campaign. There’ll definitely be plenty of other events like meet-the-candidate meetings – if you follow Ginny’s Facebook page all the details will go up there in advance. 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/virginia.andersen.ohariu
Thanks Stephanie, and sorry to bother you. I’m not on facebook otherwise I would have asked the question on Ginny’s page. I do view it, but can’t comment.
Unfortunately I won’t be able to go to the fundraiser, no funds to do so! I do hope it’s a good and successful night though and that you’re getting good responses from the door knocking efforts.
2014 has to be the historic year that Ohariu says goodbye to Peter Dunne.!!!
Ta phil – I like the sound of the lentil and apricot soup – although I’d keep it chunky rather than blend.
and the comments under the article are classic and many lols, for example
“what will you cook for me at a vegan barbecue ? I DONT EAT vegetables , only meat ?
thanks x”
“Nothing – you’ll eat what’s on offer or go without. Your choice. It was called a vegan BBQ because the food is vegan. Not too hard to understand, is it? btw, not all vegan food is vegetables.”
“..and i think one of the most powerful/coherent..and ultimately ‘fair’ policies..
..is the one that wd allow pasifika to return to their homelands after retirement..if they should so choose..
..and to be able to take their nz pensions with them..”
Nice idea. Many Pasifika people seem to get stuck with employers that demand “flexibility”, you know that ol’ chestnut, “flexibility”, so only fair for NZ to offer “flexibility” in regards to retirement/living options. Why not eh.
Just heard Key on this mornings Media Watch he was “one of us – the tax payers”
Is he ? Why don’t you do a fact check just to see how much tax Mr Key “actshully” pays.
Ian Grant
Whilst that fact check is being done how about proof of his PM salary being donated to charity, Shinkey is on record as calling the Nat party a charity so evidence please John.
All Key has ever said about this in public is that he donates “a good part” of his leader-of-opposition salary to “charities and good causes” and he intends to continue the practice if he becomes PM.
Now that he is on record that he thinks the National Party counts as a charity, we have a good indication of how widely he might interpret the phrases “good causes” and “a good part”.
I see the elite wealthy yachties have the hand out again to go off and play in Ellisons next circus.
Interesting politics and timing as dalton reckons its over in a few weeks when he would’ve known this date for months.
Cue some tough talking from John and joycee ending in a rollover and cash to see them past 2014 and give the next govt that decision they lack the bollocks to make.
Pretty sure i heard on my wireless something to the tune of Joyce was offering 5 and Grant wanted 10, million that is,
The news on that same wireless just quoted an ”unnamed private sponsor” as saying Grant hadn’t been back to them asking for some actual up front cash,
i have to wonder about these people, Heroes all,Dean and Grant, us lot have been milked by how many millions now so these clown’s can gad about on the mill pond,
Barely a month after the last bout of selfless sacrifice from our Heroes, Grant and Dean, where an unkind person would have raised suspicions that the ‘team’ had installed a handbrake aboard,(or perhaps Larry cunningly installed a weight disadvantage by smuggling a tonne of filthy lucre aboard), Dean, ever the impoverished struggler managed, according to the Herald, to sell off the million dollar house in one of Auckland’s pricier suburbs,
Phew, homelessness may have loomed for Dean had it not been for the lucky chance of finding a vacancy a few doors further up the same street from the previous lackluster abode, saved from becoming just another vagrancy statistic by being able to stump up something in the order of 5 million we all breathed a sigh of relief,
Seems fair tho don’t you think, hell according to Nick Smith a bedroom these days costs 900 thousand…
Is it strange that the Minister and MP, Paula Bennett who is the representative for for the Westies should abandon the area for a “better” electorate? West Auckland, made notorious for its crime by TV shows like Outrageous Fortune, does not have the resources to stop violence in an area increasingly affected by inequality, according to those working in the area. …. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10159389/Once-upon-a-crime-in-the-West
What a great little lady she is!
Only that she sure as hell should take her leopard skin-clad noddy wagon into the nearest paint and panel for a quick ‘cashy’ job. Midnight Blue perhaps?
She’s already taken advice on other aspects of ‘re-imaging’ including the haircut.
Suzie (Darling) Wood will be so proud of her (even though she’s [Suzie Darling] neglected to take advantage of the last visit to the Caci Clinic – the TVNZ make-up artist ran out of plasticine)
I feel uncomfortable with the Herald story on the family backgrounds of the 12 and 13 years olds charged in connection with Mt Kumar’s murder in Henderson.
It is very clear that this information is being provided by the police to the media. Why?
I feel that this information should be presented in a court context.
It is very clear that this information is being provided by the police to the media. Why?
It would be in the public record which the journalists would have access to. Hell, there may even be a bit in the newspapers about whatever court cases that the parents were involved in.
Also the journalists may have talked to the neighbours. (They would have done if they were any good). Assuming the Herald still has a court reporter a search of the court news would have been pretty simple.
Where is this ‘public record’ journalists (and it would have to be available to the public) can access?
If the parents’ criminal record was obtained from the paper’s own court reports/records it would surely be attributed as such.
Media don’t seem to cover small-time court now, so they would not have that info, and even if they did it would not show relationships.
Courts are notoriously arcane places from which to extract information after the fact.
The most likely source for this story is high ranking police.
And I feel uncomfortable with the fact that one of the teens who assaulted and killed the 15 yr old after a rugby game gets let off totally from being charged with manslaughter – is there a different standard for poorer boys and not-so-poor boys ?
JK its got nothing to do with money, the boy died from a heart condition.
I know of a case where a guy was shot in the face and back by three people at close range with frozen paint balls from high powered paint ball guns. He fell to the ground and died, apparently of a heart attack and no one was charged with manslaughter. I was surprised by that.
Yes how unfortunate for the facts to get published when some on the left want to spin their bullshit and try to blame poverty or lack of police. No surprise it was just violent feral scum breading more violent scum.
This morning Wallace Chapman interviewed American human rights lawyer and prison campaigner David Forte who blames an ‘excess of direct democracy’ for some states’ grossly high incarceration rates (there are huge differences between the best and worst states).
Allowing direct election of prosecutors, judges, and laws in some states engenders ‘this one-way ratchet of punitiveness’ according to Forte.
And recently Swiss voters rejected caps on top CEO pay, and a higher minimum wage, so it’s not just the USA where direct democracy does not work.
The Forte interview was part of Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint.
Direct democracy requires that the populace is educated, informed, and has access to all the facts presented in a fair manner.
From this, you can see how those with power start to influence the outcome of direct democracy.
By the way, in those US states with “grossly high incarceration rates” I think you will find that hispanics and blacks are very poorly represented in voter turnout: rich white counties will be where the voters are from.
CV, what David Forte is saying is that direct democracy produces reactionary outcomes. No group is immune from manipulation by those with money and power.
And Draco, no fancy software will change the fact.
The answer is to elect (at least some) politicians with integrity who think for themselves, rather than party hacks who identify with power.
As Marilyn Waring told The Nation this weekend no-one remotely like her could get through party selection for National now.
There is a very creepy photo of CC on Stuff. He is reclining in some type of bullrush grass and is gazing soulfully into the camera lens. It’s very scary. A little bit reminiscent of DC who had one taken reclining by a beach which I thought at the time didn’t seem quite right. I don’t no why. Maybe because it is usually a more feminine thing to do. Hope to see one of key sometime time soon reclining somewhere…….. preferably Hawaii.
East Coast Bays looms as his top option, and there are rumours that the sitting MP, Foreign Minister Murray McCully, may be offered a diplomatic post to ease him out.
But it seems no-one’s told the voters in the electorate yet and McCully told the Sunday Star-Times he would rather “saw off his arm with a rusty screwdriver” than take a diplomatic post.
…
McCully said yesterday he had no intention of stepping aside. “I am the National Party candidate for East Coast Bays and intend to campaign to win the seat.”
Asked if he would soft-pedal or withdraw if Key asked him to, he did a partial sidestep.
“I won’t answer that question, but what I will say is leaders and boards do sometimes make strategic decisions and caucus members need to understand that.
“But I have not been asked to consider any of those issues. I have had no suggestion made to me that the leader and the board would put me in that position . . . other than from the news media, who I regard as unreliable correspondents in this respect,” he said.
Looks like he is being seductive and inviting Maggie Barry, Paula Bennett, Murray McCully and John Key to join him for a five-some conservative frolic in the grass.
Oooh. ” ICKY ! ” doesn’t cut the mustard here. So where goes the age old advice about voters running hell for leather in the opposite direction from strange men ? Was this pic that raunchy Christine Rankin’s idea ?
The conservatives are primarily a so called ‘Christian’ party with many unchristian ideas/values but are too ashamed or cunning or strategic to openly admit it.
Using the name and symbolism of Christ to promote an agenda and politics which is directly against His teachings of mercy and compassion towards the poor, the suffering and the dispossessed (as described by the Beatitudes) is pretty much by definition, satanic.
Funnily enough, their policy of tax-free up to $25,000 and 20% flat rate equates to a “before-tax” pay-rise of $1.57/hour (for full time of 2080 hours) for those on the current minimum wage of $14.25.
So these policies together would give someone on the minimum wage an effective boost to $15.83 in the current tax environment. Labour is campaigning on $15/hour so that’s actually more than them.
Yes, the website needs to be clearer. All the so far announced policies should be listed one below the other with just a title and a crucial sentence or two, and links given for more detailed explanation for each policy.
What is left wing about giving the $25,000 tax free threshold to the wealthy?
It is more left wing and progressive to target assistance to the poor and the less wealthy.
But will also generate less revenue coming in from the wealthy and from those who are earning well. Instead, isn’t targeting assistance to the less well off better by not forgoing all revenue at the lower rung?
hence the problem with media and politicians lazy analysis in terms of left and right. Having some right policy and some left policy doesnt equate to centre. Imo centre is also an invention for palatable branding purposes.
I dont agree with all policy from left parties nor disagree with all from right…
Good point. It always surprises me as to how anyone that professes to be a Christian or religious or even respects Christ’s or Christian or humanitarian values can ever be a right wing supporter in politics! If one thinks about this, the two things can not honestly jell.
Satao, one of the last great tuskers has been killed.
.
I first learned about Satao through an emotional and beautifully written blog post by Mark Deeble, who described him as being so intelligent that he knew he needed to protect his enormous tusks by intentionally hiding in bushes so they couldn’t be seen. At the end of the post Mark wrote:
I am appalled at what that means – that the survival skills that the bull has painstakingly learnt over half a century have been rendered useless by the poachers’ use of mass-produced Chinese goods; GPS smart-phones, cheap motorcycles and night vision goggles.
I think the old bull knows that poachers want his tusks, and I hate that he knows.
More than anything, I hate the thought that poachers are now closing in on one of the world’s most iconic elephants.
For sure, it is said of the Fiordland deer after the onset of helicopter hunting when 1000’s where culled that in low scrub/tussock country the heavily antlered males upon hearing the helicopters approach and knowing their inability to outrun the flying beasts dealing death from the sky would sit in among the low scrub with their antlers tilted backward to the ground in an attempt at camouflage,
Didn’t help the poor old deer too much, but, showed a remarkable ability in the animals ‘to learn’…
So this guy, connect to ACT, gets a seat on the panel of Q&A. Again another ACT person, from a party with near zero votes. That’s my first gripe.
Second. The toady suggested that we should not consider changing our carbon policy because we would just export our dairy to China, as China would start up producing milk, which of course would be higher carbon emitting. Apart from been disingenuous, defeatist and wrong; in that China would grow its dairy herds without much consideration of us, that toady should not be promising that China’s herds would be farters, he doesn’t know that (and why won’t we be selling them better dairy science – it is a free market).
And then there was the other implicit promise, that our current (Labour introduced) carbon policy is the most perfect system there is, and the world will come around to introduce it, because we’re just hiding waiting to jump out when the world gets its act together.
Then there’s the cat herding. I mean the whole problem with global policy is that everyone has a different take, this isn’t a new problem, its as old as carbon charging. So here we have this creepy toady basically declaring that the status quo is a great victory, that the present policy is perfect, and he promises that there will be no surprises around China own sourcing (or the world turning on dairy output).
Its hard to fathom what purpose the business classes of NZ are helped by being so ill served by the extreme right talking nonsense. Please select moderate economic voices who don’t promise the earth, while ignoring reality, both human and environment.
We obviously have come to depend too much on diary, cannot maintain our present capacity due to the huge costs of pollution both carbon and river pollution, and we haven’t even started to discuss how massive farm land prices and farm debt, is forcing so many into dairy.
I reckon Franks’ problem is that he just has an ego the size of a bus (albeit disguised by mild-mannered disposition).
I have to witness the prick almost daily.
(God he’s gorgeous!! And JUST LOOK at his contributions to a society – that doesn’t exist, of course! Territorial? or some such; well-mannered (usually); driven by ideology dressed up as principle; good, wholesome family values ….. etc., etc., – otherwise known as slime. I needed him last week though – I was damn short on 10 litres of 10W40)
Martyn Bradbury from ‘The Herald on Sunday’ on legalising marijuana and abortion
‘ Martyn Bradbury : Unmentionable issues need champion’
There are three rules of New Zealand politics. Never criticise farmers. Never ask why cannabis is illegal and never, ever mention abortion. Ever. To everyone’s surprise, two political parties this month found the courage to breach those last two rules.
Ever since the “anti-smacking law” fiasco, Labour has been terrified to promote any social policy that can be warped into politically correct social engineering gone mad. Amending Section 59 of the Crimes Act closed a legal loophole abusive parents exploited to escape assault charges by claiming discipline as a defence. Watching such a noble gesture get twisted into a narrative of the PC stormtroopers of Helengrad, kicking down the front doors of honest Kiwi mums and dads to arrest them for lightly tapping little Johnny on the bottom, shellshocked Labour into never mentioning social policy again.
This has depressed the quality of political vision for the left, which is why the Greens and Internet parties’ policies on decriminalising cannabis and abortion are so welcome.
At last year’s International Cannabis Policy Symposium in Auckland, Professor Richie Poulton pointed out that 10.3 per cent of users who smoke cannabis by age 15 go on to have psychotic disorders, whereas only 4.7 per cent of those who used cannabis by aged 18 went on to have psychotic disorders. The conclusion from the symposium was that cannabis isn’t the major health risk it’s been built up to be. If protecting adolescents from early cannabis use is the solution, prohibition is the problem.
Regulation removes tinny houses near schools, prohibition builds them. Between 2007 and last year, 890 New Zealanders were jailed for possession of cannabis and 737 more have been imprisoned for possession of a bong.
Our war on drugs has led us to the awkward position where the US is becoming more progressive on cannabis than we are.
Decriminalisation of abortion is needed now. It’s not just the nonsense of Section 187A of the Crimes Act, whereby women must feign mental distress to get a basic medical service, it’s the manner in which pro-life fanatics have managed to isolate and constrict access to abortions that desperately needs challenging by decriminalising it.
I’m 100 per cent pro-choice. Those attempting to tell a woman what to do with her body in the 21st century should be outed for the misogynistic medieval glee club that they are. Women have every right to safe, legal access to any medical procedure they require. An abortion is one such. What is worse than the 14,745 abortions carried out in 2012? Forcing 14,745 women to have children they didn’t want. Ceausescu’s Romanian orphanages are a horror reminder of that path.
The Green and Internet parties have shown vast courage to bring these issues into the open. Progressive voters should consider rewarding that bravery this election.
Craig said yesterday that while he was polling in East Coast Bays, he had not begun major campaign work in the area. He expected to announce where he would stand at the party’s campaign launch next week. Craig said he would not talk to Key about a deal until after he announced his electorate.
From Stuff news :
“I have some people who think that we should be carrying on a negotiation with National, but we said we wouldn’t and we won’t.”
‘Vote’ is not simply confusing. It is an exhortation to cast a vote. Placement on a ballot paper alongside the name of a particular party’s candidate shapes as a partisan political exhortation in favour of that candidate and party, electorate and list.
What of the long standing legal requirement that all concerted public political expressions and exhortations of whatever form be ceased/taken down by 7.00pm (?) on the day before the election ? Apart maybe from formal campaign wrap-ups from party leaders at a set time after 7.00 pm.
Is the law to be amended to accommodate Mr Craig At The Beach In A Suit ? Doubt it.
Craig can’t be injuncted from staggering to the voting booth a huge cross of wood awkwardly across his shoulder, nor Rankin buckling under the weight of a massive, extreme kitsch, diamante studded, shitmetal crucifix, but no. This ain’t on.
What of the long standing legal requirement that all concerted public political expressions and exhortations of whatever form be ceased/taken down by 7.00pm (?) on the day before the election ?
That seems to be what the Conservative Party is trying to bypass. Such a move is obviously as corrupt as John Banks electoral funding.
I strongly object to this logo as it can easily mislead people into voting for this party by mistake because the logo ASKS people with the word, ‘vote’ in the bubble picture. This is like directing, misleading, advertising or soliciting for the vote.
I am having trouble with the non loading of other posts. The one on the Kiwiassure and the one on DC’s speech were there earlier this afternoon, but now gone! They were worth another visit but have vanished for me in spite of Refreshing. Anyone?
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Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The psychological surveillance “dataddiction” of the power elite, spying on media outlets since 2002, how 9/11 was allowed to happen and more
This is a good article covering the basics of how and why a global surveillance state has been put together over many years, with an embedded video describing how US intelligence community turf wars a) allowed 9/11 to happen (senior decision makers for their unknown own reasons repeatedly prevented operational staff from acting) b) covered up afterwards, repeatedly lying to or disinforming elected officials c) then constructed a vicious and false criminal case against against Thomas Drake, decorated USAF and USN officer + former senior NSA executive turned whistleblower on budget waste and anti-constitutional activity in the NSA.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-14/senior-nsa-executive-nsa-started-spying-journalists-2002-%E2%80%A6-order-make-sure-they-didn
I did not see The Nation yesterday and am about to watch it online. However, I just read Tim Watkin’s post on Pundit on the interview with the Children’s Commissioner from the Feeds here.
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/childrens-commissioner-calls-for-50-benefit-raise-yes-you-heard-right
Apparently Dr Russeell Wills stated yesterday on The Nation that benefits for children need to be raised by about 50% to bring them back in line with the level available prior to the Mother of all Budgets in the 80s and 90s. He also advocated a universal payment for all children up to the age of 3, according to Watkin.
Wow! But as Watkin says, will the media etc sit up and take note of Dr Wills ?
Here is the link to the article and video of the relevant part of The Nation (there is also a link to the transcript in the actual article)
http://www.3news.co.nz/Interview-Jonathan-Boston–Russell-Wills/tabid/1348/articleID/348541/Default.aspx
would you buy a used encyclopedia off that lying weasel groser..?
..would you believe him if he told you what fucken time of day it was..?
Not sure who you are referring to as a “lying weasel groser”.
I don’t have much time for Watkin most of the time; but have a great deal of respect for Dr Russell Wills.
Read the transcript (Wills’ interview starts half way down.
groser is on q&a..
..go and watch that one..
..whoar..!
..groser deserves a special least-believable-politician award all of his own..
..he intends to continue to do s.f.a. about climatechange..
..and is about/plans to sign our sovereignty away to american corporations..
..with the t.p.p..
..we really need to throw these bastards out on their ears..
would you buy a used encyclopedia from act-ite stephen franks..?
..quite astonishing how is so so on the wrong side of history..pretty much everything..
laugh-out-loud moment:
..when discussing the clusterfuck that is iraq..helen kelly referred to bush jnr..
franks said:..(hands outspread in disbelief)..’what’s it got to do with him..?..’..(!)
..seriously..!
..um..!..pretty much everything ‘to do with him’..eh steveo..?
..that’s kinda like saying:..’hitler..?..ww2..?..what’s it got to do with him..?..’
..very funny..
..and helen kelly pretty much monsters franks..
..the compere is her usual irrelevant/useless self..
.her main role seemingly to ‘gurn’..
re boston/wills interview:..and their prescriptions..
..it’s very good/powerful..
..the ‘moment’ to watch for is when owen is told by wills that she will have to stump up to fix child-poverty..
..owen physically squirms in her seat..and is thrown/gets flustered/blushes..
..then she gets petulant..
..then be amazed by how the panel then just totally ignore child-poverty..and spend an inordinate amount of time doing pointless wheel-spins around et-impersonator..colin ‘chem-trails’ craig..
..and i wonder how much longer this saturation-coverage of craig will end..?
..is this a concerted-effort to raise his profile/poll-ratings..by the corporate-controlled media..?
..it’s fucken wall-to-wall craig..
moderation..?
..difficult to see why..
Wow, the interviewer got really upset when Jonathan Boston said that all benefits needed to be raised.
Interesting that she’s always saying that the retired people need to take a hit for the children rather suggesting that we raise taxes. It’s almost as if she’s got tunnel vision.
I thought Lisa Owen (the interviewer) did pretty well – in my view, asking that question was simply about trying to address something that appears to be a deciding factor for voters at present – i.e. how do we afford it. I agree, though, that it didn’t require an either/or framing (retirees vs children), it limits the way people think about ‘affordability, however I think the binary nature of the question might have been addressed by the interviewee (I can’t quite recall for sure if it was).
The either/or manner of thinking came up again re education and Farrar’s suggestion that to get good primary education money needs to be taken off tertiary. What limited thinking. The person from Auckland University Pacific studies centre responded well to that, shame he got cut-off though….
Overall I think she did Ok but she definitely seemed to be pushing the line that to raise benefits for the young the old would need to miss out.
Sure, she needed to ask where the money would come from but she shouldn’t be implying that it would have to come off the retired.
Yes, I am just pondering that, especially because it showed up twice.
Am wondering whether it is about limited ways of thinking (i.e. failure on the part of the interviewer) or limiting peoples’ ideas on how the problem can be solved. (i.e. actively encouraging people to think in a limited way on how affordable addressing this issue is).
It certainly promotes the idea that those on the lower rungs have to squabble amongst themselves for the scraps. Where else will the money come from? From more distributive taxes/approaches? Shock, horror, don’t go there! ( 🙂 )
“..Our 10 best vegan recipes..”
“..If you still need to be convinced that vegan food is for everyone –
(cont..)
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/14/10-best-vegan-recipes
where is the meat?
I kind of love how the vegan cheesecake recipe is … a cheesecake recipe with the words “dairy-free” added a couple of times (and, bizarrely, “paprika for sprinkling”).
Hello! Stephanie, I have a question for you, which I originally posted on Open Mike on Wednesday, 11th June. here ’tis:
“I heard there is a campaign launch for Ohariu Labour on 25th June at the J’ville Community Centre and that David Cunliffe will be attending. I was really keen to attend but have now found out that it is a fundraising dinner and I can’t afford the $50 ticket. I’m also assuming it’s more for members than the general public.
Will there be an opportunity for the public to get along to a meeting with Virginia Anderson (and David Cunliffe?!) and hear about what Labour has to offer prior to the candidates meetings?
Great to see the flyers appearing in the letterbox btw. Big ups to all the hard working volunteers.”
Hi Rosie, the dinner is a fundraiser open to anyone who supports the campaign. There’ll definitely be plenty of other events like meet-the-candidate meetings – if you follow Ginny’s Facebook page all the details will go up there in advance. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/virginia.andersen.ohariu
Thanks Stephanie, and sorry to bother you. I’m not on facebook otherwise I would have asked the question on Ginny’s page. I do view it, but can’t comment.
Unfortunately I won’t be able to go to the fundraiser, no funds to do so! I do hope it’s a good and successful night though and that you’re getting good responses from the door knocking efforts.
2014 has to be the historic year that Ohariu says goodbye to Peter Dunne.!!!
Ta phil – I like the sound of the lentil and apricot soup – although I’d keep it chunky rather than blend.
and the comments under the article are classic and many lols, for example
“what will you cook for me at a vegan barbecue ? I DONT EAT vegetables , only meat ?
thanks x”
“Nothing – you’ll eat what’s on offer or go without. Your choice. It was called a vegan BBQ because the food is vegan. Not too hard to understand, is it? btw, not all vegan food is vegetables.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NNuG-6-hQ
i can see the one-liner underpinning it..
..and i am a huge david mitchell fanboy..
( http://whoar.co.nz/?s=david+mitchell (fill yer boots..!..)
..but that certainly isn’t his best-work..
..it’s what is known as wan-smile humour..
..capable only of raising little more than that..
also worth going online to tangata pasifika..
..to see some good coverage of the launch of mana pasifika..
..i was at a candidate-selection meeting the other nite..
..and mana has some very cool/passionate candidates standing under the internet-mana party umbrella…
..with policies that speak directly to their life-experiences growing up pasifika in ak..
..and that speak to the pasifika-community..
..and i think one of the most powerful/coherent..and ultimately ‘fair’ policies..
..is the one that wd allow pasifika to return to their homelands after retirement..if they should so choose..
..and to be able to take their nz pensions with them..
..these are people who have worked in hard/menial jobs for mosrt of their lives..
..and i think it is a total travesty that if when retired..they decide they would like to return to ‘the islands’..
..they will lose their pension..
..that pretty much both sucks and blows..eh..?..
“..and i think one of the most powerful/coherent..and ultimately ‘fair’ policies..
..is the one that wd allow pasifika to return to their homelands after retirement..if they should so choose..
..and to be able to take their nz pensions with them..”
Nice idea. Many Pasifika people seem to get stuck with employers that demand “flexibility”, you know that ol’ chestnut, “flexibility”, so only fair for NZ to offer “flexibility” in regards to retirement/living options. Why not eh.
Just heard Key on this mornings Media Watch he was “one of us – the tax payers”
Is he ? Why don’t you do a fact check just to see how much tax Mr Key “actshully” pays.
Ian Grant
Whilst that fact check is being done how about proof of his PM salary being donated to charity, Shinkey is on record as calling the Nat party a charity so evidence please John.
All Key has ever said about this in public is that he donates “a good part” of his leader-of-opposition salary to “charities and good causes” and he intends to continue the practice if he becomes PM.
Now that he is on record that he thinks the National Party counts as a charity, we have a good indication of how widely he might interpret the phrases “good causes” and “a good part”.
I see the elite wealthy yachties have the hand out again to go off and play in Ellisons next circus.
Interesting politics and timing as dalton reckons its over in a few weeks when he would’ve known this date for months.
Cue some tough talking from John and joycee ending in a rollover and cash to see them past 2014 and give the next govt that decision they lack the bollocks to make.
Pretty sure i heard on my wireless something to the tune of Joyce was offering 5 and Grant wanted 10, million that is,
The news on that same wireless just quoted an ”unnamed private sponsor” as saying Grant hadn’t been back to them asking for some actual up front cash,
i have to wonder about these people, Heroes all,Dean and Grant, us lot have been milked by how many millions now so these clown’s can gad about on the mill pond,
Barely a month after the last bout of selfless sacrifice from our Heroes, Grant and Dean, where an unkind person would have raised suspicions that the ‘team’ had installed a handbrake aboard,(or perhaps Larry cunningly installed a weight disadvantage by smuggling a tonne of filthy lucre aboard), Dean, ever the impoverished struggler managed, according to the Herald, to sell off the million dollar house in one of Auckland’s pricier suburbs,
Phew, homelessness may have loomed for Dean had it not been for the lucky chance of finding a vacancy a few doors further up the same street from the previous lackluster abode, saved from becoming just another vagrancy statistic by being able to stump up something in the order of 5 million we all breathed a sigh of relief,
Seems fair tho don’t you think, hell according to Nick Smith a bedroom these days costs 900 thousand…
Is it strange that the Minister and MP, Paula Bennett who is the representative for for the Westies should abandon the area for a “better” electorate?
West Auckland, made notorious for its crime by TV shows like Outrageous Fortune, does not have the resources to stop violence in an area increasingly affected by inequality, according to those working in the area. ….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10159389/Once-upon-a-crime-in-the-West
What a great little lady she is!
i predict her departure will see a ladder-shortage in west ak..
What are your definitions of ‘little’ and ‘lady’ @ianmac?
lol right. If you have any value to add with your comment on the topic of Bennett fleeing her electorate, I’ll be interested to see it.
Only that she sure as hell should take her leopard skin-clad noddy wagon into the nearest paint and panel for a quick ‘cashy’ job. Midnight Blue perhaps?
She’s already taken advice on other aspects of ‘re-imaging’ including the haircut.
Suzie (Darling) Wood will be so proud of her (even though she’s [Suzie Darling] neglected to take advantage of the last visit to the Caci Clinic – the TVNZ make-up artist ran out of plasticine)
I feel uncomfortable with the Herald story on the family backgrounds of the 12 and 13 years olds charged in connection with Mt Kumar’s murder in Henderson.
It is very clear that this information is being provided by the police to the media. Why?
I feel that this information should be presented in a court context.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11274242
It would be in the public record which the journalists would have access to. Hell, there may even be a bit in the newspapers about whatever court cases that the parents were involved in.
Also the journalists may have talked to the neighbours. (They would have done if they were any good). Assuming the Herald still has a court reporter a search of the court news would have been pretty simple.
Where is this ‘public record’ journalists (and it would have to be available to the public) can access?
If the parents’ criminal record was obtained from the paper’s own court reports/records it would surely be attributed as such.
Media don’t seem to cover small-time court now, so they would not have that info, and even if they did it would not show relationships.
Courts are notoriously arcane places from which to extract information after the fact.
The most likely source for this story is high ranking police.
And I feel uncomfortable with the fact that one of the teens who assaulted and killed the 15 yr old after a rugby game gets let off totally from being charged with manslaughter – is there a different standard for poorer boys and not-so-poor boys ?
JK its got nothing to do with money, the boy died from a heart condition.
I know of a case where a guy was shot in the face and back by three people at close range with frozen paint balls from high powered paint ball guns. He fell to the ground and died, apparently of a heart attack and no one was charged with manslaughter. I was surprised by that.
Yes how unfortunate for the facts to get published when some on the left want to spin their bullshit and try to blame poverty or lack of police. No surprise it was just violent feral scum breading more violent scum.
This morning Wallace Chapman interviewed American human rights lawyer and prison campaigner David Forte who blames an ‘excess of direct democracy’ for some states’ grossly high incarceration rates (there are huge differences between the best and worst states).
Allowing direct election of prosecutors, judges, and laws in some states engenders ‘this one-way ratchet of punitiveness’ according to Forte.
And recently Swiss voters rejected caps on top CEO pay, and a higher minimum wage, so it’s not just the USA where direct democracy does not work.
The Forte interview was part of Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2599692/wayne-brittenden's-counterpoint
Direct democracy requires that the populace is educated, informed, and has access to all the facts presented in a fair manner.
From this, you can see how those with power start to influence the outcome of direct democracy.
By the way, in those US states with “grossly high incarceration rates” I think you will find that hispanics and blacks are very poorly represented in voter turnout: rich white counties will be where the voters are from.
Which is why I suggested this.
CV, what David Forte is saying is that direct democracy produces reactionary outcomes. No group is immune from manipulation by those with money and power.
And Draco, no fancy software will change the fact.
The answer is to elect (at least some) politicians with integrity who think for themselves, rather than party hacks who identify with power.
As Marilyn Waring told The Nation this weekend no-one remotely like her could get through party selection for National now.
It’s not the fancy software that would do it, it’s the freely available knowledge that can be referred to at any time.
They’re too few and far between and most likely belong to small, radical parties to be able to rely upon representative democracy.
thing to do should you meet craig:..
..point to the sky..and say:..’look..!..chem-trail..!’..
..and take note of his reactions…
There is a very creepy photo of CC on Stuff. He is reclining in some type of bullrush grass and is gazing soulfully into the camera lens. It’s very scary. A little bit reminiscent of DC who had one taken reclining by a beach which I thought at the time didn’t seem quite right. I don’t no why. Maybe because it is usually a more feminine thing to do. Hope to see one of key sometime time soon reclining somewhere…….. preferably Hawaii.
Yes, the photo is very strange. You should have a read of this if you haven’t: http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/nation-certain-this-picture-should-be-used-but-unsure-how/
But even more importantly is the story that accompanies the photo http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10159390/No-easy-ride-on-the-Shore-for-Craig:
TheStandard should add this photo to their bank of stock photos, because CC looks very creepy in it: http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1402743879/434/10159434.jpg
ZOMG, it’s a snake in the grass.
I actually did laugh out loud when I saw that photo this morning. So funny, a suit lurking in the grass with an odd come hither look
Looks like he is being seductive and inviting Maggie Barry, Paula Bennett, Murray McCully and John Key to join him for a five-some conservative frolic in the grass.
Oh God No. The image, it’s burns in my brain!
Did your mind picture them frolicking away au naturel? Yeah, I see what you mean!
Throne of Queens
Hmmmm looks like a good spot to bury a body or two.
Oooh. ” ICKY ! ” doesn’t cut the mustard here. So where goes the age old advice about voters running hell for leather in the opposite direction from strange men ? Was this pic that raunchy Christine Rankin’s idea ?
colin craig has been given a safe seat in area 52!
The conservatives are primarily a so called ‘Christian’ party with many unchristian ideas/values but are too ashamed or cunning or strategic to openly admit it.
Using the name and symbolism of Christ to promote an agenda and politics which is directly against His teachings of mercy and compassion towards the poor, the suffering and the dispossessed (as described by the Beatitudes) is pretty much by definition, satanic.
Apparently they want a tax-free threshold of $25,000. Seems pretty left wing?
They also want to freeze the minimum wage…
Funnily enough, their policy of tax-free up to $25,000 and 20% flat rate equates to a “before-tax” pay-rise of $1.57/hour (for full time of 2080 hours) for those on the current minimum wage of $14.25.
So these policies together would give someone on the minimum wage an effective boost to $15.83 in the current tax environment. Labour is campaigning on $15/hour so that’s actually more than them.
Labour is campaigning on an immediate $15 per hour and then for it to be shifted to $17 per hour over time.
And, because Labour’s website sux I can’t actually find that.
Yes, the website needs to be clearer. All the so far announced policies should be listed one below the other with just a title and a crucial sentence or two, and links given for more detailed explanation for each policy.
What is left wing about giving the $25,000 tax free threshold to the wealthy?
It is more left wing and progressive to target assistance to the poor and the less wealthy.
In a progressive income tax system everyone benefits from the lower income tax rates at the bottom tiers.
But will also generate less revenue coming in from the wealthy and from those who are earning well. Instead, isn’t targeting assistance to the less well off better by not forgoing all revenue at the lower rung?
But I do understand it is also a numbers games.
hence the problem with media and politicians lazy analysis in terms of left and right. Having some right policy and some left policy doesnt equate to centre. Imo centre is also an invention for palatable branding purposes.
I dont agree with all policy from left parties nor disagree with all from right…
Good point. It always surprises me as to how anyone that professes to be a Christian or religious or even respects Christ’s or Christian or humanitarian values can ever be a right wing supporter in politics! If one thinks about this, the two things can not honestly jell.
+1
but then there’s a big difference between the ‘religious’ and the ‘Christian’ more often than not.
Satao, one of the last great tuskers has been killed.
.
I first learned about Satao through an emotional and beautifully written blog post by Mark Deeble, who described him as being so intelligent that he knew he needed to protect his enormous tusks by intentionally hiding in bushes so they couldn’t be seen. At the end of the post Mark wrote:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/africa-wild/2014/jun/13/kenyas-biggest-elephant-killed-by-poachers
For sure, it is said of the Fiordland deer after the onset of helicopter hunting when 1000’s where culled that in low scrub/tussock country the heavily antlered males upon hearing the helicopters approach and knowing their inability to outrun the flying beasts dealing death from the sky would sit in among the low scrub with their antlers tilted backward to the ground in an attempt at camouflage,
Didn’t help the poor old deer too much, but, showed a remarkable ability in the animals ‘to learn’…
So this guy, connect to ACT, gets a seat on the panel of Q&A. Again another ACT person, from a party with near zero votes. That’s my first gripe.
Second. The toady suggested that we should not consider changing our carbon policy because we would just export our dairy to China, as China would start up producing milk, which of course would be higher carbon emitting. Apart from been disingenuous, defeatist and wrong; in that China would grow its dairy herds without much consideration of us, that toady should not be promising that China’s herds would be farters, he doesn’t know that (and why won’t we be selling them better dairy science – it is a free market).
And then there was the other implicit promise, that our current (Labour introduced) carbon policy is the most perfect system there is, and the world will come around to introduce it, because we’re just hiding waiting to jump out when the world gets its act together.
Then there’s the cat herding. I mean the whole problem with global policy is that everyone has a different take, this isn’t a new problem, its as old as carbon charging. So here we have this creepy toady basically declaring that the status quo is a great victory, that the present policy is perfect, and he promises that there will be no surprises around China own sourcing (or the world turning on dairy output).
Its hard to fathom what purpose the business classes of NZ are helped by being so ill served by the extreme right talking nonsense. Please select moderate economic voices who don’t promise the earth, while ignoring reality, both human and environment.
We obviously have come to depend too much on diary, cannot maintain our present capacity due to the huge costs of pollution both carbon and river pollution, and we haven’t even started to discuss how massive farm land prices and farm debt, is forcing so many into dairy.
the thing is that franks was once thought of as that oxymoron..an intelligent-rightie..
..now he is just fucken barking..projectile-vomiting randisims wherever he goes..
..that was quite the performance..and didn’t kelly rark him up a treat..?
..he makes glenn beck look like a moderate..
..the face of modern-act..
..(with his denial/claim the invasion of iraq by bush/blair having nothing at all to do with the current clusterfuck there..
..still giving me after-chuckles..
..and there must be more in that vein..
..it’s the ‘what’s to do with him/her!’-meme..(must be said with palms of hands turned up in gesture of disbelief..)
..the murders of sharon tate et al..?.. charles manson..?..what’s it got to do with him?..
..the asset-stripping of new zealand..?..john key..?..what’s it got to do with him?..
..the dismantling of the welfare-state/creation of poverty/nequality in nz..’strewth’ richardson..?..what’s it got to do with her..?
..and so it goes..
(and of course..it’s screaming out for a gif..of franks going ‘what’s it got to do with him..?’..
I reckon Franks’ problem is that he just has an ego the size of a bus (albeit disguised by mild-mannered disposition).
I have to witness the prick almost daily.
(God he’s gorgeous!! And JUST LOOK at his contributions to a society – that doesn’t exist, of course! Territorial? or some such; well-mannered (usually); driven by ideology dressed up as principle; good, wholesome family values ….. etc., etc., – otherwise known as slime. I needed him last week though – I was damn short on 10 litres of 10W40)
two words sum up franks. Jordan williams
Martyn Bradbury from ‘The Herald on Sunday’ on legalising marijuana and abortion
‘ Martyn Bradbury : Unmentionable issues need champion’
There are three rules of New Zealand politics. Never criticise farmers. Never ask why cannabis is illegal and never, ever mention abortion. Ever. To everyone’s surprise, two political parties this month found the courage to breach those last two rules.
Ever since the “anti-smacking law” fiasco, Labour has been terrified to promote any social policy that can be warped into politically correct social engineering gone mad. Amending Section 59 of the Crimes Act closed a legal loophole abusive parents exploited to escape assault charges by claiming discipline as a defence. Watching such a noble gesture get twisted into a narrative of the PC stormtroopers of Helengrad, kicking down the front doors of honest Kiwi mums and dads to arrest them for lightly tapping little Johnny on the bottom, shellshocked Labour into never mentioning social policy again.
This has depressed the quality of political vision for the left, which is why the Greens and Internet parties’ policies on decriminalising cannabis and abortion are so welcome.
At last year’s International Cannabis Policy Symposium in Auckland, Professor Richie Poulton pointed out that 10.3 per cent of users who smoke cannabis by age 15 go on to have psychotic disorders, whereas only 4.7 per cent of those who used cannabis by aged 18 went on to have psychotic disorders. The conclusion from the symposium was that cannabis isn’t the major health risk it’s been built up to be. If protecting adolescents from early cannabis use is the solution, prohibition is the problem.
Regulation removes tinny houses near schools, prohibition builds them. Between 2007 and last year, 890 New Zealanders were jailed for possession of cannabis and 737 more have been imprisoned for possession of a bong.
Our war on drugs has led us to the awkward position where the US is becoming more progressive on cannabis than we are.
Decriminalisation of abortion is needed now. It’s not just the nonsense of Section 187A of the Crimes Act, whereby women must feign mental distress to get a basic medical service, it’s the manner in which pro-life fanatics have managed to isolate and constrict access to abortions that desperately needs challenging by decriminalising it.
I’m 100 per cent pro-choice. Those attempting to tell a woman what to do with her body in the 21st century should be outed for the misogynistic medieval glee club that they are. Women have every right to safe, legal access to any medical procedure they require. An abortion is one such. What is worse than the 14,745 abortions carried out in 2012? Forcing 14,745 women to have children they didn’t want. Ceausescu’s Romanian orphanages are a horror reminder of that path.
The Green and Internet parties have shown vast courage to bring these issues into the open. Progressive voters should consider rewarding that bravery this election.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11274164
Advertising for Colon the Conservative seems to be a really intelligent thing to be doing at this point in the electoral cycle…
Craig said yesterday that while he was polling in East Coast Bays, he had not begun major campaign work in the area. He expected to announce where he would stand at the party’s campaign launch next week. Craig said he would not talk to Key about a deal until after he announced his electorate.
From Stuff news :
“I have some people who think that we should be carrying on a negotiation with National, but we said we wouldn’t and we won’t.”
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2011
EAST COAST BAYS
Individual vote Murray McCully (National) 21,094 Simonne Dyer (Conservative) 1614
Party vote National 62.86 per cent Conservatives 3.74 per cent.
RODNEY
Individual vote Mark Mitchell (National) 20,253 Colin Craig (Conservative) 12,222
Party vote National 62.15 per cent Conservative 6.38 per cent
UPPER HARBOUR
A new seat in 2014 seen as safe for National’s Social Development Minister Paula Bennett
if he GENUINELY believes he can win a seat without national he would know where was going to stand and begun his door knocking.
There are so many denials from both sides it must be a done deal.
and no disclosure about bradury at beginning or end of article.
Conservative Party is requesting to change their logo to “vote”.
Stupid is as stupid does…I think it would be considered “confusing” on a ballot paper, and should be refused.
I wonder if they intended to slightly crop the right side and bottom of the oval?
Might be elections office that did it, though 🙂
‘Vote’ is not simply confusing. It is an exhortation to cast a vote. Placement on a ballot paper alongside the name of a particular party’s candidate shapes as a partisan political exhortation in favour of that candidate and party, electorate and list.
What of the long standing legal requirement that all concerted public political expressions and exhortations of whatever form be ceased/taken down by 7.00pm (?) on the day before the election ? Apart maybe from formal campaign wrap-ups from party leaders at a set time after 7.00 pm.
Is the law to be amended to accommodate Mr Craig At The Beach In A Suit ? Doubt it.
Craig can’t be injuncted from staggering to the voting booth a huge cross of wood awkwardly across his shoulder, nor Rankin buckling under the weight of a massive, extreme kitsch, diamante studded, shitmetal crucifix, but no. This ain’t on.
You wonder at the idiot who conceived it really.
That seems to be what the Conservative Party is trying to bypass. Such a move is obviously as corrupt as John Banks electoral funding.
I objected by email as follows:
With reference to the Conservative party logo request, http://www.elections.org.nz/news-media/application-register-conservative-party-logo:
I strongly object to this logo as it can easily mislead people into voting for this party by mistake because the logo ASKS people with the word, ‘vote’ in the bubble picture. This is like directing, misleading, advertising or soliciting for the vote.
Please reject this cunning logo
I am having trouble with the non loading of other posts. The one on the Kiwiassure and the one on DC’s speech were there earlier this afternoon, but now gone! They were worth another visit but have vanished for me in spite of Refreshing. Anyone?
Brilliant post by astute Epsom voter, Curwen Rollerson.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/06/15/guest-blog-curwen-rolinson-the-campaign-to-elect-paul-goldsmith/
Spread the message…..
The Roy Morgan poll , so beloved by the loony Left is published in a few hours. Bad news I’m afraid folks.
How do you know it is bad news? What are the numbers?
c’mon mr mental health professional, dedicated to truth and mental well being. How do you know the numbers when it hasnt been published yet?
Since it still isn’t published, I assume in your reality a “few hours” means 20+?
NaziYahoo accuses Hamas……..80 Palestinians arrested……..remind me again how many Palestinian kids rot in IDF detention……..average stay etc etc.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/15/israel-raids-hamas-kipdnapping-netanyahu
Love your work NaziYahoo………
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.592352
xox. Perfect photo of CC. Auditioning for the next vampire movie….?